Starting the Cruiser Search

[dave47165]

Okay let the search begin, We currently have an 08 Hurricane and have decided that we enjoy boating to the point that we want to buy a cruiser. My parameters are that it must be towable. We live within 4 hours drive of some very large lakes and the Ohio River is in our back yard. we are looking for something in the 40k price range.
My questions are.

1.What are some of the "Must Haves" for a cabin cruiser that will double as a Camper for weekends and the occasional week long vacation? sleeping 4
2. What power plant configurations should I avoid? (I would like to stay with one engine)
3. Any Manufacturers to avoid?

I'm sure I'll think of more questions as this progresses.
Thanks In advance
Dave

 

[four winns 214]

Your tow vehicle may dictate size of boat. Generally, a 1/2 ton truck can handle up to 26'. Above that, you're getting into 3/4 ton territory.

If you do a search of the archives, you'll see it said over and over about older cruisers in your price range: Condition counts more than brand. Example- a well cared for 26' 1999 Monterey is a better value than a trashed, neglected 27' 2008 Crownline (like the one in the slip next to mine).

Must haves for four living on such vessels:
1) Good camper canvas so cockpit can be used as living space during inclement weather
2) Marine toilet with holding tank if you plan to stay out overnight away from a marina
3) Good ventilation in cabin- at least opening port lights and overhead hatch
4) Look for boats with ample storage. With four people, a place for everything and everything in its place.

Powerplant on this class of boat should be at least 5.7L, bigger if you can find it. Merc or Volvo-Penta outdrive with duoprop is best. Probably should avoid OMC outdrive. Almost any boat in this class will have trim tabs.

I'm sure other posters will have different opinions and priorities.

 

[Blind Date]

With a single engine cruiser don't settle for anything less than a MerCruiser B3 or Volvo DP. And NO 5.0 engines! Minimum 5.7

Get a boat with good ventilation - No tinted port holes that don't open

No porta potties - get a real head with a holding tank.

Camper canvas is a must have. They are expensive to add later on.

Make sure it has good/easy access to the bow.

If you have kids a swim platform is nice!

The less cloth/carpet down below the better! Stay away from boats with carpeted headliners. Vinyl is easy to clean and and doesn't mold/mildew.

Buy based on style, layout, & amenities! Get aboard every boat you can and check it out. Decide what you like best (may be more than one boat) and then find one worth buying. Don't be afraid to travel. My SeaRay came from Ohio, I'm in Minnesota.

I own a SeaRay but I'm a big fan of Regal cruisers. Definitely check them out. Check out everything!

 

[hogbare35]

Checking out the boat is very important ,but check the trailer as well . If you plan to tow a 26' boat with a 1/2 ton truck you better have trailer brakes that are in good shape .

 

[roffey]

IMHO, I think you should reconsider the single engine, two is better than one. I had a 26 foot Wellcraft with a 5.7. They are impossible to paddle into shore, trust me, LOL.

 

[dave47165]

Thanks all for the advice so far.
Blind Date, The Carpet or lack of is something I definitely want. the head on my Hurricane has almost a car type headliner What a pain to keep clean.

Four Winns, As for the tow vehicle, I am lucky enough to have a company supplied truck and am due for a new one. I have already laid the case for an F250.

roffey, As for the single engine, I am wanting to keep maint. and gas costs down but am not opposed to have a second power plant. unfortunately, I am seeing quite a few twins with 4.3 Liters in them.

This brings another question, Radar Arch or Not? while most of the time we will be putting around on local lakes (Monroe Res., Lake Cumberland, Dale Hollow, KY Lake) My wife and I are really wanting to go on the Ohio to cruise to Cincy or down to the Mississippi which requires going through locks on the river. we also want to do Lake Michigan. While the arch looks good would it be a necessity for the rivers and maybe Lake Michigan?

And my last question. Beam, I know that 8ft 6 is the max beam width for towing. However, is anyone really bothered by police if the beam is around 10ft or less?

 

[roffey]

Just as a FYI, the 4.3 is close to and in some cases more HP than the 5.0.The 4.3 EFI is 220 hp. I don't think gas consumption will go up but up keep (I think) would double.

 

[mr 88]

Twin 4.3s are a lot better than a single 454 . A 5.7 on a 26-28 footer is going to be a dog with a crew of 4 and enough supplies for a weekend of partying. To get it up on plane with a 454 you are going to have to keep it floored and more or less work that engine to death. 12 cylinders vs 8 means more torque coming out of the hole without hammering the throttle . The only difference in gas might be the drag of the 2nd outdrive and if trimmed out correctly and having the extra prop pushing you ,meaning less slippage it may get better a better fuel burn rate. Upkeep ? one more oil /gas filter and a few quarts of oil ,maybe a extra battery which is not a bad thing in a boat . I prefer the piece of mind that you will get back to port on your own if one engine craps out.

