Hi all,

I have found two 1989 Sea Ray 220 DA boats that are pretty much the
same price (within budget) and thay pass the other test which is that
the Admiral likes the look of them. Let's not talk about the ones I
actually like..... Anyway, they look nice, tick all the boxes for the
family, and are clean. One has a 5 litre engine and not much in the
way of equipment - the other has a camper cover that caters for my 6ft
height (How can they produce camper covers that don't?), all the
electronic toys but the engine is a 4.3 that has been used in the sea
for at least the last three years.

So ..... is there anywhere where I could find reviews both of when they
were new and/or secondhand?
What weight were/are they? I want to get a trailer. All the ads have
different(1800Kg to 2400Kg) weights. Is there any website that would
have those kind of details? I haven't found any yet.
What about the engines? one is the Merc 4.3LX the other a 5.0 V8.
Fit a Fresh water cooling kit? I'd be using them in Sal****er.


Thanks in advance for all responses,

J.

Assuming that they're both in the same condition and in the same
ballpark on price, I'd go with the V8. In 1988, I was looking at the
21 ft. Searay Seville midcabin. It came with a 4.3 Merc also. When I
was ready to buy, they had dropped the Seville and upgraded the 21 ft.
to the 220 SDA that you're talking about. They also upgraded the
price out of my reach at the time. I bought a 21 Bayliner w/230 V8 and
I wouldn't want any less power. (I won't go into why I bought a
Bayliner, but price was the biggest consideration and the boat has
served me well for what I wanted.) I rode on a 21 ft. Seville w/ 4.3
and with 2 people on board, it was OK, but with 4 it tended to bog down.

Hope this helps,
Happy boating, Norm

JasonB wrote:
Hi all,

I have found two 1989 Sea Ray 220 DA boats that are pretty much the
same price (within budget) and thay pass the other test which is that
the Admiral likes the look of them. Let's not talk about the ones I
actually like..... Anyway, they look nice, tick all the boxes for the
family, and are clean. One has a 5 litre engine and not much in the
way of equipment - the other has a camper cover that caters for my 6ft
height (How can they produce camper covers that don't?), all the
electronic toys but the engine is a 4.3 that has been used in the sea
for at least the last three years.

So ..... is there anywhere where I could find reviews both of when they
were new and/or secondhand?
What weight were/are they? I want to get a trailer. All the ads have
different(1800Kg to 2400Kg) weights. Is there any website that would
have those kind of details? I haven't found any yet.
What about the engines? one is the Merc 4.3LX the other a 5.0 V8.
Fit a Fresh water cooling kit? I'd be using them in Sal****er.


Thanks in advance for all responses,

J.

It will be a lot easier to add the camper canvas to the boat with the 5
liter engine than
to install a bigger engine in the other boat.

Are you implying that the 4.3 engine has been used in sal****er for 3
years *without* FWC? Red flag. Previous owner didn't give a rat's
patootie about taking proper precautions. If he cut that corner, what
else?

Get the boat you choose inspected by a qualified boat mechanic you trust.
Almost bought a boat (SeaRay) that had many problems and would have const me
about $3K to get them all fixed.


"JasonB" wrote in message
oups.com...
Hi all,

I have found two 1989 Sea Ray 220 DA boats that are pretty much the
same price (within budget) and thay pass the other test which is that
the Admiral likes the look of them. Let's not talk about the ones I
actually like..... Anyway, they look nice, tick all the boxes for the
family, and are clean. One has a 5 litre engine and not much in the
way of equipment - the other has a camper cover that caters for my 6ft
height (How can they produce camper covers that don't?), all the
electronic toys but the engine is a 4.3 that has been used in the sea
for at least the last three years.

So ..... is there anywhere where I could find reviews both of when they
were new and/or secondhand?
What weight were/are they? I want to get a trailer. All the ads have
different(1800Kg to 2400Kg) weights. Is there any website that would
have those kind of details? I haven't found any yet.
What about the engines? one is the Merc 4.3LX the other a 5.0 V8.
Fit a Fresh water cooling kit? I'd be using them in Sal****er.


Thanks in advance for all responses,

J.

On 30 Mar 2006 03:02:20 -0800, "JasonB" wrote:

Hi all,

I have found two 1989 Sea Ray 220 DA boats that are pretty much the
same price (within budget) and thay pass the other test which is that
the Admiral likes the look of them. Let's not talk about the ones I
actually like..... Anyway, they look nice, tick all the boxes for the
family, and are clean. One has a 5 litre engine and not much in the
way of equipment - the other has a camper cover that caters for my 6ft
height (How can they produce camper covers that don't?), all the
electronic toys but the engine is a 4.3 that has been used in the sea
for at least the last three years.

