new Sea Ray 185 or Bayliner 185

[mmjr]

I have been negotiating to buy either a new Bayliner 185 f (with Wake tower) or a Sea Ray 185 sport (with wake tower), the Sea Ray is about $8,000 more (I am in Australia and yes the prices are high). I will use the boat in reasonably calm ocean bays and a large river (again usually calm) for water skiing and wake boarding. Not high level wake boarders , teenagers just starting.

Both boats have the 4.3l MPI engine, so happy with that, but really cannot determine if the Sea Ray is a better boat. Any advice or comments would be appreciated...many thanks

Mitch

 

[KCook]

Re: new Sea Ray 185 or Bayliner 185

"$8,000 more (I am in Australia and yes the prices are high)"

Due to the currency values I think it would be helpful to know the actual prices, not just the difference. Only Brunswick brands available there?

Kelly

 

[RWilson2526]

Re: new Sea Ray 185 or Bayliner 185

Well the only one that can make that decision is you. There are a multitude of ways this thread could go. For me the biggest part of the decision would be if you have the extra 8K to spend and are not going to miss it.

If you take good care of your boat I would think both will last you as long as you need them to.

Of course those more educated about boating believe that Bayliner makes a decent boat but you will still have the more closed minded out there that will see a Sea Ray and go "mmmm nice boat" or your bayliner and go "yea but its a bayliner" If you dont care about what people think go for the Bayliner.

With an extra 8K you could buy a whole boat load of upgrades and bells and whistles. Or of course you could start looking at for an extra 8k you could move up to a bigger bayliner. Now you are trying to compare an 18 vs a 20. maybe more room would be better.

Personally at boat shows looking at both side by side I think the fit and finish of the sea ray is noticeably better than the bayliner but out on the water who is going to see the 2 side by side.

Well with all that said I didnt really say a thing that would help....good luck

 

[Bigprairie1]

Re: new Sea Ray 185 or Bayliner 185

Read up on the Bayliner reviews recently posted. They seem to be pretty positive. Is there a similar article out there on the Searay? You will probably get better resale value at the very least with the Searay...if that matters at all although it may have not short term bearing on your boating tho'.
I don't know of any direct/comparitive testing done on these boats myself.
OR....buy the Bayliner, and spend $500 bucks and re-badge it as a Sea-Ray until you sell. (the average boater will undoubtedly look at the name alone when doing their assessment ).
Seriously tho', do some homework on your two choices, check out warranty, service support etc...this might steer you more towards successful boating than minor boat details.?
My two bits, good luck!!
BP

 

[nlain]

Re: new Sea Ray 185 or Bayliner 185

Both are good boats, I like the fit and finish of the Sea Ray, they both have fiberglass hulls, Merc 4.3L Alpha, they both float, it is going to be what you like best, also look at the dealers that can make your decision change sometimes, good SeaRay dealer bad Bayliner dealer or bad SeaRay and good Bayliner dealers, it all enters into the picture. Sea trial both, compare on the water performance. Just some things to think about.

 

[TBarCYa]

Re: new Sea Ray 185 or Bayliner 185

I have a Maxum which is also in the same family as the Sea Ray and Bayliner and can tell you that there are some important differences between the Bayliner and the Maxum but I honestly don't know where the Maxum is relative to the Sea Ray but the Maxum is in the middle on price.

The biggest difference is that the Maxum has a full fiberglass liner whereas the Bayliner has a wood floor covered in carpet. You can get the fiberglass liner in the Bayliner but you'll pay more for it. Also, the Maxum comes with the convertible or bimini top and the Bayliner it was an option. The Maxum came with a stereo and all of the grab handles and fittings are stainless steel and not chromed and I believe that the Bayliner is not. This stuff may not be of much importance to you but for me the lack of wood in the floor and the corrosion resistance of the fittings were worth the money.

