Sea Ray SLX-R 400e Outboard Review

Unveiled at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas long before the world got sideswiped by Covid-19, the all-new Sea Ray SLX-R 400e Outboard is a remarkable, big and futuristic day boat that sets an entirely new standard for high-tech on the water.

Yes, you read that correctly – the new boat was unveiled not at a boat show, but at the world’s largest electronics showcase. And that makes sense, since the new boat takes all of the remarkable features from Sea Ray’s original SLX 400 Outboard model and adds its own unique enhancements. So all the good stuff, like the ingenious fold-down swim terrace that turns the boat’s starboard aft quarter into a patio-like extension of the swim platform, the dedicated paddleboard storage in the stern and Sea Ray’s barn door-like pivoting transom seat that opens to face aft or out the side all remain unchanged in the new boat.

The SLX-R 400e takes everything that was great about the original SLX 400 model and adds a boatload of high-tech – including triple Mercury Racing 450s.

Faithful to the original, the all-new Sea Ray SLX-R 400e Outboard also keeps the company’s innovative and luxurious open plan seating layout. Fully yacht-rated, the boat accommodates up to 22 people in style and comfort, so there’s no reason for anyone to have to stay behind.

But that’s where things begin to change, and it becomes obvious the SLX-R 400e is a boat built for the future.

Step aboard and you can’t help but be immediately impressed with the SLX 400’s versatile seating layout. This is a boat designed for enjoying the great outdoors, and the beautifully upholstered seating reflects that. A large cockpit table on a pedestal base turns the entire aft end of the boat into a welcoming entertaining space. Further accentuating this is the fully equipped cockpit galley with cooler storage, a refrigerator, twin electric grills, a sink with a fresh water faucet, and even a wine cooler.

The inviting layout features a large cockpit table that sets the cockpit up as a premiere entertaining space. Note the overhead sunroof.  An electric sun screen extends aft to shade the entire cockpit on really hot days if desired.

Up at the helm, the driver and companion ride on side-by-side bucket seats with a double-wide guest seat to port. Pass through the offset walk-through windshield and there’s further seating up in the bow, with a pair of longer benches facing aft and a three-wide theatre-style seat facing forward. A second, smaller cockpit table completes the space.

Down below, a comfy cabin provides a place to get out of the sun. There’s also sleeping accommodations, and a full head compartment.

The fold-down swim terrace on the aft starboard corner really extends the boat’s deck space. This lady isn’t looking out back off the swim platform, she’s looking off to the boat’s side and sitting on inside of the starboard gunnel.

One thing you can’t help but notice throughout the Sea Ray SLX-R 400e Outboard are the multiple Fusion Audio speakers – all part of the remarkable Apollo RA-770 sound system that comes as standard equipment. The system streams music directly from smartphones and tablets over its own Wi-Fi network rather than the traditional Bluetooth connection. Where Bluetooth has a limited range of frequencies that it can handle, Wi-Fi transmits everything, so you hear it all – including the highs and lows that tend to be clipped from traditional Bluetooth streams. Between the extended range of its Wi-Fi capability and full digital signal processing capability, the difference in sound quality is truly dramatic, and something anyone can hear.

Theater-style bow seats face twin lounges that share a round pedestal-mount table, creating a second, more intimate space for onboard entertaining.

The stereo uses a slick touch-screen control panel, and can also be controlled remotely through the free Fusion app on a smartphone, or even with a Garmin watch.

The “R” designation in the Sea Ray SLX-R 400e Outboard’s name refers to its power, which comes in the shape of three Mercury Racing 450R outboards complete with joystick piloting. Those combined 1,350 ponies push the big Sea Ray to 65 mph giving it more than enough oomph to go anywhere, and get there pretty quickly.

Also included in the R package are custom exterior and interior treatments that ensure this boat doesn’t just go fast, but looks terrific in the process. That includes special edition shadow metallic gel paint, upgraded upholstery with stylish contrast stitching, plus red underwater lighting and red accent lighting throughout.

The futuristic helm features a full glass dash centered around twin Simrad touch-screen displays.

Another key upgrade on the SLX-R 400e is the exclusive glass dash display, that comes complete with dual Simrad NSO evo3 16-inch touch-screen displays. Forget old-school dial gauges here, this is a boat for the future so it’s fitting that the helm looks like something out of a fighter jet.

Joystick docking comes as standard equipment, of course.

The “e” in the boat’s model name designates a first-of-its-kind boat electrification platform, known as the Fathom e-Power system. It includes a high-capacity Mastervolt lithium-ion battery pack with intuitive power management, meaning it’s the high-tech battery pack that runs all of the boat’s electrical accessory systems.

Yet as stunning as the boat looks and as amazing as the 450R Mercury Racing outboard engines sound, one of the most remarkable things about the Sea Ray SLX-R 400e Outboard is what you don’t hear. Replacing the typical generator with the Fathom e-Power system allows for whisper-quiet operation of all electronic accessories. Or, in simpler terms, you can go all day or night on the water without hearing the hum of a generator, smelling any fumes, or paying for the additional fuel consumption.

The enhanced electrical system on the SLX-R 400e means no noisy, smelly generator. One of the greatest aspects of this boat is just how quiet it is.

You wouldn’t expect to hear that a boat was the highlight of a consumer electronics show, but Sea Ray won over the crowds at this year’s CES pretty easily with its remarkable SLX-R 400e Outboard. It’s a boat for the future that you can buy right now.