So ..... is there anywhere where I could find reviews both of when they
were new and/or secondhand?
What weight were/are they? I want to get a trailer. All the ads have
different(1800Kg to 2400Kg) weights. Is there any website that would
have those kind of details? I haven't found any yet.
What about the engines? one is the Merc 4.3LX the other a 5.0 V8.
Fit a Fresh water cooling kit? I'd be using them in Sal****er.


Thanks in advance for all responses,

J.

I've got a 21' Proline with the 5.7L V8. It's well powered, but not over
powered. It's a 1997, used in Chesapeake Bay, and not fresh water cooled. I
would choose the V8 over the V6 in a boat that old. My son-in-law has a
'new' Chaparral 24'er with a V6, and I have to admit it does pretty well,
even with four adults and several kids aboard.

I've replaced the manifolds and risers once, but I'm hoping to get several
more years out of the engine. I do flush it after every use.

Good luck with whatever you decide. Let us know.
--
'Til next time,

John H

******************************************
***** Have a Spectacular Day! *****
******************************************

"JohnH" wrote in message
...
On 30 Mar 2006 03:02:20 -0800, "JasonB" wrote:

Hi all,

I have found two 1989 Sea Ray 220 DA boats that are pretty much the
same price (within budget) and thay pass the other test which is that
the Admiral likes the look of them. Let's not talk about the ones I
actually like..... Anyway, they look nice, tick all the boxes for the
family, and are clean. One has a 5 litre engine and not much in the
way of equipment - the other has a camper cover that caters for my 6ft
height (How can they produce camper covers that don't?), all the
electronic toys but the engine is a 4.3 that has been used in the sea
for at least the last three years.

So ..... is there anywhere where I could find reviews both of when they
were new and/or secondhand?
What weight were/are they? I want to get a trailer. All the ads have
different(1800Kg to 2400Kg) weights. Is there any website that would
have those kind of details? I haven't found any yet.
What about the engines? one is the Merc 4.3LX the other a 5.0 V8.
Fit a Fresh water cooling kit? I'd be using them in Sal****er.


Thanks in advance for all responses,

J.

I've got a 21' Proline with the 5.7L V8. It's well powered, but not over
powered. It's a 1997, used in Chesapeake Bay, and not fresh water cooled.
I
would choose the V8 over the V6 in a boat that old. My son-in-law has a
'new' Chaparral 24'er with a V6, and I have to admit it does pretty well,
even with four adults and several kids aboard.

I've replaced the manifolds and risers once, but I'm hoping to get several
more years out of the engine. I do flush it after every use.

Good luck with whatever you decide. Let us know.
--
'Til next time,

John H

******************************************
***** Have a Spectacular Day! *****
******************************************

Actually you cannot compare your Proline to this 22 foot SeaRay. The SeaRay
has a full cuddy and has to weigh more than your boat John.

We have a 4.3 L on our 21 footer and it is well powered. However, our cuddy
consists only of a small vbunk.

Go with the 5l. No one ever complained about having too much power.

On Thu, 30 Mar 2006 15:29:15 -0500, " JimH" jimh_osudad@yahooDOT
comREMOVETHIS wrote:


"JohnH" wrote in message
.. .
On 30 Mar 2006 03:02:20 -0800, "JasonB" wrote:

Hi all,

I have found two 1989 Sea Ray 220 DA boats that are pretty much the
same price (within budget) and thay pass the other test which is that
the Admiral likes the look of them. Let's not talk about the ones I
actually like..... Anyway, they look nice, tick all the boxes for the
family, and are clean. One has a 5 litre engine and not much in the
way of equipment - the other has a camper cover that caters for my 6ft
height (How can they produce camper covers that don't?), all the
electronic toys but the engine is a 4.3 that has been used in the sea
for at least the last three years.

So ..... is there anywhere where I could find reviews both of when they
were new and/or secondhand?
What weight were/are they? I want to get a trailer. All the ads have
different(1800Kg to 2400Kg) weights. Is there any website that would
have those kind of details? I haven't found any yet.
What about the engines? one is the Merc 4.3LX the other a 5.0 V8.
Fit a Fresh water cooling kit? I'd be using them in Sal****er.


Thanks in advance for all responses,

J.