 

[tmh]

Re: new Sea Ray 185 or Bayliner 185

Of course those more educated about boating believe that Bayliner makes a decent boat but you will still have the more closed minded out there that will see a Sea Ray and go "mmmm nice boat" or your bayliner and go "yea but its a bayliner" If you dont care about what people think go for the Bayliner.

uh.........ok..... I guess only uneducated boaters see Bayliners (in this class) as entry level boats, whereas the "open minded" are smarter and know they are all the same. Well, sorry, but that's just factually wrong! Oh, I can certainly see the case for saving lots of $$$ on a Bayliner vs. a SeaRay, but let's not fool ourselves (or others) into believing a SeaRay is just a Bayliner with a different label.

EDUCATED buyers find out the specific differences and then decide if they want to pay extra for the Searay upgrades. Things like hardware, cushions, fabric, guages, rails, wood vs. no wood, wiring, screws, SS, and so on may be completely different (and likely are). Bayliners sell for cheap and to make a profit require inexpensive materials - there's no other way to do it, sorry. A good boat? Maybe. AS GOOD....No.

Now, with recent consolidation in manufacturing and design within the industry and Brunswick specifically, MAYBE the 18.5' Bayliner/Maxum/Searay have very similar hulls so their ride may now be fairly close or even the same. ....I don't know - look, ask, test ride, etc..... I'm sure we'd all be interested in whether this is the case or not now. I'd bet brunswick maintains some differences between bayliner and Searay hulls so they can say they are different, but I don't know.

Good luck in your search.

 

[cmcpherson]

Re: new Sea Ray 185 or Bayliner 185

Even though the Bayliners have been improved a lot, they still can't hold a candle to the Sea Rays. The resale value will never be there with the Bayliner, no matter what the reviews here say.

 

[JoeCrow]

Re: new Sea Ray 185 or Bayliner 185

I won't argue the resale value being better on a Searay
or the fact that people look down their noses at Bayliners
But I have an 86 Bayliner
It's still as sound as is was 22 years ago
My friends newer Searay is on it's second motor and has had numerous outdrive failures
Bottom line,
take care of any boat and the boat will last as long as you want it to

 

[cmcpherson]

Re: new Sea Ray 185 or Bayliner 185

I won't argue the resale value being better on a Searay
or the fact that people look down their noses at Bayliners
But I have an 86 Bayliner
It's still as sound as is was 22 years ago
My friends newer Searay is on it's second motor and has had numerous outdrive failures
Bottom line,
take care of any boat and the boat will last as long as you want it to

The engine and drive argument is completely irrelevant since the new boats in both brands only using Mercruiser...

 

[RWilson2526]

Re: new Sea Ray 185 or Bayliner 185

uh.........ok..... I guess only uneducated boaters see Bayliners (in this class) as entry level boats, whereas the "open minded" are smarter and know they are all the same. Well, sorry, but that's just factually wrong! Oh, I can certainly see the case for saving lots of $$$ on a Bayliner vs. a SeaRay, but let's not fool ourselves (or others) into believing a SeaRay is just a Bayliner with a different label.

.

Alright maybe "uneducated" was a poor choice of words but "open minded" is not too far off the mark. I'm just trying to point out to the OP that you could take the best boat you can find and put Bayliner on it and there are many people who "have not stayed current" who will just think its junk regardless of what it looks like or how its built.

I also said that Bayliner was just "decent" and that Sea Ray had a better fit and finish....hopefully I have not offended Sea Ray owners.

 

[mmjr]

Re: new Sea Ray 185 or Bayliner 185

Thanks for all the helpful comments, still not sure if it is toyota - lexus type of thing with Brunswick. I will take both out and see what they ride like, dealers here say same hull on both the Sea Ray and Bayliners with these models....but finishing is noticeably different....will post my view after my run with them. If its close I am leaning towards saving the $8,000.

