2001 Sea Ray 180BR w/ 3.0L 135 HP enough?

[smthomps]

Hi everyone,

I am looking at a particular boat and can't decide on it. The boat has been well maintained with only minor stuff on the interior. The engine has only 135 original hours on it and seems to be in good condition. My question though is regarding the HP. I has 3.0L, 135 HP engine with a 3 blade, 19 pitch aluminum prop. I intend on using the boat for light cruising and water sports to include skiing, wakeboarding, and tubing. Do you think this engine will be capable of pulling a 200lb guy out of the water with 5 people in the boat? This is the max/heaviest configuration that I see us having. I've read something regarding having atleast 75% of the max rating, but I can't find that spec for the 2001 Sea Ray 180 BR anywhere. Does anyone know it? Thanks in advance.

 

[mrmushroomman]

Re: 2001 Sea Ray 180BR w/ 3.0L 135 HP enough?

I would say if your going to do alot of water sports than you will need more power. It would be good on gas if you were just going to cruise around but if you are going to have 5 people in boat and trying to pull a 200lb skier you won't get as good of gas mileage or power that you would if you had a v6 or v8 because motor will be working harder. I have 18ft sea ray with 4.3 and it is perfect for whatever i want to do. I do not know the specs you are looking for but you will be upset with the performance of the 3.0 for what your wanting to do.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: 2001 Sea Ray 180BR w/ 3.0L 135 HP enough?

i assume you have kids, kids want to take friends. with a human load, boat weight, 4.3 minimum. 5.0 better for water sports. you do not have to cruse at wot, but that wot, getting out of the hole with a skiers is necessary.
you never hear anyone complaining the have too much power. only they don't have enough.

 

[Bondo]

Re: 2001 Sea Ray 180BR w/ 3.0L 135 HP enough?

Do you think this engine will be capable of pulling a 200lb guy out of the water with 5 people in the boat?

Nope.....

 

[tmh]

Re: 2001 Sea Ray 180BR w/ 3.0L 135 HP enough?

IF that was the only boat you could buy, I guess you could make do for what you want to do with it by changing props for each activity, maybe leaving some off the boat when skiing, etc. Fortunately, there are LOTS of 18-19' runabouts available that don't require this compromise. 4.3L V-6 will do the job, as was said above. So keep looking. There is a reason THAT boat caught your eye as a "good deal" as it is the classic "wish I had a bigger engine" boat.

Good luck with your boat search! The boat market is on your side so don't feel you can't get a good boat for a reasonable price.

 

[cmcpherson]

Re: 2001 Sea Ray 180BR w/ 3.0L 135 HP enough?

Nope.....

Wrong! I had this same exact boat and lets just say that I wish I weighed 200. With a four blade prop it will pull you out with 7 people onboard. Should you have more power...yes. If this is all you can get, you will have a ton of fun with it!

 

[oops!]

Re: 2001 Sea Ray 180BR w/ 3.0L 135 HP enough?

if i may add my 2 pennies.

had...(still have) a 69 srv 190.

my buddies are football players/hockey players......we ski......uasually 6 in the boat one on the rope.

my little 4 banger had to go to a 16 pitch to yard them outta the water.
2 guys on the front deck (closed bow) to keep the nose down.

we still had tons of fun.....but.....in my case ....NOPE.......is appropreate.

out came the 4 banger (140 hp) and in went a 4.3 2bbl 19 p

it worked a lot better...fuel consumption...close

the same vessel while no longer 19 feet is getting a 383 now. as the 4.3 will under power the barge.

i also have a 4 banger in a 19 capri bliner.....havent had it on the water yet but it is a very light boat.

if you buy this one, you might find in a season or two you will be looking to either repower or re purchase.

just some food for thought
cheers
oops

uscg rules state no max hp for an i/o....in other words...put in what ever you want.....
however.....this is the hp calculation link

http://files.dnr.state.mn.us/education_safety/safety/boatwater/backyardboatbuilders.pdf

 

[oops!]

