Sea Ray 52 SB or similar

To the best of my knowledge there is no such thing as a "demo boat". This is a boat that hasn't sold since 2010, and the hours will give you an idea of how many people have considered it. The reason could be poor salesmen, the economy or..... As with any boat, have it very thoroughly checked out.

Or could've been the dealership owners private toy. Also each Brunswick boat manufacturers president gets a boat to use as their own, so it could've been the president of Searay's etc.....they use them a year or two and then they get sold.

I would treat it as any other used 2010 searay both in the sale and the price and have it thoroughly surveyed. I'd give a small premium in price over a similar used 2010 for the warranty's.

I've spent a lot of time aboard varying sizes of Sea Ray SB's and am a big supporter. While there may be some critics in this forum, Sea Ray is a household name for production boats here in the US. They build good quality boats with decent materials - especially in the newer models. I'd say they are in a class above Carver/Silverton/Cruisers and they are serviceable in many locations depending on your choice of power. The living space in the boat is well-thought-out and the Sedan Bridge is much more pleasant a space to stay aboard versus the Sundancer which is more/less of a cave no matter the size. As far as value goes, they may not be the Ferrari of boats, but they are priced right as far as bang for your buck goes. I'd do some thorough research on prior use/maintenance as I have known people that have purchased low-hour "demos" which have had issues due to the boat not being run as frequently as it should. The good thing is that there is always a strong used Sea Ray market out there so you'll have plenty of comparable boats to look at and potentially leverage.

Just as you say, "mass production" results in more pre-owned boats when compared with a higher-end, less produced builder. You can find Sea Rays of all years/sizes/models in a lot of places throughout the US. In my opinion you have to view a Sea Ray for what it is, not as compared with higher-end, low production boats that tend to have more custom options (and a much higher price tag.) I don't know about anybody else, but I don't think the Sea Ray is in the same league as Bayliner considering Bayliner's are much cheaper and their biggest boat in production is a 335 vs. Sea Ray's 60 footers. I've seen some of the bigger boats in their lineup and the fit/finish is no at a Sea Ray level, thus Brunswick having the two brands.

Agreed - seems like the 2005-2010 range yields the bigger share of used SR's in the market.

Before the economic downturn and consolidation, SR and Bayliner/Meridian were run as separate and fairly distinct business units. SR always held an edge in the delivered product. Now, that the Product Development and Engineering has been consolidated in the SR facility on Merritt Island for SR and Meridian, and some Bayliner models as well, Bayliner/Meridian has gotten the better deal out of the new "alliance". They have elevated their game at the expense of the SR brand, which is desperately in need of some portfolio direction for their above 35" line - the Sundancer concept is long in the tooth and the Sedan Bridge (SB) models are getting hit hard by the competition. The Meridian models are the new poster child for Brunswick, which is kind of ironic to those of us who can recall the instant (overnight?) Bayliner/Meridian makeover....

Good posts in this thread and an accurate synopsis of Sea Ray's segment of the market in recent years. Certainly the economy has played a role in sagging sales, but I would venture to say the Salvador Dali sheer line has contributed to their downturn too. Pun intended.

Too many mid-range, production boat builders are trying to hang on to an antiquated business model. The days of free equity and easy qualifying have long passed. If a builder is to survive in the new economy, plus $5 a gallon prices at the dock, then their business models must adjust to the new reality. NO Sea Ray is worth one million dollars. NO center console is worth a quarter million. Yet these are the prices they're fetching, so I'm wrong.

Your not the only one.
When I see some of the asking prices on new boats, I wonder how they sell any at all.
I would think that those prices alone would make the used bot market really strong.

But, people pay it. I looked at a new 38' Intrepid with a little cuddy cabin and twin yamaha's new. It was just under $700k, I couldn't believe it. Yet Intrepid is flush with orders......and has been for several years........Maybe we're all just getting old, and starting to sound like our grandfathers......"When I was your age, we could go to the movies, get a coke and popcorn and it was 10 cents".......LOL I don't know.

