Stepping Up
 

Bought my first boat last year, a SeaRay 190 bowrider. We are now
looking to step up to a larger boat that will allow us to have
overnights.

We have spec'd out a SeaRay 260 and the Regal2665.
The SeaRay berth is small and the use of space seems a bit ineffective.
The Regal is beautiful inside and out and everything I see is saying go
for it. However, SeaRay is sitting back there whispering, "It is not a
SeaRay". Before we pull the trigger and commit a substantial sum of
money we are asking ourselves what is the best choice we can make.

We love SeaRay's service and dealer interaction, but we are asking
ourselves, "Yes the service is great, but is it worth the extra
$15,000?"

We can get ourselves in a Regal for much less than the SeaRay and of
course we understand that with SeaRay it is not just the boat, it's the
extras.

Has Regal corrected their hull problems they seemed to have in the
past?

What would you do.

We looked at alot of boats in the length we are looking for, and Regal
and SeaRay are the frontrunners. My wife likes both, as do I.

(I grew up on boats until I was in my late teens and just recently
re-discovered boating, late thirties)

This group has been very helpful, and I would welcome opinions.

AF

One of the components of your decision, I'm sure that you've calculated
the re-sale value of both boats. That information may suggest one over
the other.

"AttyFinch" wrote in
oups.com:

We love SeaRay's service and dealer interaction, but we are asking
ourselves, "Yes the service is great, but is it worth the extra
$15,000?"


Here. I'm a former Sea Ray owner and I'm not so impressed. Neither is one
of the most hated marine surveyors they'd rather you not look at:

Here's a Sea Ray that banged into a pier in a storm. ONE layer of roving
to fool the surveyors into thinking it's fiberglass, then some putty to
fill in the hull under the gelcoat. He just peeled the hull off with his
hand. If you've been told he's a liar or some other nonsense, the pictures
speak volumes for themselves, instead.

http://www.yachtsurvey.com/Fiberglass_Boats.htm

Sea Ray is just another Brunswick bubble boat made to produce a big profit
for Brunswick.....like Bayliners. Piece of crap....expensive crap.

Glad mine is gone....(c;

AttyFinch wrote:
Bought my first boat last year, a SeaRay 190 bowrider. We are now
looking to step up to a larger boat that will allow us to have
overnights.

We have spec'd out a SeaRay 260 and the Regal2665.
The SeaRay berth is small and the use of space seems a bit ineffective.
The Regal is beautiful inside and out and everything I see is saying go
for it. However, SeaRay is sitting back there whispering, "It is not a
SeaRay". Before we pull the trigger and commit a substantial sum of
money we are asking ourselves what is the best choice we can make.

We love SeaRay's service and dealer interaction, but we are asking
ourselves, "Yes the service is great, but is it worth the extra
$15,000?"

We can get ourselves in a Regal for much less than the SeaRay and of
course we understand that with SeaRay it is not just the boat, it's the
extras.

Has Regal corrected their hull problems they seemed to have in the
past?

What would you do.

We looked at alot of boats in the length we are looking for, and Regal
and SeaRay are the frontrunners. My wife likes both, as do I.

(I grew up on boats until I was in my late teens and just recently
re-discovered boating, late thirties)

This group has been very helpful, and I would welcome opinions.

AF

AF, do you REALLY welcome "opinions?" Here's mine: buy yourself a
sailboat!

"Dick B." wrote in message
...
AttyFinch wrote:
Bought my first boat last year, a SeaRay 190 bowrider. We
are now
looking to step up to a larger boat that will allow us to
have
overnights.

IMHO, by the way the SeaRay folks act on the rivers and
waterways, I have come to the conclusion that when making the
down payment on one, a lobotomy is required. I get so tired of
being rolled down off big wakes.

Leanne
s/v Fundy

AttyFinch wrote:
Bought my first boat last year, a SeaRay 190 bowrider. We are now
looking to step up to a larger boat that will allow us to have
overnights.

We have spec'd out a SeaRay 260 and the Regal2665.
The SeaRay berth is small and the use of space seems a bit
ineffective.
The Regal is beautiful inside and out and everything I see is saying
go
for it. However, SeaRay is sitting back there whispering, "It is not
a
SeaRay". Before we pull the trigger and commit a substantial sum of
money we are asking ourselves what is the best choice we can make.

