Pointers on a sport cruiser

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Theantony

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Hi.
First post here, I'm looking to buy a small sport cruiser around 20-25k something like a Sea Ray 240 or a regal commodore or are there any others out there for that sought of money that I'm missing.
It's for use in Poole Dorset mainly day and the odd overnight cruise.
My main questions are after much research but still undecided.
Petrol or diesel.
What's the best for power on a 7.5m boat.
What's best for maintenance cost against running cost etc.

Antony
 
Another vote for the Sealine. Accommodation and build quality much better for our coastal use than most of the US boats of this size, which are mainly designed for their lakes. I say this as one who started on a US boat of this size. Used mine on the Norfolk Broads and worked very well for us.
 
I have a Sea Ray 240 in Poole.
We are very pleased with it.
Petrol availability not an issue in Poole.
Petrol nicer to use in terms of performance and driveability
Petrol dearer to run in terms of fuel cost per mile, cheaper to maintain and repair.
The petrol / diesel question was debated in a lively manner on a thread here earlier this year.
Some people have a safety issue with petrol, others don't.
The cost of use argument varies with how much you use it and how far you go.
If you have any specific questions about the Sea Ray feel free to ask.
 
At 24 ft petrol will be tolerable unless you expect to be putting on vast sea mileage. If berthed you will have to pay a premium for petrol, but if trailered you can of course fill up at Tesco etc.
This size is USA territory so there should be a good selection and petrol boats should be reasonably priced. You might have to do a bit of man maths and just think of a total annual fuel cost because otherwise you start thinking..a 100 quid just to go there...If you just accept it is £1500 to 2000 a year then the daily outing cost doesnt matter ?Not knocking diesel, but you will pay a premium for the boat and in reality over a probable fifty hours a year of local use it is a bit questionable if you benefit from the cheaper fuel aspect. On balance, I would look at both as no two boats are ever the same and you can then decide if you spot one that you really like.
Outdrives are fine but they need regular attention so I would want to see complete annual service record because cutting corners on this part of maintenance can really damage your wallet.
At some time you will change boat, so there is a logic in buying the best example that you can because when you come to sell you really don't want to be trying to sell duff version when there are others about.
Personally I think there is much more day boating to do up in the Solent. If you are going to berth, then MDL do allow you to move your boat between marinas so you could spend some time around Poole and some time up in the Solent.
 
At that size,youll get more choice from petrol engined boats.

The american boats are where you will be looking most likely.

Sea ray are good as are the others mentioned here, id also add cobalt boats as very worthy of consideration.

With regards to maintenance costs, i previously owned a mercruiser petrol powered sea ray,and now own a volvo diesel powered windy. The parts prices on the diesel volvo are eye watering compared to the merc petrol.
 
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Thanks for your advice very helpful.
I did wonder are the American cruisers better on the lake rather than the sea.
it seems the I'm leaning toward a petrol as the diesel bills do look hefty. As I'm not looking to do a huge amount of miles and will probably be using the boat just one month in a year and the performance on a petrol does seem to be the better for a boat that size. It will probably be moored either dry or swinging.
Thanks
Antony.
 
With regards to are american boats better on lakes than sea, i dont think you can generalise like that, some will be, some wont be. Look at the deadrise of the hull as an indicator ,the greater the angle should mean theyll be better at handling some chop.

A lot of petrol engines use raw water for cooling,which if you boat on the sea means that salt water will be circulating through the entire engine,which after a very long time will mean the collant passageways become corroded and blocked and eventually cause the engine to be scrapped, however this takes so long to occur that imo its a non issue. A bigger issue is ensuring that things like exhaust manifold risers (if the engine uses 'wet' riseters) have been replaced as per schedule,if they havent then this can cause premature engine failure. Mercruiser moved away from wet risers in around 2002 for most of their small block v8's so this mode of failure is not an issue in engines that have'dry' risers,not sure if volvo did the same.

You can find petrol engines with closed cooling circuits that dont use raw water to cool the engines, these are less common than raw water cooled.
 
If buying an American sports cruiser with Mercruiser engine I agree with the above comments

1/ Check that manifolds and risers have been replaced in the last 5 years
2/ Check condition of steering arm on top of drive as this corrodes and is very expensive to repair
3/Specifically for Rinker boats check that fuel tank is not corroded(if more than 10 years old it almost certainly is) Replacement involves cutting out the floor and bulkhead of rear cabin and possibly removing engine as well. Don,t ask me how I know!!
4/Make sure drive is in good condition.

I have a Rinker fiesta vee 27 and have had to deal with all of the above
 
Re deadrise..24 degrees is deep and 17 is shallow on these boats. For Uk sea I would be wanting a deeper V...more 24 than 17 then!
Remember USA lakes can be the size of some countries !
 
I have had a Monterey American Sports Cruiser for over a year now. This year and last year I have taken it down to the West Country from Southampton, and have experienced some fair old chop. I would not class the Monterey as a lake boat, as it smashes through a F4/5 happily. If you are wind with tide, I had mine in F6 (unintentionally but it was fine!).

Mine is a diesel but they are definitely premium in cost. However they hold their value well. I am not sure on distances you would want to travel, but petrol is available all around the south coast marinas.

If you find some specific makes that you like, post it to this forum. You'll get some honest answers. I dont know about other American Sports Cruisers other than my Monterey 275CR (previously the 250cr in older versions).
 
Another happy US sportsboat owner here (Monterey). Some US sports cruiser may be built for lake use, but definitely not all of them. Petrol engines are relatively easy and cheap to maintain (I did use the word "relatively"!). I also want to add that the quality of the gel coat of many US boats is better than that of their European/UK counterparts.
 
250cr looks to have a 292litre fuel tank, based on 2 mpg, and keeping 20% reserve,that should give a range of around 100 miles
 
julians said:
250cr looks to have a 292litre fuel tank, based on 2 mpg, and keeping 20% reserve,that should give a range of around 100 miles
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Which wouldn't be enough range where we cruise!

Plus when you get where you are going petrol most probably won't be available waterside............

All depends how the OP plans to use the boat and where they plan to cruise.
 
CX54WEK said:
Which wouldn't be enough range where we cruise!

Plus when you get where you are going petrol most probably won't be available waterside............

All depends how the OP plans to use the boat and where they plan to cruise.
Click to expand...

He,s said in the 1 st post ^^^^ it’s for knocking about in Poole area ,presume the harbour.
A petrol single is ideal £££ wise for this ,low running ,low buying ,low servicing etc === for low miles and use age .
Like an out board really I guess .
 
for the usage described by the OP i'd consider an outboard model, in fact i considered it and then bought one. The living accom tends to be more restricted and basic, and i don't recall seeing one with 4 berths, but they're cheaper to buy, and much cheaper and easier to run. Checkout the likes of Nordkapp, Finnmaster, ocean master, or walkarounds such as those from karnic, white shark or cap camarat. They're not for everyone, but the more types of boats you consider, the more likely you are to choose the best option for you.
 
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