Sea Ray SDX 290 2023 Review

The Sea Ray name is synonymous with water. The US brand has spent decades refining its formula of turning out a range of family-focused, performance-honed and luxurious dayboats such as the one we’re testing here, the Sea Ray SDX 290.

The Sea Ray SDX 290 is available with either a sterndrive or an outboard engine. With outboard models already sold out until the middle of next year, if you want yours delivered by summer you’re going to have to look at an inboard-engined version.

Sea Ray’s formula for the SDX series of boats is to make the day’s destination as comfortable as it can be once they arrive there. 

Sea Ray is part of Brunswick Corp, the US-based industry giant behind names such as marine engine maker Mercury, and boat brands such as Boston Whaler.

This one is perfect for stowing in a sea pen or dry stacking.

Sydney-based Chapman Marine Group has the Sea Ray SDX 290 priced from $287,821 landed in Australia and equipped with the entry-level engine, a 260hp 6.2-litre V8 Mercury MerCruiser, pushing drive out to a Bravo III sterndrive.

What’s immediately apparent is that there is little plastic used to build the interior of this boat. Fittings, from the bow rails ringing the lounge up front to the cleats used for tying up at the jetty, are all high-quality stainless steel.

The base boat includes a swim deck with a stainless steel boarding ladder, and a pull-out pressurised handheld shower tucked away beneath a lift-up cover. There’s another in the bow, and a third in the head.

The seats throughout the Sea Ray SDX 290 are finished in smart-looking marine-grade vinyl – white with brown accents – that’s mould and UV protected.

The boat comes equipped with features including an icebox that tucks away in the cockpit; teak-look rubber flooring; gas struts on hatches; a cockpit table; stainless steel grab handles; space for a pair of batteries; and a 76L fresh water tank.

The engine comes with Mercury’s 9.0-inch VesselView Mobile system that allows owners to monitor performance from a smartphone; a digital throttle and shift control; power-assisted steering feeding to a wheel at the helm that tilts up and down; and a custom Mercury information display.

The boat even comes standard with a Fusion audio system. Running lights are fitted, and the white all-around light is removable.

Something that sets the Sea Ray SDX 290 apart is the amount of storage space built into the platform. Seats and bits of the floor open up to reveal deep, rubber-lined recesses for storing everything from water toys to fenders, while small-item stash points are always within reach.

Our test boat was pretty richly equipped, featuring a long list of options including a black hull finish; light tan Dune upholstery; black accents on the tower; a flip-out swim platform; removable SeaDek rubber flooring in the cockpit and bow (which is much easier to maintain than carpet); quick-fit fender clips; blue LED lights; and a 12.0-inch Mercury VesselView Link for monitoring the engine.

It also had a 12.0-inch Simrad NSSevo3S chartplotter; an upgraded Fusion audio system that includes an amp and a remote audio control panel on the transom; underwater lights; an electric anchor winch with stainless steel anchor; a teak rather than plastic cockpit table; the aft-facing transom lounges; an air compressor for inflating water toys; docking lights; a bow table; Dometic fridge in the cockpit; a vacuum flush head with a holding tank instead of the manual one; an onboard battery charger; storage covers; and a fire suppression system.

Chapman Marine Group’s price includes on-water training on how to use the boat, NSW registration, all mooring lines and fenders, and an enclosed-waters safety kit that makes it ready to hit the water as soon as you get the key.

It also had the 380hp, 8.2-litre Mercury MerCruiser engine upgrade pushing the Bravo III sterndrive.

Price as tested? All that extra comfort and performance could be yours for $351,946.

The Sea Ray SDX 290 is a high-volume fibreglass hull with a deep freeboard and maximum beam carried right up to the bow. Despite its chunky looks at rest, the boat is made to perform comfortably in a range of conditions.

High topsides could have made the hull appear a bit slab-sided but clever design features such as a raking deck line, black-framed windscreen and darkened cabin hull windows have ensured (to my eyes at least) that this boat looks a treat — sleek and stylish.

The Sea Ray SDX 290’s hull has an overall length of 8.89 metres, a beam of 2.74 metres, and a dry weight of 3108kg. Ours is richly optioned, including the more powerful 8.2-litre Mercury MerCruiser engine replacing the standard 6.2-litre one, so it tips the scales at closer to 3800kg.

The distinct feature of this boat is that the beam is carried a long way forward, creating a huge interior volume that looks more akin to a pontoon boat than a monohull.