We love SeaRay's service and dealer interaction, but we are asking
ourselves, "Yes the service is great, but is it worth the extra
$15,000?"

We can get ourselves in a Regal for much less than the SeaRay and of
course we understand that with SeaRay it is not just the boat, it's
the
extras.

Has Regal corrected their hull problems they seemed to have in the
past?

What would you do.

We looked at alot of boats in the length we are looking for, and
Regal
and SeaRay are the frontrunners. My wife likes both, as do I.

(I grew up on boats until I was in my late teens and just recently
re-discovered boating, late thirties)

This group has been very helpful, and I would welcome opinions.

AF

Go with the boat you like best. Resale isn't going to make those
overnight stays any better. I'm an offshore fisherman, so SeaRay's are
out of the question in my world. But if you want my opinion, their just
flash, no substance. I just don't see anything about their construction
that impresses me. They tend to go after new boaters, impress them with
all kinds of equipment you probably don't need, and keep them in the
family by offering good trade in prices so they can sell you a bigger
boat. Buy the boat you like and enjoy it. And if the boat comes with a
single engine definately go with the bigger engine, don't go with a 5.0
or 5.7, their too small for a single application in that size boat.
Spend the extra money on the engine, you won't regret it, and you
should get most of your money back when you sell it.

Would love too!...However tacking upriver makes it difficult. I should
have included we live in Cincinnati where big water for sailing is
limited. Powerboating offers more options here in the midwest....It
does break my heart not to be sailing, just not practical. At this time
being on the water, period, is more important than how we do it...

Sailing is in the old retirement plan!

Based on these limited responses, it seems SeaRay is taking a
beating...

Keep em coming.....I want to have fewer nightmares.

(if anyone who owns a boat has never had a nightmare, they don't own a
boat. My wife is new to boating and has already had the requisite one
with our purchase last year.)

AF

On 6 Mar 2005 16:15:04 -0800, "AttyFinch" wrote:

Bought my first boat last year, a SeaRay 190 bowrider. We are now
looking to step up to a larger boat that will allow us to have
overnights.

We have spec'd out a SeaRay 260 and the Regal2665.
The SeaRay berth is small and the use of space seems a bit ineffective.
The Regal is beautiful inside and out and everything I see is saying go
for it. However, SeaRay is sitting back there whispering, "It is not a
SeaRay". Before we pull the trigger and commit a substantial sum of
money we are asking ourselves what is the best choice we can make.

We love SeaRay's service and dealer interaction, but we are asking
ourselves, "Yes the service is great, but is it worth the extra
$15,000?"

We can get ourselves in a Regal for much less than the SeaRay and of
course we understand that with SeaRay it is not just the boat, it's the
extras.

Has Regal corrected their hull problems they seemed to have in the
past?

What would you do.

We looked at alot of boats in the length we are looking for, and Regal
and SeaRay are the frontrunners. My wife likes both, as do I.

(I grew up on boats until I was in my late teens and just recently
re-discovered boating, late thirties)

This group has been very helpful, and I would welcome opinions.

AF

My son-in-law went through a lot of what you're going through. After a lot of
comparing, he settled on a Chaparral. He loves it.

FWIW


John H

"All decisions are the result of binary thinking."

"Leanne" wrote in :

IMHO, by the way the SeaRay folks act on the rivers and
waterways, I have come to the conclusion that when making the
down payment on one, a lobotomy is required. I get so tired of
being rolled down off big wakes.

Leanne
s/v Fundy

They go by your marina dock and make a wake?....(c;)

When are you coming up here? I've been wanting to see that
motorsailor...(c;

Boy, what a sailing day TODAY in Charleston. Great winds, warm, dry....how
awful for a MONDAY!

When are you coming up here? I've been wanting to see that
motorsailor...(c;

I will be up around the first of june. I have too many
committments until then.

Boy, what a sailing day TODAY in Charleston. Great winds,
warm, dry....how
awful for a MONDAY!

