Are Sea Rays Good Boats?

If you’re in the market for a new boat, you may have been wondering, “Are Sea Rays worth it?” With every Sea Ray boat comes meticulous craftsmanship, inspired design, effortless performance, unrivaled support, and elevated experiences.

Sea Ray boats are known as a good boat to purchase. While they average around $40k to $150k in price, they come with a desirable design and sought-out features. Sea Ray boats can last you over a decade, can run in salt water, will last around 1,500-2,000 hours, and can even be used for fishing.

Sit back and relax as we dive into why Sea Ray boats are a good boat for purchasing!

Are Sea Ray Boats Good?

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For over 30 years, Sea Ray has had a reputation for being a good brand. They make high-end model boats that use high-quality materials to guarantee their customers are getting the best product possible.

Reliable

In terms of reliability, Sea Ray boats are very reliable depending on how well you take care of your boat. Due to its long history on the market, Sea Ray has a reputation to uphold. When operating in tight quarters such as marinas, Sea Rays are very reliable.

When it comes to comfort, all of their models have a comfortable design. Depending on the model, the amount of comfort they provide comes from sun pads, swim platforms, dining tables, walk-in heads, and a luxury helm. When paired with ample power, the hull design is very reliable.

When it comes to the boat’s finishing, the boat is top-notch. No matter what kind of model Sea Ray makes, it always comes with a sleek look. The Sea Ray is very reliable and is a big seller when it comes to comfort, appearance, and maneuverability.

If you’re worried about getting from point A to point B without any problems, with Sea Ray, it’s smooth cruising!

Durable

A Sea Ray boat has great durability and can last over a decade when properly taken care of. Proper care consists having routine inspections and maintenance. When you get routine inspections with your boat, you can add two or more years to your boat.

Inspections and maintenance can also identify and solve problems such as problems with tank vents. In comparison to other mid-tier boats, Sea Ray tanks are at the top for durability. Even though Sea Ray has been doing without their larger models, they focus on using high-quality materials for their boats.

If you’re new to boating and worried about durability, you can hire an accredited marine surveyor. You can have them check your boat out for around $300 to see if any problems need fixing with the boat. If you’re worried about them being durable for fishing, we’d recommend going with a larger model.

Handling

When it comes to the handling your boat, you may need some help, especially when it comes to launching your boat on the ramp. Since Sea Rays are a larger brand of boat, if you’ve never launched your boat before, you’ll want to do it when it’s not busy. With Sea Rays being a bigger boat brand, bigger boats tend to handle bigger waves better than others.

Handling of your boat will depend on the conditions of the water. With Sea Rays, if you do 12-14 knots in 3 to 5-foot waves, you’ll have the boat throw the wake and be able to see through the screens. In these conditions, bigger Sea Ray models tend to handle better given their weight and length.

Even with the capabilities of the Sea Ray larger models, we recommend trying to stay around from rough waters as much as possible. Even though they can handle it, you don’t want to chance taking on any damage to your boat from high waves.

Cost

When it comes to determining the cost of a Sea Ray boat, you’ll have many factors to keep in mind. With Sea Ray, you can create and customize your perfect boat, or you can take a look at one of their favorite models. When you build your boat, you can select the color, propulsion, accessories, and more.

Once you have finished designing your boat, you can take it to your local dealer to determine the cost. You will find new Sea Ray boats listed for sale anywhere from $40,000 to $150,000 online.

For example, the 2020 Sea Ray SPX 210 OB is listed for sale for $46,605. It is the perfect model for boaters who love adventure. This model offers fantastic maneuvering capabilities, flexibility, and hands-on satisfaction that many boat owners are looking for.

If you’re looking to purchase a Sea Ray model around this price, you can expect to pay around $300/month.

Navigation

As for navigation, Sea Ray launched an app to give their boat owners an amazing resource when out on the water. Their app simplifies and enhances their journeys by bringing together many resources. To start, they have a boat wallet, where you can upload your insurance details for easy access.

They have trip recorders where you can use your phone’s GPS to record your trips, view summaries, and share your trips with friends and family members. They have remote monitoring, where boat owners can unlock functionalities like GPS tracking, geofencing, engine data, alerts, and more!

Before you depart on your journey, this app will help you get organized, will give you helpful information, and will even help you remember favorite outings with trip tracking. This Sea Ray app makes navigation and staying organized on the water a breeze! This app is available for download through the Apple store and Google Play.

How Long Do Sea Ray Boats Last?