Re: 2001 Sea Ray 180BR w/ 3.0L 135 HP enough?

and btw............


WELCOME TO I BOATS

 

[Rogue427]

Re: 2001 Sea Ray 180BR w/ 3.0L 135 HP enough?

I have a 99 190 Sea Ray with the 5.0 and alpha 1 prop is a 19pitch. I like the V8 power. I passed up a 20' with the 4.3 I paid more for the 5.0 but its worth it.

 

[roadrunnr]

Re: 2001 Sea Ray 180BR w/ 3.0L 135 HP enough?

You mentioned that this is the heaviest configuration you could purchase. Would your tow vehicle be inappropriate to handle anything heavier? If so, have you considered a used 18 footer with an outboard? I have a friend with an 18' Glasstron and a 150hp Johnson. His hole shot is excellent and top speed is over 55 mph! The advantage of an outboard is lighter weight and more interior room as less is taken up by an I/O's dog house or swim pad. It does come down to personal preference and you may prefer an I/O over an outboard. If it was me, I would search for a 4.3 V6 if you think you could safetly tow, launch and retrieve it.

 

[cbavier]

Re: 2001 Sea Ray 180BR w/ 3.0L 135 HP enough?

WELCOME TO I BOATS

Like Tool man Tim says "MORE POWER"

You won't Ski at all or Tube very well behind a 135 HP

Too bad because the Boat sounds like a Great Buy if the price is right!
You need at least 185 HP and 200 or more would even be better. Figure weight, number of people and gear plus weight and what your pulling. For sure you won't be happy with a 135 HP

 

[mrmushroomman]

Re: 2001 Sea Ray 180BR w/ 3.0L 135 HP enough?

Wrong! I had this same exact boat and lets just say that I wish I weighed 200. With a four blade prop it will pull you out with 7 people onboard. Should you have more power...yes. If this is all you can get, you will have a ton of fun with it!

I agree with bondo. It might pull you out of the water with 7 people aboard but you are definitly going to strain the motor and your life expectancy of the motor will not be long. Need more power definitly.

 

[Lou C]

Re: 2001 Sea Ray 180BR w/ 3.0L 135 HP enough?

If weight of towed load is an issue I'd consider and outboard powered boat, for the same hp a 2 stroke ob can weigh one half to 2/3rds as much as an I/O power package. It's hard to find late model bowriders with OBs but they are out there. I'd say in that size boat for an I/O the 4.3 is a minumum size engine you'd want.

 

[AguaSki]

Re: 2001 Sea Ray 180BR w/ 3.0L 135 HP enough?

You mentioned that this is the heaviest configuration you could purchase.

Actually he said, "This is the max/heaviest configuration that I see us having." I think he was speaking of the maximum weight he expects to have on the water, and not the most he could afford, or the most he could tow with with his vehicle.

I agree that a 4.3 liter is the minimum. I posted recently in a separate thread about a wake board tower installation I assisted with, and how the tower changed the towing performance on an 18 foot Sea Ray with a 4.3 liter V6. We found that the tower acts like a big lever, and there is significantly more bow rise when taking off. If a tower is in the future, then a V8 should be considered.

 

[2kwik4u]

Re: 2001 Sea Ray 180BR w/ 3.0L 135 HP enough?

I tend to disagree with the majority here.

We have "guys night out" on my boat in the summer. Every Wednesday six guys pile in my little 18'6" bowrider and head out for a night of skiing and wakeboarding. It's powered by the same little 135hp 3.0L 4cyl. There are ~1200lbs of guys, and 100lbs of gear in the boat. It still planes respectably, and works just fine for all of our skiing and wakeboarding duties. With 5 guys in the boat, and one guy on the rope the wake is respectable, and is plenty large for us amateurs. We're on the water from ~5pm to dusk at ~9pm or so. I'm running a 19p stainless prop, and boat near 500' elevation. Top speed fully loaded like that is around 38mph or so, and it doesn't jump on plane like empty, but it still gets us there and doesn't perform outside of my expectations.

