Love my Sea Ray but..any reason to not get a Formula?

Nick70

Nick70

Active Member
Apr 20, 2016
206
New England
Boat Info
2006 Searay 260 DA 496 mag
RAYMARINE stuff.
Engines
496 Magnum
Bravo III
I've been talked off the ledge about re powering my 260 with a 496.
So, looking at bigger Sea Rays I noticed that almost none have a cockpit layout like my 06 260.
We love that portside lounger.
I started to look at similar Formulas..they almost all have it!
In addition, they seem like great boats. I'm focusing on the 31PC with dual merc HO 496/bravo III
am I missing something or are formulas just really good boats?
 
The 320 has almost the same layout.
One reason I didn't want a 320, we didn't like the lounger.
 
Formulas are fantastic boats. Extremely well built and generally very fast. If you're OK with I/O's they're really good boats. I like the SR style better usually, and the older formulas used some wacky colors so they don't age as well.

Whats your minimum size for your upgrade? Our 290 has the port side lounger, but they stopped this model 290 in 2001 so you'd have to go a bit older than your current boat.
 
I've never owned one, but have seen plenty around the docks. Guy across from me had a 40PC and it was a nice boat, he was a Formula guy and had owned several. My impression is they are good boats, built very well - many would say better than SeaRay. More of a performance boat than SeaRay (that is their heritage) and it shows even in their cruisers. From a styling perspective they seem more utilitarian than SeaRay - especially the older models. I don't like trying to compare brands - there are a number of brands that I would consider top production boats, Formula is definitely on that list for me. These days my interests are more in the mid 20's day boats, so boats like SeaRay Sundecks and Cobalt R5's interest me. If I were shopping for a 30-35' cruiser, I think a Formula would definitely be one to consider.
 
When Formula came out with the pod drives on the 40'er I had a chance to drive one at the Miami boat show. Faster than he!! and handled like a sports car. I think part of the speed comes from the hull that is narrower than SR's hulls in the same size.

Me not being a boat racer, I'd much rather have a wider beam on a slower boat than the fast boat with a narrow beam.
 
The Formulas are beautiful well made boats. I wouldn’t hesitate to get one.
The one thing I noticed that was on the minus side by a very minor bit is they tend to have a narrower beam than a comparably sized Sea Ray. It cuts down interior space by a negligible amount.
On the plus side, they are great boats that seem to perform a bit better than comparably sized boat.
If I were buying a brand new boat I think that Formula might win out. Not a huge fan of the newer Sea Ray exterior styling. More importantly, in talking with the Formula guys at boat shows it seems that you can really personalize them these days with interior and hull color choices.
 
We went to the Cleveland boat show this past winter and they had a brand new 31PC and i loved that boat. just a tad out of my price range...lol. but loved it. it actually seemed bigger in the cabin than the SR but i wasn't measuring. i agree there older boats had horrid colors but the new one was nice. i heard the quality is top notch but have no experience with them
 
Formula boats are great. A buddy of mine has the 31PC boat mentioned above and I love it. Much higher quality than a Sea Ray. His was a bit pricey but you get what you pay for. If you find one that meets your needs and is in your price range I wouldn't hesitate.
 
We had a 2006 320 with 6.2's. We absolutely loved that boat except our kids didn't stop growing.. We chose the 320 over the 340 because of the port side lounger. You will love it if you decide to get one

Btw: I believe formulas are a step up from SeaRay's but not enough beam for a family
 
I was looking at formulas also. The 34PC in the same year 2004 as I have now. The thing that broke me was the outdrives in Saltwater. If your in Fresh that's a different story. I was also on the fence with the cruising style. The Formula tended to dance around a bit at cruise. You have to play with the trim tabs a bit I found to keep it straight. My Searay is rock solid no matter where people move under way. Docking with the V-drives are easier. The formula also gets better gas mileage and is Faster. Not by much since I re-propped though. Drive them both if you can.
 
Not to much from me but the Formulas I've seen or better yet heard sound fantastic with their above water exhausts under the swim platforms...... Vroooooooom. :)
 
Nice boat, but they don't hold there value much hear in the NW. SeaRay holds a much better value.

I had a friend back in 06 buy a new 27pc. $160k plus tax and no Genny. With twin VP 5.7s. He bragged about his zero interest first 3 years and 3% there after. 10 years later he could hardly give the boat away as he still owed a large balance. If you buy new be careful of zero interest programs. They just inflate the sell price to make up for the zero interest. That gap sticks with the principal for along long time. Hence your upside down from day one.
 