If you’re wondering just how long Sea Ray boats last, they last a pretty long time! Sea Ray boats are fiberglass boats that last longer than other brands. Sea Ray even has many of their older models that still perform great out on the water. Inspections and routine maintenance are key to keeping your boat in great shape.

For many of their luxury models, boat owners take very good care of their boats with routine inspections and maintenance. If you ask any boat owner they will tell you that their Sea Ray boat is durable and made to last. Compared to similar brands, their fiberglass construction is a higher quality.

The company takes time to go over the handcrafted details to its models. Their company mandates that they use high-quality materials, go through strict testing protocols, and pay extra attention to finishing. This guarantees that they put out the best product possible that is built to last.

Do Sea Ray Boats Hold Their Value?

When it comes to Sea Rays holding their value, most Sea Ray owners keep their boats in good condition. This includes both appearance and condition, which would make them great options for resale. Out of all the different models of Sea Rays available, Sundancers are the best model for resale with how great they hold their value.

Over the year, Sea Ray has made many models of boats. The value of a Sea Ray boat will also depend on the year it was made, but the depreciation isn’t bad at all. For example, if your Sea Ray boat valued at around $50k, and the resale value is around $38k, then this would give you a value depreciation of around 24%.

If you’re looking at a luxury Sea Ray boat, the chance of it holding its value isn’t very high. These luxury yachts often take more routine inspections and maintenance over the years.

Is Sea Ray a High-End Boat?

If you’re wondering if Sea Rays are a high-end boat, the answer is yes, Sea Rays are a much higher quality boat, however, that also means a high price tag. Sea Ray has the best hulls and systems, which create prototypes that require a lot of resources. While the majority of boat owners aren’t looking for such high quality, other boat owners don’t mind paying the price.

Even the older model Sea Ray boats, when compared to other brands, are higher-end. Sea Rays have thicker hulls, which make them great on the waves. The thicker hull sits deeper in the water which gives it more stability, therefore increasing its price.

This will give you a more comfortable and safer ride when navigating through rough waters. Sea Rays also require larger engines, typically using a V8 engine for optimal performance. Even though Sea Rays are a high-end boat, they seem to be worth every penny!

Can You Use Sea Rays in Salt Water?

If you’ve been wondering if you can use a Sea Ray boat in salt water, the answer is yes, you can use a Sea Ray boat in salt water. This type of boat is great for use in salt water and can be used for either offshore or inshore boating. Sea Ray boats operate the same way other boats do when using them in freshwater, however, you’ll still need to rinse them off after each trip if you want to avoid any deterioration to your boat.

If you have a newer Sea Ray boat with low hours, salt water will have very little effect on your boat. Along with rinsing your boat off after each saltwater trip, you’ll also want to make sure your engine is flushed.

To sum it up, a little salt water is not going to hurt your boat, especially if you’re taking it for routine maintenance. It’s only when neglected and after long-term exposure, you may start to see any problems.

Can You Use Sea Ray Boats For Fishing?

You may be wondering if you can use Sea Ray boats for fishing, the answer is yes, but there are only a specific kind that would be ideal to use for fishing. If you’re going to fish off of a Sea Ray boat, we recommend getting the Amberjack. The Amberjack has a nice clean cockpit, cruises comfortably, and is great for fishing.

One Sea Ray boat that we don’t recommend fishing from is the Sundancer. The Sundancer is not a great choice for fishing, even though you technically could fish off almost all boats. Many people have fished off the Sundancer and said that it’s a very tight fit and not ideal for fishing.

Sundancers are also hard to dock in crosswinds when the weather can easily become a factor. Another great choice to keep in mind when fishing would be the Weekender. The Weekender is a good hull and perfect for fishing, just make sure the mechanicals are your boat is reliable.

How Many Hours Will a Sea Ray Boat Last?

On average, a Sea Ray boat will last around 1,500-2,000 hours with proper maintenance and servicing. The average boat owner will use between 50-100 hours per season on the water.

When looking at boat hours, there are a few things that you’ll want to consider. Unless you are looking for a boat that has high hours, which are 2,000+ hours, then hours technically do not matter. A boat that has normal hours (50 hours per season), will run better than a boat that has low hours.

With that being said, you’ll want to consider hours as they may have the most impact on your Sea Ray boat. Even if you have higher hours on your boat, it won’t impact its reliability, but it will impact its value. If you have a boat that has higher than-average hours, you don’t need to worry about the price, just make sure it’s received proper maintenance and care.