Duke,
I would not write off Sea Ray from your short list. I would suggest you
place very little credence in any articles you read in any of the boating
magazines that sell ads from the boat builders. If you read a review of the
best built boat and then read an article of the worst built boat, they both
will sound like the best thing since sliced bread. Boat magazine publishers
and those who write the articles have sold their soul to boat builders and
suppliers. The cover price of the magazine do not begin to cover the
expense and profit of any of the commercial magazines. They make their
money by selling ad space to the very same boat builders they are reviewing.

I would recommend you invest in a survey on any boat you buy, either new or
used. It is not unheard of for a builder to make a patch (similar to the
one shown on Pascoe's web site) to correct a problem found after the hull
was pulled from the mold.




"Duke" wrote in message
m...

"Larry W4CSC" wrote in message
...
zeebop wrote in
:

Hi,

I am about to purchase a
Sea Ray 215 EC 1997 (I am in the UK)

Here is an example:
http://tinyurl.com/b2m2f

I am interested to know if anyone has any experience with one of these
and what you thought of it.


Thanks

zeebop


Piece of crap. See for yourself what's inside a Sea Ray boat:
http://www.yachtsurvey.com/Fiberglass_Boats.htm
It's made of "putty"??....

I had the jetboat. Light came through the hull. Seats mildewed because
they were made of COTTON-BACKED plastic with cheap furniture foam by some
furniture company in Tennesee. The side panel mildewed because the
cotton-
backed plastic was over a cotton pad all stapled to a piece of packing
crate wood. It rotted out twice in 3 years.

There was no way to get to the fuel tank INLET or INLET VENT because they
were stuffed into the hull before the top was put on with no access
hatch.
You couldn't even check to see if the fuel tank inlet hoses had a clamp
on
them because you couldn't see it unless you tore the boat apart. The
polyethelene (milk bottle plastic) tank was kept in place with two 1"
long
plastic angle brackets screwed into the stringer with one sheet metal
screw. The two little brackets supported a 25 gallon gas tank! NOT!
They
were eating into the polyethelene, which is very soft, so I had to build
some proper brackets to stop it. The Mercury Sport Jet, considered by CG
as an inboard engine, has a 5/16" hose barb for the fuel hose. Sea Ray
attached a 3/8" fuel hose because that's what the gas tank fitting had on
it. They used two hose clamps to try to squeeze the hose over the
smaller
barb to keep it from leaking. Didn't work. The fuel hose from the tank
to
the engine, a 3/8" marine gas line, was supported and held to the engine
compartment bulkhead with the same 3" diameter clamps used for the big
inlet hose. This meant when the 3/8" hose fell off the 5/16" barb into
the
bilge, it pulled the hose through these huge clamps far enough the
suction
of the siphon effect overcame the anti-siphon valve, if it had one, and
filled the enclosed up hull with about 6" of GASOLINE! The fumes were
strong enough to roughly run the engine sucking its air supply from in
the
compartment. Why it didn't explode is simply a miracle. I won't admit
to
where I pumped 10 gallons of gasoline way up a river in the swamp. I was
not amused. Sea Ray sent me a lifetime supply of 5/16" gas hose, proving
they actually knew what 5/16" hose looked like. I still have a whole
roll
if you need it. I solved the problem with a proper fuel filter/water
separator with 3/8" inlet and 5/16" outlet fittings the damned company
should have used in the first place if they hadn't been so damned greedy.

Sea Ray of Charleston, a bigshot marine dealer......

I didn't buy my boat from my local dealer because I bought it in
Birmingham, Alabama for $3500 less money from a dealer there. OK, so I'm
a
bad boy getting it for wholesale from an overstocked dealer. I had the
boat serviced a couple of times at the local dealer when someone noticed
the dealer sticker from Dead Ahead Marine on the back of the boat. I was
informed my Sea Ray boat was no longer welcome at my Sea Ray dealer for
warranty service as the local dealer didn't sell this boat. I called Sea
Ray and was told that was correct. The Sea Ray dealer didn't have to
service my Sea Ray boat if he didn't sell it. Isn't that nice?! How
supportive of the company....

Nope...no thanks. Sea Ray (or Brunswick's other boat companies) don't
have
to worry about selling me another boat. I'll pass. Just thought you
should know.....

England sure has some beautifully made boats. Why buy a piece of
American
made crap??

--
Larry

You know you've had a rough night when you wake up and you're outlined in
chalk.


Well that sucks. I am looking to buy a new boat in September and SeaRay
was on the top of my list. Maxum being second.

Thanks,

Duke