Sea Ray 44 Sedan Bridge Review and Used Buyer's Guide

Sea Ray's mid-2000s flybridge in context

Ray44 is the kind of shorthand you see in owner forums, hull names and quick listing searches, and when it refers to a flybridge it usually means the Sea Ray 44 Sedan Bridge. Sea Ray built the 44 Sedan Bridge from 2006 to 2009 as part of its Sport Yachts range, slotting it between the 36 and the 47 Sedan Bridge, and replaced it with the 450 Sedan Bridge in 2010.

It is a 45-foot 5-inch flybridge sedan with two staterooms, two heads and a single, simple propulsion choice: twin Cummins MerCruiser QSC 500 diesels on V-drives. Sea Ray's 2009 marketing leaned on style as much as substance, highlighting a seamless fiberglass spoiler over the bridge, a Sunbrella soft top and waterline graphic striping, and promising that owners would arrive ahead of the rest.

Because it was built by Brunswick's flagship brand in large numbers, the 44 remains easy to find, easy to service and easy to insure, which is why it keeps showing up on US East Coast brokerage lists nearly two decades on.

Dimensions that matter for a 45-foot sedan

YachtBuyer's specification lists the 44 Sedan Bridge at 13.84 meters overall (45 feet 5 inches), with a 4.27-meter beam, a full-load draft of 1.12 meters (about 3 feet 8 inches) and a dry weight of 12,927 kilograms, or 28,500 pounds. Tankage is 1,325 liters of fuel (350 gallons), 454 liters of water (120 gallons) and a 159-liter (42-gallon) holding tank. Some brokerage listings quote a 14-foot 3-inch beam and an 18-degree transom deadrise; verify on the boat.

That combination makes the 44 lighter and a little narrower than its Meridian 441 cousin from the same parent company, and it shows in the character: the Sea Ray is sportier, while the Meridian prioritizes interior volume. A draft under 4 feet keeps the Bahamas banks, the Chesapeake and the Intracoastal Waterway accessible.

Cherry, Ultraleather and two private staterooms

Inside, Sea Ray's standard specification included a cherry interior, Ultraleather HP upholstery on all interior seating, a solid-surface breakfast bar in the galley, a 26-inch LCD TV with DVD in the salon and a 32,000 Btu zone-controlled air-conditioning system. A sofa with pullout bed is common on listed boats, adding overflow berths for kids.

Below, the 44 carries two staterooms with an innerspring mattress in the master, and two heads, so a second couple gets genuine privacy. That is the core appeal of a 44-foot sedan over a 40-foot express: the flybridge frees the main deck for a full salon and galley, and the accommodation deck can be given over entirely to cabins.

Equipment varies by boat. Washer-dryer combos, central vacuum systems, upgraded audio and replacement chartplotters with radar are common owner additions, and boats that have had the original electronics replaced are noticeably easier to live with.

Flybridge, helm electronics and the Sea Ray look

The bridge carries the main helm. Sea Ray's 2009 package included SmartCraft diagnostics with VesselView for the Cummins engines, a Sirius satellite radio receiver and a VHF radio as standard, with the Sea Ray Navigator IV 12.1-inch touchscreen chartplotter optional. Most boats on the market today have replaced those first-generation displays.

Styling was a selling point: the seamless fiberglass spoiler, Sunbrella soft top and hull graphics gave the 44 a sportier profile than most sedans of its size. Many owners have since added full enclosures for shoulder-season use, and a good enclosure adds real value.

One engine choice, twin Cummins QSC 500s

Every 44 Sedan Bridge used the same propulsion: twin Cummins MerCruiser Diesel QSC 8.3 engines, marketed as QSC-500s and rated by Sea Ray at 478 propeller hp each (YachtBuyer lists them as 500 mhp, about 493 hp, at 2,600 rpm), driving through V-drives. Listings commonly show bronze four-blade props and Onan or Kohler gensets; Sea Ray's 2009 standard generator was a 10 kW Kohler.

We could not find an instrumented magazine test of the 44 Sedan Bridge with a speed and fuel table, so we do not quote a top speed or cruise figure here. Sea Ray positioned the boat as a fast sport yacht, and owners should sea trial any candidate to check that it reaches rated rpm under load, which is the best single indicator of engine and running-gear health.

The QSC 8.3 is a widely used, well-understood engine with dealer support across the US. Its known service items include heat exchangers, aftercoolers, raw-water pumps and coolant maintenance, and a full set of oil and coolant analyses is worth asking for.

• Engines: 2 x Cummins MerCruiser QSC 8.3 500, V-drives
• Rated 478 propeller hp each per Sea Ray; about 493 hp at 2,600 rpm per YachtBuyer
• Standard generator in 2009: Kohler 10 kW
• Fuel 350 gallons, water 120 gallons, holding 42 gallons

What a 44 Sedan Bridge costs to own

Expect roughly $40,000 to $75,000 a year before depreciation: a 45- to 50-foot slip, insurance, Cummins and generator service, bottom paint, canvas and enclosure care, air-conditioning upkeep and fuel. Sea Ray parts and service remain widely available through the brand's dealer network, which keeps downtime short compared with orphaned brands.

Budget separately for age-related items. By 2026 even the newest 44 is 17 years old, so original hoses, exhaust elbows, AC pumps, windlass motors and electronics are all candidates for replacement, and teak or canvas may need renewal.

Buying a used 44 Sedan Bridge and what the market says

YachtBuyer's Market Watch counted 11 Sea Ray 44 Sedan Bridge listings over three years, mostly on the US East Coast with a few in the Caribbean and Canada, spending an average of 252 days on the market and seeing asking prices move only about 1.3 percent from the initial figure. Its tracker shows a 2007-era boat from about EUR 317,000, and US listings for 2006 and 2007 boats have been asked around $330,000.

Our 2026 estimate is roughly $230,000 to $360,000. Shortlist boats with documented Cummins service, a current enclosure, updated electronics and air conditioning. If you want a newer design with a similar footprint, the 450 Sedan Bridge that followed in 2010 is the natural step up, and the Meridian 441 offers more interior volume for similar money.