Tested by Capt. Bob Smith

It was nice to return to Sea Ray corporate headquarters again this year. Last year we had the unfortunate situation of it raining cats and dogs when we were supposed to be testing boats. This year, the rain came and went before I arrived. All we had to do was watch out for the mud on the docks and the trees and branches floating down the river, both on top and below the surface.

Sea Ray had the boats all lined up and ready to rock as we arrived. The 185 Sport was docked alongside its sister ships and subtle differences between them mean you have to pay attention. The 185 Sport makes a great entry-level boat for a couple or small family, because she’s got the space you need with the performance you crave. You get a peppy ride that will keep a smile on your face with a price that doesn’t break the budget.

Engine and Sun Pad

The 185 Sport comes standard with a 3L Alpha I MCM sterndrive, but mine had been bumped up to the 4.3L. The engine compartment is separated by snap covers so you can store life jackets on the starboard side keeping them away from the battery that is mounted on the port side. The hatch becomes a sun pad when closed. Getting over to the swim platform out on the water is going to require you to step up on the bench to cross over the sun pad to the integral swim platform with telescoping three step swim ladder with grab handle. The bench seat is a two piece unit that has large storage areas below.

Cockpit

My test boat had the optional snap in carpet that felt cool to bare feet. A non-skid floor beneath the carpet is standard if you choose to forgo the carpet. Four grab handles are in the cockpit for safety underway and plenty of cup holders for cool beverages are scattered around the boat. The companion seat swivels so you can keep an eye on the skiers or face your guests while chatting at anchor. Between the companion seat and helm is floor storage with a vinyl mat for skis and/or wakeboards. The Clarion AM/FM/CD stereo is mounted in the glove box out of the weather, and has two standard weatherproof speakers. Side pocket storage and integrated armrests are also standard on this model.

At the Wheel

Over at the helm you have a swivel and slide helm seat and tilt steering wheel. A 12v-dc outlet is available to keep the cell phone charged or to power hand held electronic gear. Typical Sea Ray instrumentation is easy to read from any angle at the helm and includes fuel, oil pressure, speedometer, tachometer with LCD hour meter, trim and water temperature gauges. Power tilt and trim on the throttle is easy to work with your thumb while powering out of the hole.

Bow Seating

Up front you have two nice forward facing benches with cup holders for each. Padded sides and grab handles improve comfort underway. The anchor locker is padded to protect the finish. The wraparound windshield has a flip over walkthrough to keep the air off the guests in back when underway. This boat also comes standard with a painted single axle trailer with swing away tongue and swivel jack.

Specs

You should be able to handle this boat as easy on the trailer as off. She’s 18 feet 6 inches long and has a beam of 7 feet 6 inches. She weighs in at 2,650 lbs dry and carries 26 gallons of fuel. This means she should be easily towed behind most family cars designed to tow and should fit in the garage or carport of the family home when you swing the tongue after parking. Underway, she carries a deadrise of 19 degrees and can carry up to 1,200 lbs or 7 people. If you tend to bring along a lot of gear or a lot of friends, I would suggest the 4.3L engine option.

Performance

This boat was very nimble and managed to miss all the junk in the river during testing and video work. There was plenty of opportunity to test its capacity to turn quickly and she responded with ease. The only time she cavitated was in very tight turns at speed.

I found her best cruise at about 3500 rpms or 34 mph. At this speed, she should be expected to burn about 6.7 gph and get a range of 119 miles. Top speed was about 44.7 mph or 4500 rpms, burning 15.2 gph. At top speed you can expect to go about 69 miles before looking for a gas stations. She leaped up on plane in just 3.9 seconds and passed 30 mph in just 8.2 seconds.

The 185 Sport from Sea Ray makes a great entry-level boat for the family looking to be more than average. She is fast enough to keep the smiles whether just cruising or skiing along on a wakeboard, skis or tube. If you’re looking for a family sportboat that’s easy to handle and delivers a full day of fun on the water, you should take a good look at this 185 Sport.

Speeds measured with Stalker ProSports radar gun. Fuel consumption (gallons per hour) measured with Floscan digital fuel-flow meter on gas inboards, sterndrives, and outboards, TechMate electronic scan tool on gas EFI inboards, Caterpillar digital fuel-flow meter on diesel engines, or permanently installed fuel-monitoring equipment. Range is based on 90% of published fuel capacity. Sound levels determined using Radio Shack digital decibel meter on A scale. 68 dBA is the level of normal conversation.

Performance Chart

Test Conditions