So it is more hull design vs layup and structure (as you originally contended). ;-)

BTW: Fronts do not necessarily blow over quickly on the Great Lakes. They can last as
long and can be as severe as storms over the oceans.



"Bill Cole" wrote in message
news:O_w3b.287041$o%2.132449@sccrnsc02...
The difference is being able to outrun bad weather. Bluewater is normally
considered way offshore, (I normally think about it being over 100 miles
offshore, some people think bluewater is when you cross an ocean, who the
heck knows). If you are in the middle of the Great Lakes and a fast front
moves through, you may not be able to outrun it, but a fast front will also
blow over quickly. I have seen sailboats demasted by storms in both the
Great Lakes and the ocean. An heavy built boat will continue to float after
being demasted, a lightly built sailboat can actually crack in half. I
think it was in San Diego America's Cup, a boat built for 15 knots winds
split in the middle when the wind picked up to 20 knots.

If you are boating close to shore, I would not worry about boating in a
SeaRay. If I was boating offshore I would watch the weather faxes and
forecasts no matter what boat I was in. It is possible that a SeaRay would
have survived the storm that sunk the Ed. Fitz., but I would not want to be
riding out the storm in a SeaRay. The stress put on a small boat is
completely different than a large ship.



"Jim" wrote in message
news:e9w3b.222689$Oz4.59236@rwcrnsc54...
Actually you never answered my question. Why is a SeaRay suitable for the
conditions
on the Great Lakes but not for the conditions in "blue water"?

Are you saying that the ocean conditions are far worse than the Great
Lakes can offer?


"Bill Cole" wrote in message
news:j4w3b.289614$uu5.63903@sccrnsc04...
Let's see you asked many questions, let me answer them Yes, Yes, Depends
upon what you want to use the boat for. Yes, Yes. ; )

The waves that sunk the Edmund Fitzgerald would sink many boats. The
difference between the average boat and what is considered a bluewater
boat
is the thickness of the hull, the lay-up schedule, the strength of the
bulk
heads, the backing plates etc. SeaRays are designed to be fun boats for
the
average boater. The smaller ones are nice runabouts, the larger ones
are
nice weekenders. I would feel very comfortable using a SeaRay on the
Great
Lakes, but I would watch the weather carefully no matter what boat I was
on.
If you compare a SeaRay to a 60's Hatteras you will see a world of
difference between the quality of the boats. Most people do not want to
pay
for a Hatteras. In runabouts Cobalt is the top of the line boat, and
most
people would see a difference in the way a Cobalt is built compared to a
SeaRay, but you will pay approx. double for a Cobalt.

"Jim" wrote in message
news:YHv3b.222617$Oz4.59426@rwcrnsc54...
Bill, I would agree that SeaRays are really not designed for fishing,
but
what exactly
is it about bluewater that makes it too challenging for SeaRays? The
wave
heights?
The swells? Are the fuel tanks too small (not a structural issue)?

Have you ever boated on the Great Lakes? Does the Edmund Fitzgerald
ring
a bell?

There are plenty of SeaRays on the Great Lakes. ;-)



"Bill Cole" wrote in message
news:dyv3b.289427$uu5.63833@sccrnsc04...
SeaRay is not a bluewater boat. Neither are most boats sold to the
average
consumer. It is a fair weather boat, designed for lake use, inshore
or
close to shore use. While the patch shown in Pasco's pictures might
have
been a patch done at the factory, it is definitely a patch and not
reflective of their normal FRP lay-up.

While most of us think a Mercedes or BMW is a better car than Ford,
Chev
y
and Honda, very few of us are willing to pay that much for a car.
It is
the
same with boats. If you want an offshore battlewagon, a Searay is
not
the
boat you want. I don't think Searay markets or sells their boats as
offshore battlewagons. They make a good low to middle priced boat,
that
many boaters enjoy.


"WaIIy" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 28 Aug 2003 12:59:51 GMT, "Paul"
wrote:

If I can pipe up he

Larry, it seems that many of us here (like me) are new boaters
and we
use
this newsgroup mainly to learn about the mystifying world of
boating.

Your point about that Searay is well taken but now Gould has
provided
another comment from the exact same source you've quoted.

I don't appreciate the fact that you knew this quote existed and
you
purposely ignored it. If you have a problem with Searay you
should be
adding
the caveat that your personal experience is different. I
understand
you
own
a lemon and I'm sorry you got suckered into buying it but that's
no
reason
to purposely offer only partial info from third parties and claim
it
as
the
complete story. It is unfair to those of us who are trying to
learn.

Boating and all that is related to it is difficult enough to
learn
without
people muddying the waters to further their own bitterness about
a
certain
product.


There are more negative Searay comments than just the hurricane
pictures
Larry is talking about.
Perhaps the Searay defenders are equally as disingenuous.
Take a look through the entire site ate the Searay reviews and
photos.