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Sea Ray 52 SB or similar

Discussion in 'Sea Ray Yacht' started by CPT2012, Aug 5, 2013.

  1. Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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    I agree with all this, but many people see a Ferrari or Lamborghini as the benchmark super car or sports car...(neither are super reliable).. like Rolex is to watches. He was making a point that most people would understand.....that it's a mid-level boat.....a 4 door cadillac if you will......

    But to be honest, this is all quite off topic.

    As for the Searay's. They are an average priced yacht/boat. For their price point I feel they do a great job building an average priced, above average quality boat for an average user for an average to moderate sea state for an average use and are well thought out for most families and usage. I have done a lot of long deliveries on Searays and never had any issues, they're simple boats without a lot of circuit breakers or systems to go wrong. I really don't like their car like helm arrangement..... I ran a 45' SB from ft. laud to St. Croix, a 58SB Ft. Laud to CT, a 58' from DE to OH, and more.
  2. GFC

    GFC Senior Member

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    Capt J thanks for the clarification of my earlier post. I'm now on my third Sea Ray and you're right about them being an average priced, above average quality boat. They're not designed to be passage makers. They're family boats that offer a lot of room, tons of storage and IMO are well thought out and well designed. And they fit my budget well.

    Could it get any better than that unless I won a mega lottery?
  3. GFC

    GFC Senior Member

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    By the way, has anyone else noticed that the OP has not returned to this thread? Did we scare him away?
  4. Capt Ralph

    Capt Ralph Senior Member

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    O K, Maybe I may have been a little off course (not much). My thought were SleaRays were over priced, mass produced Chevy's boats.
    It is real heard to imagine the money involved. The Intrepid example is out there also.
    So, Where is a value delivered 50 foot yacht build, new or recent that would be considered a real yacht for the buck? AND in an additional vertical category, look unique (500 identical over priced Chevy's is boring).
  5. Capt Ralph

    Capt Ralph Senior Member

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    Additional thoughts;
    The thread about where do old yachts go brought tears to my eyes. For less than half the price, rebuilding old hulls, rebuilt products, none alike, personalized, unique with room to enjoy and not feel like a martian is the ultimate adventure. So what if it's 20k pounds heaver, It would take two life times of full speed fuel consumption for the old weight to over come new Hyde tech design.

    Viva old glass hulls.
  6. ArielM

    ArielM Senior Member

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    I agree with you that rebuilding old yachts are much cheaper and you get exactly what you want. I even prefer to build my own yacht as opposed to buying one ready to go. However as i am sure you already know, once you finish re-building this custom boat it's only worth 1/3-1/2 of the money you have invested in it. I guess if you plan to keep it for 20-30 years it doesn't matter much, however that is not what most people plan on doing.
  7. Capt Ralph

    Capt Ralph Senior Member

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    I'm sorry I keep driving off topic;
    Yes, That is the next tear jerker. Insurance companies and bankers can not agree on a rebuilt ships value or risk.
    Shame too, The rebuilds (properly done) I have witnessed are safer, easier to access maintaince points, usually have new high tier engines and safer interiors than the new stuff (including the real high priced stuff) built today.

    If the OP has not been driven away completely, maybe he has considered customizing an older 50 hull (even an old SeaRay) to his taste and not be one of a hundred (or more).
  8. kkreicker1

    kkreicker1 Senior Member

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    My first boat was a Sea Ray 480. It is a bit smaller than the 52 but had a very close. I can tell you that I loved mine. The only problem that I had with the boat was a bow thruster issue. But after that none... I think that they are great boats for the size range.

    Cheers,

    Keith
  9. Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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    There is some validity to going the rebuilt route also. However, many have not been rebuilt properly or well and many owners are not knowledgable to know the difference between a great rebuild and one that looks great but is bad. Also, 9x out of 10 you will not get close to what you have in it when you go to sell the boat. There's also the issue of what to rebuild, what to retro-fit, etc etc.....There is also the time lost rebuilding the boat. Many owners are buying a yacht because they want to get on it and use it, now. I have a heart myself for certain classics (fiberglass, not so much wood ones), but they will always have their design faults. Hull design has come a very long way over the last 30 years in ride quality, stability and Dryness. On the classics you generally got one of those 3 tributes very well, and the other 2 suffered. You were doing REALLY good if you got a classic that excelled at 2 of those, but never got all 3 in one boat.
  10. Bluegame

