Big thank you to all, lots of great info there.

My mate really likes the boat but sounds like he'd be wise to offer low...... (subject to a water test of course) I encouraged him towards outboard power but most of the boats here are local Thai made boats and lack style. Sea Ray are the only big overseas manufacturer represented in Thailand and they have sold a lot of boats but all inboard power.

Thanks again for the valuable input, might need some more investigation.

Cheers,
Jon.

If he really loves the boat it seems simple enough to find a spare engine to rotate in if need be.

Marine and forklift engine only. The marine were all raw water. And he is in thailand.

I've warned him about raw water cooling and salt issues in other areas. Flush twice then clean everything with soap and rinse thoroughly. Repeat. Repeat.
My boat on the way is an inboard but believe me, if there was anything similar available for the same money with outboard power I would have purchased it. The market is limited here, that's why I'm on my 3rd 'privately imported' boat.

My mate is slowly shying away from the 3.0 liter Sea Ray after seeing all the responses here. Might be back to square one!

Jon.

will say again the 3.0 is a very entry level engine and do not for get it is put in very entry level boats and their builds. I bet this is in a 175 BR sea ray. Sea ray has a bigger marketing name than anything but as one would crawl around their builds - you would not be impressed. And the 175 Sea Ray is a POS build - extremely entry level boat plus the complete build and engine package here. I would not buy either period. If I recall possible could have been made in Mexico along side the 175 Bayliner but I might be wrong about that. I do know the Bayliner 175 was made in Mexico thru out certain years. And I do know most of the 3.0 L GM parts are made in Mexico.

Also forklift comparing to is not apples to apples --- for one the cooling and duty cycle of the engine is not like any boat period. Then add in the saltwater here. Even in lake waters these marine 3.0 L engines build corrosion from the inside out faster than any other marine engine I have seen.

what I meant by forklift engine is the only place to find a block that lived it's life with antifreeze is if you know people who fix forklifts.

OK, thanks guys. If I can't talk him out of buying the boat I'll wash my hands of the whole thing and let him do what he wants without any help from me. I'm now convinced it's not the right boat for what he wants.

Its not a 175, it's a 185 sport if that makes any difference. I've owned 3 bigger Sea Rays and I can see the difference in things like the quality of the vinyl, heavy seat bases, stainless badging instead of stickers so I guess this runs deeper than just cosmetic items. Probably a reflection on the entire build.

Once you start comparing a boat to a 'Binliner' I know it's not the right boat! :o

Cheers,
Jon.

I hear you and my comments, I was not clear on my end as I did understand your comments about the raw water cooled and in Thailand . I totally agree with you.


The 185 Sport BR is a step up from the 175 but 185 is a bigger boat all the way round that is underpowered with the 3.0 L. Most owners with the 185 had V6's installed. Most 195 had a 5.0 V-8. The Sport series is a step down compared to Sea Ray Select series. Just saying.