 

[boatman37]

i have a 25' CC with a 5.7. my first trip out i had 7 on board (but with a dinged up prop) and couldn't get on plane. with the new prop and 5 people i can get on plane but it does take awhile. i would definitely not want the 5.0 in a 25'er

 

[Blind Date]

And my last question. Beam, I know that 8ft 6 is the max beam width for towing. However, is anyone really bothered by police if the beam is around 10ft or less?

I don't think you'd have to worry with a 9' beam but 10' might be pushing it. Then with a 10' beam your probably looking at a 28' boat or better which gets more demanding to tow and launch.

At this point in your search I'd recommend getting aboard every 8.5' beam cruiser you can and determine if they are gonna have the room you need/desire. If not then look into something with a wider beam.

 

[Natesms]

As others have said, pump out head!

I'll weigh in on the twin 4.3's vs a single big block.

First, if you go single motor, you want a big block with duo prop, otherwise you'll be measuring hole shot in terms of miles not seconds. I had a 25 ft'r with a 5.0 and some days she couldn't even make it on plane.

I think you would be happier with the twin 4.3's. I really doubt gas is going to be a big difference, and the extra power + maneuverability makes up for it. Don't be scared of the maintenance with the dual engine setup. I switched to a dual engine 4 years ago and yes, it is double the cost and work for your normal maintenance items. However, it doesn't feel like "double the work" when it comes time to do it. You just get in a grove and since they are matching you fly through it the 2nd time.

The redundancy is very nice. I've lost a motor for any number of reasons and being able to power somewhere safe to work on it is priceless at that point in time. Troubleshooting is also easier. If one is acting up, for example you think the fuel pump is out, you just swap the part from the running motor over to the broken one and see if it resolves it. Less guess work.

 

[frantically relaxing]

We just bought your perfect boat earlier this year (ok, our perfect boat anyway)--
Unfortunately we've only been able to use it twice, due to low water and my business schedule. But I found out a lot in those two trips...

Obviously the boat is the Regal in my signature. It's a 2003 2860 Commodore. 28'er with a 9'11" beam. That extra foot-and-a-half does make a difference. It was well taken care of, and the price was under $35k. She has a pair of 4.3's to push her around. The Regal has the stepped hull, and some folks were telling me she might be hard to get up on plane because of that. The most pleasant surprise was to find this reasonably large boat gets fully on plane in about 5 seconds. After that she's no high-speed demon, around 40 was what I got out of her, but I didn't get much trimming practice. Also note we're at 4400' altitude. She cruised nicely about 31 mph at 34-3500 rpm. Rode like a new Escalade on the salt flats.

The cockpit layout is nice, has a nice L-seat on the port side and a double helm seat, behind which is a table and back-to-back seats. There's a sink, hot/cold shower and a refer all next to the transom door. Down below is quite large, headroom is like 6'6". The big beam helps, and the fixed V-berth is NICE, no breaking down the dining room to sleep! The midcabin is plenty roomy, but the entrance is to it is a bit of a pain, but this isn't uncommon on cruisers. There's also another refer downstairs which is nice, and it's under the V-berth, leaving more usable cabinet space. Lots of cabinets and places to store stuff, HOWEVER, there's not much storage space up top! (Our Chap 262ssi Bowrider had acres of storage under the seats)

She's a bit heavy, just about 10,000# wet with the trailer. And even though I've herded 53' of SkipperLiner around for 10 years, this boat feels big when sitting in the captain's chair

At 28' it's a big step up from a Hurricane, but you'd get used to something this big quickly. Towing this thing for long distances, if you have a truck with enough guts and good brakes on the trailer (I'm changing out the surge brakes for electrics) shouldn't be too bad.

A 24-26 footer may be do-able for your needs. Our last crusier was an '88 SunRunner Ultra 252, not a small boat but was only 23' on center. Had a 5.7 Volvo that was a bit underpowered, some tighter props helped with that. We had a lot of good times on that boat. But the Regal's extra size and power is very noticeable, and welcome!

So that's my

on the subject! Pics of the Regal and Sun Runner for ref..

 

[four winns 214]

This brings another question, Radar Arch or Not? while most of the time we will be putting around on local lakes (Monroe Res., Lake Cumberland, Dale Hollow, KY Lake) My wife and I are really wanting to go on the Ohio to cruise to Cincy or down to the Mississippi which requires going through locks on the river. we also want to do Lake Michigan. While the arch looks good would it be a necessity for the rivers and maybe Lake Michigan?

I've cruised 925 miles of the Ohio River, from Pittsburgh to just below Smithland Lock & Dam in a 21' Sea Ray cuddy. Obviously, no radar arch on that little bug smasher. If you're considering a radar arch to have radar on board your vessel, I suggest instead having technology on board permitting the display of XM weather. I've used that A LOT on my boats. I spend $30 a month for it and it's been worth every penny. I'm well aware that weather radar images can be displayed on cell phones, but having the NEXRAD radar overlaid on navigation charts is very nice and cell coverage is far from universal on the water. I put it to good use on Kentucky Lake several days last month.

I have zero experience boating on Lake Michigan. Hopefully someone will chime in and discuss the pros of having on-board radar on those waters.

