My wife and I are getting ready to step up. We have been looking at the new Sea Ray 52 Sedan Bridge and are close to making a deal. The question to the group is what other fly bridge boats should we be looking at in the 48-54' range? We are heading to the Miami Boat Show and plan to see every boat that meets our criteria, but any help with narrowing the field would be appreciated. We are near coastal cruisers interested in sea worthy, smart design that gives us fast cruise in the mid 20 knot range. Not interested in fishing. Cruise a lot with just 2 of us, but also with 2-4 teenagers and sometimes with 4-6 other adults.
Some of the features we like about the 52SB are:
3 staterooms, plus open up sofa in salon
Hard top over bridge area = heat and a/c on bridge.
Large interior volume due to relatively low length to beam ratio.
Some of the features we don't like:
Refrigeration is 120v only making an inverter and large battery bank necessary.
Third cabin bunk room is tiny – maybe too small for our teenage daughters.
Fuel capacity is small at 500 gallons (+/-230 mile cruise range) for the fuel burn of approximately .5 nmpg.
Owner's stateroom is in the bow. Prefer aft owner's cabin arrangement.
Limited storage in master stateroom.
Limited engine choices.
Thanks in advance for your opinions.
Some of the features we like about the 52SB are:
3 staterooms, plus open up sofa in salon
Hard top over bridge area = heat and a/c on bridge.
Large interior volume due to relatively low length to beam ratio.
Some of the features we don't like:
Refrigeration is 120v only making an inverter and large battery bank necessary.
Third cabin bunk room is tiny – maybe too small for our teenage daughters.
Fuel capacity is small at 500 gallons (+/-230 mile cruise range) for the fuel burn of approximately .5 nmpg.
Owner's stateroom is in the bow. Prefer aft owner's cabin arrangement.
Limited storage in master stateroom.
Limited engine choices.
Thanks in advance for your opinions.