Rub it in.... I was doing some yard work and planting a couple
trees, one of them being a Key Lime. I will be able to go out
in the yard and get the limes for my G & T or Coronas. It is
across the yard from the Lemon tree.

Leanne

"AttyFinch" wrote in
oups.com:

(if anyone who owns a boat has never had a nightmare, they don't own a
boat. My wife is new to boating and has already had the requisite one
with our purchase last year.)

AF



Have you ever laid there, staring at the overhead unable to sleep because
you can just FEEL the anchor draggin' towards something awful....even
though the next morning the anchor windlass has the bow in the water trying
to haul it back in?....(c;

Or..."Did I secure that spring line to this strange dock, the one with the
loose cleats that look like a rowboat will just break them off, the ones
that aren't already broken off?"

Or....You turned the light on, out there on the hook in the dark, over your
V-berth. Didya ever notice how fast it starts to DIM, in your mind, laying
there as the house batteries, whos voltage hasn't varied .2V since you left
home in actuality, are just fading away? "Did I remember to switch the
switch "A" (house batteries) or is it still in "BOTH", and the starting
battery is already dead?"

Or....Feel that? Is that the anchor chain draggin' down the side of the
hull or has it dragged us into that $3.2M Hinckley near us, the one with
the Philadelphia Lawyer who kept screaming at us that we were anchoring the
'74 Hunter too close to his million-dollar gelcoat and paint job?

"DAMMIT, I CAN'T SLEEP UNTIL I FIND OUT WHAT THAT BUMPING IS!", as you
stumble over the head of the V-berth, stepping on HER shoes diggin into
your heel, painfully. She's ****ed having been woken up out of a fantasy
dream about some rock star. Looks like you'll be on watch in the cockpit
all night, anyways....watching that anchor rode.....(d^:)

"Why IS that damned halyard banging against the mast, again? Who's the
IDIOT that decided to run it INSIDE the aluminum mast, anyways?!"

Larry W4CSC wrote:

Or....Feel that? Is that the anchor chain draggin' down the side of the
hull or has it dragged us into that $3.2M Hinckley near us, the one with
the Philadelphia Lawyer who kept screaming at us that we were anchoring the
'74 Hunter too close to his million-dollar gelcoat and paint job?

I've seen a guy who looks/sounds like this in the middle of Big Tub @
Tobermory every summer for a while. It's no nightmare...he's for real!
Big blue "J" boat, big mouth...probably should be driving a SeaRay

On 6 Mar 2005 16:15:04 -0800, "AttyFinch"
wrote:
We have spec'd out a SeaRay 260 and the Regal2665.
The SeaRay berth is small and the use of space seems a bit ineffective.
The Regal is beautiful inside and out and everything I see is saying go
for it. However, SeaRay is sitting back there whispering, "It is not a
SeaRay". Before we pull the trigger and commit a substantial sum of
money we are asking ourselves what is the best choice we can make.

=====================

One of my neighbors just traded up from a 29 ft Sea Ray to a 33 ft
Rinker. The Sea Ray was a decent boat (another neighbor bought it),
but the Rinker is finished well and offers a lot for the money. I'd
spend some time looking over all of the options.

"Leanne" wrote in :

Rub it in.... I was doing some yard work and planting a couple
trees, one of them being a Key Lime. I will be able to go out
in the yard and get the limes for my G & T or Coronas. It is
across the yard from the Lemon tree.

Leanne



Yard work? Marinas don't have yard work!......(c;

Marinas have BOAT work...cleaning, painting, pumping, grinding, wrenching,
smelling, dieseling....ad nauseum!

prodigal1 wrote in
:

Or....Feel that? Is that the anchor chain draggin' down the side of
the hull or has it dragged us into that $3.2M Hinckley near us, the
one with the Philadelphia Lawyer who kept screaming at us that we
were anchoring the '74 Hunter too close to his million-dollar gelcoat
and paint job?

I've seen a guy who looks/sounds like this in the middle of Big Tub @
Tobermory every summer for a while. It's no nightmare...he's for
real! Big blue "J" boat, big mouth...probably should be driving a
SeaRay


It's all about the MONEY....

