I owned a Sea Fox in 2005 and other than the electrical problems and poor quality stainless steel which rusted. Overall it was a cheaply made boat. The new ones on the other hand look great. Has Sea Fox increased their quality or is it the same mid grade boat with a better overall appearance.
Thanks for any help I’m wondering about a 5 yr old good boat purchase which would be much better in quality that a brand new Sea Fox.
Has anything changed in their manufacturing process.
-G
From what I have seen and have been told they revamped everything in 2010. If you look at the 2011-12’s they look real nice and they put a lifetime warranty on the hull, 5 years on gelcoat.
2000 McKee Scoundrel 160, Honda 75hp
I believe the factory retooled and changed production in 2006. The quality of my 2012 220 xt is equal to or better than the other big name manufacturers.
Don’t have any experience on any other than mine. I have an 07 236 and it is a pretty good boat. I like how it is laid out, it is kinda light on storage, but it works well for me. I have put a lot of hours on mine and have beaten on it pretty hard. I got a good deal on mine a few years ago and have been pleased. I have plenty of range for stream trips. It is an economical little boat. There are definitely better boats out there, but mine works fine for now.
If you mention sea fox to the Florida guys they will laugh in your face. Those hulls have a horrible rep. That being said, I would love to own one, one day. I’ve been on one on a sloppy day, and I was very impressed. I also know someone who works in the factory, and have heard they have stepped it up in a huge way in the past 3 years. I think sea fox is underestimated, and are a great value.
quote:
Originally posted by UglyStickIf you mention sea fox to the Florida guys they will laugh in your face.
I say let them laugh. I laugh because Florida is the trashcan of the South. I think that show Cops has a permanent encampment there.
One of the owners of the company I work for said he would take a new Seafox over a lot of the premium brands out there. Money is not an issue with this guy either. He knows one of the higher ups at Seafox and said they had recently invested a lot of money in product r&d, retooling, and other stuff there in moncks corner.
If I pull the trigger on a new boat here soon, it will be a 220XT with a Yami 225 offshore.
2000 McKee Scoundrel 160, Honda 75hp
I have the new 200XT. they have definately stepped up the quality over the last 5 or so years. I knew i wanted a boat for mainly inshore fishing, but also comfort enough for my wife and friends to cruise an afternoon in. My wife and i crawled all over every boat at the boat show in February and the fit and finish, layout and component quality of the Seafox seemed overall better than others out there. Money not being considered, it holds it’s own with the “bigger” name boats and if money is a consideration (as it is for most of us) i don’t think there is a better boat in the same price range.
Add to that the factory is local and i, like many others, know some of the folks behind these boats personally and it was a no brainer for me.
quote:
Originally posted by Bolbie…the harbor was slick as an eel pecker.
You can say Sea Fox to this Charleston guy and I will laugh in your face. I hate to not support local business, but I would never waste my money on a Sea Fox, or ever recommend someone to waste theirs either.
As someone who details boats for a living, here is my opinion: The new ones do seem better made than the old ones. The old ones were not good. I have seen many with failure everywhere. So, there has definitely been a recent improvement in quality. Has the quality improved enough to make sea fox fall into a different category so to speak? Like a good middle tier boat instead of a lower end boat? They sure do look nice and as if they would be a great middle tier boat. And a good bargain with such a reasonable price tag. So what did i do? I went to see a new one. Upon first glance it looked like a decent boat. Then i noticed screws not screwed in properly, places on top edge of transom where trim pieces where not cut or installed properly, and a few things my dad pointed out that I cant remember. And he know boats better than anyone i know. I remember him saying," that boat should have never passed inspection." We only looked at the boat for 10 min and noticed that much. We never even stepped inside. I can only imagine what all you would see after ten years of use and abuse. Not everyone can afford a Ranger or a Shearwater, but I have worked on many boats and I feel there are better mid tier boat choices out there. much better. It seems many people think that just because its a new revamped boat it is a good boat . this is not the always the case. I would rather have a older well made boat w a new engine for the same price as a new less quality boat w same engine.
All that being said, another main issue with boats is people neglecting to properly maintain them. Proper care for your boat will prolong the life tremendously no matter who made it.
this is just my 2 cents in brief format so take it for what its worth.
- I’d rather be a free man in my grave than living as a puppet or a slave.
