KEY FEATURES "Comfortably seats 17 people while underway"

There were 7 people in the picture and it looked almost full. Definitely not room for 17!
 
I've had 12 on my 330 and it was ok when everyone was seated but once we were anchored and people started moving around it was cramped.
 
Define "comfortable"?
And is safety also a requirement?

Stated by narrator
Bow = 6
Port (helm) = 2
Corner near the entertainment console = 2

My guesstimates
Helm = 1
Wrap around facing cockpit = 4 (as seen in video and SeaRay.com gallery photos)
That leaves 2 on the sunpad/aft facing transom?

I suppose some might consider that comfortable, but even with all the storage the video touts, how in the world do you really fit normal gear (daily operations/safety) plus fun gear/food/bevs for 17 people, plus 17 people?
 
NorCal Boater said:
I don't know 17 people
Click to expand...

I know 17 people, but not 17 people I want to hang out with on a boat.

It may seat 17, will the boat get up on plane? I can't get on plane with 4 if my bottom is really dirty. (Granted, I do have a lot of crap stowed onboard, including a RIB and engine on the swim platform).
 
You boys need to quit shooting the messenger and let the product do the talking...a past CEO of Sea Ray once told me "never confuse Marketing with the truth"...oh, how true. This is obviously an error on the spec persons writing, not the boat's. I am like NorCal, in that I don't know 17 people so the statement is moot to me.
What I do know, is the boat, and the 310SLX is a way fun, fast open bow that will carry all you want and do all you need...it is that cool of a ride!
I am in Central Fl, not far from the Marketing epitome of the world. There is a huge organization near here that promotes a six foot mouse named Mickey and makes bazillions of bucks each year, but we don't call foul on them, ever.
Too many boat shows these days to take a brochure's word as the gospel. Come see the boat at a show or your local SR dealer..better yet, come visit me at the Sea Ray factory and we will leave all advertising on the table and put rubber on the road...just don't bring 17 friends with you, lol!!

Have a Great Sea Ray day!!

Rusty
 
Capt. Rusty Higgins said:
What I do know, is the boat, and the 310SLX is a way fun, fast open bow that will carry all you want and do all you need...it is that cool of a ride!
Click to expand...

So was the 280. I don't understand why it didn't sell better. I've been looking around at alternatives and nothing grabs me. These boats are good-looking, roomy, comfortable, fast, fun, and reasonably economical. The trade-off is they're wide and heavy for a day boat and not easy to tow with a std half-ton truck. I'm thinking that drove some people away from them.
 
What's the plate say? Comfortably or not, the plate is what you have to go by, give or take one person.
 
Capt. Rusty Higgins said:
You boys need to quit shooting the messenger and let the product do the talking...a past CEO of Sea Ray once told me "never confuse Marketing with the truth"...oh, how true. This is obviously an error on the spec persons writing, not the boat's. I am like NorCal, in that I don't know 17 people so the statement is moot to me.
What I do know, is the boat, and the 310SLX is a way fun, fast open bow that will carry all you want and do all you need...it is that cool of a ride!
I am in Central Fl, not far from the Marketing epitome of the world. There is a huge organization near here that promotes a six foot mouse named Mickey and makes bazillions of bucks each year, but we don't call foul on them, ever.
Too many boat shows these days to take a brochure's word as the gospel. Come see the boat at a show or your local SR dealer..better yet, come visit me at the Sea Ray factory and we will leave all advertising on the table and put rubber on the road...just don't bring 17 friends with you, lol!!

Have a Great Sea Ray day!!

Rusty
Click to expand...

I think Rusty's comments are spot on. For me, I would never consider a boat like that as it just doesn't fit my boating needs and the type of boating I prefer. It doesn't mean I don't respect the design or dis those that would buy it. In fact, I've never even cared for a bow rider of any kind. But that is my preference and there are a s**tload of open bow boats sold annually.

