Thinking about upgrading to a bowrider

[Scott06]

I had a similar sea ray - a 1991 170 with the 3.0 /135 hp. I'm not looking for an argument but I would disagree that the smaller sea rays are problematic. I would in fact say the opposite as I was very impressed how well the fabric and gel coat held up on it. My folks bought it used and when I was younger and made less money provided an inexpensive great time for my family. I used it and maintained it very inexpensively for 20 years. Bottom line it was a great value that held up well, liked it so much I bought a newer 21 ft sea ray. Of course new one has a bigger engine than the 3.0, which could pull me up skiing at 250 lbs but had to work like hell all the time.

 

[jimmbo]

I don't trust the VEC process. I had a complete delamination of the transom and lots of cracking. Glastron was absolutely useless when it came to their so-called lifetime warranty. They denied there was an issue. My dealer took the engine out and discovered the only thing holding the transom together was the clamping action of the Gimbal/transom bracket. Transom was reattached to stern and couple of extra layers of glass were added and it has lasted 10 yrs.

 

[jkust]

I had a similar sea ray - a 1991 170 with the 3.0 /135 hp. I'm not looking for an argument but I would disagree that the smaller sea rays are problematic. I would in fact say the opposite as I was very impressed how well the fabric and gel coat held up on it. My folks bought it used and when I was younger and made less money provided an inexpensive great time for my family. I used it and maintained it very inexpensively for 20 years. Bottom line it was a great value that held up well, liked it so much I bought a newer 21 ft sea ray. Of course new one has a bigger engine than the 3.0, which could pull me up skiing at 250 lbs but had to work like hell all the time.

A couple things....that engin's hp was flywheel hp not prop hp like the modern engines we are talking about. Meaning the prop hp rating was lower than 135 as engines used to be measured at the flywheel before the power is reduced at the prop so apples to apples.
And you are correct, the old Sea Rays were actually decent Sea Rays for their time...it's the 2000's small models that trade on their name and are ultra, low end but that the new prices didn't match the actual product. Remember the comments about how the production years make a big difference...now you are comparing several decades apart which can't be done easily in the same short discussion. Also, the 2000's small Sea Ray's aren't problematic, they were just a Chevy Equinox sold at a Mercedes price.

 

[Rookster]

In a province like Ontario where there is as much water as land one would think finding a "good" older boat would be easy, It isn't. I looked for years for the boat in my budget. There are plenty of boats here but not many good older boats. People tend to hold onto the good ones or I have found pass them down to their kids when they are old enough to have a boat. Unless Gen X ers have a great job boating isn't in a working man with a young families budget. Good luck searching, it isn't easy. I wouldn't get too hung up on how much wood is under a floor. It's all about condition not material.

Thoroughly agree. So very true. And, this condition drives boat prices in Ontario up - way up. Still, I've been convinced (whether right or wrong) to stick within the Canadian market for boats due to the hassle involved in "importing and registering", along with bias towards fresh-water vs. higher possibilities of salt-water boats south of the border.

 

[QBhoy]

Hi
I may be at risk of mass offence with what I am about to say on an American based forum...but here goes;

Here in the uk, we are lucky enough to have the best quality boats available to the market today. He down side is that they come at a rediculous price. Therefore, the American manufactures do really well over here, at a much cheaper price. It's a compromise, but well considered.
Anyway, having had a few American boats and British boats, I can confidently say the campion is the closest in quality to the uk boats so far.
Having read that it's grouped by some in the same category as a regal seems strange to me. In my opinion there is no comparison.
In general, all types of boats have their place depending on budget, use and circumstance.
The main thing is to get on the water and enjoy yourself, no matter what the means.
Anyway, a slight deviation from the original post...but just my thoughts.

 

[Rookster]

Everyone's entitled to their opinions. Campions may be better than Regals - very true. Sometimes it's tough to differentiate between marketing and actual quality. In Canada, we have a similar environment, but in a different scale. Our boats also seem to either be very expensive or very cheap in quality. That said, ALL boats in the Canadian (or at least Ontario) market are over-priced when compared to the US market. Simple reason is likely due to economies of scale - larger market.

 

[jkust]

I have a house on a lake that I live at in the summer and the local marina tried carrying Campiones for a several years with no success. They were simply widely disliked, very few were sold and the ones that did sell had tons of issues and the company was terrible to work with. They looked so nice, they seemed to always have the larger engine options given their shorter loa's and had some neat featurse as well but it just didn't go over to good locally and their brand recognition wasn't there either. They ended up with some new leftovers for 5 or 6 years they couldn't even give away and crazy low prices. Funny how that works sometimes.

 

[jkust]

Hi
I may be at risk of mass offence with what I am about to say on an American based forum...but here goes;

Here in the uk, we are lucky enough to have the best quality boats available to the market today. He down side is that they come at a rediculous price. Therefore, the American manufactures do really well over here, at a much cheaper price. It's a compromise, but well considered.
Anyway, having had a few American boats and British boats, I can confidently say the campion is the closest in quality to the uk boats so far.
Having read that it's grouped by some in the same category as a regal seems strange to me. In my opinion there is no comparison.
In general, all types of boats have their place depending on budget, use and circumstance.
The main thing is to get on the water and enjoy yourself, no matter what the means.
Anyway, a slight deviation from the original post...but just my thoughts.

So you are comparing inexpensive boats to much more expensive boats and find that people prefer the much more expensive boats quality-wise?
I'm not suprised that people prefer better quality boats but reality drives them to cheaper and lower quality boats.
I prefer the quality, construction, features and overall visual appeal of the Aston Martin as well but when I go to the show room and realize I have Ford money not Aston Marting money, I get the Ford.

 

[QBhoy]

Kjust

Not sure the Aston Martin was a good example. They have a reputation. For falling to bits.
Anyway, that aside, I was just making a statement about two things;
1 North American boats do well over here because they have allowed the average joe to get onto the ladder.
2 I was surprised to read in a post above that campion were considered on a par with a regal. They seem like a much more capable hull and with a far better finish...I can really only say with certainty for post 2000 year boats though.
Also surprised to hear that the campion company had been described as poor too. First time I've read this. Anyone I have dealt with at campion have went above and beyond. It's also documented that on occasion the actual owner has taken customer service calls.

All the best.