Your mileage may vary, but these are the results I've had thusfar. I really enjoy my 3.0L, and don't regret the purchase at all. I'd encourage everyone that has said you need more power, to chime in with how many they've owned.

Can you get a test drive? Can you get a test drive with some friends, and someone skiing? Thats really the only way to know if YOU think it will be enough or not.

 

[Willyclay]

Re: 2001 Sea Ray 180BR w/ 3.0L 135 HP enough?

As you have heard from another poster, that particular boat/motor combination with the RIGHT PROP will do what you want it to do. However, the RIGHT PROP is probably different for watersports than it is for cruising. The "75% of maximum rated horsepower" guideline you referenced is for outboard motors only. My son has a 19ft-2in deep-v, bowrider that weighs 2,600lbs. empty with a 205HP 4.3L V-6 powering a Mercruiser Alpha1-GenII drive. With the recommended prop, it struggles to get a 200lb. experienced adult skier up on a slalom from a deep water start. With that same prop, it will run 50MPH at the recommended RPM's with four adults onboard. All boats are a compromise of some sort. If you can get a good deal on this boat and save thousands, you can buy an extra prop for hundreds that will allow the boat to perform properly. Good luck and tell us what you decide!

 

[OhWellcraft]

Re: 2001 Sea Ray 180BR w/ 3.0L 135 HP enough?

I would really want to test drive it and see how YOU like it. The low hours ( if accurate) is a good thing. Once those little four bangers start to get tired they turn into dogs, just not enough grunt. Boats aren't like cars they are typically run wide open thus quicker wear. If you were just using it to cruise around in probably be fine but for water sports best to have too much than not enough. I go 175# and ski HARD and can guarantee you I could power out a 130 horse on a good deep cut to the point that the rope would be sinking down into the water as fast as I was. Nothing worse than haveing to take er easy so the boat can try to keep up. Kind of the same reason you don't see people in 4 banger trucks pulling their boats to the lake with them. Good luck whatever you end up with nothing better than boating.

 

[Wotam]

Re: 2001 Sea Ray 180BR w/ 3.0L 135 HP enough?

"capable of pulling a 200lb guy out of the water with 5 people in the boat?"

I have the same engine, 19' Bayliner. I use a 19" pitch prop for watersports. It does everything I've asked of it perfectly well EXCEPT getting a single (slalom) ski out of the water promptly.

 

[Cruiserman]

Re: 2001 Sea Ray 180BR w/ 3.0L 135 HP enough?

Hi everyone,

I am looking at a particular boat and can't decide on it. The boat has been well maintained with only minor stuff on the interior. The engine has only 135 original hours on it and seems to be in good condition. My question though is regarding the HP. I has 3.0L, 135 HP engine with a 3 blade, 19 pitch aluminum prop. I intend on using the boat for light cruising and water sports to include skiing, wakeboarding, and tubing. Do you think this engine will be capable of pulling a 200lb guy out of the water with 5 people in the boat? This is the max/heaviest configuration that I see us having. I've read something regarding having atleast 75% of the max rating, but I can't find that spec for the 2001 Sea Ray 180 BR anywhere. Does anyone know it? Thanks in advance.

I have a 1988 searay with a 205 4.3 v6. It has ample power. I have pulled waterskiiers and tubing. with the correct prop you can have some fun, but nothing will create more torque than a nice v-8.. Keep your gear to an absolute minimum, carry as few passengers as possible, and DO NOT OVER PROP... and be certain of this fact... you will yearn for more power the following season... so set aside the fundage for it.

 

[CadetC]

Re: 2001 Sea Ray 180BR w/ 3.0L 135 HP enough?

I own 98' Sea Ray 180BR with same 3.0 engine.
Boat with four guys onboard (average 220# each) got no problem with puling me out the water(wakeboard and ski) and I'm 6-5 310# guy.
I your budget and towing capacity is limited, go for this boat.
I agree with others than always is better have more power, but some times we got to compromise.