VIDEO: Sea Ray rolls out sportboat models at press event
Soundings TradeOnlyToday.com
Posted on 16 May 2013
Sea Ray this morning introduced six sportboats — including two jetboats — at a press event at its facility in Vonore, Tenn.
"The opportunity for Sea Ray is to marry a true sportboat experience with jetboat propulsion — something we think has been missing from the market,"
Brunswick Boat Group vice president of marketing Matt Guilford said during a presentation at Sea Ray's Tellico conference center on the Tennessee
River.
Sea Ray executives and technical experts welcomed 10 journalists from media companies such as Lakeland Boating, iboats.com and Boating World to its
Tellico facility for the product debut of the 21 and 24 Jet, the 220 and 240 Sundeck outboard models and the 220 and 240 sterndrive models. On
Wednesday night, the media gathered at a restaurant in Marysville, Tenn., to open the two-day event.
"The recovery in the marine industry has been different in the jetboat category," Guilford told me after his presentation. "Aluminum boats and
jetboats have led the recovery. There is a clearly established market there. Sea-Doo's exit from the market was certainly notable for us. There is
opportunity for us as a brand. And there is consumer preference for jetboats."
The jetboat design allows for shallow-water operation, and the absence of a propeller increases overall safety, he said. The jetboat's layout also
appeals to consumers. "With the smaller envelope of the jet engine configuration you don't have to have a sun pad or what we call a doghouse in the
stern. That gives you more flexibility with the design."
The jetboats are also aggressively priced, Guilford said.
The outboard-powered deckboats are new additions to the Sea Ray lineup, with new-from-the-keel-up hulls. The 220 and 240 Sundeck sterndrive models use
the same hulls as their predecessors, but the builder has updated the boat with new cockpit and deck designs, Guilford said.
The outboard-powered boats are attractive to consumers because of their cost, convenience and flexibility, compared with their sterndrive
counterparts, Guilford said. "The sterndrive systems have some EPA regulation that has been applied to them that raises the cost of the boat, so
particularly with smaller [boats] the outboard boats can now be significantly less expensive than their sterndrive counterparts."
The deckboats are on the market and the jetboats will be rolled out in the late summer to early fall, Guilford said.
The jetboats are powered with Weber 4-stroke engines and jet drives. The 21, for instance, uses the T-Weber MPE-850TC 4-stroke engine (120 hp), which
is turbocharged and intercooled, said Weber Motor director of sales and marketing Dan Schroepfer. "The 24 is powered with a high-output version of
this engine with 155 horsepower," Schroepfer said.
I like the look of the Sea Rays - Maybe they will have success in the Jet Boat Market that Sea-Doo couldn't. The Yamaha's always looked real appealing
to me and I thought the layout and transom were perfect for water sports.
I own a Yamaha and would to see one. hopefully the searay dealer will get one soon. I have been seeing more Yamahas on the lake. I know of 4 at
conley bottom and have seen 3 more out on the lake.
I agree. I haven't ridden in a new Sea Ray lately, but just in looking at them at the
boat shows, the quality doesn't look anything like what it used to be. The graphics on that first boat looks like a Bayliner... which is fine, but not
at Sea Ray prices!
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