Sea Ray

Hate to have to share but I sent this email to Sea Ray today regarding my 2019 230 SPX.

Unfortunately my SPX 230 is a LEMON.

My name is Brian Sabatelli and I am writing you to inform you about the terribly unreliable product that you built for me.  I had my 2019 230 SPX custom built and took delivery of it in April of 2019, exact day I can't remember.  Ever since I have had nothing but problems and it seems that I can't take it out into the water without something breaking. Here is a list of the issues:

1. Stereo hum needed three attempts to fix by the staff at Marine Max.  The upgraded premium audio system had a terrible hum to it and was only fixed after we reached out to Fusion and they sent an upgraded wiring harness.

2. Water tube from the speedometer was never attached to anything in the dash.  While under way water was shooting out onto the floor of the helm.

3. Barrel nuts on the sun pad on the underside of the engine compartment were never coated with Lock Tite and at least 8 of them backed out and fell into the engine compartment.  The sun pad almost flew off while under way.

4. Warning light on the fire extinguisher system on the gunnel under the helm just popped off and was dangling there.

5. Engine compartment latch broke twice.  While under way this meant the engine compartment lid popped open causing a major hazard.  Was only fixed after two attempts of screwing the same latch into plastic when service at Marine Max got approval to bolt thru the plastic instead of screwing into the plastic.

6. SPX emblem on the transom broke

7. Main ski locker latches came loose.  After inspection again the screws holding them in did not have any thread lock on them.  They just loosened up and spun as you tried to open the ski locker.  Techs from Marine Max repaired but they put the latches facing opposite directions.

8.  Submersible swim platform FLOATS.  It doesn't stay submerged at all!  This creates a hazard for swimmers approaching the swim platform for the leading edge of the submersible swim platform now is even with the mouths of the swimmers.  

9.  Simrad doesn't sense a full tank of gas.  Has to be manually reset every time boat is gassed up.

10.  Bow ski locker latch then became loose and spun.  Again with no thread locker.

11.  Sea Ray emblem on side of boat fell off in the middle of the lake while under way.

12.  Sea Ray sent Marine Max a new submersible swim platform to install on the boat.  Undue delays happened because the magnets and Seadek covering didn't ship with the platform.  Once they installed it the techs at Marine Max damaged it and had to send it to the body shop for repairs.  Ultimately Seadek shipped directly to me and I had to install it myself.  

13.  New submersible swim platform floats worse than the original.

14.  After getting boat winterized by Marine Max first time out on lake I got a "drive lube low" alarm.  Drive lube tank on engine took about 8 oz of lube.

15.  Front speaker now hums again at low volume.

16.  Last time on lake outdrive got stuck down.  Switch on throttle would not raise outdrive.  Had to pay local mechanic out of Bolton Landing, NY $60 to jump the pump and raise outdrive before I could get boat back onto trailer.

17.  Shortly after having outdrive problem accessory lights in boat came on for a short period of time and then cut off and would no longer operate.

Boat is currently at Marine Max Lake Hopatcong and they claim that with a new relay and some fixing the boat will be fully operational for my next trip to the lake which is next week.  Unfortunately parts needed to be ordered and boat will need to go back into the shop.

As you can see there are so many problems in this brand new $85K boat - and with only a short 14 week boating season in the northeast this boat has spent way too much time in the shop.  I have lost faith in the quality of Sea Ray boats and this is contrary to the experience I've had with Sea Ray throughout my childhood.  

My family loves the boat but feel as though every time we bring it out something is going to break.  And I always have my small children onboard with me(ages 5 and 7) so it's not even like we're running the thing hard.

Please let me know if there's any recourse here for a tremendous amount of down time and trouble.  I am at my wits end with this machine.

Thank you,

Brian Sabatelli