Re: Stingray Powerboat Owners
I own a 2000 180 RX 18 feet 135 mercruiser Stingray. I REALLY LIKE IT. Its fast, efficient reliable and fun. There are four of us and we tow it all over the country. It's our second Stingray, the first was a similiar boat made in 1984. Did I say fast and efficient on gas? It may be b/c of the "z" hull (the hull looks different from any other boat) or the fact that they tend to be a little bit lighter in weight than similarly sized other boats. They are not as smooth on really rough water, sometimes the waves can make a lot of noise. The original dealer we bought our 2000 from was a pain in the A$$ and we don't use him any more. Cool thing about Stingray Forum... you find out which dealers are not too good, and Stingray has skewered some of them as a result. Stingray's web site makes it easy to get advise and parts, which on 6 year old boat gets important. I found that we had more trouble with the trailer. than anything else. This was a dealer issue of course. The guy sold me a trailer that was only capable of carrying 20 lbs more than the empty weight of the boat and motor. Make sure you get a trailer that can take at least 500 lbs more than the boat weighs. The trailer was the only issue we've really had and we replaced it with a higher weight rating and with surge / disk brakes. Stingray make basically the same boat today and I wouldn't hesitate to buy it. Sure I've got some ideas for improvements, which Stingray, thru its website, actively asks to hear about. Several of the suggestions made by us have made it into the current model. What more could you ask for, they make a good product and seem to care about what the buyer thinks about it.