help deciding which boat is better in the chop

[onegalonly]

i am interested in two boats but can't decide what one would be better in slightly choppy water..

1999 sea ray signature 240
1998 four winns sundowner 245

the sea ray has 900 hours on a 7.4L MPI with brovo 3 and can be sea tested
the four winns has NEW (50 hours) volvo 5.7L / duoprop and CAN NOT be sea tested due to a sad situation, but can be run on muffs.

i will be using the boat to run up and down the delaware river with occasional trips to the chesapeake.. the water can get a bit choppy at times and i wouldn't want to take a pounding if i don't have too.. can anyone give me there opinions on either boats handling.

 

[crazy charlie]

love the SeaRay for the chop however 50 hours on a motor is a big plus compared to 900 hours.A 24 ft Searay with a 7.4 has got to be a rocket and possibly driven so,however if it was not driven hard it would have been on vacation pushing that size boat.i always see the worst case scenario unless I know the owner and an 100% positive how it was used and make a decision from there.hope this helps.You should have the rest of the boat checked out by a pro to see the outdrive condition,bellhousing condition,transom bracket condition etc.there is a lot more to a boat than hours on the motor.Post back !! Good luck!! Charlie

 

[onegalonly]

thanks charlie, i will check back when i get more info

 

[tpenfield]

Got any deadrise & weight spec's for the 2 hulls? Hard for us to say without that sort of information.

 

[dingbat]

Generally speaking, any I/O is going to pound on the Bay because of the wave resonance/frequency and the weight distribution issues of the I/O.

Keep in mind that you have a north/south oriented tidal water with prevailing winds coming out of the south. A outgoing tide running against the afternoon sea breeze really gets things rocking.

A boat 35’ or longer gets you over the resonance issue but not over the weight distribution issue.

The weight distribution issue causes you to tetter tooter totter thru rather than jump from wave stack to wave stack. A good set of trim tabs and a good transom lifting prop helps, but not ideal to get up on top and go.

Everyone I know that started out on the Bay with an I/o made the jump to outboards, myself included.

 

[Texasmark]

Generally speaking, any I/O is going to pound on the Bay because of the wave resonance/frequency and the weight distribution issues of the I/O.

Keep in mind that you have a north/south oriented tidal water with prevailing winds coming out of the south. A outgoing tide running against the afternoon sea breeze really gets things rocking.

A boat 35’ or longer gets you over the resonance issue but not over the weight distribution issue.

The weight distribution issue causes you to tetter tooter totter thru rather than jump from wave stack to wave stack. A good set of trim tabs and a good transom lifting prop helps, but not ideal to get up on top and go.

Everyone I know that started out on the Bay with an I/o made the jump to outboards, myself included.

Mr. Cadet,

You lucked out on this question of yours. If dingbat hasn't been there and know what you need then I'd suspect nobody would.

 

[Scott Danforth]

the heavier boat with the greater deadrise angle will handle chop better.

 

[onegalonly]

i passed on buying either of the two boats... deadrise on the four winns is 20 degrees...couldn't deadrise on the sea ray on any of my searches... thanks for all the replys

 

[Texasmark]

i passed on buying either of the two boats... deadrise on the four winns is 20 degrees...couldn't deadrise on the sea ray on any of my searches... thanks for all the replys

Most Sea Rays of which I am familiar are extremely soft riding in a chop, and pretty good bow flare for big water swells. They are deep Vs, all the way to the transom with lifting strakes which provide cushioning of the shock of crashing down on big ones. Then too, they usually hava a lot of glass in the hull, making for heavy for their size, lots of amenities, or upper class upholstery and appointments, require larger engines to push all that along, for more weight.

I had a friend with an 18 footer, closed bow and 165 Ford 6 I/O. Super fine, smooth running boat.