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Before owning my 44 DA, I had a 2005 Formula 370 SS, from 2007 to 2015. I loved it. They are built well, their gel coat work is better than my Sea Ray (2007) by far. I'm not being negative about my Sea Ray, we love it. I just absolutely loved my Formula too and would buy another without question.

I've driven both the SS and PC boats Formula makes. While the SS is more of the fast style cruiser, the PC handles very well. Almost bought a 37 PC before getting our 44 DA. Went with the Sea Ray because the size difference was too great to pass up.

The Formula 31 PC is an excellent boat, you'll love it!
 
LG111 said:
I had a friend back in 06 buy a new 27pc. ...10 years later he could hardly give the boat away
Click to expand...

I think they're often over-rated, but the 27PC is honestly what brought me to that conclusion. A friend of mine has had many Formulas and I have logged many hours at the helms of them. The 27 was as if it were built by a different company. After a day in 2' chop, we'd have to collect screws from the cabin floor. I hope the current owner keeps it in calm seas. Sooner or later the whole galley will collapse. (the steps are also known to disintegrate, but his hadn't, yet)

He also had two 31PC's, which were awesome boats. Great layout, great handling and good-looking. My only complaints were thin upholstery padding and the way Formula wires tabs. I don't understand why they insist on such hard seats, and if I had a Formula, I'd flip the switches and add an auto tab controller.
 
I went from a Sea Ray to a new Formula this past year.

Both are good boats, and like anything in life, both have their strengths and weaknesses.

Where I find Formula has the edge over Sea Ray:
  • Gelcoat. The finish is hands-down better.
  • Attention to detail in the engine room. Wiring & hoses are routed beautifully, dual clamps on most fittings, very organized location of various systems, etc.
  • Hull performance. I'm not just talking about speed. I have the 350CBR, and it slices through annoying 2'-3' chop better at 33-36 mph than it does at 25-28 mph. On every SR I've ever piloted (between 25'-50'), when rough water approaches, slowing down has always resulted in a more comfortable ride. I crossed Lake Michigan with a 90s-vintage 500DA in solid 2' chop; they asked to back down from a 30mph cruise to a 26mph cruise; since we were traveling together, I did the same, but ended up having a bumpier ride. I felt that was a nice testament to the Formula hull design; it's very, very capable in bumpy seas, even when the dry weight is probably 10,000lbs less than the 500DA.
Things I miss about my SR:
  • Fasteners. For whatever reason, my Formula has had more nuts, bolts, hinges, latches, and snaps come undone or break off than my Sea Rays. It might be petty, but it is really annoying to have to secure doors, brackets, etc. every couple of weeks. Most of these come loose due to vibration; one would think the engineers know this is a reality on a boat and use a design that's more durable. This really cheapens the brand, and this is where I have a hard time buying into the Formula fanboy syndrome of it being "all quality." (On the upside, my skills with the snap tool have exponentially improved this summer.)
  • Simplicity of less deadrise. To get the Formula riding nicely, it requires a bit of playing with the tabs combined with trim. And then of course there's Active Trim (which is really a joke and I usually just turn it off). I guess that's the downside of the deeper vee (which gives the better aforementioned ride); I feel like with the SRs you can just put the throttles down and it's pretty mindless to keep the boat at a comfortable riding attitude.
  • Material Durability. Formula uses lots of materials that look nice when they're brand new. I'm talking about the Corian on the cockpit wet bar, or even the gray fiberglass that surrounds cupholders. The truth is, people put down beer cans and uncork wine bottles and drop forks onto these surfaces, and they scratch too easily. I've taken my buffer and some light polish to the Corian three times this season, and I always put down a protective mat. (My SR had a nice stone surface on the bar, and it was tough as nails.)
At the end of the day, you cannot go wrong with either boat. This is really an Audi vs. BMW comparison, not an Audi vs. Great Wall Motors.

I do give a shot out to Formula's customer service (on the street known as TAG, "Thunderbird Assistance Group" (I think)). They are super responsive to basically any request.
 
FastMarkA said:
I went from a Sea Ray to a new Formula this past year.

Both are good boats, and like anything in life, both have their strengths and weaknesses.

