Rinker Fiesta Vee 266

[thamesS23]

saw one of these for sale at the weekend - was up for £25k. Not knowing anything about this make (looking for first boat, so learning all the time), anyone know anything about this make and model?
good make? reliable?
any advice and tips - its got a petrol Mercruiser 5.7L and I would be looking to use it on the thames

 

[Whitelighter]

Need a bit more info - what year, how many hours etc. All in all, Rinkers have a fairly good reputation among American sports boats.

 

[thamesS23]

forgot to ask engine hours - its a 1998
web link here
rinker

 

[spannerman]

There are 3 in town that I have serviced , one belonging to a friend which I used to borrow often, good solid boats, but like many US boats prone to rain water getting into the engine room, so check for corrosion at the back of the motor around the transom shield and steering.
Also skylights and portholes can leak, other than that pretty good boats.
Obviously check the motor, its probably seawater cooled so look for rust marks and leaks water or oil, if its 5 yrs or more you could be faced with changing the manifolds and risers soon, you should be able to place your hand on these, if they are too hot to touch then they are probably blocked and need replacing. Very easy but not cheap.
Make sure all the electrics/hydraulics work, trim tabs if fitted, drive trim, and check drive for damage/corrosion. And it shifts smoothly with no rumbling noises on full lock at idle as this indicates a knackered U/J, and of courses that the bellows are in good condition and replaced in the last 3 yrs.

 

[makkers]

Can't comment on the engine, but, Rinker fall into the classic awb US sports cruiser category and for me I believe that they make some of the better US import 22 - 27ft pocket / sports cruisers notably the stonking 232 cuddy knocking the spots of any equiv.’s out there in recent years.

Sadly Rinker have little presence in the UK which is a shame and maybe a problem for spares / repairs etc especially if your looking outside of the manu warranty period, and now with only one remaining major dealer in the UK this narrows your options again.

Highly regarded boats in terms of value for money in the US and until recently they were still a family owned business and that if you tried really hard and wanted the results the top man could be got on the phone. They do still try and maintain a decent quality of customer service especially if you can’t or won’t talk to one of their dealers.

Take a good look at the Rinker you have eyeballed against its counterparts and I think that you will see that the Rinker will appear to carry its age better in terms of wear, tear quality and style.

Mine is 5 years old and lined up against one or two ‘other’ pocket cruiser equiv.’s still looks good and with no major faults. Have had numerous comments on her good looks, swmbo’s face can be a picture when she realises they are not actually referring to her /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif