When two boats share the same hull type — in this case both the Sea Ray 36 Sedan Bridge 2009 and the Sea Ray 390 Sedan Bridge 2011 are semi displacement designs with fiberglass construction — the buying decision usually comes down to a handful of practical questions: how many people are you putting on the water, how far do you trailer, and what does your tow vehicle weigh?

On paper these two are close siblings in the size department — Sea Ray 36 Sedan Bridge 2009 at 38,3 ft versus Sea Ray 390 Sedan Bridge 2011 at 40,8 ft. At 22 lbs and 22 lbs respectively, both sit in a similar weight class — either should pair comfortably with most mid-size SUVs and half-ton trucks, though always confirm your specific tow rating with the motor added.

Both boats share a closely matched power ceiling — 370 hp for the Sea Ray 36 Sedan Bridge 2009 and 375 hp for the Sea Ray 390 Sedan Bridge 2011. Real-world performance will come down more to which motor is actually bolted on, its load at the time, and whether it's a 4-stroke or 2-stroke setup. Both carry nearly identical fuel loads — 3 gal and 3 gal — so range won't be a tiebreaker here.

For family outings this is probably the sharpest distinction between the two. The Sea Ray 390 Sedan Bridge 2011 is rated for 12 passengers, while the Sea Ray 36 Sedan Bridge 2009 caps at 11. If you're regularly pulling extended family or a group of friends onto the water, the extra seats on the Sea Ray 390 Sedan Bridge 2011 could be the deciding factor.