Where I find Formula has the edge over Sea Ray:
  • Gelcoat. The finish is hands-down better.
  • Attention to detail in the engine room. Wiring & hoses are routed beautifully, dual clamps on most fittings, very organized location of various systems, etc.
  • Hull performance. I'm not just talking about speed. I have the 350CBR, and it slices through annoying 2'-3' chop better at 33-36 mph than it does at 25-28 mph. On every SR I've ever piloted (between 25'-50'), when rough water approaches, slowing down has always resulted in a more comfortable ride. I crossed Lake Michigan with a 90s-vintage 500DA in solid 2' chop; they asked to back down from a 30mph cruise to a 26mph cruise; since we were traveling together, I did the same, but ended up having a bumpier ride. I felt that was a nice testament to the Formula hull design; it's very, very capable in bumpy seas, even when the dry weight is probably 10,000lbs less than the 500DA.
Things I miss about my SR:
  • Fasteners. For whatever reason, my Formula has had more nuts, bolts, hinges, latches, and snaps come undone or break off than my Sea Rays. It might be petty, but it is really annoying to have to secure doors, brackets, etc. every couple of weeks. Most of these come loose due to vibration; one would think the engineers know this is a reality on a boat and use a design that's more durable. This really cheapens the brand, and this is where I have a hard time buying into the Formula fanboy syndrome of it being "all quality." (On the upside, my skills with the snap tool have exponentially improved this summer.)
  • Simplicity of less deadrise. To get the Formula riding nicely, it requires a bit of playing with the tabs combined with trim. And then of course there's Active Trim (which is really a joke and I usually just turn it off). I guess that's the downside of the deeper vee (which gives the better aforementioned ride); I feel like with the SRs you can just put the throttles down and it's pretty mindless to keep the boat at a comfortable riding attitude.
  • Material Durability. Formula uses lots of materials that look nice when they're brand new. I'm talking about the Corian on the cockpit wet bar, or even the gray fiberglass that surrounds cupholders. The truth is, people put down beer cans and uncork wine bottles and drop forks onto these surfaces, and they scratch too easily. I've taken my buffer and some light polish to the Corian three times this season, and I always put down a protective mat. (My SR had a nice stone surface on the bar, and it was tough as nails.)
At the end of the day, you cannot go wrong with either boat. This is really an Audi vs. BMW comparison, not an Audi vs. Great Wall Motors.

I do give a shot out to Formula's customer service (on the street known as TAG, "Thunderbird Assistance Group" (I think)). They are super responsive to basically any request.
Click to expand...

Great comparison. I'd like to see a cross section of similar vintage hulls to compare the actual construction. Do Formula and SR use the same hull manufacturing techniques? Formula guys always talk about "how thick the hull is" when in reality I wonder whether its any different than other premium manufacturers.
 
Strecker25 said:
Great comparison. I'd like to see a cross section of similar vintage hulls to compare the actual construction. Do Formula and SR use the same hull manufacturing techniques? Formula guys always talk about "how thick the hull is" when in reality I wonder whether its any different than other premium manufacturers.
Click to expand...

I will say the fiberglass is extremely solid on the Formula, although I never felt that Sea Ray's was lacking.

When you look at published dry weight comparisons, though, at least in the case of the SR 350 SLX vs. Formula 350 CBR, which are 34' 6" x 10' 6" and 35' x 10'9" respectively, the Formula is 1,600 lbs. heavier. It's no secret that, in most cases, the Formula is a heavier boat than its competitors.

Boattest.com has a good video about Formula's fiberglass and hull construction.
 
I'm leaning to to the 31PC with the 496's
I really appreciate the feedback.
My fiancé keeps sending me 34PC's to look at.
Seeing as it pretty much just the two of us I think the 31 is the better choice. They're very close in weight but the 31 seems to burn a lot less gas. Plus, things like slips-transient and seasonal-storage, shrink wrapping etc...everything is more $ for something I think we dont need.
Just gotta sell my 260 and make the move:)
 
Sounds like you have it figured out. I was in the same boat as you..31 or 34 from a 26. I only have one son. I bet after a season you wish you had a 34...lol.. More room to party, More storage, bigger bed, Bigger head, Smoother ride, All and all a more comfortable boat. It really doesn't use that much more fuel. Didn't you say we didn't like the lounger.? Good luck with your choice.
 
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