 

[sleeper]

Re: new Sea Ray 185 or Bayliner 185

I was in the same dilemma between the Sea Ray 185 and Bayliner 185. I looked at both, and its was a no brainer for me. Everyone here says bayliner is junk, but their new stuff is night and day better than the old stuff. Several years ago I never would have given bayliner a look. You can see from my signature what we went with. We ended up with the 195 and still saved money over the Sea Ray. The fit and finish was very similar with the Sea Ray being a bit nicer. My major concern was the fiberglass thickness in the bayliner, but we are inland lake only with no rough sea boating. The Sea Ray was also heavier for that same reason which made it not perform as well.

I think some of the bayliner haters are only repeating hearsay, and have not looked in the last few years. I know I was pleasantly surprised.

 

[mmjr]

Re: new Sea Ray 185 or Bayliner 185

Thanks Sleeper, Is the fibreglass thicker on the Bayliner, this may be important as I will be in the ocean a bit and expect a bit of chop and some swell, but nothing major.

 

[sleeper]

Re: new Sea Ray 185 or Bayliner 185

Thanks Sleeper, Is the fibreglass thicker on the Bayliner, this may be important as I will be in the ocean a bit and expect a bit of chop and some swell, but nothing major.

The Sea Ray is a thicker fiberglass hull. I am not sure of the exact dimensions, but I think it is a 3 layer versus the 2 layer of the bayliner. There is not a large difference in the two though.

 

[cmcpherson]

Re: new Sea Ray 185 or Bayliner 185

The Sea Ray is a thicker fiberglass hull. I am not sure of the exact dimensions, but I think it is a 3 layer versus the 2 layer of the bayliner. There is not a large difference in the two though.

Not a large difference??? Why do you suppose that they make the hull thicker? Perhaps some accountant at Brunswick just told them to go ahead and spend the extra money because he was in a good mood that day. If you don't want to spend the extra money on a Sea Ray, that is great, but don't kid yourself into thinking that there are not some major differences between the two!

 

[sleeper]

Re: new Sea Ray 185 or Bayliner 185

Not a large difference??? Why do you suppose that they make the hull thicker? Perhaps some accountant at Brunswick just told them to go ahead and spend the extra money because he was in a good mood that day. If you don't want to spend the extra money on a Sea Ray, that is great, but don't kid yourself into thinking that there are not some major differences between the two!

I am not kidding myself, I know the Sea Ray is a higher quality hull, but where I come from 1/8 of an inch is not a large difference. I didn't want him to think the hull was twice as thick as others would lead him to believe. Posts like yours add no value to this forum. If you don't like bayliner that is your opinion. If you think Sea Ray is the best boat made, that is your opinion.

 

[cmcpherson]

Re: new Sea Ray 185 or Bayliner 185

I am not kidding myself, I know the Sea Ray is a higher quality hull, but where I come from 1/8 of an inch is not a large difference. I didn't want him to think the hull was twice as thick as others would lead him to believe. Posts like yours add no value to this forum. If you don't like bayliner that is your opinion. If you think Sea Ray is the best boat made, that is your opinion.

What the hell is this supposed to mean, are you being paid by Bayliner? You are leading him to believe these are the same boats, and THEY ARE NOT! Don't you dare tell me my posts add no value to this forum. GET EDUCATED before you start giving out advice which you know NOTHING about. Jeez I hate people like you!

 

[sleeper]

Re: new Sea Ray 185 or Bayliner 185

What the hell is this supposed to mean, are you being paid by Bayliner? You are leading him to believe these are the same boats, and THEY ARE NOT! Don't you dare tell me my posts add no value to this forum. GET EDUCATED before you start giving out advice which you know NOTHING about. Jeez I hate people like you!

lol, I did a quick scan of your posting history, and I was going to say the same thing about you being a Sea Ray nutswinger. I saw many posts just trying to down people, so like I said, if you are going to add no value with your posts, then stop.

I never said they were the same boat. My family has owned a Sea Ray, two supras, and a mastercraft. I never would have considered bayliner in the past. I gave them a look and I liked the boat and bought it. Thats it. Some people don't need the same features as others.

 

[cmcpherson]

Re: new Sea Ray 185 or Bayliner 185

Well, you got me, happy now...