Finally got to take the new boat out. We went out for a few hours Friday after work. 75 degrees and 10-15mph winds. Wow what a difference between the new boat and my 200 Select. I was concerned launching and loading a much bigger boat. It was actually easier I thought. The boat ran great. The DTS takes a little getting used too. It is so smooth you don't realize where you are at. As I was backing away from the trailer I thought "Wow am I moving fast". I was!! There was quite a bit of chop with the wind. This boat is so much smoother. We would have been beat to death in our old boat. We actually would have left much sooner. Definitely excited about boating season!!

Congratulations and getting her in the water!

We can relate on how much more comfortable a bigger boat is over chop. When we only had the Monterey, we would get bet beat up when the lake is rough. Now, with the F.W., it's so much smoother and comfortable in any kind of chop in the lake. We can take the F.W. out to Puget Sound whenever we fee like it (within reason). With the Monterey, we have to plan it and check the swells carefully. Not that the Monty is a bad boat, in fact we love it. It's just lighter and smaller than the other. The Monterey can not be beat in economy by the F.W.

Congrats, and have a great season!

C&L congrats on splashing the new boat. There definitely are advantages to moving up in size. Unfortunately economy is not one of those, as FJ pointed out.

Just one question.....what is the "DTS" you mentioned?

I wondered the same and found this article...

DTS isn’t new, but the way it was applied in my tester was a first for me. Instead of a single lever to provide shift and throttle for each of the 300-hp MerCruiser 350 MAG MPI Horizion engines, there were separate throttle shift levers for each engine. These were mounted traditionally: The throttles were to starboard of the wheel and the shift levers to port. The advantage? None really, although the inboard guys who disdain stern drives and their accouterments will appreciate the natural feel of facing aft and grabbing the levers behind them when backing into a slip. What’s more, those four honkin’ chromed-out levers look cool. You get engine synchronization, rudder angle indication, and the ability to shift immediately from forward to reverse in an emergency with less fear of breaking gears. Pushbutton starting is old hat for inboards, but DTS uses a touchpad, like a microwave oven…or a BMW. Touch the pad, bink, and a hearty vroom! follows.

GFC - DTS is digital throttle and shift. For me the biggest difference is how smooth it is. You can barely feel the shift into forward or reverse. Since the cables are not there the throttle doesn't have near the travel. On my 200 select the throttle lever went down slightly past 90 degrees. With the DTS the throttle only goes down about 60 degrees. I also like the push button start. You need to go sea trial a boat that has it. It is extremely smooth. It did help with docking. IT was very easy to shift back and forth.

Is the DTS exclusively a "SeaRay" thing or "Merc" thing?

Merc!

Congrats!

Congrats on the new boat. Now about those pics...

Semper Fi 75

Semper Fi 75 - The pics are located here. Thanks!