SEAKEEPER DESIRABILITY

I think it might widen the boat’s resale audience. I am sure there are some wives who would veto a non stabilized boat.

So I'll ask a few questions.
What type of vessel, hull form and cog.
How old and what model seakeeper. What part of the world will boat be used.
Different hulls react to different waves in unique ways.
Some sea keepers are really bad, some not.
The company tries to get as much roll resistance as possible from a small package. This over loads bearings and dampers. The hd versions are simply spun a little slower and last along time.
Big swells vs chop? Seakeeper won't do much in swells but will in chop when sized correctly in the right hull shape.
You'll get plenty of trouble codes with all models, sometimes they reset, sometimes not.
Rebuilding them is bunch of work, I'd say similar to a tranny.
Sportfish boats on east coast, they're a must. Displacement or semi displacement hull not so much.

buy more Dramamine w/ the 60 Grand.

That boat would benefit from seakeeper when anchored or low speed operation. If you get it plan on rebuild in a few years. Personally I'd not get it on that type of boat. I'm for simplicity whenever possible. Enjoy your boat.

There is a reason people are installing on Whaler's and a reason Whaler is offering them on new builds. I don't know if you're talking a Realm or an Outrage but similar issues.

Whaler's tend to get tossed around more than you'd expect at slow speed and anchor. I looked at a review hoping it would say "unnecessary" but this is how it read: This boat also has a SeaKeeper gyrostabilizer so we powered that unit up for a look. No surprise, it worked great and this is a feature that will not only be appreciated by the families but the fishermen that will be standing for long periods.

Now, I'd only do it if factory installed or if done per factory specifications as the boat has a panel designed to house the unit.

The comments on adequate sized seakeepers is right on target. A lot of undersized units from salesmen seeking not to increase price.

All that said, if you'd run the boat with no knowledge of Seakeepers you wouldn't be concerned. However, if you'd used it with one, you wouldn't want one without it. It's a bit surprising to see a builder offering it on a CC under 40', but if the builder sees the need and some of their customers do also, they understand their boat and their buyer. I'd talk to someone with the builder, not a Marine Max salesman, about it.

Seakeepers are expensive to maintain which Capt holli pointed out.

Seakeepers do very little for stability at 30 knots. Perhaps a 15-20% increase, sometimes they make the ride worse as they stiffen up the boat too much and it counter acts the hulls natural self righting traits at 30 knots. NOW, at trolling speeds, anchored and drifting, they're worth their weight in gold. One can always be added later.

Our experience with a Seakeeper was outstanding. Not only at anchor, but in some marinas where there was consistent wash, we were not impacted at all by the waves. I suspect the most important thing is to be sure the boat was designed for the Seakeeper and was sized and installed correctly.

As captholli stated there are numerous maintenance items. Bearing replacement is a common one and pain to do.
Lot's of sportfish guys are pulling them out for rebuild or replacing with new.
Again seakeepeer is trying to get to much out of too little. I can get my briggs and Stratton lawn mower to produce 3 times its rated power but for only a short time. Have the tech derate the unit and she'll last a much longer time. The hd seakeeper is identical to regular just spins a little slower. They dbl the warranty with hd. What does that tell you???

- OldBoater

We had a Southport 33FE without a Sea Keeper, just picked up a 2022 34' Regulator with a Sea Keeper. I was a little skeptical about the sea keeper, seemed like "black magic", and too good to be true. However, today I'm 100% believer in the sea keeper. (And family loves it too)

As for running (at speed), we use it depending on the conditions. Honestly, it's debatable of it's value solely with this.. But, it certainly helps at times. We'll be cruising along and wonder if it's making a difference. Turn it OFF, and quickly the family says "Turn it back ON".

Low Speed Cruising, Snorkeling, Scuba, Fishing/Trolling, Deep Drop Fishing, and just hanging out out.. It's a godsend. Amazing the difference it makes. I'll never own another boat without one.

If the boat doesn't already have shore power connection, I recommended it. It takes awhile to spin-up, I think 60 minutes or so. (Can't remember) Yes, the it can do that on the battery, but it's seemed a logical upgrade to us. Its nice to start it up while before we head out.