2010 Sea Ray 230 Fission

By: Matt Spencer

I’m going to start this review off with a bold statement: the Sea Ray 230 Fission is my favourite boat for 2010.With its flashy graphics, sporty wakeboard tower and roaring thru-hull exhaust, the 230 Fission hit almost every checkpoint I would look for when buying a dream boat.

These features are the ones that appeal to the most extreme of boaters’ needs and are what grabs you upon first encounter with the 230. But when you take a deeper look, you’ll see the true Sea Ray roots shine through – it is a smart, well-designed boat.

From the extended, integrated swim platform to the walk-through sun pad to the massive storage compartments, you soon discover there is more to this boat than flashy graphics and horsepower. It’s like meeting a pretty girl who also loves Mozart.

Perhaps the smartest of all these features is Mercury’s new SmartTow System, an option that works in conjunction with DTS (digital throttle and shift) and the already impressive SmartCraft technology. SmartTow takes the guesswork and struggle out of towing riders and turns it into a simple three-step process.

First, you choose one of five launch settings depending on the type of tow sport. For example, you would select setting two for a wakeboarder or setting five for a slalom skier. Next, you pick your cruise rpm (anything above idle) for precise speed. Once you get an OK from your rider, simply put the throttle to the bar and away you go.

SmartTow does all the work from here and can turn any driver into a tow sport expert.

As a water sports enthusiast, I personally can’t say enough how great this is for encouraging more people to expand their boating horizons and give tow sports a try. A good ride truly starts and ends with the driver.

And the 230 Fission is certainly designed with the driver in mind.An extra large Bimini is integrated into the wakeboard tower. I also love that both the captain and co-captain’s chairs have a mesh back and bottom to help with airflow and keeping you cool.

Your guests will experience first-class luxury too since you can offer them ice cold drinks thanks to the in-dash cooler with plenty of cup holders. And be sure to bring your iPod along to plug into the premium sound system.

Even if you don’t have the stereo on, everyone will hear you coming when you have the thru-hull exhaust open. If you’re like me, you’re a sucker for this option and love to have your boat’s performance backed up with a throaty bark. But realizing this feature certainly isn’t for everyone, you can switch them to the muffled position for the courtesy of others when towing particularly close to shore or entering a marina.

When heading out to run the 230 Fission, I have to admit I opened up the exhaust the moment I felt I was a sufficient distance from the Port of Orillia.

Granted, with the test boat equipped with the SmartTow system – the key standout feature of the 230 Fission – I really should have had a skier along for the ride. But this particular day on Lake Couchiching turned out to be less then ideal for tow sports. The strong winds and resulting whitecaps provided perfect test conditions for performance, though.

Putting the throttle down, the MerCruiser 350 MAG MPI barked for a second, then was silenced as the exhaust dipped below the waterline. When the 230 settled on plane at around 2500 rpm, the exhaust announced its arrival with an extra large roar of power as theV8 pushed 300 hp through it. The 350 MAG is a great engine choice for the 230 as it delivers the powerful torque needed to get a rider out of the water.

The 21-degree deadrise made light work of the chop and skipped at an easy cruise of 30 mph at 3500 rpm. In turns, the 230 Fission held strong all the way around in both directions, even as the waves hit across the beam.

Overall, turns were sharp and tight and it was easy to steer out of full lock with the power-assisted steering, even when doing so back into the chop.

Heading with the wind, I recorded a top speed of 51.2 mph at 5330 rpm. This was slightly outside of the engine’s rpm limit of 5200, but the 24p props should be fine unless you’re making a habit of doing this.

I started this review by saying the 230 Fission was my favourite boat of 2010 because, for me, it has it all; sporty looks and performance, power with the exhaust to back it up along with a wakeboard tower and speakers. But that’s all just on the surface. As you get to know this boat, you’ll see it is very smart, both in its features and design. It’s designed in a way that makes it easy to bring family and friends together for days of fun on the water. And, for that reason, the Sea Ray 230 Fission is my frontrunner for this model year.

POWER/PERFORMANCE
Test boat engine: Mercruiser 350 MAG MPI producing 300 hp with a Bravo 3 drive spinning two 24p Stainless Steel Props

ACCELERATION (mph/sec)
0-20 / 6.03 sec ; 0-30 / 8.58 sec ; 0-40 / 11.25 sec

TOP SPEED (rpm/mph)
5330 / 51.2

CRUISING SPEED (rpm/mph)
2500 / 18.1 ; 3000 / 24.7 ; 3500 / 29.4 ; 4000 / 35.5

SPEED TESTING BY Mercury SmartCraft GPS