Do the world's largest boatbuilders make the best boats? It's an interesting question to ponder.
On one hand a multinational enjoys economies of scale, R&D resources and customer and dealer feedback that little yards can only dream about. On the other hand, bigwig accountants have trouble justifying expenditure on non-mainstream boats. Result: lots of sameness or so-called cookie-cutter styling.
Enter Sea Ray. One of the biggest boatbuilders in the world, Sea Ray has established a loyal following among off-the-shelf boat buyers. While it is very much a builder of mass-produced boats, Sea Rays are pitched as a cut above the production pack with a better finish, fairer mouldings, smoother ride and a feeling of solidity not apparent with some major US brands.
But when it comes to design, well, Sea Rays are best described as more doctrinal than daring. That is, up to now. The 220 Sundeck tested here is one of the best summer playboats I have set foot aboard. There is smart styling, lots of design nous and intelligent features from, one supposes, an R&D team that loves boating.
Okay, you might have to be busting to give the fully enclosed head a go.
But, hey, it works. And what other 22-foot trailable bowrider can boast an enclosed moulded head with a pump-out loo?
With its 10-person capacity, wide beam for maximum space and lots of amenities, the 220 Sundeck is more than just another bowrider. Sure, the kids will love to travel up front, but such is the sophistication that six sun-loving adults can go boating with aplomb.
SUMMER LOVING
Smart features? To begin with, the bow is headed by a moulded tread step under which resides a fold-down boarding ladder. This way you can nose your Sundeck into the beach, unfurl the ladder, and step ashore in search of your own private swim spot.
The tread step also makes disembarking and taking on passengers that much easier at a jetty, while helping with such tasks as one-man launches and retrievals. Beneath the step is stowage for an anchor and rode, even a deadeye, which is all too rare on imported trailerboats these days.
The deck gear is groovy stainless stuff that will need periodic polishing to keep looking slick. But at least Sea Ray hasn't skimped on quality, as evidenced by the space-age sounding horn, twin nav lights (not a little split thing up front) and nice big horn cleats. I spied four drinkholders in the bow seating area and a neat little hatch with a liner and overboard drain designed as a dedicated icebox for the Dr Peppers.
The bow seats are ergonomically designed lounges that follow the contours of your body, allowing you to ride as though sitting on a banana chair. Think comfy, relaxed, and secure thanks to nearby grab handles. Two speakers for the sound system are located up front, along with courtesy lights and a bow cover.
A floor hatch lifts on a gas strut to reveal a massive underfloor locker for water skis, wakeboards, wetsuits and so on.
Perhaps the best thing about the bow is a second (optional) moulded table with drink holders. This can be assembled on a pedestal base between the lounges so you can stage lunches front and back for up to eight people. Chow down.
CLEVER CONSOLES
Set just aft of amidships, the Sundeck 220's helm consoles are no less resourceful. The door into the driver's side console can be pinned open to close the gap and create a windbreak under the screen. This will be appreciated during hard runs on cold winter days.
Fully lined and even illuminated, the space behind the driver's side console is dedicated to storage. There are tracks that hold the moulded lunch tables, clips for their pedestal bases and space for covers. There's even a pull-out cooler big enough for a weekend's worth of fodder and drinks, plus a small but thoughtful little garbage bin for the empties. At the entrance recessed into a moulded fascia, out of the weather, are the Clarion CD sound system and Sea Ray fuse box.
The passenger-side console, meanwhile, is given over to that aforementioned fully-moulded enclosed head. While the entrance is, as one might expect, a little tight, I found room enough to sit on the Sanipotti, a toilet-roll holder, storage shelf and a light. Ahead of the co-pilot are also two drink holders in the dash and a grab rail. All of this is good stuff and well beyond what your run-of-the-mill trailerboat manufacturer dishes up.
SEATING OPTIONS
On the 220 Sundeck, most of the seating faces fore or aft, which is better for travelling on than side lounges that offer no back support. The skipper and co-pilot get deliciously deep bucket seats with lots of padding and flip-up bolsters so they can ride high and see over the windscreen when navigating in skinny water. Both seats swivel aft and the co-pilot's links up with the aft lounge to create a kind of chaise lounge. The aft lounge is capable of seating three people and it has a lift-up seat base on a gas strut for access to the engine.
