Now you made me go and look...

SeaRay 185 - 2600#
Larson Sei180SF is 2650#, so a bit heavier. Intriguing since Larson is a VEC hull and the SeaRay has some wood in there...

MSRP appears to be comparable as well...

Agree, I would have expected the VEC deal to be lighter too!

Shame on Sea Ray putting a 3.0L in a 185. The absolute minimum engine for this boat should be a 4.3, and a 5.0 or 5.7 even better. And I think your resale value for a Sea Ray with a 3.0L will really suffer.

In the long run you are going to save yourself money my looking for a boat in the 20' range. With 5-6 people in a 18' boat you are going to out grow it & be looking to upgrade in no time.

Second that ... People always bring their stuff - tote bags, coolers. 6 people in a 20 'er is ok. Yeah you can do more people in a smaller boat, but will you like it? I didn't. Then there's wallowing around getting on plane... no thanks. Minimum for me would be 20' w/ 5.0 EFI.

I agree with others that a 4.3 would be the minimum size powerplant that I would consider in that size boat. I have a 3.0 in a 175 sized boat, and am quite happy with it, but I don't think that would be the case in a boat any larger than what I have.

Mk, I agree with captkevin's comment about the size of the boat(s) you are looking at.

When I first started looking at an I/O boat I was thinking I'd get an 18'er with a 7'6" beam and low freeboard. I climbed in one at a boat show and, after trying to picture it with my family aboard (wife, 3 mid-teen kids). I "borrowed" some people at the boat show and asked them to sit inside the boat so I could get a better idea of the available room.

What I found was that with 4 others (plus me) in the boat there was almost no room to move around, and no room for coolers and all the other stuff that goes boating with you.

Teenagers are all legs, and they like to have their long-legged friends aboard. The 18' boat just did not have enough interior room. It was difficult to move around inside the boat without stepping on someone's feet and stepping over their legs.

I looked at 19'ers, borrowed some other people to do the comparison and found it was still crowded.

I then moved up to a 20' boat with an 8'6" beam and more freeboard and it seemed to be MUCH larger. That's what I bought and I was never unhappy with the room inside.

In my opinion, if you have a family and buy an 18' boat you will own it a year before you decide to upgrade to a larger boat.

Save yourself a lot of money and buy your second boat first. Remember....the wrong boat, even at the best price in the world, is still the wrong boat.

Both the boat and the engine are undersized for the intended use and number of adult or near adult sized passengers.

I have a SR 180 with a 3.0L. This boat gets crowded with my wife, one year old, tote bags, cooler..... I did have 2 people behind the boat water skiing but both skiers were experienced and was able to help the boat along. I would like a bigger boat for my bigger family.

I do agree and disagree when it comes to 18’ vs. and 20’ boat. Clearly better once you are on the water for a myriad of reasons, not the least of which safety. Especially on this board, you have a lot of people with insurmountable experience and they give great recommendations and assistance. You have to be able to work through all of this as it applies to your situation, and though some of us would not think of less than a V8, or 20’ boat, it ultimately it comes back to your usage but also weighing the options and coming up with the best solution. You will have to give in some areas to “get”.

With a 20’ boat, there are things to consider beyond the benefits on the water. For me, I did not want to store my boat at a storage area, or outside in my back yard. I want it protected in the climate control of my garage where I have easy access to work on it when I get the twitch, but also protect it in the manner I prefer (ok, no anal comments you guys…). Now, I could have fit the 20’ model in my garage, and I can tell you I was close to buying one with a 5.0, but a big reason I declined was that I “plan” to move in 3 to 5 years, and want to be able to find likely a smaller home that will house my boat. Most new homes today will not; so now you get into customizations. In a sense, I did not want to paint myself into a corner.

I also like the smaller footprint; easier to tow, navigate, store, etc. Even on the lake believe it or not, I like the 18’ boat as I can navigate through trees easier and it is a hint shallower . For my fishing, this is of great importance.

