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Sea ray 47 Sedan bridge or Carver 52 voyager

Discussion in 'Sea Ray Yacht' started by Captain Dufy, Nov 16, 2014.

  1. Captain Dufy

    Captain Dufy Member

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    Sailed for many years,crossed over to a meridian 341 last year.iam planning to change to a 50 to a 53 foot motor boat. My wife and i plan to run the boat ourselves. We also have a german shepard. Call it the Admiral.Loves boating!! I am looking at a searay 47 Sedan bridge and at a carver 52 voyager. Iwill be on lake ontario,going to New York and eventionaly to the east coast.Probably up to the Madeleine Islands,back to Gaspé and up the St Lawrence .I have read about all of the comments made on the Carver and it seems Force 4 winds are it´s general limit,force 5 being the maximum for confort.Nothing much has been said on the sea ray sedan. I have studied carefully the boat tests for both boats.Sea Ray seems to come out with a better mpg rate. 30to30. Carver seems to consume 25 percent more.How can you rate the Sea ray for winds and for general confort? I would really appreciate all of your opinions.This is a big investment on my part and if any captains have any information to share ,i will read it with great interest.
  2. Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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    Neither boat is a true bluewater boat. I'd give the edge in seakeeping to Searay, but say that it's not a huge edge. I would give the build quality nod to Searay also. Why not look at a 52' Sedan Bridge? I run a 2007 at times and it's a good running boat. Performance usually, the Searay's are better.
  3. NEO56

    NEO56 Member

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    J Buddy....I'm just curious...did you lose your virginity on a Sea Ray?:D Just askin'.
  4. Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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    Nope. It's just when you look at boats in that class, both new ones and 20 year old ones, the Searay's fare pretty darn well. The Carvers always ran bow high, barely staying on plane and cruising at 17-20 knots usually. Build quality on the interior much better on the Searay. Also, Searay has every area of the boat, very well thought out in placement of ammenities and such.
  5. Perlmudder

    Perlmudder Member

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    I have no experience with the Sea Ray, however I have run a 2000 53 Voyager for 6 years. It is not a rough water boat. It rolls a lot in a small beam sea, and while cruising it pounds pretty bad. If you are looking for a comfortable ride, choose your days wisely. In general they are not the best built boat, it is a very production boat, and it will make quite a bit of noise inside while cruising. I have taken it across Lake Ontario many times, and the 25 mile run from Toronto to Niagara on the Lake is not fun if it is choppy. However, what you get for the money is pretty good, they have quite a bit of space and are relatively easy to work on. If I were looking for something in that size, I would look at a Neptuneus.
  6. Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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    I agree, Neptunus is a well built boat and they handle well also. The 55' Cabrio's I have run 1000's of miles on and they are a good riding sea-boat. The flybridges as well. They made a 56' Flybridge I believe and I wouldn't hesitate to take one in a sea over both the Searay and definately the Carver.
  7. Captain Dufy

    Captain Dufy Member

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    Thanks for your comments .I will be looking again at Sea Ray 52 bridge.I do not want to go bigger than 50to53 feet because of the docking space in marinas on the St Lawrence gulf and seaway. It is much easier to move around those regions with a smaller boat.I f you can call a 52 footer a small boat! Any comments specially on the Sea Ray 47 .I hear they did not sell many of them. The boat was made in the midle of the economic crisis and was somewhat expensive. But the boat tests seem to agree that the sedan 47 was a good boat with good motors(600cummins-574hp). Again,thanks for your valuable comments!!
  8. GFC

    GFC Senior Member

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    Dufy, I tried to send you a PM but couldn't figure out how to do it. I guess that means I ain't the sharpest knife in the drawer.

    I have 4 years experience on a 550 Sea Ray Sedan Bridge so I can answer questions on SR quality, fit and finish, layout, etc.

    I also helped take a Bayliner 5488 from Seattle to Stockton, CA last summer so can make some comparisons on my boat vs that one.