I have a SR 550 Sedan Bridge and love it. It's not the Ferrari of boats but it certainly is not the Chevy of boats either. I love the style/lines of my boat but not so much on the newer models with the euro designs.

If you were to call SR Customer Service (321-449-8628 or 800-648-8535) and give them the HIN they will be able to tell you the history on the boat.

I have some information from another boating forum on that specific boat. PM me if you want a link to where it was discussed....

"A friend of mine tried to buy that boat almost a year ago. The deal never worked because it was a trade for a fairly high $ late model Sea Ray. The buyer & Prince William's owner just couldn't agree on a price. This isn't a factory demo boat. Prince William Marina bought the boat as inventory in the 2010 model year. For various reasons, it just has never sold. It should transfer with a MSO and full Sea Ray warranties and the only hours on it are those demoing the boat for Prince William prospects.

Prince William is one of the highest ranked dealers of any brand of boat and is regarded as one of the best Sea Ray dealers in the nation.

Another factor worth noting is that Prince William properly equips the boats they buy so you probably won't be facing the usual several thousand $ in fitting out costs on one of their boats.

Good luck with it........... "

GFC

I think the industry has decided to no longer try to bring boating to the general public. No more cops, firemen, doctors, lawyers (well maybe a few lawyers). Like most things today it's become a pastime for only the very wealthy. We'll see how it shakes out. I have a vision in my mind of most small marinas being turned into luxury condos, the ramaining having slips for only overpriced 50'+ and 10 year old 100' yacht rotting at docks as their owners go broke unable to sell them, but we'll see. Maybe the economy does have an unlimited top end. It happened with the internet and real estate (until the bubbles burst). So it'll be an all or nothing game. I know I'd never consider buying a boat, except maybe a kayak

I'm still trying to figure out this comment. The 3 Ferrari's I've owned we're overpriced, unreliable and didn't perform all that well. Chevy's, well, they are resonably priced, reliable, and if I'm not mistaken, the caddy ctsv still holds the fastest lap around the 'ring in Germany for a production car. For 1/4 of the price of the Ferrari's, I had my vette over 1200hp, and it pulled 1.4g's on the skid pad, and running low 9's in the 1/4. And I drove that car all over the country. My Ferrari's I didn't trust to leave the county.

Replace Ferrari with Porsche if that makes more sense to you. The point is more to the manner in which the different manufactures, (of appox same size) engineer, manufacture, market and price their products (yachts).

A 55' Sea Ray is not an equal to a 58' Tiara and a Tiara isn't equal to a 54' Sabre.

Sea Ray makes a boat that has served a very large part of the boating market.

Boxer motors, I don't know about that... (Goes and throws a tarp over the pauter parts on the bench)

Maybe you should use yugo as your low end choice. It's not the most high end, super exclusive yacht, but it's not a quartet of 80's model bayliners glassed together either. Sounds like it is the Chevy of yachts. Well established, large chain of dealers, parts and service are easily found. Price isn't over the top, but isn't bargain basement either. Performance is at least on par with competitors. Fit and finish may not match the top of the line "exotics" but it's not a singlewide glued to a barge either. A decent all around yacht for someone who doesn't have the need to use the brand of their boat to compensate for their genital inadequacies.

I think you might understand the comment better than the person who made it. You couldn't give me a Ferrari or Porche (although I wouldn't mind driving one around the track a few times). I like Chevy, and so did Howard Hughes.

You could give me either one, I would just sell it. Sure, I might do some tweeking and tuning first, but ultimately it would be gone. My favorite track toy nowadays is a souped up little bug. Problem is, every time I tear some viper or other exotic up on the track, they end up buying my bug to hide their disgrace. Then I just start a faster build. Having motorsports ranch cresson nearby makes for some interesting entertainment. I'm a Chevy guy when it comes to gas v8's, a Cummins guy when diesel is involved, and always love making stuff fast that people don't expect.