What never ceases to amaze me is that we let a blind guy with a $10M
portfolio go out and buy a 72' Hatteras with twin 1300 HP diesels and he
doesn't break any laws driving it away from the brokerage towards your
bassboat!.....

Larry W4CSC wrote:
prodigal1 wrote in
:


Or....Feel that? Is that the anchor chain draggin' down the side of
the hull or has it dragged us into that $3.2M Hinckley near us, the
one with the Philadelphia Lawyer who kept screaming at us that we
were anchoring the '74 Hunter too close to his million-dollar gelcoat
and paint job?

I've seen a guy who looks/sounds like this in the middle of Big Tub @
Tobermory every summer for a while. It's no nightmare...he's for
real! Big blue "J" boat, big mouth...probably should be driving a
SeaRay



It's all about the MONEY....

What never ceases to amaze me is that we let a blind guy with a $10M
portfolio go out and buy a 72' Hatteras with twin 1300 HP diesels and he
doesn't break any laws driving it away from the brokerage towards your
bassboat!.....


This sounds like the dude in Tobermory last year aboard a spacemachine
called Clueless registered in Ft. Liquordale. Big emerald green cat
72-75'LOL. 4 huge polished brass counter-rotating props on two shafts.
I'm a ragbagger, but even this puppy turned my head...particularly
when he backed off the fuel dock!

In article ,
Larry W4CSC wrote:

http://www.yachtsurvey.com/Fiberglass_Boats.htm

THAT is a truly scary page! Talk about a minimally seaworthy boat...

--
Jere Lull
Xan-a-Deux ('73 Tanzer 28 #4 out of Tolchester, MD)
Xan's Pages: http://members.dca.net/jerelull/X-Main.html
Our BVI FAQs (290+ pics) http://homepage.mac.com/jerelull/BVI/

In article ,
Wayne.B wrote:

On 6 Mar 2005 16:15:04 -0800, "AttyFinch"
wrote:
We have spec'd out a SeaRay 260 and the Regal2665.
The SeaRay berth is small and the use of space seems a bit ineffective.
The Regal is beautiful inside and out and everything I see is saying go
for it. However, SeaRay is sitting back there whispering, "It is not a
SeaRay". Before we pull the trigger and commit a substantial sum of
money we are asking ourselves what is the best choice we can make.

=====================

One of my neighbors just traded up from a 29 ft Sea Ray to a 33 ft
Rinker. The Sea Ray was a decent boat (another neighbor bought it),
but the Rinker is finished well and offers a lot for the money. I'd
spend some time looking over all of the options.


Then again, there's our friends that got a Rinker that eventually earned
the moniker "Stinkin' Rinker". They're happier with their new boat.

--
Jere Lull
Xan-a-Deux ('73 Tanzer 28 #4 out of Tolchester, MD)
Xan's Pages: http://members.dca.net/jerelull/X-Main.html
Our BVI FAQs (290+ pics) http://homepage.mac.com/jerelull/BVI/

Jere Lull wrote in news:jerelull-
:

THAT is a truly scary page! Talk about a minimally seaworthy boat...


And more and more boats built by large conglomerates with big law firms to
protect them are built like that every year...

I asked a Brunswick exec, "Why is it that a company that can make a bowling
pin that survives being slammed into hard wood, scraped around an automatic
pinsetter, then slammed again, over and over....why is it that SAME company
can't build a fiberglass boat that can survive banging up against a wooden
dock without being all gouged up or worse?"

I never got an answer.....

There's two Brunswick bowling pins staring at me as I type this on my
mantle over the computer desk.....

Larry,
Why are you typing on your mantle?
krj

Larry W4CSC wrote:
Jere Lull wrote in news:jerelull-
:


THAT is a truly scary page! Talk about a minimally seaworthy boat...



And more and more boats built by large conglomerates with big law firms to
protect them are built like that every year...

I asked a Brunswick exec, "Why is it that a company that can make a bowling
pin that survives being slammed into hard wood, scraped around an automatic
pinsetter, then slammed again, over and over....why is it that SAME company
can't build a fiberglass boat that can survive banging up against a wooden
dock without being all gouged up or worse?"

I never got an answer.....

There's two Brunswick bowling pins staring at me as I type this on my
mantle over the computer desk.....