680 Sea Ray Sun Sport

Source: Duncan McIntosh, Sea Magazine

The whole world loves a good thing

It was less than an hour after sunrise, as a dozen foreign boating writers climbed aboard the new Sea Ray 680 Sun Sport at Sealine Marina at the Miami Boat Show.

The voices I could understand were in a heavy brogue. The others, if you’re monolingual like I am, well, you can probably imagine.

Just about the time I had given up trying to understand those around me, a young Brit, sensing I was a Yank, introduced himself as the technical editor from Motor Boating and Yachting. We exchanged introductions and settled back into our seats, taking in the elegant style that surrounded us.

The boat we tested was on loan from a hamburger magnate, who Sea Ray requested remain anonymous. Sea Ray had delivered all of the 680s built so far, and had to ask this owner to lend his, while the company frantically built another. (Of course, just as soon as they finish the next one on the assembly line, someone else will come along and buy it — so don’t expect to see this in-demand model at your local dealer’s dock for a while.)

Cruising out Government Cut in Miami, we passed three cruise ships that had come in during the night. They were busily fueling and making preparations to get under way with their next load of passengers.

We maneuvered around more than a dozen small open sportfishers in the middle of the channel, throttling down so as not to disrupt their busy time on the water. As we passed close by, we could see that they were pulling in their limit as they worked feverishly with one fish after another in some pretty hot action.

Power to Spare
Our 680 Sun Sport was powered by a pair of 3412 Caterpillar diesels that put out 1,358 hp each. With all that power, we were up on plane effortlessly. As we made our way out the entrance into the Atlantic, the sun was already 10 degrees above the horizon.

While five writers huddled around Capt. Rick Lewis, Sea Ray’s skipper, at the one and only lower station in the main saloon, I quickly discovered that while I couldn’t understand most of the conversations going on around me, the foreign writers all understood perfectly what we were saying in English. It was then that I realized for the first time that I, too, was a foreign writer.

As we entered the open ocean, we were greeted with light 3 foot seas. The photographer’s helicopter hung low, as if it were suspended from a cable connected to the sun, about 100 feet off the water directly in front of us. The 680’s bow area is so big that it looked as though we had enough space to land the chopper right there on deck.

We bore off and powered up to 2,250 rpm, where the GPS indicated we were clipping along at 32.9 knots.

The vessel has a very solid feel and was quite maneuverable, banking gently in tight turns. The vessel’s 360 degree view from the saloon was nearly unobstructed, except for two small areas behind us where the entertainment center is housed.

The 680 is capable of a top speed of around 35 knots – and, even at top speed, the helm and upper saloon remain remarkably quiet.

Features Galore
On deck are two large sidewalks, with stainless rails running from the cockpit to the bow. The foredeck slopes downward, giving the illusion that the boat is bow down. In actuality, this really increases forward visibility.

Our test boat was equipped with a large hydraulically operated swim step – and a number of other unusual features also caught my attention. The aft cockpit seats were on tracks and were electrically operated. With the push of a button, the aft seating was instantly converted into a very comfortable sun lounge area.

The helm seat was a very plush leather captain’s chair. It is fully adjustable — back and forth, up and down — with full lumbar support.

The 680’s interior is finished with all of the quality and attention to detail that we’ve come to expect from Sea Ray. The soles are teak and maple; countertops are granite; and panels and bulkheads are crafted of burled wood with either satin finish or optional high-gloss lacquer.

The galley is down in the lower saloon, with a settee and lounge across to starboard. Two Sub-Zero refrigerators are built-in under the marble countertop. There’s a Kenyon four-burner stove, and a microwave convection oven is mounted above the counter.

Two flat screen TVs are furnished aboard: a 42 inch Sony in the lower saloon and a 25 inch Hitachi in the upper saloon.

The standard layout features three staterooms; however, a two-stateroom layout is available optionally. The forward cabin (forepeak) has a queen-size centered berth; the starboard cabin, amidships, has a queen-size berth; and there’s a smaller cabin to port with over/under berths.

In keeping with European tradition, our test boat offered optional crew’s quarters — located aft, with its own entry. This cabin is fully air conditioned and comes with a head, a television and two single bunks.

In the main saloon, our test boat had the biggest opening overhead sunroof I’ve ever seen: It had to be at least 6 by 10 feet. Through it, we could see the press photo helicopter hovering not more than 20 feet above the deck. Truly, this was an in-your-face photography session in every sense of the word.

Electrifying Instrumentation
The instruments and electronics on board are some of the most state of the art I’ve seen. The system was developed by DMP (Radio Zealand), utilizing Maptech software.

Two large video monitors display everything, including all of the conventional gauges. On one split-screen plotter, I watched us moving along our course on a chart — while on the other side of the screen was a three-dimensional view of the bottom — all moving along together in real time.

By toggling through a menu, we were able to see all of the engine’s functions depicted graphically as analog gauges. Capt. Lewis set up the screens so we had all of the starboard engine functions on one screen and the port engine functions on the left screen.

I was so amazed at this feat of modern technology that I spent some time looking through the Maptech catalog to see what other options are now available. There doesn’t seem to be any limit to what you can accomplish with electronics these days. You can even get aerial photographs that can be laid down on a split-screen so you can see what something actually looks like if you are uncomfortable with reading a chart.

There was one final detail DMP included that really knocked my socks off. If you want to move the chart on the screen, you don’t need to click on an icon and move it – just put your hand on the screen and slide it in the direction that you want the chart to move. Just as if it were a piece of paper on a table, the chart moves up and down or from side to side.

With its futuristic helm electronics, sleek exterior styling and plush, luxurious interior accommodations, it’s easy to see why Sea Ray’s largest motoryacht is in great demand. If one does arrive at your dealer’s docks, this boat is a “must see.”