Somebody that likes a crowd of people around them and entertaining will love that boat and even though the marketing shows it big water-capable, I can't see loading 10-12 people and going from say, Long Beach, CA to Catalina Island. But I could see that boat on a large lake or in a harbor taking a crowd on a cocktail cruise or to lunch or dinner.

Boating is a lifestyle and one that should be shared with families and friends. It creates a unique and special kind of closeness that I feel is only shared when you spend a few nights on board. I never understood people putting TVs in the cockpits of their boats. Why look at a TV when there is sooo much to see just sitting in a cockpit and watching the scenery. I have always said there are 2 types of boat owners. There is the type that "own a boat" and take it out a few, or more, times a year but allow it to sit most of the time. These are the people that will state, "....I don't know what's wrong with it, it was running well when I shut it off last Labor Day." Then there are "Boaters." I'm a Boater. True Boaters get enjoyment doing anything with their boats and could care less if anyone joins them or not. For me, I am happiest when I'm working on, cruising in, or just putzing around with a boat. And based on the 10+ years I've been a member of this Forum....I'm not alone.

Shawn
 
Last edited:
I'm with Rusty. If you guys have read my posts over the past few years where I've commented about new boat designs you know that I do NOT like most of them. Harsh interiors, furnishings that look like they came from Ikea or Home Depot, square corners instead of rounded ones....you get my drift.

This boat really looks like a winner. No, it's not a design I would buy but not because I don't like the boat. It just doesn't fit the way we boat. But there's a LOT about that boat the really "floats my boat".

I think SR really hit a home run with this one.
 
rondds said:
What's the plate say? Comfortably or not, the plate is what you have to go by, give or take one person.
Click to expand...
In the US, there are no plates for boats over 26'.

The USCG offers a rule of thumb formula to determine a boat's capacity, (Length x Beam) / 15 (some people divide by 18 instead), but some industry authorities consider that problematic for boats over 20'.

I was just trying to figure out how the BoatTest people--or the marketing team as Rusty pointed out!--configured the passengers to arrive at 17. The host in the video explicitly stated numbers for some but not all of the seating areas.

I, too, know plenty of people who would LOVE that boat (planing not a problem with the bow at max capacity of 6, right?). Carrying 17 on a cocktail cruise probably would be a piece of cake, but I'm still stymied by the math, geometry, and possible yoga it might take to have a day on the water with 17 people plus water toys and provisions. It definitely comes down to what kind of boating you want to do!
 
Boat shows these days are stuffed with non-fishing friendly CC's. That makes no sense to me. They look great from a distance, but they have too much cushy stuff to be a serious fisher, and not enough to be a serious cruiser. They're boats that lie!

These big BR's on the other hand have a mission and they do it: fit a lot of people comfortably and perform well.

Sorry for the poor pic, but here's an example of 12 people on the 280. There are a few guys in the water and behind me. Tons of room for food and beverages and people and most of us are protected from the sun. Anyone who wants to fry can sit in the bow, but that big cover keeps pasty white guys like me from having to go to the dermatologist on a monthly basis.

y4mYgS92xoiTuD1_0Q3M-P2eucHeZ4TbPMV8kyQGV1nU6KrOZSg-eemrRGbTIBoC69sgMjw6NE-zMYenQNOOIGlyFLZng9nRGW4crHd6oabGDBVM-xw9eRDB3vQYjInLn6brQDxbKuHZ9i6z-tH9N8uxStbL3WwvyJZFGr6VscvRsjpC1cSmJ9gw4tWFOJRFl9OxAwwfXlDtBclw7FnzP1t4A


BTW, this late-90's 280 was somehow measured in the new-math. She's barely 28' long.
 
Little Ducky said:
I'm glad I don't have too many friends that like to boat. ;)

After 4 or 5 I don't know where I would keep all the life jackets.
Click to expand...

We keep 18 life jackets of varying sizes (got rid of the little kid ones and replaced them with all adult) at all times. Still have room for food and liquids. I am keeping the little kid jackets for the future grand children....
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Forum statistics

Threads
113,118
Messages
1,426,556
Members
61,035
Latest member
Lukerney
Back
Top