    If you want a good place to ask questions about SR, I belong to a SR site that can answer just about any question you have. Try clubsearay. Good site, nice guys and they won't flame you for asking questions.
  9. Captain Dufy

    Captain Dufy Member

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    Thanks will try new site
  10. YachtForums

    YachtForums Administrator

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    Wow, that hurts.

    I had a 48' SeaRay Sedan Bridge, plus I've sea trialed the 57' Voyager. My schedule has been pretty busy following the shows, otherwise I would have chimed in sooner, but it's too late. You've already sent a new member elsewhere.
  11. Captain Dufy

    Captain Dufy Member

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  12. Captain Dufy

    Captain Dufy Member

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    Don't worry I am still with the Forum .What i really appreciate are opinions without to many adds. GFC please share your experiences .I have not made up my decision yet .thanks in advance
  13. Old Phart

    Old Phart Senior Member

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    I dunno
    If a member had made that statement, you would have made a comment about hateful, hurtful speech. Be kind to yourself. o_O

    Is it really that difficult to re-direct Captain Dufy to the following Thread?

    http://www.yachtforums.com/index.php?threads/carver-voyager-56-or-searay-58-sedan-bridge.21126/


    P.S.- Where on this forum does one read about your four years experience on a 550 Sea Ray Sedan Bridge, so they may read about SR quality, fit and finish, layout, etc.?
  14. Captain Dufy

    Captain Dufy Member

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    Yatch forum and Old Fart I am still here and still willing to share your experiences.I
  15. GFC

    GFC Senior Member

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    "If a member had made that statement, you would have made a comment about hateful, hurtful speech. Be kind to yourself. o_O
    Is it really that difficult to re-direct Captain Dufy to the following Thread?
    http://www.yachtforums.com/index.php?threads/carver-voyager-56-or-searay-58-sedan-bridge.21126/
    P.S.- Where on this forum does one read about your four years experience on a 550 Sea Ray Sedan Bridge, so they may read about SR quality, fit and finish, layout, etc.?"

    OP, I'm pretty thick skinned and don't mind insulting myself when I feel it fits. I'm fairly certain that somewhere on this new forum software there's a way to send a PM to a member. I just couldn't find it, hence the comment. I take a lot of teasing on other forums and I know it's good natured so it doesn't bother me. I also have gotten some not-so-good natured jabs. I can tell the difference and just ignore the spiteful ones.

    In my earlier post to Capt Dufy where I gave him the name of that other forum, I only did that after trying hard to find a way to send him a PM. At the time I posted the info about that other forum I didn't remember seeing the YF thread you linked to. My bad.

    Also, I'm not sure that, on this forum that's populated by professionals in the marine industry, my comments as a recreational boater would have carried much weight. I belong to five boating forums (including this one) and frequently post comments (good and bad) about Sea Ray and the products they are making. Of late, my comments about their interiors have not been all that positive.

    I call 'em as I see 'em.
  16. olderboater

    olderboater Senior Member

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    To send a PM, click on their name which pulls up a popup. Then click on Start a Conversation. Instead of private messages they're called conversations.
  17. gr8trn

    gr8trn Senior Member

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    Sheesh GFC, the Duffy was here not on some other forum.
    I am rec boater, non-professional and I learn a lot here and am entertained here along with other forums.
    If someone is looking for sea ray opinions here talk to them here, don't send them to a different business.
    A bit of couth please.
  18. GFC

    GFC Senior Member

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    Ok, I screwed up by suggesting openly that he check out Club Sea Ray. My bad, and it won't happen again.

    Dufy, When you read these comments about my experiences with Sea Ray, please understand that this is my third SR. The first one was a 330 Sundancer. That boat got totaled when we were hit one night on the water by a BUI. I liked it so well I bought another one just like it. That being said, when we were upgrading to a larger boat with a flybridge I considered other brands including Cooper, Carver, and Bayliner.