I also have two kids/my wife, and the reality is 95% of the time, I will go out with just them. Other times, maybe just my brother, but in some instances we will “add” friends. Again, this comes down to compromise and giving consideration to all variables and attaching importance to each. In this particular instance, I was not willing to tack on at least $5k for the used model I found, just to satisfy this rare occurrence.

Clearly, I would prefer the 20’ boat because when you get down to it, 18’ vs. 20’ for my usage is splitting hairs and I with exception to the garage I could make it work all my other needs inclusive of still being navigable in the thick of fishing cover, rivers, etc. Now, a 22’ or more, that would tend to be an issue. At the same time stability and the security of a larger boat on big water is nice.

Advantages of a larger boat are great however and it is amazing how much of a difference there is between an 18’ and 20’ in terms of space and storage. At the same time, you will note a difference in 18’ boats from different manufactures, but nowhere as blatant. I am already dealing with storage issues, and learning to pack light, but knowing my usage and priorities for my boating, I accept it knowing the reason.

To sum it up, 18’ vs. 20’, vs 26’, pontoon, bassboat, or runabout. You will not find the perfect boat for everyone, so all you can do is open up Excel and create a list rating importance to as many aspects you can think of. Add make or break as well and soon you will have your boat. Next time you are on the lake and envious because that cuddy cabin can sleep on his boat, understand; yeah that is cool and would be nice; but my need is a bit different. Maybe someday… Until then, I try to remember why I bought this model to begin with.

And just like a house, needs do change. One day, you have certain desires, or needs that in time will not seem as important, or you feel you need more. What holds true in that sense is not too many people complain about having bought the larger engine, or even a larger boat; but many do find themselves wishing they did buy just that. It is easy to get excited at that great deal, or have an eagerness to get on the water, or even not want to spend that extra $4000 for the motor upgrade; but in the end, $4k is much less than losing value on the sale of a used boat, then buying what you should have gotten to begin with…

Hope this helps, best of luck.

It isn't just the additional length it is the wider beam. I've got an 8'-6" beam. That extra foot in width makes a big difference in interior space and stability on the water.

Bigger is always better in everything in life

Suppose a wider beam and a longer running surface is prefered.

MkBrown87 - Welcome to the board.

The reason it is for sale is the old owner realized he needed the 4.3 liter.

Just kidding ... almost.

We really enjoy the 185 with the 4.3 liter. It fits in the driveway with the trailer tongue swung back for easy storage. With a full load we have pushed high 40's with a 3 blade prop on San Diego Bay. Not glass but not rough either.

With the sea and wind in our face returning from Dana Point to Newport Harbor it is trim down, bow up and about 10 knots crawling for home doing a modified "Baja Bash".

We just like having the extra power if we need it. And the 4.3 sips gas. On fishing or cruising trips it is rare to use over half a tank. Tubing at the lake may use 3/4 of a tank but we have never come close to running out (except that time I tried to get two days boating on one tank ).

That being said, I wish I had a 21'er with a V-8. Take a look at this pic and you can see that space in a boat 10 miles offshore is very important.

http://www.boatingabc.com/photos/watermark.php?file=959&size=1

Wish I had more.

But like Harry Callahan said, "A man's got to know his limitations."

Good luck in your search.

Semper Fi 75

I'm gonna take the unpopular stance and say that a 19-footer with a 3.0 is plenty of power for that sort of boat. Is it going to pop 6 skiers out of the lake in 3 seconds? No. Is it going to blow the stripes off the GFBLs on the water with you? Absolutely not. Will it get you on the water, enjoying life and the company of your family? Absolutely.

Here's my real-life experience with small boats. I learned how to ski behind my granddad's 1983 Renken 16-footer with a 125hp 4 banger IO. I skied behind that boat with 4 other adults and another kid all at once, and you know what? I can honestly say I've never had as much fun waterskiing. Sure, lake water up the nose for 20 seconds sucks. But it taught me how to ski, and how to tube, and it taught me about boating, and safety, and how to actually live this life I have today. I absolutely do not wish I'd had a more powerful boat at my disposal, because it would have wrecked the fun factor.