 

[Thalasso]

Okay let the search begin, We currently have an 08 Hurricane and have decided that we enjoy boating to the point that we want to buy a cruiser. My parameters are that it must be towable. We live within 4 hours drive of some very large lakes and the Ohio River is in our back yard. we are looking for something in the 40k price range.
My questions are.

1.What are some of the "Must Haves" for a cabin cruiser that will double as a Camper for weekends and the occasional week long vacation? sleeping 4
2. What power plant configurations should I avoid? (I would like to stay with one engine)
3. Any Manufacturers to avoid?

I'm sure I'll think of more questions as this progresses.
Thanks In advance
Dave

Never mind i see your in IN

 

[dave47165]

We just bought your perfect boat earlier this year (ok, our perfect boat anyway)--
Unfortunately we've only been able to use it twice, due to low water and my business schedule. But I found out a lot in those two trips...

Obviously the boat is the Regal in my signature. It's a 2003 2860 Commodore. 28'er with a 9'11" beam. That extra foot-and-a-half does make a difference. It was well taken care of, and the price was under $35k. She has a pair of 4.3's to push her around. The Regal has the stepped hull, and some folks were telling me she might be hard to get up on plane because of that. The most pleasant surprise was to find this reasonably large boat gets fully on plane in about 5 seconds. After that she's no high-speed demon, around 40 was what I got out of her, but I didn't get much trimming practice. Also note we're at 4400' altitude. She cruised nicely about 31 mph at 34-3500 rpm. Rode like a new Escalade on the salt flats.

The cockpit layout is nice, has a nice L-seat on the port side and a double helm seat, behind which is a table and back-to-back seats. There's a sink, hot/cold shower and a refer all next to the transom door. Down below is quite large, headroom is like 6'6". The big beam helps, and the fixed V-berth is NICE, no breaking down the dining room to sleep! The midcabin is plenty roomy, but the entrance is to it is a bit of a pain, but this isn't uncommon on cruisers. There's also another refer downstairs which is nice, and it's under the V-berth, leaving more usable cabinet space. Lots of cabinets and places to store stuff, HOWEVER, there's not much storage space up top! (Our Chap 262ssi Bowrider had acres of storage under the seats)

She's a bit heavy, just about 10,000# wet with the trailer. And even though I've herded 53' of SkipperLiner around for 10 years, this boat feels big when sitting in the captain's chair

At 28' it's a big step up from a Hurricane, but you'd get used to something this big quickly. Towing this thing for long distances, if you have a truck with enough guts and good brakes on the trailer (I'm changing out the surge brakes for electrics) shouldn't be too bad.

A 24-26 footer may be do-able for your needs. Our last crusier was an '88 SunRunner Ultra 252, not a small boat but was only 23' on center. Had a 5.7 Volvo that was a bit underpowered, some tighter props helped with that. We had a lot of good times on that boat. But the Regal's extra size and power is very noticeable, and welcome!

So that's my

on the subject! Pics of the Regal and Sun Runner for ref..

You are correct! You probably did buy our perfect boat! We really like the Regals

 

[wrvond]

Dave - thanks for starting this thread, I have learned so much already!

 

[Blind Date]

Twin 4.3s are a lot better than a single 454 . A 5.7 on a 26-28 footer is going to be a dog with a crew of 4 and enough supplies for a weekend of partying.

I won't argue some of the benefits of having twins but if you looking at a truly trailerable cruiser your stuck with an 8.5' or at most 9' beam. The issue with twins then becomes repairs and simple maintenance. They are stuffed in there so tight you don't have room to change your mind and working on the engines or any of the boats systems becomes an absolute nightmare. I can sit in front of the engine on my 250 an easily access both the port and starboard sides. The water heater, vacuflush system, batteries & holding tanks are all accessible. I pull the fresh water circulation pump off my motor every fall to inspect the impeller because it is so easy to do due to how accessible it is. It takes longer to get the floor moved out of the way than it does to drain the motor. My boat was available with a BB but personally for a lot of reasons I prefer the SB.

 

[frantically relaxing]

'Truly Trailerable'...

This is a pic of my 4th boat, bought it in the spring of '81. It's a '73 Reinell, 24' with a normal 8' beam, with cuddy, dining table on the port side, galley behind the helm, and a pair of Chrysler 318 V8's under the rear deck. As tight as you might think that was, I had no trouble changing spark plugs. Starter motors & such could've been a nightmare but that was never an issue.

On Lake Powell in '83 (when the pic was taken), the year of our infamous floods, debris in the water took out the starboard bellows, which caused that outdrive to take on water. We were halfway between Bullfrog and Hite when we noticed something was wrong. The truck & trailer was parked at Wahweap. Somewhere in the neighborhood of 120 miles away...

But we had a second engine

That day is forever etched into my brain, and the reason I will never try to talk anyone out of a 2-engine boat...

 

[Blind Date]

Stockton Island - Apostle Islands, Lake Superior. Blind Date has 6 extra engines to get her home if a problem arises . Or a ship to shore radio. In 13 years it's never left me dead in the water yet!