Sea Ray's 205 Sport— Not Just Another Runabout

An entry-level boat that really packs a punch with its features.

By Capt. Bob Smith

Test Captain

The 205 Sport has the looks, performance, and standard features and options that make it a joy to drive.

Features and Layout

Up in the peak of the bow is a deep anchor locker that should be able to handle a good size Danforth style anchor and plenty of rode. The standard and optional seating arrangements both have a wraparound bow bench seat. A low profile wraparound windshield with walkthrough provides quick access to the cockpit, and is plenty wide.

This test boat featured one of the optional seating arrangements with a back-to-back lounger seat that can accommodate two upright, or one person lying down. Our boat also had snap-in carpet, which is more comfortable in the hot sun and makes clean up after a day on the water much faster. In the center of the cockpit floor is a huge locker for storing water toys for your day of fun.

Comfortable Helm Set Up

The bucket helm seat is plush and has a ventilated back, along with slide and swivel adjustments. The instruments at the helm are protected by an eyebrow extension. Sea Ray’s custom backlit instrumentation features low glare blue lights for easier view at night. A custom padded steering wheel comes with tilt adjustment, and is power-assisted for easy handling. The aircraft style toggle switches with lights on the end allow you to identify what is on or off at night. Also at the helm is a 12 volt socket for charging a cell phone and powering portable gear such as a GPS. On the companion side there are two glove boxes. One for your wallet and small items, and the other covers the Clarion AM/FM/CD stereo with Sirius Satellite capability.

Stern Features

The optional seating on this model has a sun pad on the stern that uses the seat bottoms of the two rear seats to complete it. By lifting the sun pad you gain easy access to the engine. The engine box separates the two stern seats and hinges forward for improved engine access. The swim platform on the 205 includes aggressive grip surfaces, and a three-step nested swim ladder with a grab handle for pulling yourself back on board.

Specs

The 205 Sport for 2006 has its heritage in the older 200 Sport. This model is 21’0” length overall with a trailerable beam width of 8 feet. She weighs in at 3,150 lbs. dry and carries up to 37 gallons of fuel. She has a very manageable draft requirement of 33 inches with the outdrive down and only 17 inches with the outdrive trimmed all the way up for anchoring off your favorite beach and wading in.

Test Results

While the 4.3L 190-hp MerCruiser is standard, we tested the 205 Sport with the 4.3L MPI 220-hp MerCruiser with Alpha I MCM sterndrive. The conditions on Tellico Lake were perfect for a day of boating. Capt. Chris Kelly and I were both very impressed with how well this boat handled. She stayed glued to the water and had little cavitation in turns.

On test day the 205 was on plane in 3.4 seconds and up to 30 mph in 7.4 seconds. Cruising speed was a brisk 29 mph turning 3000 rpm, which gave us a full tank range of 130 miles. The 205 Sport topped out at 4800 rpm traveling 50.2 mph for a total range of about 102 miles. I feel this boat is well matched to the 4.3L, but if you want to bump up the performance even more, you can opt for the 5L or 5L MPI MerCruiser with up to 260-hp.

If you are searching for more than an entry-level bowrider and demand good performance, Sea Ray’s 205 Sport for 2006 is one hot ticket you want to be sure and test drive.

• Top speed for the Sea Ray 205 Sport (2006-) is 50.2 mph (80.8 kph), burning 16.4 gallons per hour (gph) or 62.07 liters per hour (lph).


• Best cruise for the Sea Ray 205 Sport (2006-) is 29.0 mph (46.7 kph), and the boat gets 3.90 miles per gallon (mpg) or 1.66 kilometers per liter (kpl), giving the boat a cruising range of 130 miles (209.21 kilometers).


• Tested power is 1 x 220-hp MerCruiser 4.3 L.