Sea Ray 160
The Sea Ray 160 is a 16-foot boat, with model years from 1987 to 1992 in the listings we track. Across 20 listings we have observed (model years 1987–1992), the median asking price is $4,000, with most boats asking $3,000 to $5,500. The engine we see most often on this model is MerCruiser sterndrive (gas, 4.5L–6.2L) and Suzuki 4-stroke outboard.
BoatVerdict market snapshot
These are asking prices. No free or public source publishes US used-boat transaction prices, so nobody — us included — can honestly show you what these boats sold for. What we can show you is what 20 sellers are asking, which is the number you are actually negotiating against.
20 priced listings across 10 states. Enough for a range, not enough to be precise about any single year.
Method: Asking prices from active listings, de-duplicated so a re-posted boat counts once (38 raw listings collapsed to 20 distinct boats). Quartiles, not averages, so one outlier cannot move the band. Rounded to $500.
Coverage: Model years 1987–1992, 10 states, 15 metro areas. New-boat listings excluded.
Sources: BoatVerdict market observations (craigslist) · US state vessel registries (21,168 registered Sea Ray hulls)
Looking at a Sea Ray 160 for sale?
Paste the listing and we will score that specific boat against everything on this page: asking price versus our observed range, engine and hours risk, the known issues for its model year, and a negotiation position. The verdict is free.
Get the free verdict →No account needed. The paid Deal Report is optional and comes after.
The BoatVerdict take
- Recall (USCG/CPSC)
35 federal recall campaigns on file touch this builder. Check the specific hull against the recall list below before you put money down; remedies are free but only if the work was actually done.
Each point is tagged with the evidence behind it. Nothing here is a claim we cannot trace back to a counted listing, a federal record, or a named analyst judgement.
Sea Ray 160 prices by model year
Show the numbers by model year
| Model year | Boats | Middle half of asks | Median ask |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 2 | too few to show | - |
| 1989 | 6 | $2,000 to $4,500 | $3,500 |
| 1988 | 1 | too few to show | - |
| 1987 | 1 | too few to show | - |
10 distinct boats, listed now or since taken down, re-posts counted once. Years with fewer than 3 boats show a count only. Asking prices, not sale prices.
What a used Sea Ray 160 is worth
We have seen 10 distinct Sea Ray 160 boats for sale between Jun 14, 2026 and Nov 14, 2026, model years 1987 to 1990, in 8 states. The median ask is $3,500 and half of all asks sit between $2,000 and $4,500. Asking prices fall about 9.5% for each year of age (39% over five years), measured on these 10 boats and steadied with the 3.3% rate we measure for the class.
What moves the price of a 160
- Horsepower. Doubling the power for the same class and length adds about 16% to the ask.
- Engine hours.Higher hours than typical for the age lower the ask.
- Region.West +12%, Midwest +5%, South +2%, Northeast -1% against the national level.
- Brand.Sea Ray boats in this class ask about 6% more than the class average for the same age and length.
Fitted on 1,313 distinct boats in this class (log asking price on age, length and brand; refit nightly, last on 2026-11-14). These are effects on asking prices.