Beneath its waterline, the Sea Ray SDX 290 has a deep-vee hull with a noticeably fine, wave-cutting entry at the bow, stretching aft to a sharpish deadrise angle of 21 degrees.

The combination of a wide waterline beam and strategically placed hull strakes and chines ensures this hull is solid and stable at rest despite its high-profile hull shape.

Our test boat is fitted with the more powerful 380hp 8.2-litre Mercury MerCruiser inboard engine fitted with Sea Ray’s SeaCore sealed freshwater cooling system.

One of the constant attributes of Sea Ray is the brand’s attention to detail and quality. Everything on this boat is perfectly finished no matter where you look.

The Sea Ray SDX 290 is single-level boating at its best. Jump onboard the boat via the rear swim deck and you have wide, clutter-free access to the bow without having to bend or weave around any part of the interior.

The boat is cleverly built to split into distinct zones, progressing from the water-focussed transom, to the entertaining cockpit, and the relaxing bow lounge.

Importantly, this boat comes with a feature that’s essential on a family boat – a plumbed head in a tucked-way space with enough standing headroom to double as a change room.

Our swim deck, finished in a teak-look rubber surface that’s used throughout the Sea Ray SDX 290, has a boarding ladder on each side, while in between is Sea Ray’s drop-down swim step, called the Ultra, which is handy if you want to sit in the water or bring the family dog along.

Facing the swim deck are a pair of three-quarter-length reclining loungers split by a fixed low cabinet with a low console featuring a pair of top-loading storage tubs and stainless steel drink holders. The double-stiched leather-look vinyl you sit on is smooth, but seatback inserts are finished in a stitched hexagonal pattern and headrests, instantly lifting the perceived quality. The seatbacks also flip forward to make it easy to fit a cover.

Lift the base of the portside lounge, and you have easy access to the Mercury MerCruiser’s service points.

The seats, which sit over the engine bay access hatch, are an option available for owners who want to replace the standard sunbed.

Entry to the cockpit is via a starboard companionway with a low door. The gunwale here includes a handy locker for stowing mooring lines.

The companionway opens into the cockpit with a U-shaped lounge to port featuring a removable table. The forward seatback flips from side to side so the seat either faces aft to the table, or forward as the jump seat opposite the skipper.

The floor here features a large ski locker below.

To starboard, and behind the helm, is a wet bar featuring an upright Dometic fridge that replaces the standard bin, and a lift-up top that reveals a sink fed by an optional 76L freshwater tank. An inboard-facing bench seat is fitted in between it and the helm seat, which also has a seatback that flips around to allow it to face aft.

The port side console includes a swing-out door that provides access to the large space below.

Overhead is the large T-top that easily shades the helm from the sun, and extends over the cockpit.

The bow, separated from the cockpit via a bi-fold windbreaker and a hatch in the windscreen, is accessed via the split console.

Just like the aft lounges, the bow lounge of the Sea Ray SDX 290 is made for relaxation. Contrasting darker panels in the upholstery with the same hexagonal-design contrast stitching and along the cushion fronts give the space a big lift.

Folding armrests next to the forward-facing seatbacks creates a great space to sit while making way. The floor houses another large locker below, and both side benches have vast storage bins below.

The wide bow that barely tapers in from the transom really helps to square this space off to make it more useful than a cramped, traditional bow lounge.

A lift-up section on the forepeak gives access to the through-stem anchor’s locker, with the chain and winch kept well away from small fingers.

The helm station of the Sea Ray SDX 290 is built for sharing. It’s a two-seat bench, but the steering wheel is mounted centrally so that the skipper can easily hand the steering wheel to the first mate sitting alongside.

The console’s dash is built on two levels, with the lower section featuring an array of toggle switches to either side of the height-adjust sports steering wheel and controls for the Fusion audio system, and the upper section featuring a dash with enough height to mount a single 12-inch multifunction display, or two smaller ones side by side.

A pair of stainless steel cupholders sit on either extreme

One thing that’s immediately apparent, though, is there could be more small-item storage around the helm station. The console across the other side of the boat does have lidded drop-in storage, but a smartphone will need to stay in your pocket. With the single Simrad, there’s room on the upper dash to fit a wireless smartphone charger.

The helm seat can slide fore and aft, and also features a flip-up bolster so you can stand at the wheel to perform active roles such as docking or picking up a waterskier, where you may need to be light on your feet to lend a hand.

