Sea Ray 210 Bowrider

There is no disputing that the bowrider is a favourite for all-round fun-in-the-sun boating. It beats, say, the runabout. Typically, in a runabout the helm is further forward. And since most bowrider occupants are seated aft of the impact zone, there are less bangs and bumps to contend with.

The bowrider also surpasses the runabout - once regarded as the consummate dayboat - in terms of accommodation. With extra seating in the bow, you can pack a family aboard and beat the need to nurse the nieces and nephews. At rest, you also get more useable cockpit space.

While bowriders have a bow seating area that can be harsh when crossing rough water, in a big bowrider, say something beyond 6m in length, the ride is comfortable and exhilarating.

To top it off, most bowriders come with plenty of trick amenities.

Typically, you get storage for skis or wakeboards, iceboxes, canopies, marine stereos and sunpads. On the bigger bowriders, you also have power-assisted steering, deck showers, even portaloos.

With a perky petrol inboard in the tail, a bowrider will offer plenty of towing grunt. But unlike a skiboat, you have the freeboard and seaworthiness to hightail it across a choppy bay, and the goodies, once there, to kick back on sunpads.

Therefore, when it comes to buying a trailerable dayboat for the family, nothing rivals a bowrider.

That much I believe after years of messing about in lots of boats.

On a summer's day in Sydney, you can't miss the bowrider drivers, skipping about like insects on a pond, deploying these boats on serious fun-finding missions.

SIZE MATTERS
In the wonderful world of bowriders, not everything is cut and dry. The choices can be as bewildering to say the least. There are all kinds of whiz fizzes from the home of the bowriders (where else but America?), as well as local renditions from our own sweet suppliers.

To top it off, bowriders range from 16ft in length to more than 25ft, some have outboards, though most have inboards, and often they flaunt quite different hull shapes. You can, for example, buy traditional deep-vee designs, wide beam models, and others with cut-outs in their running surfaces to improve cornering and give lift.

Finally, there is the question of price. Some bowriders can be thousands of dollars more, yet, on the surface at least, they seem to be of similar dimensions to the cheaper models.

A RAY OF SUNSHINE
While they cost a bit more, the Sea Ray range of bowriders surpass many other brands. Sea Ray, based in America, has been making bowriders since Allens created Snakes Alive. The experience counts for something.

Second, Sea Ray distinguishes itself from the pack via a finish that is a cut above your average bowrider. The boats don't seem too assembled, the wiring is generally well laid out and the materials are more plush than that of the budget brands. Think of them as Statesmans or LTDs on water.

Not to be outdone on the water, Sea Ray packs plenty of punch in its bowriders. It sees these boats as family wagons as well as sports utilities designed to provide driver satisfaction. Par for the course is 80kmh top end, derived from a petrol powerplant often of V-eight extraction, with fuel injection to boot.

Sea Ray's hulls are quite different from some other American boatbuilders. Yes, they are beamy, which is all the rage these days, but they still carry more deadrise aft, so you can go boating beyond the great lake or mighty river.

This brings me to the Sea Ray 210 Bow Rider, a perfect example of the all-American dayboat. It has a wide 8ft 6in beam and 21° of deadrise, so you can carry adults and kiddies in comfort across a waterway on most days.

The 210 has all the aforementioned qualities plus something to answer that other big question in the new bowrider owner's life: fuelling up at a busy marina, jostling for an anchorage, how the hell do I do it? No worries, this baby has a docking device.

DOCKING DEVICE
Boat-parking blunders could be a thing of the past thanks to Precision Pilot, a docking system - optional on the Sea Ray 210 Bowrider - that employs a series of underwater thrusters or impellers that shift your boat this way and that.

While bowthrusters are nothing new, and many superyachts also use sternthrusters, the combination of the two on a small boat is revolutionary. Fitted with the trick system, the Sea Ray 210 abetted confidence behind the wheel about the marina.

Precision Pilot uses two sternthrusters angled at 45° to the transom and a bowthruster, each with reversible blades, powered by an electric motor rated to 24kg, wired in series to three dedicated 12V batteries independent of the boat's main engine starting and operating system.

The thruster batteries are charged by the engine's alternator and equipped with low-voltage warning horns. The thrusters are set in tunnels moulded into the hull, the batteries and wiring hide under the aft lounge.

Onboard, the only evidence of Precision Pilot is a mushroom-shaped joystick on the neatly moulded dash.

It accompanies a remote that lets the skipper control all functions of the sound system, an illuminated electronic switch pad, and a spread of trick chrome-rimmed, countersunk gauges above a sportswheel.

EASY OUT, EASY IN
This particular Sea Ray 210 carried more power than the standard US package. I found plenty of mumble in the form of a 5.7L 260hp V-eight MerCruiser engine with Electronic Fuel Injection (EFI) in place of the standard issue 5.0lt 220hp motor.

By knocking the main engine in and out of gear, whether that be forward or reverse, and applying some sideways thrust, I shunted the Sea Ray 210 every which way but smack-bang into another boat or pylon. It was a snap to spin 180°.

As expected, the Precision Pilot system isn't quiet. You can hear a grinding sound as the electric motors drive the impellers, which tend to chop and aerate the water. But, hey, the docking system works a treat.

Because the thrusters are synchronised you need do nothing more than push the joystick in the direction you want to go. The boat responds by slipping sideways, forwards, backwards or, slightly less effectively, at 45° angles.

I idled out into the big river while noting other niceties such as an icebox on the co-pilot's side, a big underfloor ski locker, and plush upholstery on the three-person rear lounge, plus adjustable helmseats and bow seating. Then I trained the bow on open water and kept my eyes on the road ahead.

DRIVE TIME
With an application of throttle, the Sea Ray launches out of the hole and sits up on top of the water. Vision was momentarily affected as I climbed to planing speeds, perhaps because of the extra weight of the batteries back aft, but the hull soon settled down to a nice even trim.

I performed some graceful arcs while clocking a top speed at around 5000rpm and 84kmh on the boat's US speedo. The steering is power-assisted, which lessens the load, but in tight turns there was some cavitation due, perhaps, to the thruster tunnels sending aerated water over the prop.

Fast or slow, everyone will appreciate the boat's wide beam and big internal volume. There is space for six adults spread between the rear lounge, helmseats and bow. Even when riding up front, this boat seemed to deliver a smooth ride thanks to the sharp 21° deadrise.

During my upriver adventure I saw many things including thousands of big brown jellyfish. There would be no waterskiing today. But had the stingers stayed away, the docking system would be great for retrieving skiers. The small thrusters with enclosed blades are, of course, safer around legs than a spinning prop.

While I could waffle on about the amenities and trim level, it's best left to would-be bowrider buyers to check out the Sea Ray. Compared with what's on the market, it stands out. Resale values also tend to be pretty healthy and, in many States, you will find dedicated servicing centres.

The 210 is, however, no lightweight. You will need a big trailer with twin axles and brakes and preferably a 4WD with plenty of bottom-end pulling power if you plan to tow this boat.

For my money, it would a be a beauty parked in a dry stack somewhere.

With the groovy docking system at my disposal, I delivered the Sea Ray 210 safely back home without the slightest hint of heart failure or whitening of the knuckles. It was a day of fun-in-the-sun boating, which is exactly what bowriders are all about.