Sea Ray vs Blue Water

[toolguy1964]

Hello....newbie to the forum and I have a question about which boat to purchase. We are looking at a couple of different open bow, I/O boats for general family boating fun. I think we have narrowed it down to either a 1995 Sea Ray 180 with a 4.3 Mercruiser and Alpha 1 outdrive which is in prestine condition, you woudln't know it's a '95. The owner has kept it garaged and it is in showroom condition. Then there is a 2002 Blue Water 18 Breeze which shows light wear and tear with a Volvo Penta 4.3 and Volvo Penta SX outdrive. The Blue Water has 180 hrs. on the engine and the Sea Ray has over 300 hours. My questions is which is a better built boat and which one is the better buy. They are both $8900. I appreciate all advice and opinions, good or bad. I just want to get the best bang for our buck.
Many Thanks!

 

[frantically relaxing]

Re: Sea Ray vs Blue Water

Sea Ray is overpriced by about 2 grand. 3 years ago I almost bought a very decent '95 Cobalt 252 for 12-1/2 grand. (sometimes I wish I would've, but we LOVE our Chap!)

Right now Blue Water boats are to Reinell's what Maxum's are to Sea Ray's-- but not sure about 2002.

The Sea Ray is definitely the better boat, even with the hours, but nothing wrong with a Blue Water. But 9 large for an 18 year old 18'er... Knot!

 

[southkogs]

Re: Sea Ray vs Blue Water

Condition ... condition ... condition.

While I agree that the Ray seems pricey (maybe too pricey), that doesn't mean that I'd necessarily opt for the Blue Water if it's in worse condition but newer. Weigh the condition of the boats carefully, and if you're not confident you can make that call, hire a marine dude to help ya' out (doesn't necessarily need to be surveyed - you can just pay a marine tech to look it over).

Location and season play a big role in boat price. A '95 at $9k where I am would be a joke: give it another 60 days and I'll have a least 2 other options to choose from. Watch your market a little (if you haven't already) and wait for your pitch!

I would be willing to overpay slightly for a boat in remarkable condition (because they are actually rare). But there will always be another "good buy" in time, so I wouldn't feel trapped into buying it either.

Welcome aboard.

 

[Slip Away]

Re: Sea Ray vs Blue Water

For future reference. Going forward, Reinell and Bluewater boats will be made by the Canadian builder , Campion.

May 14, 2013 - 4:05 pm

Kelowna, BC-based Campion Marine has acquired Reinell and Bluewater Boats from Kal Kustom Enterprises, Fremont, California. The terms of the deal were not disclosed.

According to Campion, Reinell Brand will continue to build and market Reinell as its own separate brand. ?We've bought the assets including the brands names of the two lines,? says Peter Wingfield, Campion Marine's Designer. ?We're going to be looking at what models we want to continue producing. We're going to continue on with the Reinell name for sure because the branding has been around for a long time. Over the course of the next month and a half we'll be bringing up the tooling and all the raw materials that we purchased.?