Sea Ray 280BR/290SLX/295/300SLX and SS
 |
| Sea Ray 290SLX in the water |
Design
Single (much rarer and not as popular) or twin engine bow rider (BR and SLX models) or cuddy cabin (SS or Sun Sport) day boat. Made by Sea Ray in the USA. Clean and classy is the way I would categorize this boat. Step on from the stern, there is an integrated bathing platform with the very desirable option of an extended bathing platform available. There are rear facing lockers in the engine hatch, the earlier models had a door that opened on the port side to enter the cockpit and no lockers aft near the platform.
There are several cockpit seating configurations available, the large single sunpad with the cockpit entry door to starboard, underneath the sunpad on this configuration is a huge locker the size of the sunpad itself, with this option the engine room is a bit more tricky to get to.
My personal favourite is the centre entryway between the aft seats. In all cases there is lots of storage under the cockpit seats, the most spartan layout I ever saw was just the pilot and co pilot seats with a wet bar to starboard, it made the cockpit sole (deck) very large but not very sociable. The more common layout is back to back recliners on the port side, twin helm seat to starboard with a wet bar, ice pale and often a fridge to starboard behind the helm seat.
On the open bow model, the backrests for the bow seats lift up and so do the seat bases.
A lot of the later SLX models come with a fibreglass arch, which usually has the aft and forward sunshades, the earlier models just had the option of the sunshade. The arch is forward facing and very attractive, very useful for mounting antennas for any accessories, extra speakers and also came with a couple of overhead lights that face straight down to the cockpit.
Helm position
 |
| Two views of the helm and cockpit, top: view towards starboard, wet bar behind double helm seat, bottom: helm, note the dual racing controls, this is an earlier 280BR with classic gauges and wood steering wheel. |
Opposite the helm amidships we have the head, the optional Vacuuflush System from Dometic is well worth having, fresh water flushing ensures no foul odours from the head. The main electrical panel is usually located here (under the helm, in the storage locker on the 300SLX).
Moving forward there is storage under the helm, behind both bow seat backrests, with purpose installed supports for the tables and legs on the port side and for ropes on the starboard side. There are lockers under both bow seat bases and an insulated drinks cooler in the gap under the anchor locker. Almost all of the models I have seen have a factory fitted anchor winch, some of the earlier ones were upgraded post production with an anchor winch.
The Sunsport version has the same hull but a cuddy cabin, the cabin entry door has molded in steps to walk up to the foredeck, there are a couple of stairs to drop down into the cabin, galley with fridge and storage to port and the head to starboard. The electrical panel is located on the starboard side and there is a convertible V berth. I actually prefer the Sun Sport but it´s not nearly as popular as it´s open bow non identical twin.
Engineering
Engine room
Almost everything is within easy reach for daily checks and maintenance. As said earlier, the models with the large sunpad make slipping between the backrests of the cockpit seating and the engine room lid a bit more tricky, the engine room opens electrically, the batteries are located at the front of the engine room, trim pumps outside of the engines.
The batteries are sat in trays, there is a single engine start battery and a group in parallel that does double duty for engine start for the other motor and service for all the accessories. An emergency battery parallel is installed and operated from the helm. The 300SLX model hid the batteries in a large enclosure, making a very convenient shelf to lean on for checking the engine room.
There are usually two bilge pumps in the engine room, one being the emergency high water pump, activated by a activated by a high mounted float switch connected to an alarm, these can be tricky to reach to replace. The big breakers for anchor winch and the stereo amplifiers (if fitted) are on the port side as is the optional battery charger.
Battery switches location is dependent on model, mostly they are behind a panel on the port side of the cockpit along with the ignition keys (later models are started with buttons on the dash), in the main battery switch panel are more breakers, Sea Ray habitually use very high quality electrical components and wires.
In the cockpit floor is a huge locker, plenty big enough for skis, wakeboards, fenders and all manner of other stuff. In this locker you´ll also find the Vacuuflush tank and vacuum generator along with the black water tank and discharge pump, all easy to reach for service. The seacock and thru hull when factory fitted is located in the engine room, the original ones are made by Groco, bronze bodied and thru bolted, these are a quality item, I have literally stood on them, they are very strong.
There is another bilge pump located in a specially molded well at the aft of the locker, one thing regarding this pump, it seems it might not have a permanent 12V connection, so if the battery switches are off the pump will not work automatically, if the centre locker has a lot of water, when the battery switches are turned on, the pump will activate, this is something I would change to work permanently if it hasn't been already.