I've got a 21' Proline with the 5.7L V8. It's well powered, but not over
powered. It's a 1997, used in Chesapeake Bay, and not fresh water cooled.
I
would choose the V8 over the V6 in a boat that old. My son-in-law has a
'new' Chaparral 24'er with a V6, and I have to admit it does pretty well,
even with four adults and several kids aboard.

I've replaced the manifolds and risers once, but I'm hoping to get several
more years out of the engine. I do flush it after every use.

Good luck with whatever you decide. Let us know.
--
'Til next time,

John H

******************************************
***** Have a Spectacular Day! *****
******************************************

Actually you cannot compare your Proline to this 22 foot SeaRay. The SeaRay
has a full cuddy and has to weigh more than your boat John.

We have a 4.3 L on our 21 footer and it is well powered. However, our cuddy
consists only of a small vbunk.

Go with the 5l. No one ever complained about having too much power.


Actually, I could. I simply didn't care to.
--
'Til next time,

John H

******************************************
***** Have a Spectacular Day! *****
******************************************

"JasonB" wrote in message
oups.com...
Hi all,

I have found two 1989 Sea Ray 220 DA boats that are pretty much the
same price (within budget) and thay pass the other test which is that
the Admiral likes the look of them. Let's not talk about the ones I
actually like..... Anyway, they look nice, tick all the boxes for the
family, and are clean. One has a 5 litre engine and not much in the
way of equipment - the other has a camper cover that caters for my 6ft
height (How can they produce camper covers that don't?), all the
electronic toys but the engine is a 4.3 that has been used in the sea
for at least the last three years.

So ..... is there anywhere where I could find reviews both of when they
were new and/or secondhand?
What weight were/are they? I want to get a trailer. All the ads have
different(1800Kg to 2400Kg) weights. Is there any website that would
have those kind of details? I haven't found any yet.
What about the engines? one is the Merc 4.3LX the other a 5.0 V8.
Fit a Fresh water cooling kit? I'd be using them in Sal****er.


Thanks in advance for all responses,

J.


That is a pretty heavy boat with the full cuddy. The 5L is the way to go.

Overall there have been some good comments in this thread.

Best of luck with whichever one you buy.

JimH wrote:
That is a pretty heavy boat with the full cuddy. The 5L is the way to
go.
Overall there have been some good comments in this thread.
Best of luck with whichever one you buy.
================================
Actually, the 220 SDA is more than a full cuddy. It has a stand up
cabin with a mid-cabin under the helm. And a stand up head. So, its
sort of a miniature cruiser.

Hi there,

Thanks again for all the replies - it's certainly helping.

Yes, spot on - a mini cruiser - and at the price of both of them it's hard
to ignore either of them - neither are perfect, but then again, no
second-hand boat is.

I have a mooring that I can see from my house in a sal****er harbour. Most
of our trips would consist of going from one side of the harbour to the
other - at 20knts, about 15-20mins of a trip. I don't need it for sking -
maybe a donut or two but that would be it.

What annoyed me in the end on my last "real" boat ( a 26ft Westerly Centaur
sailboat) was the amount of times I would hit my head and the fact that my
wife did not really enjoy being out on it so it was hard to get her out.

So the new boats prime criteria are "Kerb Appeal" for my wife and headroom
for me. Ideally the boat would be diesel but that's just not in my budget
(Petrol is hard to get on the water here).

The 4.3 has everything I need - it just doesn't have the bigger cleaner
engine...... I found out today she only had two seasons in sal****er -
before that she was a fresh water boat so the external rusty bits (Not much)
could purely be there since she's been sitting on the hard for the last 18
months. Do I need speed - not an issue with me - I amble!

The 4.3 would land at my front door just needing the Gas to be sorted for
the cooker and the appropriate cushions and curtains bought, for the same
price as the 5 litre one. The 5 litre would need all the gismos bought,
wouldn't have heating so the season would be shorter and I'd hit my head a
lot! It sounds like I'm going to have to get off the fence soon and go and
check out the 4.3 for performance with a "full" complement on board!

What's the life span of these engines? the 4.3 has 700 hours on the clock.
Are there timing belts/chains etc to be replaced? When should that have
happened?

Hmmmmmmm

The more I think about it, the 4.3 would seem to be the one to go for - she
even has an anchor windlass!
"N.L. Eckert" wrote in message
...
JimH wrote:
That is a pretty heavy boat with the full cuddy. The 5L is the way to
go.
Overall there have been some good comments in this thread.
Best of luck with whichever one you buy.
================================
Actually, the 220 SDA is more than a full cuddy. It has a stand up
cabin with a mid-cabin under the helm. And a stand up head. So, its
sort of a miniature cruiser.