August 20, 2026
Sea Ray SLX 280 Outboard: The 31-Footer That Shows You Its Numbers
The SLX 280 Outboard is 31'5" on a 9'0" beam, runs twin Mercury 250 Verado outboards with Joystick Piloting as standard, and carries 135 gal…
Read the articleSea Ray SLX 280 Outboard
Expert Review, Technical Specifications & Market Analysis
The Essentials
| Feature | Specifications |
|---|---|
| Overall Length | 31'5" |
| Beam | 9'0" |
| Draft | 35" trim down / 22" trim up |
| Displacement | 8,053 lbs |
| Engines | Twin Mercury 250 Verado Outboards (2 x 250 HP) |
| Fuel Capacity | 135 gal |
| Water Capacity | 20 gal |
| Cabins / Heads | 0 Cabins / 1 Head |
| Max Speed | 50-52 mph (Sea Ray published wide-open throttle) |
| Cruise Speed | 29-31 mph (Sea Ray published cruising speed) |
Source: Spec & Photos courtesy of Sea Ray. Specs verified by Tony Smith, USCG 100 Ton Master, on August 20, 2026.
Part of the Sea Ray SLX series — see how owners step up through the lineup.
Quick Verdict
- Twin Mercury 250 Verado outboards with Joystick Piloting are standard equipment, not an upgrade path — 500 hp behind an 8,053 lb dry hull, with the docking system already fitted
- Sea Ray publishes the full picture here: 29-31 mph cruise, 50-52 mph wide-open throttle, 180 miles of cruising range and 148 miles at WOT, on 135 gallons. Most sport-boat builders publish a top speed and stop
- The 20-gallon water capacity and 10-gallon holding tank both read "Requires Water System Bundle" in Sea Ray's own spec block — the standard boat has no fresh water, so budget the bundle if the head matters to you
- 9'0" of beam on 31'5" of length is a narrow, quick-feeling boat rather than a wide platform — it trailers and stores where a 10-foot beam starts asking permission
- 21° of deadrise and a 22" trim-up draft: enough vee to stay civil in a chop, shallow enough to nose into a sandbar with the engines tilted
- Five-year SURPA5S+ bow-to-stern cover plus a Limited Lifetime Structural Hull/Deck Warranty to the original owner
Our Take
What I like about the SLX 280 Outboard is that Sea Ray does not make you guess. Cruise 29 to 31 mph, wide open 50 to 52, 180 miles of range at cruise on 135 gallons. I have spent years on this site pointing out the numbers builders decline to publish, so when one lays it all out I want to say so. Take the range figure to the sea trial and check it against your own habits rather than treating it as a promise — but you are starting from the builder's arithmetic, not somebody's estimate, and that is a better place to start than most 31-footers give you.
The standard package is the other reason to look. Twin 250 Verados with Joystick Piloting come as the boat, not as a box you tick, and joystick control on a twin-outboard 31-footer changes what a windy Saturday at a crowded fuel dock feels like. Nine feet of beam keeps it feeling quick and pointable instead of barge-like, and at 8,053 pounds dry it does not need to be over-engined to feel alive. If you have been shopping wider deck boats and found them numb, run this one back to back with them.
The thing I would not let a dealer gloss over is the water system. Sea Ray's own spec block puts "Requires Water System Bundle" next to both the 20-gallon water capacity and the 10-gallon holding tank. That means the standard boat has no fresh water aboard — no transom shower to rinse salt off, and a head compartment without plumbing behind it. It is a bundle, not a redesign, so it is easily solved. But solve it at order time. Retrofitting plumbing into a finished boat is the kind of job nobody enjoys paying for twice.
Official Sea Ray Premiere: Inside the Sea Ray SLX 280 Outboard
Video courtesy of Sea Ray.
Sea Ray SLX 280 Outboard Photo Gallery
Photos courtesy of Sea Ray.
Sea Ray SLX 280 Outboard Articles & Guides
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is Joystick Piloting standard on the Sea Ray SLX 280 Outboard?
Yes. Twin Mercury 250 Verado outboards with Joystick Piloting are the standard propulsion package on this model, not an upgrade path — the docking system is already fitted on the boat you price.
That is worth checking against the rest of the range, because it is not universal. On the SDX 290 Outboard, joystick control arrives only with the optional twin 250 Verado package. If you dock stern-to in a crosswind most weekends, that single difference decides which of the two boats you should be pricing.
How fast is the Sea Ray SLX 280 Outboard, and how far will it go?
Sea Ray publishes the whole picture on this one: 29 to 31 mph cruising, 50 to 52 mph wide open, 180 miles of range at cruising speed and 148 miles at wide-open throttle, from 135 gallons. Those are the builder's own figures rather than arithmetic done from tank size.
Standard propulsion is twin Mercury 250 Verado outboards with Joystick Piloting behind an 8,053-pound dry hull, with 21 degrees of deadrise. Sea Ray publishes no fuel consumption figure at any rpm for this model, so take the range number to the sea trial and check it against how you actually run.
How does the Sea Ray SLX 280 Outboard compare with the SDX 290 Outboard?
They are three inches apart in length and a few hundred pounds apart in dry weight, yet Sea Ray publishes very different numbers for them. The SLX 280 Outboard is 31'5" and 8,053 pounds dry on twin Mercury 250 Verados: 29 to 31 mph cruising, 50 to 52 wide open, 180 miles of range from 135 gallons.
The SDX 290 Outboard is 31'2" and 7,677 pounds dry on twin Mercury 200 FourStrokes: 28 to 29 mph cruising, 54 to 55 wide open, 271 miles from 131 gallons. Less power, a higher published top end, more range. Sea Ray offers no explanation, so run both on the same water before you draw a conclusion.
Does the Sea Ray SLX 280 Outboard have fresh water as standard?
No — and Sea Ray says so in its own specification block. Both the 20-gallon water capacity and the 10-gallon holding tank are printed with the note "Requires Water System Bundle", which means the standard boat has no fresh-water system aboard: no transom shower to rinse the salt off, and a head compartment with nothing plumbed behind it.
It is a bundle rather than a redesign, so it is easily solved. Solve it at order time. Retrofitting plumbing into a finished boat is the job nobody enjoys paying for twice.