    I'd had good luck with my 330's and liked the fit and finish, the way things worked, the layout and ease of use. One of the things I didn't like about the Carver 50's was in the area of ease of use. Just a small example, but when seated at the helm (upper and lower) I couldn't easily reach the switches on the dash, and the gauges were further away and more difficult to read. Granted that's a small thing, but it fell into the "ease of use" category.

    The fabrics, floor coverings and leather seating on the SR we ended up buying seemed to be more plush and thicker than on the Bayliners and the Carvers. FYI, we only looked at one Cooper. It had been built for Forbes Cooper for his personal boat but had many water leaks around the windshield and walkway entry doors. We only spent about 10 minutes on that boat before deleting it from the list.

    I'd heard good things about SR's efficient hulls and found that to be true. I wasn't able to sea trial the 550 on rough water but we did cross our own wake a few times and could hardly feel it. The boat felt solid; much more so than the Bayliner 5288 I drove. I think in part that was due to the hard chine on the SR rather than the rounded chine of the Bayliner.

    Other things that seemed to be better on the SR were things like cabinet hardware. Maybe it was my imagination but they seemed smoother than some of the other boats. We also liked the wider walkways on the SR. We go through locks on the Columbia and Snake Rivers so that was important. We also liked the layout of the SR. From the cockpit, through the salon and galley and lower helm it is all on one level. Then it's four steps down to the staterooms and heads.

    I hear lots of comments about people liking molded fiberglass steps to the flybridge as opposed to the ladder SR uses. Personally I prefer the ladder. In a heavy chop it's easier to come down backwards on the ladder than it is on a molded fiberglass stairway.

    Granted, many of these are small things but when they're all lumped together it made the SR a more attractive choice for us. The SR we bought has Cat engines (3406C's) and a 15KW generator. I also liked the huge cockpit on the 550. It was much larger than the cockpits on the other boats we looked at. The flybridge seating area was also larger. It comfortably seats 12 people and we've filled it numerous times when we've had guests on board. I liked those options a lot, and those were some of the major things that we liked about the SR.

    So, off the top of my head, those are some of the reasons why we picked the boat/brand we did. Others probably won't agree with my list, but hey, that's why they make lots of different brands and models.
  19. Captain Dufy

    Captain Dufy Member

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    Thanks for your great input!! I am also looking at a Hatteras 63 and comparing it to a Sea Ray 55/58. If any of you have experience with the sea worthiness of both boats,your comments will be truly appreciated
    I have good knowledge of sail boats,but i have just crossed over to motor boats a year ago.As i will be doing the Great Lakes and eventualy the east coast and possibly the Islands with only the wife(and a dog),i need space and
    reliability.I was looking at the Sea Ray 47 bridge mostly because of the great milleage and the aft master room. But there seems nobody has had experience with that particular boat.I still think this Forum is the best....
  20. Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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    I've run both boats extensively. I took one 58' Searay from Fort Lauderdale to Conneticut, another from Delaware to Toledo, OH. The searay is faster and cruises at 28 knots at around 65 gph, but has less range, around 200NM max. The searay is a pretty good running boat, rides stable, and runs flat, but with 4' on the bow or more you're slowing down into the low 20's. 6-8' on the bow you're looking at 16-17 knots, but to be expected. It's fairly dry.

    The 63' with C18's cruises around 24 knots at 85 gph. It's built more solid, roomier, a lot more storage (lazarette), is a lot bigger boat all of the way around. Can carry a dinghy on Fb deck whereas on the Searay you're tieing up the swim platform with it. The Hatteras is no doubt a better sea boat, but it is also a wet boat. Engine room is easier to work in due to height. A lot more range 1150 gallons versus 700 in the Searay. Most also had 2 generators which is a big plus on a long trip. The Hatteras is definately more capable when it comes to longer trips. But also bigger. I've also done some trips on these.

    Both are good boats, just depends what your purpose is. I don't think you could go wrong with either.