Sea Ray SLX 400 Bowrider Boat Reviewed in 2025

A Luxury Boat with Performance to Match

The outboard-powered version of the Sea Ray SLX 400 offers an impressive array of amenities that are hard to find in any other 40-foot boat. Sea Ray refers to this boat as The Entertainer, and the name fits because there’s so much space.

There are incredibly comfortable spaces to lounge with many friends, easy water access for playtime, and even overnight accommodations for up to four people–two couples or a family with three kids.

This is a cabin cruiser with the additional performance and seating profile of a smaller bowrider.

A quick walk-through reveals a well-appointed vessel with adjustable furnishings.

A Versatile Boat for Families and Boaters

You can’t step aboard the SLX 400 without noticing the boat’s functional and versatile layout.

First, even though the boat has outboards, there is plenty of room to walk around on the swim platform.

But the piece de resistance is the fold-down terrace on the starboard side, which adds three feet to the boat’s beam. With the push of a button, a hydraulic system lowers the aft-most section of the side hull, extending the swim platform and adding a lovely place to hang out and get in and out of the water.

Another beautiful thing about this boat is how much storage space it has. The hull design and layout are largely shared from the sterndrive version, but the latter’s engine compartment is freed up for equipment. Push button hydraulics open to a cavernous compartment that houses all your ship-board systems, including batteries, generator, and the optional Seakeeper gyro.

Additional storage can be found everywhere. From the aft swim platform, the port-side seat lifts to reveal everything you might need for dockside living. Shore power connections, water hookups, and a neat pole-mounted transom shower all live here. Plus, another tunnel-like locker has plenty of space for your water toys. There’s even a place for an optional air pump here.

The entire main cockpit sits under a standard hardtop on a fiberglass tower. An optional SureShade brand power sunshade covers all seating aft, and another optional manual sunshade can be set up to protect the bow seating. The hardtop includes integrated lighting and an optional center opening with a retractable canvas cover.

So, the SLX 400 is a usable boat that provides lots of fun activity options, but what’s it like for the skipper? It’s a big boat but a solid and comfortable one, too. Yet the paired triple Mercury V-8 Verado 300 outboards give the boat plenty of get-up and go. The Mercury joystick control makes even the most complex docking maneuvers a breeze.

Tests show that this performance boat has a top speed of over 50 miles per hour and gets on plane in a quick 4.8 seconds. It has plenty of power to spare and provides a comfortable ride whether you’re making miles fast or cruising for the fun of it.

The helm of the SLX 400 is wide and inviting. There are dual 16-inch Simrad multifunction touchscreens, the Fusion sound system controller, essential electrical switches, trim tabs, and controls for the optional Seakeeper gyro and spotlight.

The wheel tilts and the Mercury throttle shifters are electronically controlled. The Mercury joystick control sits near the shifters, with the Simrad VHF radio flush mounted cleanly nearby.

Many systems are integrated into the Simrad displays, including Mercury engine data and lighting controls throughout the boat. If you opt for the Fathom ePower system (described next), all controls and monitoring functions are handled through the Simrad touchscreens.

The Fathom ePower system replaces the onboard generator with a 22 kWh high-power lithium battery bank capable of handling the boat’s systems, including the air conditioning, overnight. When the bank gets low, it can be recharged by running the outboards or plugging into shore power.

All power and operation data can be read in real-time on a smartphone using the Sea Ray+ app. The app has a suite of functions for planning and keeping track of documents too.

Prepping dinner on the electric grill and then cooling off in an air-conditioned cabin while at anchor without the constant, expensive generator drone is exceptionally appealing.

A Comfortable and Spacious Family Boat for Overnight Stays

At its core, the SLX series boats are not overnight cabin cruisers. Instead, they are luxurious day boats focusing on usable space above decks and in the sun. If you want more space for living on the water, Sea Ray points you toward their Sundancer series cabin cruisers.

But the SLX 400 does a remarkable job of giving you the best of both worlds. The exterior lounge space is unmatched. Starting at the bow, there are facing bowrider-style seats around a removable pedestal table, plus a three-abreast forward-facing seat with folding armrests. The bow area is exceptionally comfortable and well-appointed on this boat.

Two of the lounge chairs at the bow also have panels that operate the Fusion marine stereo in this area.

Heading aft through the folding windshield, you’ll find a side-by-side dual helm seat with bolsters and a companion seat that can face forward or aft. Facing it aft allows more seating in the main entertainment area, with a long L-shaped settee around another pedestal table. The L spans the port side and stern and faces a large wet bar galley on the starboard side. There’s space for dual electric grills, dual drawer refrigerators, and a sink. This upper galley design is functional, and it’s easy to imagine preparing drinks or meals over these large grills.

