New to boats - Sea Ray vs. Monterey

My wife and I are new to boating and are looking for a boat to take a few friends out on the lake, do some tubing and wakeboarding, and have a good time. We just took a test run on a Sea Ray 185. We also liked the Monterey of comparable size. The Monterey we liked had more leg room, had room for one more person, and had some features I really liked. The Sea Ray was a little smaller but has a more reputable dealer, a new boater's training course, and was around 4 K less. Everyone is telling us to get a boat one size up from the one we think we should get which makes me think we should get the Monterey but I haven't really heard anything about them. Any ideas?

 

Jeremy,

You can get some idea of what owners think by Googling the boat brand, followed by "reviews". There are a lot of sites with reviews of their boats by owners. I don't have personal experience with either make, but, if you feel that one dealer is significantly better in their reputation, I'd go with them. You might ask owners who have bought boats from them what their experience has been with the service department. A dealer who is honest and who will take your side in negotiating warranty work with the factory is worth far more than a bit more room in the boat. The size range you're looking at is a good size for beginners. Once you have some experience, after a few seasons, you'll be better able to decide if you want to move up to a bigger boat. A well known brand name runabout should be easy to sell or trade.

Welcome to the forum, and to the world of boating!

 

Thanks for the reply. I actually made the purchase today. I was just honest with the more reputable dealer and asked what they could do for me. We ended up getting in a SeaRay 205 for right about the price of the Monterey 194. I'm happy with the decision and looking forward to getting the boat on the water. The best thing about this dealership is they have someone go out with you for 2 three hour sessions to get you familiar with the boat which should prove well worth the few hundred dollars more I had to pay with them.

 

Sounds like you made a good decision. Enjoy!