What's your Perfect SR 42-56 Bridge Boat options?

[Ctsearay]

Hi All,

Seems I'm on a 3-4 year research vs purchase ratio as history dictates. So I'm starting on the next phase of my boating life. I'm thinking 42-56 ft diesel, but what diesel engine is best? I want a full size queen or king master bed in the stateroom. And what else for must haves? But what are YOUR requirements for a "perfect Bridge Boat" ? Thanks in advance

 

[boltman]

MAN engines that I have they are "the Thundering Cathedrals of Torq"


Boltman

 

[copb8tx]

For me it'd be a mid-cabin, full beam master like on the 47. We seriously contemplated our neighbors 42 but found the master cabin's bed no better than ours, albeit with a higher ceiling, and the shower was smaller. Wife scuttled the idea after that. Otherwise a great boat. If I were in the market I'd want Cummins motors for the reliability and access to reasonable service.

 

[Havana Shamrock]

bridge AC, full hartop, aft bridge seating(for backing in) dual thrusters. It would be nice to have split ac units (compressors in Er) quieter.
Our master stateroom has very little storage wife wants more!
A proper pantry ours is in the galley floor with washer dryer pain to get to.
Huge inverter so i dont have to run genny all night
I like the crane davit easy maintenance accesss.



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[NorCal Boater]

Away from Sea Rays and 1' bigger I would have to say the 57' Tollycraft Pilothouse does it for me. Beautiful lines, beamy, real furniture and a king size master. There is even one in your neighborhood. http://www.yachtworld.com/core/listing/cache/searchResults.jsp?cit=true&slim=quick&ybw=&sm=3&searchtype=advancedsearch&Ntk=boatsEN&Ntt=&is=&man=tollycraft&hmid=0&ftid=0&enid=0&fromLength=57&toLength=57&fromYear=&toYear=&fromPrice=&toPrice=&luom=126&currencyid=100&city=&spid=&pbsint=&boatsAddedSelected=-1




Sorry....you did say Sea Ray

 

[Gofirstclass]

The things I/We really like about our boat include--

Lots of headroom
plenty of room to move around in the engine room (even for my big body)
large galley
dual helm (though I've only driven from the lower helm twice in 5 years. But I have the option if the weather is nasty.)
comfortable salon furniture
large cockpit
seating for about a dozen up top
tons of storage
forward helm seating (I stand when backing and move the shifters with my left hand)
Cat diesels (we have 3406 C's @ 580hp each)
Plenty of entertainment space (last night we had ~20 guests on board for a 4 hour cruise)

I think the biggest "thing" is that the boat is VERY comfortable to spend time aboard and easy to dock and maneuver.

 

[Ctsearay]

Man I love this forum! Great posts guys my list is really growing now. I gotta tell you whoever buys my current boat is only going to have to fuel it up as I have it about 110% completely gone through and brought up to date as of yesterday with a full A/C unit replacement lol.

Is there a big difference in the burn rates on diesel engine brands?

 

[Gofirstclass]

John, I don't have figures to back this up but when I bought my boat I was told that the Cats were among the most efficient diesels.

One thing to consider, a large engine pushing a boat through the water doesn't have to burn as much fuel as a small engine that struggles to push the same boat at the same speed. While the large engine is loafing along burning its fuel the smaller engine is gulping fuel.

 

[First_Mate]

Everything I hear says that Cummins QSM-11's are just about perfect engines. There are 2 known problems (exhaust manifold leaks and front cover oil leaks) but seem to be just about indestructible other than that.

Take a look at the 2000 - 2003 480 DBs. A friend has one and it is a fantastic boat.

We love our 420DB as well, but if I had it to do over again...

 

[Gary B]

Love our 07' 52 Sedan. There are so many things we love - the size of the bridge with air/heat & refrigerator,. The dual E120 classic units are a pleasure as are having bow & stern thrusters. Stairs to bridge are awesome vs. traditional ladder. Very happy with QSM - 11's.
initially I did not want the hydraulic extended platform due to the extra length. We are glad the previous owner went for it. Really like the glen dinning cord and all chain windlass.
Our favorite part of the boat is the comfortable layout. It just soaks up a crowd.

 

[Rocket]

I Vote for a 2007-2008 52 Sedan Bridge with Cummins QSM-11. I dont think you can beat this package in Value, reliability and Layout. Cummins Motors have great support in the north east. As pointed out above, i also like the davit Crane on these boats as opposed to the Hydraulic lift.

 

[Havana Shamrock]

The crane is convenient and pretty low maintenance as opposed to under water hydraulic lines /fittings to worry about
But id like the ext hyd platform for the room.
With my tender onboard (nouvarania 11'rib its difficult to open the transom locker so i dont keep anything in it.


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[tc410]

I Vote for a 2007-2008 52 Sedan Bridge with Cummins QSM-11. I dont think you can beat this package in Value, reliability and Layout. Cummins Motors have great support in the north east. As pointed out above, i also like the davit Crane on these boats as opposed to the Hydraulic lift.

