Thoughts on 18ft sea ray 185 sport 2012?

[bracso]

As a 1st boat my wife and i looked at a sea ray 185 sport 2012,Very beautiful boat,we also looked at an 18ft regal,way out of our price range.We also looked at an 18ft bayliner which we did not like at all and yet we were quoted a more price than the 2012 sea ray?We played dumb and left that place in a hurry,lol,So we are stuck on that 185 sea ray.Does anyone have any information on these type of boats?More likely their thoughts on it.Thanks.

 

[nlain]

Re: Thoughts on 18ft sea ray 185 sport 2012?

I like the Sea Ray boats, I have a 2004 185 with 4.3, there are things I like better about mine and things I like better in the one you are looking at. Get it with the 4.3L engine. The fit and finish is good on the Sea Ray line of boats.

 

[jbetzelb]

Re: Thoughts on 18ft sea ray 185 sport 2012?

Sea Ray is a decent boat. Depends on what you want to use it for. If you plan to go out with 6 people and ski all day the 185 might be tight on room and you might be over the max load. Price varies a lot on engine size and other options. If the Sea Ray was a lot cheaper than a Regal I would question if they were equal in engine size and options. What engine and options do you get with the sea ray?

 

[Philster]

Re: Thoughts on 18ft sea ray 185 sport 2012?

Most major manufacturers of middle-tier boats are now making "price point'' boats, in addition to their other boats, to compete head on with Bayliner and other "price point' boats. So, yeah, while there was a time when Bayliner and a couple of other builders owned the price point market, everyone from Sea Ray, Chapparal and Glastron are making price point boats. Checkmate does, too, now.

Sometimes the hidden advantage of buying a price point boat from a builder who doesn't traditionally make them is that sometimes -- sometimes -- the quality of their better boats finds its way into their lower price-point boats.

 

[jkust]

Re: Thoughts on 18ft sea ray 185 sport 2012?

I can't believe a single Sea Ray 185 Sport has been sold ever for the price point. They are overpriced and under engineered with cheapo accessories and design. The older, early 2000's ones were a nicer product than today's. The large Sea Ray boats are great while the smaller Sea Rays are not. As mentioned above even the higher end brands have succumbed and are now putting out price point boats cutting obvious corners they would have never cut in better times. Sea Ray (the small ones) has alway branded themselves as an upperish end boat but for the past several years the product didn't match the price. In MN almost all that exists is under 20 foot open bow boats with i/o's aside for the fishing boats. Everybody (literally everybody) I know has a bowrider and we eat and breath them in the summer. There are many more brands than Regal and Sea Ray to look at. I'm only this harsh on Sea Ray Sports because of their price and how far they have let their small models fall.

 

[Philster]

Re: Thoughts on 18ft sea ray 185 sport 2012?

Exactly... more and more builders are getting in on the price point market, which is also called 'entry level', where they do whatever they can to sell a boat via a low MSRP. Some of the prices are now 'no haggle', because it's become a more popular marketing technique, but, more importantly, because they've trimmed the price so far down that there is only a thin margin of profit, which they cannot surrender.