Switchable thru hull exhausts were an option on early models, they were later prohibited in Europe, they cramp up the engine room something awful with their extra hoses and the solenoids to switch from normal “quiet” mode to full on riot. It´s true, the sound of a V8 is intoxicating but soon becomes annoying and turns this classy runaround into a hooligan.
Diesel engines were available for the 290SLX from Volvo and Volkswagen marine (now Mercruiser Diesel). The first diesels were Volvo KAD units with their supercharger and turbo configuration, not an ideal pairing for this boat, apart from being low powered at around 170 horsepower each (compared to the base twin V8s) they are very noisy, particularly the compressor whine. The replacements for the KAD units were the Volvo D3s and the difference is night and day even though on paper the power is very similar, smoother and so much quieter than the other Volvo engines. Lastly for a short while Volkswagen marine supplied some V6 units, these are smooth and the midrange power is very impressive.
Personally unless you are needing diesel engines (such as a charter boat) I wouldn't buy them, the added servicing and parts prices over the gas motors is hard to justify in this sort of sports boat.
Seakeeping
One word, deadrise, this is basically the angle of the “V”, in this case it´s 21 degrees, generally anything over about 20 degrees is considered deep “V” and will cut through the water better. So to anybody who has never tried one who says “They´re lake boats”, I'm here to tell you they're not just for lakes but actually very capable. They´re not designed for long distance passages, but as a day boat, a couple of hours navigating there and two more back presents no problem at all. I have been in out in some choppy conditions in these boats and never once did I question whether the boat could take it, no creaking or groaning, they're not skittish or flighty, nor do they have sharp responses, more relaxed and assured, I took one of the 300SLX models on a downwind run in an honest 1.0 to 1.5 metre swell, not one drop of water came over the bow and I don´t recall ever seeing less than 20 knots on the GPS.
Something worth noting, the models equipped with Mercruiser Bravo drives, there are two kinds, the single propeller Bravo 1 and the dual counter rotating Bravo 3, on the Bravo 1 models due to them being mounted quite high, the propellers had a tendency to cavitate, this means the propellers are unable to “bite” into the water to push the boat forward, so the engines rev a lot and you go nowhere fast, you´ll soon know when this happens as the noise is akin to wheel spin in a car. The solution is very simple, change the 3 blade propellers to 4 blade ones, the difference is night and day, the Bravo 3 drives does not suffer the cavitation issues.
The Morse MY controls deserve a mention, the most common configuration found on these boats, they are a twin lever system, this means the throttle are controlled by separate levers from the gears, once you get used to it, it´s straightforward to use, the throttles on these controls are ratchet action, so each time you move the throttles forward or back, there is a “click”, this makes controlling engine resolutions and speed quite easy. In the marina you would usually only use the gears and leave the throttles all the way back, you may need to odd dab of power when berthing but not usually much more.
The last SLX models switched from manual controls to electronic ones, some were even fitted with joysticks and the Mercruiser Axius steering system. The Mercury electronic controls, called a DTS system (digital throttle and shift) are very easy to use and should give little problems, as opposed to the twin lever system on the earlier boats, the electronic controls are single lever, meaning one lever per engine controls both gears and throttle. The early joysticks were clunky, they worked fine but were quite noisy going in an out of gear.
What to look for
If you´re in the market for one of these boats, a few things to look for, none of these items is really serious and if you are in any doubt have an experienced person check everything over or get a full survey done. This is just a list of items, based on my experience that are especially worth checking.
Extended bathing platform, very useful, makes the whole are at the stern bigger than some much larger boats, check the edges for signs of damage, it´s quite far back and can be easily overlooked if someone is in you line of sight when berthing. Any gelcoat damage is quite easy to fix, the trim strip that runs around the edge of the platform can be replaced in very little time too.
Engine choice, Twin engines are the way to go here, 350 MAG MPI V8s on later models seems to be the ideal power, twin 5,0 are fine, twin 6,2 320 MPI engines don´t offer much if any performance advantage, if they're fitted then great, but don´t go out of your way to track down a boat with these motors. As said before, unless you really need them, diesel engines are not a popular choice.
As with all of the engine and drive packages, service history is important, especially the exhaust system, they are made of cast iron and have a finite life, if you have no evidence of them being changed in the last five years, budget on getting this work done, if the exhaust system fitted is not genuine Mercruiser, change it irrespective of when it was last done, the aftermarket ones are just not as good with the possible exception of the Barr branded ones. I would personally insist on original parts.
