first boat - should I go for a new 175?

M

markdavidmoran

New Member
Dec 30, 2009
4
Sydney
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Hi Guys

I'm now in the market for my first boat and considering the Sea Ray 175 (new or nearly new). Planning to buy in the next week or so. I'm looking for tips. Here are my bits of info:

- My budget is $30-35K (Aus dollars) - about $40K USD.
- I have a wife and four kids (eldest 12, youngest 6).
- cruising Sydney harbour (salt, some choppiness to get to various destinations)
- planning to ski/board/donut with the kids
- looking for a no-hassle/easy maintenance option
- prefer to moor rather than trailer

My questions are:
- is the 175 suitable for ski-ing with the full family on board?
- can it deal with everything the harbour has to offer (swell and choppiness?)
- can it be moored without too much maintenance overhead?
- is it the ideal boat to get me started in boating with the family? Would I be better buying an older, bigger, better model now. I may upgrade in the future...

Thanks in advance for any help.

Cheers

Mark
 
Good Morning Mark
I would recommend at least a slightly bigger boat and go used. My first boat was 20 footer and with two kids (9 and 5) it was tight therefore, we just purchased a 28-foot. In addition, the kids had a short attention span. For example, if someone was skiing or in a tube—At first the kids were watching and into it but after an hour or two they would go to the bow, want to fish, and etcetera.
Bottom line when all aboard, it was tight. I would go with to start 22-feet minimum and maybe more.
My questions are: (only my answers—you will get more probably better advice on this site—I found this site very useful)
- is the 175 suitable for ski-ing with the full family on board? (Bigger because of the kids)
- can it deal with everything the harbor has to offer (swell and choppiness?) (you will feel every chop on a 17-footer—go bigger)
- can it be moored without too much maintenance overhead? (Make sure you have two batteries as no shore power and you want the bilge to work)
- is it the ideal boat to get me started in boating with the family? Would I be better buying an older, bigger, better model now. I may upgrade in the future... (You have the family at the perfect age—get the bigger boat now and a bigger boat once your confidence goes up)
22 -26 feet is what I would recommend as you can still ski and tube but you also have other things like cruising to beaches, eating and maybe sleeping onboard, room for comfort and still gets good hours per gallon on the gas.
Have fun and post pictures when you get her.
 
Welcome! (I'm pretty new here too, but welcome none the less. :grin:)

I know nothing of where you're boating, but it sounds to me like a 17 or 18' boat is undersize. Something in the 25' class is probably a better minimum size for big water and 6 people (and all the stuff 6 people bring along).

This is self evident, but sometimes it helps to hear someone else say it...
Don't be too anxious and rush into a purchase decision. The urge to buy a boat is strong, but short term excitement can turn to long term frustration if something is overlooked -- like your needs, or the condition of whatever you purchase.

Good Luck! :)
 
I can tell you from personal experience that a 175 will not like the “choppies” encountered in a large harbor. Your thoughts about buying a larger, older boat are right on the money. You might also want to consider a self-bailing boat with outboard power if you ever plan to use a harbor mooring. “Low maintenance and overhead” are not synonymous with sterndrives sitting in saltwater.
 
Mark,

Let me start by saying I had a Searay176 brand new and just sold it last week because we upgraded to a 270 Sundancer.

I loved the 176 and we used it in gaveston bay for cruising , skiing, and tubing. We have little guys 4 and 6 so I can tell you the boat was just perfect for our little family of four. However half the fun of having a boat is being able to take your freinds and your kids friends out for a day of fun in the sun. This is when the limitations of this great little boat begin to show a little. We have comfortably cruises protected waters void of other boat wake and wind chop with four adults a 12 year old and 3 little guys under that age of 7. However we where not attempting to tow a tube and you can forget about pulling event the lightest skiiers with this kind of load.

If you are looking for a water sports platform I will have to agrre with the previous posts. Searay is a great boat and it is, in my opinion, the best investment you can make if you are looking at overall cost of ownership. Here is an example, I bought my 176 in 2002 for about 16,000 US Dolars. I just sold it for $8,900. That makes my totla cost of ownership less than $1,000 a year! Thats less than $100 per MONTH!!!

If you need a bigger boat to get you were you need to go I would recomend looking at previously owned Searays in the 22 - 24 foot range with all the water sports goodies like a wake board tower and even better a portipottie!!! I can tell you how many trips have had to end early because on of the misses has had to hit the can!

Good louck and your are on the right track looking at Searay!
 
Great point on the portipottie--I was not allowed to even look at a bow rider. our 20-footer had a cuddy and our trips were never cut short for at least that reason.

Also agree with a previous point made; take your time looking and get a survey on any used boat (Or at least have an experience marine guy look at it) I looked at over 30 boats before buying our 280. I was giving up hope but found the right boat for the right price. and on the boats I did not want I made silly offers just to learn what to look for.

good luck and post pictures.
 
We have a 175 with 3.0L 4 cyl. I've been told that the 3.0L is sometimes called the 'cement mixer' because it vibrates a lot and makes a lot of noise; on the plus side it's a nearly bullet proof engine that's been in production for decades. The I/O, well, it's an I/O so budget for a lot of maintenance, especially in salt water, if you don't want it to leave your family stranded and stuck out on the water.

I agree with most of the other posts in that the boat is probably undersized for use in a bay, especially being left on a mooring though it would probably do you fine if you do go for it.

We have ours on a 26 mile lake, set between two mountain ranges, so the funneled winds really whip up the chop to 2' - 3' and even larger; it's a rough, rough lake. The 175 does just fine in all but the worst weather, you just have to point the bow up and pick your way through the waves. That being said, most mothers and kids are not going to enjoy that ride but the boat can handle it safely when needed.

