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Last month you saw some of the first images and info on the new Sea Ray jet boats. When we ran the boats we collected some pretty impressive stats on how they performed as well as how they "feel" on the water.
The Weber engine/pump combo powered 24' and 21' jets are family fun oriented additions to the Sea Ray line.
The twin 155hp jets pushed the 24' jet to 46.3 MPH. We had an almost full tank of fuel and two people on board. We added a couple more folks and the speed only dropped to 45.1. There was a light breeze and a few ripples on the water. The 24 popped up on plane quickly and got to 20 MPH in 4.4 seconds then 30 MPH in 6.6 seconds.
The wake on both the 24' and 21' jet is neither deep nor bare-foot'n shallow. There's a bit of spray from the twin jets close to the boat but it drops off on top a slightly crested table. Both the 21 and 24 have "radar arches" aka "Wakeboard Towers". They'll make for easy towing of boarders, skiers and tubers. The wake won't launch you to the moon but will be fine for beginners and intermediate water sports enthusiasts and not too "crazy" for dragging the tubers around the lake.
The SR21 has the twin 120hp jets but is no slouch.
The dry weight (no fuel, passengers or other gear) of the 21 is about 1,500 pounds less than the 24. The twin jets moved it to the same speed as the 24 at 46.3 MPH with two of us on board but it got to 20 MPH in only 3.2 seconds and to 30 MPH in only 5.2 seconds. Fueled up and with four of us on board, the 21 came in just about 1 MPH faster than the 24.
The Sea Ray jet boats have two engines for get up and go. That also gives you the added security of having two power plants should one stop working. Odds are that won't happen but, you never know. With that in mind I wanted to see how the boats would perform with just one jet running. The 21 shined in that arena. It got us up on plane and down the lake with speeds in the 20's. The 24 got us almost to plane but we just couldn't get her to fall over on top the water. Her speed was not bad but not on plane.
Running jets is clearly different than running an outboard or sterndrive powered boat. There's no trim so the factory needs to set it up for optimum running; Sea Ray did just that. A great feature about the jet is that there is minimal bow rise when you take off. Since these jets have two engines but only one throttle control that makes driving them a lot easier. Some might say the advantage of having two separate throttle and shift controls would be for docking or improved maneuvering at slower speeds. I watched as one of the Sea Ray demo drivers using the single throttle control and the steering wheel gracefully walked the boat into its slip, stern first. Yes, he's skilled and had done it once or twice before but it was still rather impressive and demonstrated how easy it was for anyone to be able to do it; with a little practice.
Being deep "V" hulls, both boats handled the glass-smooth water making the ride pleasurable. We used other boats to create some wake to see how they would handle rougher waters. Their hulls knifed through the artificially rough seas with ease. We tried some conventional jet boat stops with immediate full reverse throttle. Those are fun but don't expect to bring the lake in over the transom as some of the older sport jet boats used to do. Family fun, comfort, performance and safety are built into the boats. They're not supposed to be submarines.
Find your local Sea Ray dealer at the iboats New Boat Showroom and check out the new jet boats. Take the family along, take them for an on water test. One may just follow you home.
Bill Gius is a three-plus decade marine industry veteran with extensive, hands-on accessory, boat and engine experience. Bill has been working with iboats.com for six years to help manufacturers and dealers use iboats' online marketing, advertising and lead generation services. Bill can be reached at 800-869-1686 x199 or bill@iboats.com.
The Weber engine/pump combo powered 24' and 21' jets are family fun oriented additions to the Sea Ray line.
The twin 155hp jets pushed the 24' jet to 46.3 MPH. We had an almost full tank of fuel and two people on board. We added a couple more folks and the speed only dropped to 45.1. There was a light breeze and a few ripples on the water. The 24 popped up on plane quickly and got to 20 MPH in 4.4 seconds then 30 MPH in 6.6 seconds.
The wake on both the 24' and 21' jet is neither deep nor bare-foot'n shallow. There's a bit of spray from the twin jets close to the boat but it drops off on top a slightly crested table. Both the 21 and 24 have "radar arches" aka "Wakeboard Towers". They'll make for easy towing of boarders, skiers and tubers. The wake won't launch you to the moon but will be fine for beginners and intermediate water sports enthusiasts and not too "crazy" for dragging the tubers around the lake.
The SR21 has the twin 120hp jets but is no slouch.
The dry weight (no fuel, passengers or other gear) of the 21 is about 1,500 pounds less than the 24. The twin jets moved it to the same speed as the 24 at 46.3 MPH with two of us on board but it got to 20 MPH in only 3.2 seconds and to 30 MPH in only 5.2 seconds. Fueled up and with four of us on board, the 21 came in just about 1 MPH faster than the 24.
The Sea Ray jet boats have two engines for get up and go. That also gives you the added security of having two power plants should one stop working. Odds are that won't happen but, you never know. With that in mind I wanted to see how the boats would perform with just one jet running. The 21 shined in that arena. It got us up on plane and down the lake with speeds in the 20's. The 24 got us almost to plane but we just couldn't get her to fall over on top the water. Her speed was not bad but not on plane.
Running jets is clearly different than running an outboard or sterndrive powered boat. There's no trim so the factory needs to set it up for optimum running; Sea Ray did just that. A great feature about the jet is that there is minimal bow rise when you take off. Since these jets have two engines but only one throttle control that makes driving them a lot easier. Some might say the advantage of having two separate throttle and shift controls would be for docking or improved maneuvering at slower speeds. I watched as one of the Sea Ray demo drivers using the single throttle control and the steering wheel gracefully walked the boat into its slip, stern first. Yes, he's skilled and had done it once or twice before but it was still rather impressive and demonstrated how easy it was for anyone to be able to do it; with a little practice.
Being deep "V" hulls, both boats handled the glass-smooth water making the ride pleasurable. We used other boats to create some wake to see how they would handle rougher waters. Their hulls knifed through the artificially rough seas with ease. We tried some conventional jet boat stops with immediate full reverse throttle. Those are fun but don't expect to bring the lake in over the transom as some of the older sport jet boats used to do. Family fun, comfort, performance and safety are built into the boats. They're not supposed to be submarines.
Find your local Sea Ray dealer at the iboats New Boat Showroom and check out the new jet boats. Take the family along, take them for an on water test. One may just follow you home.
Bill Gius is a three-plus decade marine industry veteran with extensive, hands-on accessory, boat and engine experience. Bill has been working with iboats.com for six years to help manufacturers and dealers use iboats' online marketing, advertising and lead generation services. Bill can be reached at 800-869-1686 x199 or bill@iboats.com.
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