"JimH" ask wrote in message
...

"Eisboch" wrote in message
...
How many out there own a SeaRay boat?

Eisboch


About a dozen years ago or so I had an '87 270 Dancer.........solid as a
rock. Don't know about the new stuff now but they do seem overpriced.


I was curious and didn't want to offend anybody or their boats, but I had an
eye-opening experience a couple of days ago.

SeaRays are obviously very popular, but I had never been out on one. The
other day one of my dock neighbors asked me if I'd go out for a spin in his
33' "Sundancer" (or something like that). He had an engine that had run up
in temperature the last time he was out and he wanted to test it again.
So, off we went.

It was moderately rough ... maybe 2-3 foot chop on top of swells. He got
the boat up on plane and has we hit a wave and came down with a thud, the
whole boat quaked like Jell-O. The owner didn't seem to notice, but every
time we hit a chop or swell and the bow crashed back down, I felt the boat
go through this Jell-O-like quaking and shivering.

The boat is a mid to late 90's model. I don't know if it is representative
of all SeaRays or just of this particular model, but it was a bit un-nerving
to me.

Eisboch

It was moderately rough ... maybe 2-3 foot chop on top of swells.

A friend of mine was left his Dads 48 footer, and he told me through
10+ foot chop, the thing was a rock. Twin 502's in it. Wish I could've
had a ride...... He was involved in a serious accident, and couldnt
afford the maintenance for the boat. Ended up selling it for $300,000


He got the boat up on plane and has we hit a wave and came down
with a thud, the whole boat quaked like Jell-O.

I can make an estimated 12 miles an hour in 4' chop in my old Chris.
The listed speed is a guess ( no gps yet..), but there comes a point
in which the boat becomes smoother relating to speed, relating to chop
size. We went out the other day, and at WOT, the boat had the coolest
sensation of a veeeeery slow forward roll.

On Wed, 3 Oct 2007 16:29:26 -0400, "Eisboch" wrote:

It was moderately rough ... maybe 2-3 foot chop on top of swells. He got
the boat up on plane and has we hit a wave and came down with a thud, the
whole boat quaked like Jell-O. The owner didn't seem to notice, but every
time we hit a chop or swell and the bow crashed back down, I felt the boat
go through this Jell-O-like quaking and shivering.

If the boat has been run hard in conditions like that for over ten
years it is likely beginning to show some signs of wear and tear.
SeaRays have some nice features, and the newer ones are using quality
hardware, but they are really not designed or built to bang through 3
footers for any length of time.

"Wayne.B" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 3 Oct 2007 16:29:26 -0400, "Eisboch" wrote:

It was moderately rough ... maybe 2-3 foot chop on top of swells. He got
the boat up on plane and has we hit a wave and came down with a thud, the
whole boat quaked like Jell-O. The owner didn't seem to notice, but every
time we hit a chop or swell and the bow crashed back down, I felt the boat
go through this Jell-O-like quaking and shivering.

If the boat has been run hard in conditions like that for over ten
years it is likely beginning to show some signs of wear and tear.
SeaRays have some nice features, and the newer ones are using quality
hardware, but they are really not designed or built to bang through 3
footers for any length of time.


But don't you think that a 30+ foot boat with twin 7.4L Mercruisers, capable
of over 30 kts. ought to be?

Eisboch

On Thu, 4 Oct 2007 20:03:37 -0400, "Eisboch" wrote:

But don't you think that a 30+ foot boat with twin 7.4L Mercruisers, capable
of over 30 kts. ought to be?

Hard to say. There are lots of boats being sold with good speed
potential that are not really designed for heavy conditions. Going 30
kts through 3+ footers is tough going for anything but a sportfish or
offshore racing hull. Same boat in 1 footers, which is probably
closer to how most people use them, is a different story. Once a boat
goes airborn off a wave it's going to thump things around when it
lands.

On Thu, 04 Oct 2007 21:03:10 -0400, Wayne.B
wrote:

On Thu, 4 Oct 2007 20:03:37 -0400, "Eisboch" wrote:

But don't you think that a 30+ foot boat with twin 7.4L Mercruisers, capable
of over 30 kts. ought to be?

Hard to say. There are lots of boats being sold with good speed
potential that are not really designed for heavy conditions. Going 30
kts through 3+ footers is tough going for anything but a sportfish or
offshore racing hull. Same boat in 1 footers, which is probably
closer to how most people use them, is a different story. Once a boat
goes airborn off a wave it's going to thump things around when it
lands.

Getting some air at speed is fun.

Just ask freakinminute. :)

On Fri, 05 Oct 2007 02:00:51 GMT, Short Wave Sportfishing
wrote:

Getting some air at speed is fun.


In the right boat.

There have been several fatal incidents this year of boats
disintegrating on a hard landing. One was just south of us in Marco
Island, only one survivor out of 5 POB. Just heard about another one
recently, believe it was on Long Island Sound but I'm not sure. The
one in Marco was a high performance speed boat of decent size that in
theory should have been able to take the punishment. It was not a
well known brand however like a Baja or Fountain.

Just ask freakinminute. :)

I think he already reported on that flight.

"Wayne.B" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 4 Oct 2007 20:03:37 -0400, "Eisboch" wrote:

But don't you think that a 30+ foot boat with twin 7.4L Mercruisers,
capable
of over 30 kts. ought to be?

Hard to say. There are lots of boats being sold with good speed
potential that are not really designed for heavy conditions. Going 30
kts through 3+ footers is tough going for anything but a sportfish or
offshore racing hull. Same boat in 1 footers, which is probably
closer to how most people use them, is a different story. Once a boat
goes airborn off a wave it's going to thump things around when it
lands.

The thump I understand.
It was the after-thump shimmer and flexing that concerned me.

Eisboch

On Fri, 5 Oct 2007 03:33:23 -0400, "Eisboch" wrote:

Hard to say. There are lots of boats being sold with good speed
potential that are not really designed for heavy conditions. Going 30
kts through 3+ footers is tough going for anything but a sportfish or
offshore racing hull. Same boat in 1 footers, which is probably
closer to how most people use them, is a different story. Once a boat
goes airborn off a wave it's going to thump things around when it
lands.

The thump I understand.
It was the after-thump shimmer and flexing that concerned me.

I think it has done the "thump" thing a few too many times and is
starting to loosen up internally. Not a good thing obviously, and not
a recommendation for older SeaRays that have been run hard. SeaRay and
a lot of other manufacturers use glass over foam composite
construction. Once the bonds between glass and foam start to break
down, the boat loses structural integrity very quickly. This has also
been happening a lot with cored sailboat hulls as they begin to age. A
friend of mine in Connecticut has a 39 footer from a well known
builder. The boat is literally falling apart internally from multiple
core failures.

One of my neighbors in SWFL had an older SeaRay 29 that was still a
decent boat in most respects. The anchor pulpit always had a funny
little shake to it though that made me wonder about the rest of it.
Down our way most people use their SeaRays to take family and friends
out for a quick spin on relatively calm days. You rarely see them out
in the Gulf when the seas are kicking up except for the larger ones
over 40 ft.