On the aft deck, there’s an enormous eight-foot-wide lounge facing aft. The lounge back swings, allowing for it to face the opening side terrace.

All told, there’s seating for up to 22 on the SLX 400. With all those options, you and your friends will have no shortage of places to sit and relax while spending a day aboard this boat. But what about overnighting? Heading into the cabin reveals a large, welcoming space well-appointed with berthing for up to four.

Forward, there’s a U-shaped settee around a folding pedestal table. The table lowers, and filler cushions convert the area into a vee-berth. The circuit breaker and AC power panels are cleverly hidden behind an easy-to-access settee back cushion.

Aft, there’s a large wet head with vessel sink and hull window. There’s ample storage above and below the sink. Across from the head is a small convenience galley with a fridge, microwave, and a storage cubby. The standard head is a VacuFlush model connected to a generous 28-gallon holding tank.

Finally, a large mid-ship queen-sized berth lies aft of the stairs. There are storage compartments on each side and plenty of room for two to spread out. A privacy curtain can block off the rest of the cabin for a bit of privacy.

All in all, the cabin of the SLX 400 doesn’t impress on its own. It’s only when you look at the topsides and realize that the cabin is a bonus for a boat with this level of dayboat comfort. While 22 passengers can enjoy a day trip, weekend expeditions and overnighting will have commensurate comfort for a family or two couples.

But any feature that allows you to get more use out of your vessel is good with us, so we give Sea Ray high marks for this innovative and user-friendly layout.

A Well-Built Boat with a Comprehensive Warranty

The SLX 400 is currently the largest and most luxurious Sea Ray you can buy. Sea Ray is already a premium brand, so it’s no surprise that a fully loaded SLX 400 will cost more than $1 million.

The base price of the SLX 400 OB is $878,580, which includes a gas generator, air conditioning, and pretty much everything you might want to hit the water. But some of the most interesting options are additional. To upgrade to an elite trim package, Fathom ePower lithium batteries, the Seakeeper gyro, cockpit canvas, a pair of grills for the galley, and Simrad radio and radar, the price jumps to $1,051,080. If you want to upgrade to the twin V-12 Mercury Verado 600s, that will cost you another $110,000.

Sea Ray is known for their legendary quality, and the fit, finish, and build quality of the SLX 400 OB is no exception. This beautiful yacht will last many years, has the capabilities of a powerful dayboat with the option for overnight, and can take you on nearly any adventure.

The Sea Ray SLX 400 warranty covers the boat stem to stern for three years from purchase. It includes the boat and all installed components. The original owner will also enjoy ten-year coverage covering the hull and deck.

Similar Performance Boats on the Market

The SLX 400 OB represents the culmination of a few recent trends in the boating industry. First and foremost is the rise of large, high-powered outboard engines. Boats that were typically sterndrives are now being offered with V-8 or V-12 outboards, making for easier maintenance and better longevity in saltwater environments.

The other interesting feature of these boats is the combination of a large, luxurious dayboat with some space for overnighting. A vessel like this one, what Sea Ray has called the largest bowrider on the sea, leverages the performance of the outboard motors mentioned with cabin cruiser comfort.

While owners may never spend a night aboard a boat like this, the cabin spaces provide privacy for changing or getting out of the sun and plenty of storage space.

The SLX 400 directly competes with the Tiara 43 LE, which shares the fold-down swim terrace concept.

The Tiara is a little longer and faster, but its layout isn’t nearly as functional as the Sea Ray’s. The galley or wet bar area on the Tiara is much less user-friendly, and the Tiara’s forward deck cannot come close to matching the comfort offered on the SLX 400. 

However, the Tiara has a fully enclosed cockpit, making it more of a pilothouse express cruiser. This may be more appealing than the bowrider-style windshields on the Sea Ray. Sea Ray offers a cockpit canvas enclosure, of course, but this doesn’t match the look and function of the full-height windows and hardtop on the Tiara.

For boats with a little more cabin space for staying aboard, check out other Sea Ray boats like the Sundancer 370 OB. For nearly as much deck space but a slightly smaller cabin, you’ll want to compare the Sea Ray SLX 350 to the SLX 400.

If you’re in the market for a cabin cruiser or bowrider, it’s hard to go wrong with the Sea Ray lineup. The SLX 400 is the top model, but size and budget need to be considered.