Those clowns that insist on skiing behind 400hp behemoths are really working to get out of the water. That boat is doing its damnedest to pull your arms out out of their sockets before you pop out of the water. I know this. I've done it. Say what you want about horses, but when it comes down to wrestling one, I'd rather go up against 1 than 2, and when I'm sitting in the water, I'd rather fight 130 than 220. I'll take a little water up the nose if it means I don't have to have rotator cuff surgery at age 35.

If the boat is going to be a family recreational device, the only thing you'll regret is not buying the 3.0. I say, go for it.

Very nice CJS... you went right to the heart on something I skirted around.
A 3.0 will work in that boat. (ours works)
And it gets you and the family on the water.

If we were still waiting/deciding on a bigger boat... we might not have boated the last three years. Who knows?

I’m not sure this is a matter of being popular or not. At this point, we don’t even know the demographic of this board other than we all have a boat or love boating. Who knows, maybe most here make a bunch-o-money, or just are extremely dedicated to a sport they give a priority to sink every available dime into. Either way, nothing wrong with that; but not all people are the same. There is truly something to be said for just wanting to get into a sport and for whatever reason be it personal limitations, or financial; just getting the boat you are comfortable with. In the end, it is either this boat, or I don’t get wet ... There is truth and experience to every post on here, which is likely NOT what you will get from a dealer, but the reality is this is why there are many different choices in boats.

In my instance, I am a bit anal and thought/researched this for over a year before I actually bought a boat . My financial status is not what limited my boat, but instead what I thought was reasonable. The reality was, with my family, college, no redundancy in terms of my wife stays at home with the kids, I set a limitation with what type of money I would put out for a toy; likely mostly used by me. So, in the sense, it was either stay within those pre-determined guidelines and get wet; or just continue to dream about it…

So, I set a top limit of $25K. I wanted new because though I am technically proficient, put me in front of an engine and the lightbulb dims greatly. I did look at used, but limited myself to nothing older than 4 years. My current model last year this time was selling for about $30K. I found the same model, with a 3.0 for $23K just recently; but also a used model for $17.5. Did not get the used model; only because she turned down my offer (she was high per NADA and Dealer). So, I am not going to buy something paying more than its value; in a sense be ripped off, hence would not give her what she was asking. Now, I also looked at a 20’ used GT205SF for $25K that I considered, but ultimately walked away. Knowing our economy at the time was horrid and boat sales were poor/nobody was lending, I thought now was the time and started pushing. Since I had only two models I was interested in, I opened up my search to out of state. Knowing the $23K 3.0 was within my predetermined limit, I still was not sold on the 3.0, or the dealers “bottom line price”, so I searched elsewhere. In California of all places, I found a Dealer that just picked up the name, but also a boat from another dealer that went belly up. Shortening this story (lol), the dealer was trying to prove his worth to Larson and I got the price down to $19K for a brand new 4.3. This was $4K cheaper than my local dealer that would only go down to $23k; again for the lesser engine. So, I jumped on it immediately and took a trip to Cal as to pick it up.

So do take what everyone has to say with truth, but don’t fear for a minute an alternate path doing what you are comfortable with. As others have alluded to, that 3.0 is still more powerful than many of the comparable models of 10 or 20 years ago, so the reality is that it WILL work. If it wouldn’t, it would not be in the boat… Sure, there’s better, faster, more stable, etc, but if this stops you from getting on the water then the choice is easy. In the end, we can only choose for our given scenario.
But do keep in mind the past months are the best buyers market for boats we have seen in a long time. Likely a little less today since it is boating season, but still much better than a year ago. You can still get deals that likely will not be available a year from now, or even a couple months from now…

Best of luck!

How does the 3.0 stack up to the 4.3 in the torque rating. That's what counts in getting on a plane.

Except in seismic design... I cannot explain it here but it is true.

I'll also attest that the 3.0 is probably enough power for that boat, especially if it's mostly used for cruising around. For water sports and/or loading lots of stuff, maybe not.

I know this, I've had over 1200# worth of people & stuff in the babyliner once, and it had NO problem getting on plane or maintaining a decent cruise speed. I'm sure WOT speed probably suffered a bit, but I don't know. Didn't need to go that fast!