Recent Sea Ray 160 asking prices
| Year | Model | Length | HP | Hours | State | Asking | Seen | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | 160 | 16 ft | - | - | NY | $1,400 | Jun 14, 2026 to Nov 14, 2026 | listed (8 posts) Craigslist |
| 1989 | 160 | 16 ft | - | - | UT | $1,000 | Jun 14, 2026 to Nov 14, 2026 | listed (6 posts) Craigslist |
| 1987 | 160 | 16 ft | - | 1072 | WA | $3,900 | Jun 14, 2026 to Nov 14, 2026 | listed (25 posts) Craigslist |
| 1989 | 160 | 16 ft | - | - | CO | $5,000 | Jun 14, 2026 to Oct 30, 2026 | taken down (14 posts) Craigslist |
| 1990 | 160 | 17 ft | - | - | AZ | $3,200 | Aug 22, 2026 to Sep 9, 2026 | taken down (3 posts) Craigslist |
| 1989 | 160 | 16 ft | - | - | MI | $3,000 | Jun 14, 2026 to Aug 1, 2026 | taken down (9 posts) Craigslist |
| 1988 | 160 | 16 ft | - | - | WI | $1,650 | Jun 14, 2026 to Jul 4, 2026 | taken down (2 posts) Craigslist |
| 1990 | 160 | 16 ft | 115 | - | MI | $8,000 | Jun 14, 2026 to Jul 2, 2026 | taken down (8 posts) Craigslist |
| 1989 | 160 | 16 ft | - | - | CA | $3,800 | Jul 1, 2026 to Jul 2, 2026 | taken down Craigslist |
| 1989 | 160 | 16 ft | - | - | CA | $6,200 | Jun 14, 2026 to Jun 15, 2026 | taken down (2 posts) Craigslist |
The 10 most recently seen of 10 distinct boats. These are asking prices, not sale prices: no free source publishes US used-boat sale prices. A boat re-posted several times counts once, at its latest ask. "Taken down" means the ad disappeared; that can be a sale, a seller who gave up, or an expired post.
Sea Ray recalls and accident record
Of 4,338Sea Ray boats in USCG accident records: fire or explosion 6%, flooding or swamping 6%, capsizing 1%, total loss 6%, at least one death 4%. The rate counts accidents in Texas and New York waters from 2014 to 2023 (174) against 21,153 Sea Ray boats registered in those two states, the only states that publish boat-level registrations. Accident records reflect how and how much boats are used, not only how they are built. Only accidents above the USCG reporting threshold are recorded. Personal watercraft are left out.
These numbers are for the builder, not this model. Check the specific hull with a HIN lookup for recalls and reported accidents.
Recalls affecting Sea Ray
35 federal recall campaigns on file. Recalls are issued against hull-identification ranges, so a campaign listed here may or may not cover the specific boat you are looking at — check the HIN. Remedies are free from the builder, but only if the work was actually performed, and there is no central database that proves it was.
- ⚠ Recall
150018S9/9/2015VENTILATION
- ⚠ Recall
940233T9/2/1994NON IGN PROTECTED DEVICE
- ⚠ Recall
940234T9/2/1994NON IGN PROTECTED DEVICE
- ⚠ Recall
920416T8/27/1992FUEL LEAKAGE
- ⚠ Recall
970080T7/7/1997FUEL LINE ABRASION - LEAK
- ⚠ Recall
010089S7/30/2001OVERCURRENT PROTECTION; ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
- ⚠ Recall
180012S7/27/2018FUEL SYSTEM
- ⚠ Recall
24MF02396/7/2024 - ⚠ Recall
160005S6/6/2016 - ⚠ Recall
190039T6/28/2019STEERING
- ⚠ Recall
190038T6/26/2019ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
- ⚠ Recall
040070S6/17/2004labEL; BLOWER WARNING
Method: Matched to the builder by normalized company name and MIC. A campaign is shown when it touches this builder; the model and year columns say how narrowly it applies.
Sources: US Coast Guard recall database · CPSC recalls
Engines we actually see on the 160
- MerCruiser sterndrive (gas, 4.5L–6.2L)
The most common inboard/outboard in US bowriders and cruisers. The engine itself (GM-based) is reliable; the maintenance burden is the drive and exhaust. Bellows, gimbal bearing, U-joints, and — in any saltwater service — exhaust manifolds and risers are the recurring costs.
Service reality: Bellows/gimbal every ~5 years; manifolds/risers every ~6–8 years (or 3–4 in salt) at $2.5–4K. Pull the drive on inspection — deferred drive service is the classic hidden cost.
Full MerCruiser sterndrive (gas, 4.5L–6.2L) reliability profile →
- Suzuki 4-stroke outboard
Underrated, highly reliable 4-strokes — Suzuki effectively pioneered the modern big 4-stroke outboard. Slightly thinner dealer network than Yamaha/Mercury in some regions, which is the only real resale knock.
Service reality: 100-hour service; check the timing-chain-driven valvetrain history on high-hour units. Confirm a Suzuki dealer is reachable in the buyer's area.