    Bluegame New Member

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    Most of the main boatyards have "demo boats" in waiting list to be sold ; sometimes they can result in being good deals .... some other they are not. A careful visit on board and sea trial is suggested before taking any decision.
  11. CPT2012

    CPT2012 Member

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    Been following this thread, all valid points, thanks. Was contacted by the dealer last week, nice guys. I'm gonna run some numbers to see if it makes sense to move forward.
  12. Capt Ralph

    Capt Ralph Senior Member

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    Keep us up on your thoughts. We all learn a little as we go.
    Good shopping.
  13. CPT2012

    CPT2012 Member

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    What about the difference between the 52 and 58 Sea Ray sedan bridge models ? There seems to be more 58's in the market than 52's, and with not much price difference. Is the 58 too big ? at more than 60' LOA I'd imagine finding docking space at the marinas is more problematic.
  14. Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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    60' in your area should not be a problem for dockage. I find the breaking point of getting harder to find dockage on the fly to be over 70' and 2-50amp cords or 1 100amp generally.

    I very seldomly run a 52' SB, I believe it's a 2007. It's a good running boat. It runs a little bow high (running attitude) versus the 58', but I had it out in 5-6' seas and was impressed at how it ran and it was smooth. I think 52' was just a size that many skip over.....in the searay world 45-48' is very very popular.....and then I think they skip over the 52' and go straight to a 58'.

    I don't know what the differences are between the 2 boats. The 58' seems only slightly bigger inside.
  15. Capt Ralph

    Capt Ralph Senior Member

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    We see a few 58SBs from time to time. I wonder if it really is a 50 or 52 with a big back porch. Does SR really count the elevator swim platform and the pulpit (like Fountain) in the 58?
    Loa for loa, out 58 Bert seems lots (Lots) longer. I know we are 58 from stem to stern (all hull) with out any sales hype.

    We use dual 50a service. With some very small exceptions (older inland docks), most FL/GA docks can take us with no issues and were 18 wide.
  16. Sea Gull

    Sea Gull Member

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    We have owned our 2006 58DB for nearly 7 years since new. It is a totally different boat than the 52, not just a mold extension or whatever is implied here. The nomenclature on length is no different from most other builders of current models. They call it a 58, but actual loa is 61.5 when you include the ginormous swim platform. About 56 in hull length.

    The real standout between the 52 and 58 is the midship master of the 58. It's what sold us on this model. Alas, neither the 52 or the 58 are being made since SR closed the Sykes Creek plant.
  17. sunchaserv

    sunchaserv Member

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    It has been a very good year for the marinas in the Canada and Alaska PNW with the average Joe's 35 to 50 footers out in much higher numbers, or so my travels' discussions with resort and Marina operators tells me.

    All kidding aside, and this from a past 3 Searay owner, why would anyone consider the few big Searays's made to be superior to the multitude of sold boats from the Bayliner/Meridian line of big vessels? My marina has one + 40' Searay and at least 10 Bayliner/Meridians. (Not to mention the big Carvers) The market place has voted.

    BTW, IMHO, this particular Searay has not sold for a very good reason, MANS.
  18. Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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    Man's are good running engines as well. They're just a bit costlier to maintain than their US built competition. Bayliner/Meridian is not built to the same quality as Searay, it is definately a step below and priced accordingly. It's seakeeping abilities are also a step below I would say. They're popular because in your area it probably doesn't dictate a better boat, and the Bayliner/Meridians are cheaper to buy.
  19. PacBlue

    PacBlue Senior Member

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    They are more popular in the Northwest/Canada because they have a Pilothouse/Inside Helm that functions.

    This is one of the biggest distinction from a SR Sedan Bridge, and why a lot of boat owners have gone towards a Meridian. The owner who is his own operator can be more a part of the social discussions and not get left on the bridge to freeze while everyone else is warm and comfortable down below.
  20. sunchaserv

    sunchaserv Member

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    PAC Blue is correct. Had SeaRay the foresight 30 years ago to start building the new hot thing - pilot house models - this would be a very different discussion. Bayliner/Meridian owners appear to have had the last laugh.