2006 SeaRay 185 sport

[new2boating]

My wife and I are new to boating and went to the Mid-Atlantic Boat show in Charlotte, NC. We were looking for a good entry level boat for having fun on the lake, skiing, wakeboarding, etc. We narrowed it down to four boats and then decided to go with the SeaRay 185 Sport with 4.3L 190 HP. Now wondering if we got the best deal. We have never purchased a boat before, and we negotiated the price down to $21,500 with a gav. trailer with brakes(pretty much all the options except for Sirius radio and wakeboard tower). However, the surprising thing to us is we do not technically own the boat until we go and they drop it in the water and make sure it is the one for us. Did we get a fair deal on the boat? How do you guys feel about SeaRay's resale value? How do we play it when we get to the test drive (can you get them to throw in more stuff). The boat comes with a lifetime warrenty on the hull and 2 yrs on the engine, for about $10 more a month they will do an additional 4 yrs on the engine making it 6 yrs. I have done a little research on the marina that we are getting from and well run according to everything I can find. When I did a customize boat on SeaRay it came in at about $26,000. The only thing that was weird is they put the price of the trailer at $1,500 and online they are showing the trailer option is only $385. Not sure if same trailer or different but got me thinking.

Thanks for you input as you can tell a little nervous about buying the first boat...just do not want to be on the lake and hear someone say that I got robbed.

[KCook]

Exact prices will vary from one part of the country to another. So the only way to know for sure how good your deal is will be to ALSO negotiate price on a similar boat with another dealer. Kind of a pain, but shopping for boats is just not the same science as shopping for a car. Here are some threads on other sites that may help you -

Trailer Boats Boards » ... » Sea Ray 185 vs Chaparral 190

BoatingABC.com » ... » Any recommendations???

Kelly Cook

[new2boating]

Thanks Kelly, both post are very good. I was afraid that the price would be different in different parts of the country. But thought I would ask.

[KCook]

You may get some good tips on iboats as well.

Kelly

[new2boating]

After looking at your post, I went directly to Iboats and posted the same question there. Thanks...looks like a great forum as well.

[culverken]

The Deal you got on the sea ray seems fair. Sea Ray is no more than a jazzed up bayliner. You could buy a Bayliner for probable about 5-6k less and have basiclly the same boat mechanically speaking. It doesnt look nearly as fancy but will provide the same warrantys and fun level. As far a resale, any boat you buy in this general type will depreciate quickly. You should make sure whatever boat you buy has the best warranty and service dept. because new or old boats will break and how quickly and pain free you get back on the water is the most important thing of all.

[waterman]

be careful on the warranty fine print between a bayliner and a Searay. I think searay is the only one in the industry with a LIFETIME hull warranty. and Generally searay resale prices are higher than bayliner.....Have fun. I've driven the 185 and its a fun boat.

[gsuper]

Whoever told you that a searay was a "jazzed up" bayliner is less than informed. The searay is a fantastic boat which will provide you with years of fun and a bayliner is a pos....there is no comparison what so ever between the two. I would rather sit on the shore than own such a poorly constructed boat as a bayliner.