Searay vs Cruisers-Yachts-Inc.

Thoughts?

Good luck with the search!

With many boat builders choosing very high reving, small block diesels these days, the old concept that a diesel will always outlast a gas engine is not as absolute as it used to be. If you can choose a diesel with no more than about 2HP per c.i.d you have a better chance of seeing 4-5,000 hours (lucky people sometimes get a little more) before rebuild.

I can't tell from your question whether or not you're under the impression that a Cruisers Inc. is a Brunswick product. It isn't. (Unless Brunswick went on another shopping spree that I failed to notice). It wouldn't be ridiculous for a knowledgeable boater to compare Cruisers with Sea Ray, Meridian, or Maxum. Because people prioritize different aspects of a boat, it's almost impossible to objectively and definitively state that "Any brand X boat is better than any brand Y boat." You will find people very satisfied with every one of those brands, and quite a number will have a specific and personally valid reason for the choice they made. Other people will have chosed something else for equally valid reason.

When people knock a boat, it is often due to one small detail or another that they found personally off-putting. Example, "Did you notice the small deck cleats they used on this year's Brand Z? I think those cleats are crap. Obviously the entire boat has to be crap if they are going to use small deck cleats!" Of course the industry promotes this exact sort of thinking, as Brand A will install almost oversized cleats one year and then train all Brand A salespeople to pitch cleat size as a good barometer of overall build quality. 'Twas ever thus, and probably always will be.

Pick the model you find the most personally appealing and consider the best value. Any of the boats you're considering should easily prove stout and safe enough for decades of wonderful pleasure cruising. (Don't worry about resale value, as just like they say in the financial services commercials "past performance is no guarantee of future results". There's no telling how the fickle public will feel about one brand name or another in a few years. You're going to take a bath in a short term resale no matter what brand you wind up with.)

On Jan 29, 10:23 am, ble...@vocus.com wrote:

I keep my boat out of the water on my pier on Kent Island Maryland, Salt Water for sure. Looking to get fresh water cooled. I have to go w/ I/Os to minimize draft as i have less than 3 feet of water at low tide. When you take the lift I-Beam and bunks into account, that easts up 15 inches or so. Every inch is critical if i want to get my boat off the lift at low tide.

For me, re-sale is not a factor and the only reason i am buing a "new" boat after 3+ years is that I want a bigger one. My first was a "test" to see if i would use it enough to jusitfy the coast. If I had deeper water, I'd most likely step up to a boat with 12' beam.

Thanks for the advice

There is no real answer to the question: "What do boaters in general=20 think of Sea Ray vs Cruisers." They're both good boats, but if=20 everybody agreed that one was always better than the other they=20 wouldn't both be able to remain in business. People studying the=20 choice to death could arrive at different conclusions for valid=20 reasons.

More people are probably familiar with Sea Ray than with Cruisers, so=20 more people might be comfortable endorsing that choice- but that=20 should have nothing to do with an informed decision of which boat is=20 the best choice for you to make, with your money, for your family's=20 pleasure.

As to outdrives. Given the cost of the boat you are comtemplating you should consider changing marinas if the depth of your marina will not allow you to use a conventionally propped boat. I think you'll find that a boat of that size will be very difficult to sell on the used market when the time for that inevitably comes.

Many people around here take their boat off the lift at high tide and tie it further out.

SeaRay is Caddillac of > Bruswick Boats with Maxum being the Pontiac and BayLiner being the > Chevy.

If so, my favorite shot is the one where the failed backyard repair, (looks like automotive bondo) is represented as typical OEM construction

As far as the oft cited concern: "If you run up onto a rock and punch a hole in the bottom you are going to get the balsa coring wet", remember that if you run up onto a rock and punch a hole in the bottom you are going to be spending some serious do-re-mi, (yours or the insurance company's) to get things fixed again. Part of a proper fix would be removing and replacing any coring that was damaged or became wet as a result of the breach.

http://yachtsurvey.com/Fiberglass_Boats.htm

The 3rd and 4th photos on that page obviously show failed repairs. Why=20 would the builder randomly toss a section of junk putty into the=20 laminate, and how could you possbily continue the layup of a boat=20 (from the outside in) and leave trowel marks on the *outside edge* the=20 bondo?

The Sea Ray that he shows in that item is 16 years out of date.=20 According to the dates he has written on the scraps in the upper left=20 photo, it's a 1991.