As others have posted, for a harbor and leaving on a mooring I'd go for 20'+ and make sure you have some type of toilet onboard if you're day boating.

Good luck and have fun!
 
One last point, I agree with JHILD, definitely consider some outboard motor options; 4 cycle or the Evinrude E-Tec series.

Make sure the motor tilts up out of the water and make use of the freshwater flush if possible.

A modern outboard is going to be a lot less maintenance, more reliable, about as fuel efficient, and provide a better power / weight ratio than any I/O.

I own 3 I/Os currently and my wife has to put up with my bitching and complaining about the all the maintenance, expense, hassle, and relative unreliability of I/O vs. other drive options. The I/O does have it's merits too, like the tilt-up capability; but my personal opinion is that the downsides far outweigh the upsides.

That being said, the vast majority of boats in the size range you are looking at are I/Os; so take what I say with a grain of salt.

I bitching sailor is a happy sailor, and I love my boats...just not their outdrives!

Cheers
Jeff
 
MaddyDean said:
Great point on the portipottie--I was not allowed to even look at a bow rider. our 20-footer had a cuddy and our trips were never cut short for at least that reason.

Also agree with a previous point made; take your time looking and get a survey on any used boat (Or at least have an experience marine guy look at it) I looked at over 30 boats before buying our 280. I was giving up hope but found the right boat for the right price. and on the boats I did not want I made silly offers just to learn what to look for.

good luck and post pictures.
Click to expand...

Hi Vince, I do like the 280 model. We had a 270 and would have bought the 280 had it been available at the time.

Cheers
Jeff
 
wow - thanks for the quick and useful feedback guys. I'll broaden my search and see what is out there.

I'll be back in touch when I've seen a few.

Cheers

Mark
 
Very good advice above. The 175 is definitely a great, fun, sporty little boat, but for your situation, I'd recommend a 260 Sundeck. Sundecks are very very very easy starter boats. We started on a 220 Sundeck (2 adults, 2 kids) and we never felt cramped. I imagine the 260SD would be very comfortable for a family with 2 more passengers than we typically had (keep in mind we had many guests aboard our 220SD, and it was still very comfortable). You should look in the 2005-2008 range, something with SmartCraft, DTS (digital throttle and shift) is great as well. I would imagine that there are some good deals.

Also, the Sundecks are very sea-worthy and more than capable in the conditions that you suggest in your area. Keep in mind, in case it chops up even more, unexpectedly, you can't go wrong in a larger boat.

Good luck and keep us updated.
 
Last edited:
Hi Guys - here's an update....

So I've now ruled out the 175 and 185. They are nice boats but they aren't right for the type of thing we want to do. Have tested a 2005 sundeck 240 and it is a beauty. Same price range as a new 185... but way more boat for your money. It has medium hours but has been really well maintained so it all looks good. Full ski tower, toilet etc.

Now we just need to agree the right price and get things moving...

Cheers

Mark
 
There will probably be some better commentary, but for your sized family, if you can swing it, the Sundecks are simply the best family day boat on the planet. I had several bow riders over the years, and loved our 240...but more importantly, the wife and kids loved the 240. When mama's happy, and the kids are happy...EVERYBODY is happy. I just cannot articulate the difference between a day on the water when the boat is a bit overcrowded, and kids are whining about potty breaks, and bored and pestering mom...vs elbow room, porta potties, and entertainment zone options.

My ONLY concern would be salt water and the I/O, but the 240 is very trailerable and pretty easy to maintain.
 
I have owned a 175 and loved it... But... I took a wave over my sister and her baby in the bow form a a wake in our bay... I think it may be too small for you... I have a 190 SD now that has a 8' 4" beam that is much more stable... I would highly recommend a Sundeck. The 220 replaced my boat and I think it is a great boat... You should be able to pick up a late model 220 SD on www.boats.com for around $20K... I figure at least a $2,000 to ship to Australia... If you find one, here in the U.S., post a message to have one or more of your CSR friends check it out for you... The 220 is a simple boat, not much can bo wrong with it. I would ship on the trialer, and have it shrink wrapped before I ship it, it I were you...
 
markdavidmoran said:
Hi Guys - here's an update....

So I've now ruled out the 175 and 185. They are nice boats but they aren't right for the type of thing we want to do. Have tested a 2005 sundeck 240 and it is a beauty. Same price range as a new 185... but way more boat for your money. It has medium hours but has been really well maintained so it all looks good. Full ski tower, toilet etc.

Now we just need to agree the right price and get things moving...

Cheers

Mark
Click to expand...

Great choice. Great boat. Hopefully everything works out for you! :thumbsup:
 
Hi Mark,

I would love to know how your decision process has gone. I am on the Gold COast and also currently looking at the 175 new. Just for price and fitout it beats all others we have here in Aus. I am going to seatrial the vessel this week but would like to know your decision.
Jamie
 
JimmyJ said:
Hi Mark,

I would love to know how your decision process has gone. I am on the Gold COast and also currently looking at the 175 new. Just for price and fitout it beats all others we have here in Aus. I am going to seatrial the vessel this week but would like to know your decision.
Jamie
Click to expand...

Hi Jimmy

I ended up choosing a 4 year old 240 Sundeck for about the price of a new 185. I liked the 175 and the 185 but we felt like they would be a bit too light in Sydney harbour when it gets choppy. We will be out for full days and the weather can change quickly. In nice weather I think the 175 would be great as a ski boat and just general messing about so it depends on how much you wll use it in the sea and how much it will be in rivers and harbours. It is a lot of boat for the money and looks fantastic.

Also, there are 6 of us and we thought we might struggle to get friends on at the same time on the 175/185.

We pick it up on Saturday (once I have my boat license and handed over the cash) - so cannot wait.

Let me know how you get on.

Cheers

Mark
 
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