I'm not positive, but pretty certain, that Sea Ray didn't offer the integrated davit in 2007 and forward. I believe that was only offered in 2005 and 2006. Also, as already pointed out, with a tender on the platform, it limits accessibility to the aft locker as well as the shore power hawse pipe. And boarding from a floating dock onto the platform is nearly, if not entirely, impossible depending on how large your tender is.

 

[RollerCoastr]

Wasn't 2008 the year of the cockpit extension/upper transom/platform redesign?

 

[Rocket]

I'm not positive, but pretty certain, that Sea Ray didn't offer the integrated davit in 2007 and forward. I believe that was only offered in 2005 and 2006. Also, as already pointed out, with a tender on the platform, it limits accessibility to the aft locker as well as the shore power hawse pipe. And boarding from a floating dock onto the platform is nearly, if not entirely, impossible depending on how large your tender is.

We had looked at a 2007 (prior to our 48da purchase) and it had the Davit Crane. Dink on the boat was a 10.5 foot Rib and i was able to open the Lazzerette hatch.

 

[mjmason1]

I seem to be the little guy in the crowd, but here are 2 must haves from my experience.

1) At the very least,a bow thruster. The sedan bridge makes a great sail in the wind. I am considering having one put in.

2)The swim platform needs to be a little higher and a little wider. No matter what dock I am on it's a big step down. When we are on a side tie, most people have to come over the gunnel because the swim platform arcs away from the dock. It is also a pain when rafting. The problem with coming over the gunnel is hitting your head.

 

[my3sons]

Hi John, Been there done that with the 360. Loved the boat, but our next phase of boating (more and longer cruises) required getting out of the cave.
42 to 56 feet covers a lot of real estate, get as much as you can buy, feed and handle without breaking the bank (well, maybe you could break the bank a little if it keeps you out of that 4 year cycle Enjoy the hunt.

 

[Ctsearay]

Great info guys,

My option wish list is growing! Yeah Mark I hear ya my 360 is going to be someones dream boat, put fuel in it and run it! I can't wait to add up all the repairs and upgrades I've done up til now.

 

[NorCal Boater]

Sea Rays are great boats and I love them but....when you start looking at boats that size and that money there are many others that are better built and better equipped.

If it were me I would expand my search a bit.

 

[bmac]

I might have a unique perspective on this question as I've been lucky enough to move from a 44DB to a 52 DB to a 58 DB, all in the last 7 years. The three models have similarities and significant differences, but all are great boats in their own rights. From a TCO perspective the costs do not increase linearly. As a matter of fact, I didn't think there was a dramatic difference between the 44 and 52 but there was a significant difference between the 52 and 58. Some of that has to do with fuel burn and the difference between Cummins and MAN but the 58 is actually 61' long and coupled with the 16' beam makes marina accommodations more expensive and harder to find. (Joe, stop telling the Dockmaster your boat is only 50' long). Also, service companies (especially detailing and shrink wrap) look at the 58 differently and charge me premiums above the same $/ft as I paid for the 44 and 52. So, costs for the 58 need to be accounted for. When we owned each we thought the accomodations were good....at least until we moved up. The 44 staterooms were good, galley and salon ok, bridge was small; the 52 staterooms very good (except he the MSR head door hitting the bed), galley, salon and bridge very good; and the 58 staterooms, salon, galley and bridge are all yacht quality, as you would expect. As for power, the 44 had QSC 500's, which were easy to maintain, with good service availability, but I thought the boat was underpowered when I owned it and definitely thought that once I owned the 52. The 52 had the Cummins QSM-11's and again were pretty easy to maintain with good service availability. They were marginally more expensive to maintain than the QSCs. The 52 had a very nice cruise speed and fuel burn and top end speed. The 58 has MAN 900's that are V-8s. They consume a lot of engine room space which leads to more difficult maintenance. Parts are also significantly more expensive. As for service availability, I have three qualified service companies within 50 miles of the boat, which, other than South Florida, may be unusual. The engines are unbelievably smooth and move the boat as well as the 52....at a cost. 58 vs. 52 I burn 30% more fuel at the same cruise speed (65 gph vs. 50 gph at 25 kts). Of course, dry, the 58 weighs almost 20,000 lbs more than the 52, which I've not been able to figure out where all that extra weight comes from. Around the dock I always felt the 44 got blown around a bit, the 52 and 58 were pretty solid sitting still and maneuvering around the dock (though the 44 was no slouch, I never felt like I could get in trouble, I just needed to be more aware of wind and current). As for the Davit vs. Hydraulic Platform; I, like Joe, was concerned with all the parts and hydraulics exposed to salt water associated with the lift. I had the Davit on my 52 and it was fine, though without the extended platform a RIB is a tough fit. Now that I have the hydraulic platform on the 58 I would never go back to the Davit....unless I didn't carry a dinghy. So I vote for the platform as the preferred way to go but the Davit is definitely serviceable. I think Sea Ray stopped offering the Davit in late 2006. I guess my view on these three choices is....buy the biggest of the three you can afford, you won't be disappointed, but given a choice, I'd always take the 58, but you need to be prepared to pay for it.