The cockpit proper is deep, high-sided and broad - a safe playpen for kiddies.
As with the bow, a lunch table fits into the floor. Swivel the helm seats around and you have a lunch spot for four in the shade (just stretch out the canopy) if need be.
AMENITIES CENTRE
Behind the skipper is a moulded amenities centre with sink and pull-out sprayer for rinsing the prawn juices from the picnic set. There is a separate handheld cockpit shower for washing the salt off after your swim at the transom. Both outlets are linked to a 45ltr watertank.
A storage recess below the sink could harbour a custom-made 12V fridge - now that would be great - while courtesy lights are strewn about the cockpit.
Clip-in carpet is also fitted to assist post-party cleaning.
I found a hatch to the Sureflow waterpump and a locker under the aft lounge that could be used to store a bucket and a few plastic tubs. How's this for thought? The locker even had clips for holding your mooring line hanks.
Two steps lead from the cockpit to the boarding platform, which is oversized and actually big enough to be used as seating. The platform protrudes right out past the engine leg for safety when swimming or water skiing. There are grabrails and a swim ladder.
Overhead was a beautiful (optional) aluminium tow tower valued at $3666.
A work of art fashioned from polished aluminium, the tower looked cool and had a high towing point that would guarantee maximum hang time.
DRIVE TIME
Unlike a lot of bowriders, the wraparound glass windscreen on this beamy 22-footer is a three, not five-piece number with no distortion. The lovely anodised alloy framework on the screen had a leading edge that serves as a grab rail.
Sea Ray got the ergonomics just right at the helm. Indeed, the driving set-up on the Sundeck encourages you to milk the sportiness out of the rig and pilot the boat with real confidence and conviction. The dash has mock-walnut facias with trick Sea Ray chrome-rimmed gauges for fuel, volts, speed, trim, rpm, engine temp and oil pressure. There is a Lowrance digital depth sounder and an exclusive sound remote for the stereo.
Another way-cool feature is the new multifunction switch panel, an oval-shaped device with soft-touch auto buttons and backlit icons for things like lights, bilge pumps and so on. The wheel is tilt adjustable, the throttle just where you want it, and there is a padded storage recess for personal effects nearby.
All of this is just a perfect example of a big boatbuilder getting its R&D just right. Needless to say, the boat is a good match for the 260hp MerCruiser MPI V-eight petrol motor with Alpha One sterndrive. The trim range is such that you can button the bow down or trim the hull right out on its tail. The wide beam is offset by a sharp 21° deadrise, while the steering is light but not floaty.
From a driver's perspective, nestled behind the wheel doing 83kmh at 5000rpm, this is one lovely boat. Just thinking about the drive right now makes me want more. I banked in big arcs, ripped her through tight turns, and generally played silly buggers without finding fault with the boat.
A fast cruise of 72kmh comes in at 4200rpm, while 3000rpm produced 45kmh and 2800rpm turns in 38kmh for wakeboarding. The wash rolls over a bit and the 3000kg rig on a dual-axle quality trailer needs a maxi 4WD tow vehicle and a wide-load permit. But that's it for shortcomings.
I was starting to think some of the big American boatbuilders were locked in a cost-cutting drive, but the 220 Sundeck proves otherwise. It had loads of smart thinking and quality finishes.
A dead giveaway - the silicon wipes around the base of the windscreen were perfectly done. The moulds had no ripples and all the liners seemed to fit just right.
Charging along in a high-speed run, I looked down and leant on the stereo volume button. There were the Monkee's singing, "I'm a believer ... couldn't leave her if I tried."
To answer my original question: yes, big boatbuilders can build the best boats. While this is a really smart summertime all-rounder, the 220 Sundeck also caters for the hardcore watersports set. I have it on good authority that the Yanks were doing some radical things in their Sundecks last summer. Try towing up to three people off the tower on a ride-on inflatable. Hit a wake and the thrillseekers end up metres in the air, culminating in a terrific self-induced stack. Just don't drown laughing. Cool.
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