Upholstery and covers. There is a lot of exterior upholstery on these boats, especially the open bow models, make sure it´s all complete and in good condition, including the bow and stern filler cushions if equipped, the original Sea Ray upholstery was of a very high quality.
The original covers and sunshades and would have been made using Sunbrella fabric, if these need replacing insist on Sunbrella again, it´s worth it for longevity and they will may still have the original colours.
The exterior carpets might not be in the best of condition, the originals were of a very high quality and do last a long time, the tops can be cleaned, the underside had a rubber backing and this deteriorates over time, leaving black dust everywhere, the solution is either renew the carpets or remove as much of the backing as possible and paint it with silicone paint. I personally would probably remove the carpets and leave them off.
Electronic helm panels, make sure everything works on them, the odd circuit might be able to have a switch installed elsewhere (such as engine hatch). The originals are no longer available, neither the panels nor the control boxes for them, there are two options, both of which require complete replacement of the helm panels and control boxes, one option is from Sea Ray, these replacements are again electronic panels, the other option is an aftermarket panel that uses normal rocker or toggle switches.
Thru hull and hoses, this is always good to check, if a toilet is installed, make sure the hose from the holding tank to the thru hull and seacock is in good condition, not difficult to replace, helpful to heave two people to do it, also check the seacock is not seized.
Fire extinguishing system, these boats have a fixed extinguisher in the rear of the engine room with a manual pull cable next to the helm seat. Do make sure the extinguisher is in date, some of these boats are quite old now and might still have the original bottles.
Electric engine hatch, the engine hatch is heavy, make sure it goes up and down electrically without assistance, replacement rams are available but are expensive.
Upgrades
Even the first models are still surprisingly modern but there are a few common and not so common upgrades worth considering;
Dual voltage fridge
A lot of these boats have a fridge, the SLX had one installed in the wet bar, the Sun Sport had one in the galley, they were nearly all 12 volts only, a lot of people keep them on by leaving one of the batteries switched on and plugging in the shorepower (when equipped), this is fine for short periods, for leaving the fridge on permanently, I would prefer to either replace the fridge with a unit that works on battery and mains electricity or install a transformer, connect it to the mains electrical panel via a breaker and then not have to use the charger for anything other than charging the batteries.
Batteries and charger
The original battery chargers were very robust but now very old fashioned, a great upgrade is to install a modern smart charger. One thing that is vitally important is to use a charger that is ignition protected, this means that they are capable of being installed permanently in engines rooms of gasoline powered boats. If you fit a larger amperage charger than the original, make sure the cables and fuses that go between the charger and batteries are correctly sized also.
On twin engine boats, the original set up was a single battery for one motor, only for engine start, the other engine had a dual battery set up with the a 1,2,BOTH, OFF switch, this battery configuration was for engine starting and service duties. Simply upgrading the batteries from normal lead acid types to dual purpose batteries is a big improvement. On older boats with no electronic control boxes, having a dedicated service group of batteries is not a difficult change to make.
LED bulbs
I would do this on almost any boat, but I though its worth mentioning, there are quite a few lights on these boats, all models, from cockpit level courtesy lights to overhead lights, engine room etc. All of the originals would have been incandescent bulbs, now with LED bulbs being cheap and consuming a fraction of the energy, I would replace the originals, there are options for both warm and cool bulbs.
A small word of caution, if you are replacing bulbs in navigation lights, ensure they are up to regulations, navigation lights are made to be able to be seen at minimum distances, if you are unsure, leave these as original or replace the whole light unit for an LED type that is approved under collision regulations (colregs).
Bilge pump(s)
There are three bilge pumps installed, two in the engine room and one in the centre locker, this is good, over the production run, various models of pumps were installed. The two in the engine room can be a nuisance to get to to replace, the same with the float switches, the rear one can be a particular nuisance to reach, its very low down and between the motors, the electric hatch lift gets in the way. If I were replacing the bilge pumps in the engine room, I would probably install the type that are capable of draining to the lowest point, the low profile type, I would also replace the float switches with Ultra type switches, I know they are pricey but they come with a lifetime guarantee.
Inspect the wiring too, Sea Ray have always installed quality cables, most of it tinned for corrosion resistance, if in any doubt as to the integrity of the cables, replace them, this is not a part of the boat for any compromises.
Summary
I hope you have enjoyed reading this post, please feel free to follow me on social media.
Comments
Post a Comment