Method: Engine family matched from the listing's engine fields and title text against BoatVerdict's engine-family profiles. Prevalence is share of our sample, not factory fitment rates.
Sources: BoatVerdict market observations · BoatVerdict engine-family profiles
Sea Ray 160 specifications
| Length (median listed) | 16.0 ft | Our listing data |
|---|---|---|
| Model years traded | 1987–1992 | Our listing data |
| Sea Ray hulls in US registries | 21,168 | TX + NY open data |
Rows marked "our listing data" are measured from listings, not published by the builder, and will differ from a brochure. Rows without a source we can name are not shown at all.
What to inspect on a used Sea Ray 160
- MerCruiser sterndrive (gas, 4.5L–6.2L): Bellows/gimbal every ~5 years; manifolds/risers every ~6–8 years (or 3–4 in salt) at $2.5–4K. Pull the drive on inspection — deferred drive service is the classic hidden cost. Seen on 1 of the 20 160 listings we track.
- Get the hour meter reading and divide by the boat's age. Above 100 hours a year is heavy use for a MerCruiser sterndrive (gas, 4.5L–6.2L). Threshold from BoatVerdict's engine-family profile for MerCruiser sterndrive (gas, 4.5L–6.2L).
- Suzuki 4-stroke outboard: 100-hour service; check the timing-chain-driven valvetrain history on high-hour units. Confirm a Suzuki dealer is reachable in the buyer's area. Seen on 1 of the 20 160 listings we track.
- Get the hour meter reading and divide by the boat's age. Above 150 hours a year is heavy use for a Suzuki 4-stroke outboard. Threshold from BoatVerdict's engine-family profile for Suzuki 4-stroke outboard.
- Assume saltwater service unless the seller can prove otherwise: pull the engine cowling and look at the powerhead, check trim-cylinder rams for pitting, and open the battery and fuse boxes for green corrosion. 60% of the listings we observed for this model are in coastal states.
- On the older hulls, core moisture is the deal-breaker: sound the transom and the deck with a plastic mallet, and treat any soft or dull-sounding area as a survey-stopper rather than a bargaining chip. We observe listings back to 1989, so boats over 37 years old are actively traded in this model.
This list is specific to this model: analyst items for the hull, plus items driven by the engines and the regions we actually observe on 160 listings. It is not a generic pre-purchase checklist, and it does not replace a surveyor.
What a 160 costs to own
$1,750 – $4,500 per year
- 16 ft hull, the median observed length for this model
- Saltwater berth, based on where most listings we see are located (WA)
- Includes insurance, storage, routine service, fuel at moderate seasonal use, and a reserve for wear items
- Excludes loan payments, major engine replacement, and refit work
This is a modelled band, not observed spend. Real cost swings hard on where you keep the boat and how much you use it.
Method: The same ownership-cost model BoatVerdict's paid Deal Report uses: boat class and length set the base band, then saltwater berth and size adjust it.
Sources: BoatVerdict ownership-cost model
Where 160s are for sale
- WA 5
- CA 3
- WI 3
- OR 3
- MI 1
- ID 1
- AZ 1
- MN 1
- NH 1
- UT 1
Counts of distinct boats we observed per state, from 20 listings in 15 metro areas. We publish the distribution, not the listings themselves.
What else buyers cross-shop
Chosen by measured similarity — same builder first, then comparable length — and limited to models whose own page meets our evidence bar. No paid placements, no filler links.
Sea Ray 160 FAQ
How much does a used Sea Ray 160 cost?
Which model year of the Sea Ray 160 is the best value?
Are there recalls on the Sea Ray 160?
What engine does the Sea Ray 160 come with?
What does it cost to own a Sea Ray 160 per year?
Looking at a Sea Ray 160 for sale?
Paste the listing and we will score that specific boat against everything on this page: asking price versus our observed range, engine and hours risk, the known issues for its model year, and a negotiation position. The verdict is free.
Get the free verdict →No account needed. The paid Deal Report is optional and comes after.