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I have been reading as many threads as I can handle on the quality of Seafox boats and how that the newer models are being considered a better quality than the older models. At what year are we saying that transition takes place? Reason being I am looking at a 2006 236 cc with a suzuki 175 four stroke with 350 hrs. the boat is immaculate and being sold on a short sale for $16,000. This boat retails for alot more than this but again my concern is; should I follow the percieved notion that Seafox is a low grade boat and I will regret owning one or has this perception changed with the newer models? With limited resources I am finding it hard to find a quality boat. I would appreciate any helpful input
At that price I would just buy it and use it. Who cares what everyone else thinks? When your done with it just remember you are not going to get the same price as a Contender! This is all assuming of course that you don't plan on doing 100 mile off shore trips! Bays, rivers and 20-30 miles off shore on non "small craft advisory" days will be fine......Just go catch some fish and then post the pictures!
I was looking at a 08 286 and started to do home homework on Sea Fox. The THT does not have a big Sea Fox fanclub, with right of course. I looked at some older models and was not impressed by the build quality, but the new 286 was pretty nice for a 2-piece boat. So with talking to the factory, March 2008 new molds were splashed for the 286. "Improvements" were made at that time and they are supposed to be a much better build quality. I would contact the factory about that 236 you're looking at. thats my two cents
I think I heard that the 2007 models were of the new better design as well. That being said I have an 05 257WA and love it for what it is, and use it every Sat and Sunday, even slept over on it 3 times in my first season of owning it and it didn't sink or catch fire, or whatever else everyone thinks will happen if you buy one.
yes the resale isn't that great, but thats why you buy them used. If your buying that boat at 16k you are benifitting from a bad resale value, and thus the big financial hit has already been taken by someone else.
There are many car companies that have horrible resale but people still buy them(Audi, Land Rover). With bad resale, it is best to either buy new and keep it a long time and don't worry about the resale, or buy slightly used if you thik you might have to sell it within 5 years or so.
My biggest concern with that particular boat would be the 175 on a 23. I would definately looking for 200-225, but I am sure it will be fine.
__________________ -Kurt
"Happy Hour"
2005 Sea Fox 257WA w/ 275 Verado (2.5mpg at 36mph and topping out at 50mph)
1994 Yamaha Waveblaster
1996 Yamaha Waveblaster
[quote=RumRunnerXT;2528209]yes the resale isn't that great, but thats why you buy them used. If your buying that boat at 16k you are benifitting from a bad resale value, and thus the big financial hit has already been taken by someone else./quote]
Agree. I have a 1998 Sea Fox 230, it cost me very little 3 years ago and has served me well with no issues. Other than resale, the biggest drawback is I don't get to brag about it on this forum and that I can live with. The best thing about it is that I will still be able to afford to send my 3 kids to college and get them home on holidays to pound stripers on the Chesapeake.
thanks for your input, your comment on how its going to be used hit it right on the head. I am a fair weather fishermen and don't plan on going out any further than 10 miles and using it to take the wife out for late night cruises.
seafox is just lower grade boat or bottom tier......
really? How so? Ours is doing great so far. Have you owned one of these newer models? I'm just curious. It seems to me that the newer Seafox boats are holding their own pretty well.
I did TONS of research on the seafox 236. I had a new 175 hp motor and i was going to trade in my current hull for the 236 hull. After all of my reasearch i found that it was perfect for what it was. it may not be top tier, but the newer ones will not fall apart. at the end of the day the dealership offered me a older hydra-sport 2390 and i felt that i was getting a better deal that way. but if the hydra-sport was not there i would have left with the seafox....good luck with your desition
__________________ 2001 Hydra-Sports 2390/250 FICHT
2000 Doral 220 Ibiza- sold
1986 Bayliner Capri 18' - sold
The boat is an 06 so it may have been bought by the owner in late 05. I won't make the mistake of buying a boat again that is anything other than what I really want.
Sometimes things seem immaculate but may not be. Does it have a trailer? What kind of shape is the trailer in? They look good when you first see em and then after you buy it you get a better look and realize that the trailer needs hubs and/or axles, lights, rollers, bunks, brackets, etc.
The thru hull fittings on that boat should be brass I think. That's the first thing I replace when I get a new boat (if they are polymer). What does the fuel filter and its housing look like? Was any modification done to the boat, such as additions of brackets that pierced bulheads or the transom?
Have you sea-trialed the boat and really put it through its paces?
__________________ Red sky in the morning, sailor take warning!
Red sky at night, sailor take warning!
I love the "resale" argument. So lets compare the math. For arguments sake lets say you pay $16,000 for the boat. Keep it five years and the "horrible" resale is 50%. That puts the value at the end at $8000. So now lets say that you buy a similar sized contender like this one for sale http://www.yachtworld.com/boats/2006.../United-States for $46,000.
Due to it's better quality and reputation lets assume that it will resale for 75% at the end. That puts its value at $34,500, this means that the Seafox will have depreciated by $8000 over five years, the Contender will have lost $11,500 in that same time frame. Frankly I don't think it will hold 75% in the current economy but I will give it the benefit of the doubt. Now add in the higher insurance costs due to higher replacemnet costs, assuming you are financing, you will pay more interest, and the cost of ownership goes through the roof by comparison. Resale is no reason to buy a boat period.
If the boat will suit your needs, which it sounds like it will, is safe to operate and fits your budget buy it. Have the boat surveyed pay attention to the wiring, it will likely need a little work to bring up to snuff. The fit and finish will not be up to snuff with some of the more expensive boats.
I have to admit that I purchased a 257 WA a few months ago. It was a repo, it has a hard ttop and a 225 optimax that had less than 400 hours on it at the time of purchase. I knew full well what I was buying. It is a basic boat with lots of bang for the buck. There were a few issues with the 12volt panel as I expected when I bought the boat. I replaced it with a better panel. The glass work isn't up to par with a more expensive boat, and I will be making a few minor repairs in that department. Oh yeah, the helm seats sucked, I replaced them. It doesn't ride like a contender but it is affordable and does what I ask of it. It sits on a mooring in the Caribbean sun all the time and putting a more expensive boat through that just didn't make financial sense. It also only burns 10 gallons an hour at 22 mph so I can afford to run it. Frankly it is the smallest boat that I have owned in over ten years, and the least expensive that I have owned in almost twenty, and that suits me just fine.
Jay
A 4-5 year old boat for nearly 1/3 of what a new one would cost!!!.......it's a low end boat BUT if it does what you want WHO CARES!!!! The absolute worst that can happen is a $16K loss (a new contender is better and will cost more, but will loose that much in the year alone)
Assuming the boat is in original structural condition and in good cosmetic condition that boat is great for running around in lazy seas and fair weather. Most of these "high-end" boats will take more of a beating than the people riding in them can.......this boat is probably a closer match to taking what your body can take. If you plan on running in 5 foot seas, trying to wave hop fishing every day no matter what the conditions then this boat is not for you.
Confused over Seafox years 
