Thinking of buying a Crownline 242 - any advice??

[lizamac]

I am new here, and my family is new to boating. We have been looking for several months now. We recently found a crownline 242 (a 2000 model) literally hardly used, in excellent condition, and it is 32,900. We have never seen one this low (as a matter of fact there are a couple in the low 40's nearby as well that are not nearly as nice)....<br /><br />Anyone here have experience with crownline? Id love to hear good and bad points, and any additional advice you might have for the novice.<br /><br />Thanks!<br /><br />Liz (and Dave)

 

[Solittle]

Re: Thinking of buying a Crownline 242 - any advice??

Welcome - That is a good sized boat for folks who are new to boating. It may be a great deal but you need to find that out before you dump your wallet (or purse) upside down. It is sad to read posts from folks who have spent a bucketfull and are frustrated to find out the all kinds of things don't work on their first trip out.<br /><br />What does it have for power?<br /><br />If trailerable what will you be pulling it with?<br /><br />I would have it surveyed or at least gone over by a marine mechanic. There may be a reason for the low price.

 

[MrBill]

Re: Thinking of buying a Crownline 242 - any advice??

Crownline makes a top-flight product. The issues with a used boat that is relatively new and well constructed like Crownline tend to isolated to drive and engine...have they been cared for and winterized properly? ever damaged and repaired? and is the boat properly powered? To reduce the price of a new boat, novices tend to cut back on engine size and/or out-drive, not understanding the significant reduction in resale value they will experience because experienced boaters want and need power to pursue active watersports, etc. A 23 foot boat like that should have a minimum of 5.0 L or more, probably 260 HP. Check Edmunds for value also. Good luck...that a lot of boat for a beginner...be careful.

 

[captoats]

Re: Thinking of buying a Crownline 242 - any advice??

What are you trying to do with your new boat? Ski, camp, cruise, etc? Are you going to trailer or slip the boat? What kind of boating experience does your family have?<br /><br />Crownline builds a nice product and a 3 year old boat with low hours should not have problems. As MrBill so correctly points out, many dealers order the larger boats with undersized engines to keep the price down. You don't want a underpowered boat of this size for many reasons, resale being one of them. <br /><br />I have a 1997 Four Winns 245 Sundowner cuddy with a 280 HP Volvo 5.7L EFI motor with the Duo-Prop setup that is about the same size as the one you are considering. The engine powers this boat nicely, even with 10 adults onboard, but is by no means over powered. I would not want anything smaller for a boat this size.<br /><br />I am thinking of moving up in size and went to my local Sea Ray dealer to look at the 260 Sundancer. Keep in mind this boat probably weighs at least a thousand pounds more than my Four Winns. The dealer stocks this with a 5.0 EFI Bravo 3 and tries to tell me that is all I need! Having had many boats, I know better.<br /><br />Point I am trying to make is don't buy a boat on price alone. Be sure it fits the mission you have in mind and remember, the perfect boat is always 3 feet longer than the one you have so think about the resale side.

 

[jmoerner]

Re: Thinking of buying a Crownline 242 - any advice??

LizS,<br />My Wife & I just got our brand new 242 about a month ago .... and we love it! We looked at several boats in the size and price range and just liked the Crownline best. We shopped around and ended up upgrading the engine ( as noted by everyone else ) to a 350 mag MPI with a bravo 3 prop. We cannot say anything bad about it except also being somewhat new, have not been checking all the fluid levels evey time out. We needed to add some stern drive fluids 3rd time out.<br /><br />By the way, we are keeping ours in a Boatel, this can be trailered, but by a big truck and try not to have to much fuel or water or wxtra stuff on her, she is pretty heavy.<br /><br />As far as buying a used boat, we ended up buying new because my wife was skiddish. But now knowing several people, I would get a professional to look at it, but eveyone we have met seems to take good care of a boat that new.<br /><br />John