Newbie boat questions.. Boat brands.. Regal/Sea Ray/Larson/Crownline?

[geardaddy]

Greetings.. First post on the forums.. Looking for some general advice on brands of boats.. We "may" be in the market for a 24-28ft bowrider and don't know all that much about the different makes available..

Here is what we are looking for.. 1. Comfortable cruising boat for up to 8ish folks. 2. Ability to ski/tube 3. Do some fishing from 4. Possibly use a trout line to do some light crabbing in the Chesapeake bay.. I know that's alot to ask from one boat. Most likley the boat will be either slipped or put in a boat house when we are not using it.. Budget of around 50,000 - 65K.

All that being said, went to the Baltimore Boat show this weekend and found a few boats that to a novice who knows nothing, looked like they would fit the bill..

We liked the Sea Ray 240 Sundek, Larson 288LXI, Regal 2520 fastdeck, and the Crownline 252 EX..

The Larson was really nice in that it was bigger for the same price as the other 24-25 foot boats.. All the dealers were "talkin' smack" about all the other brands.. I've heard that regals are very good quality boats, but that's about all that I know..

What is the skinny on these brands? Is the larson a good value for the money or are they junk? Would you steer clear of any of these brands?

Thanks for any input.. need some non biased advice!

John..

 

[gjgm]

like anything else, you tend to get about what you pay for. SeaRay are the old daddy of quality run arounds, but modern techniques and so on mean many others have caught up, if not over taken them. Regal are very good at sportsboats, though I m not keen on the larger offerings. I wouldnt get too fazed by the hull promotional stuff-marginal, I would say. Its a good premium product- you ll be pleased with it, but they are expensive. Crownline seem okay, Chaparral are good;Id suggest Larson/Glastron are a bit down the quality ladder.
You can spot yourself, though. Look at the quality of fittings, the gelcoat,carpet,attention to detail etc. The hull will define the best usage for the boat. Some are a bit more for performance, others for space on board. A good indication is the deadrise angle 22-24 is performance,19-21 more leisurely, but the higher angle might well need more power.
In the end, you ll find a boat/price that excites you..just dont fall for too much sales patter, or eye candy. And new boats do go wrong, so having a local dealer is probably better than having one 200 miles away!

 

[Kipper]

Hi and welcome

I had a look at the new Chaparral extreem range the other day and they do a truly amaizing 24 footer, it looks and feels at least 4 feet bigger. The Sea Rays are always good quality too but the rest are much of a muchness.

Good luck

Gary

 

[KCook]

Err, you may be on the wrong site for US waters! Here is a link to somebody else, in your area, who has been through the same process -

http://www.boatingabc.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Board=1&Number=39091

wude colonial

 

[i_sail]

my first ever boat was a glastron GS249 (glastron same company and same factory as larson) and i was very happy with it, yes the finish was to a price and the quality fair not exceptional BUT she was a great boat lots of fun, if that helps at all

 

[Sundays_Child]

Re: Newbie boat questions.. Boat brands.. Regal/Sea Ray/Larson/Crownli

My favourites at that size are:

Doral Elite 265 Bow Rider
http://www.doralboat.com/brochure-gallery.aspx?modelid=108994

Chaparral SSX 276:
http://www.chaparralboats.com/container/chaparral.html

I don't know much about the new Chaparral Sunesta 264 Wide Tech, but I'd certainly take a look.