The console in front of the jump seat opposite the helm opens up to reveal a large space below with a vacuum-flushing head – just what every family needs. A porthole built into the hull lets in natural light, and the space has enough headroom to double as a changeroom.

A handheld freshwater shower can let you use the space as a wet head.

Sea Rays are not built to be fair-weather princesses. These are boats designed to hold their own on the water in a mix of conditions, with a 21-degree deadrise providing a surprising ability to cut through chop, waves and wake.

The helm seat is low, with the sharply raked windscreen wrapping around the station. Close the windscreen and deploy the bow lounge’s windbreak, and the space is extremely well-protected from the elements.

Flip up the bolster and set the wheel to its highest level, and it’s easy to stand at the helm. The digital shift and throttle control, mounted on the gunnel, is easy to reach, although with the flood of torque almost instantly available from the big MerCruiser it’s quite sensitive to inputs. 

Performance from the uprated 380hp Mercury MerCruiser is nothing short of impressive. Mercury’s digital throttle controls that provide a fly-by-wire link between skipper and engine make response almost instantaneous, the big V8 leaping into action from anywhere in the rev range. Engine noise is quite well suppressed.

Throw the Sea Ray SDX 290 into a turn and you’ll realise there’s as much boat below the water as there is above. The Sea Ray tips eagerly into corners, hanging on tenaciously with little sense of side slip as it powers through.

The hydraulic steering feels nice and light, allowing you to throw the boat around like it was much smaller. Mercury’s active trim system ensures the Bravo III sterndrive is always at the optimum angle to provide fast and efficient running.

The hull will bring the Sea Ray SDX 290 up onto the plane at around 12.0 knots, with the big MerCruiser using 42.0 litres an hour at 2850rpm for a speed of 20.0 knots.

Punching through the Sydney Harbour chop, we’re doing 24.0 knots at 3200rpm, using around 60.0 litres an hour.

Performance

Maximum range from 95 per cent of 300L fuel tank: 118nm@3500rpm

The Sea Ray SDX 290 is a fun, comfortable package, even when you strip away the veneer of our fully loaded test boat. 

The 8.2-litre MerCruiser is a huge flex when it comes to performance, and doesn’t overpower the Sea Ray’s deep-vee hull when asked.

The deep vee hull sitting beneath it instils the SDX 290 with the confidence to tackle a mix of conditions, so even if the weather isn’t as good as when you left, you’ll still get home quite comfortably.

As a family-friendly platform, the Sea ray SDX 290 is an excellent way to pass a day at your favourite remote anchorage. 

Specifications
Model: Sea Ray SDX 290
Length: 8.89m (with swim platform)
Beam: 2.74m
Draft: 0.76m (sterndrive up)/1.07m (sterndrive down)
Weight: 3108kg (dry)
Deadrise: 21 degrees
Engine: 300hp Mercury MerCruiser 6.2L MPI ECT/Bravo III with DTS (std)/380hp Mercury MerCruiser 8.2L MPI ECT/Bravo III with DTS (opt)
Fuel: 300L
Water: 76L
Passengers: 15

Priced from: $287,821 including stainless steel swim ladder, cleats, hand and bow rails; LED running lights with removable stern light; ski tow eye, swim platform, white vinyl trim with brown contrast; cooler box in bow; space for a cooler box in cockpit; lockable helm glovebox; head compartment with LED lights; cockpit table; wet bar with integrated sink; Fusion audio system; bilge pump and blower; hydraulic trim tabs; pressurised freshwater system with three shower heads; 300hp 6.2L MerCruiser with Bravo III sterndrive

Price as tested: $351,946 including black hull paint; dune upholstery; tonneau cover; black sports tower and accent panels; SeaDek on cockpit, bow floor and swim platform; fender clips; submersible swim platform; LED lights; Fusion audio system upgrade with amp, speaker, subwoofer and transom remote; thru-hull underwater lights; bow filler cushion; upgraded head; teak cockpit table; 12-inch Mercury VesselView; electric andchoer winch with stainless steel anchor; reclining aft-facing transom lounges; air compressor; docking lights; bow table with storage; 12-volt cockpit fridge; onboard battery charger; automatic fire suppression system; 380hp 8.2L Mercury MerCruiser and Bravo III sterndrive with Seacore closed-water cooling system

Supplied by: Chapman Marine Group