Question regarding express cruiser market/survey.

search www.yachtworld.com you can search by price range, year range,etc...

while i still believe that a Volvo powered outdrive is fine in year round salt water (isn't it a shame that Merc manage to ruin all IO reputation ?) you can find older and larger inboards around 50k. Larger is nice of course although fuel costs will be significanly higher.

ex http://www.yachtworld.com/core/listing/boatFullDetails.jsp?boat_id=1667200
 
How about outboards if you're really concerned about sterndrive corrosion? There are plenty of nice outboard boats even in the 27-29 ft range these days. And the motors are certainly up to the task.
 
That's very helpful -- thanks Pascal and Lou. I looked at the yachtworld link of the 1991 Wellcraft and it's a very cool boat -- now it's very very tempting to move up to that size. But since I'd be doing that to save cost and hassle, would getting a boat of that size pretty much even out with a 28 foot in the long run? For example, with the 28 foot out drive, would the time and money I'll spend in maintenance pretty much equal the time and money I'll spend in making various repairs and fixing problems with a 15 year old 35 foot boat, paying for the larger slip size, as well as the significantly increased amount of gas I'll need to power that thing? The way I figure it, I could haul out the 27 foot outdrive every four months for checkups/repairs (not that anyone would actually do that), and I'd probably still come out paying less than the extra expense of a 15 year old 35 foot boat.

Again, I'm new to this stuff so I could be way off here. I don't know. But I greatly appreciate all of the helpful advice!!
 
One more question -- how do you generally tell when looking at yachtworld.com whether a boat is an inboard or outdrive? I'm not sure how to tell in some of the "borderline" lengths like 32 or 34 feet.
 
you can't search for inboard or IO, unfortunately. usually, the ad will tell you what it is, they might show pictures of the sterndrives to show there conditions.

costs go up on a larger boat, but not as much as you may think. fuel and dockage obviously... maintenance not that much. a twin stern drive 29 will have more or less the same equiment as a twin inboard 36. 2 engines, a genny, air con, steering, electronics, water pump, a head, a windlass, a fridge, etc... not a big difference.

as to age, read these forums for a while and you will quickly find plenty of stories of people with new boats having far more problem than older boats. how the boat was build and well maintained it is is more important than age.

if you want to start simple, get a simple express, in the 26 to 29 range, with a single volvo sterndrive and see how it goes. if you buy used, you will not loose a lot of you trade up in a year or 2.

Outboards are an alternative too, but most outboards are more fishing oriented than pure cruisers...
 
Dak,

Look for a 27 on a trailer. Save the slip rent and the constant salt water on your boat. Have a trailer built for the small cruiser you choose.
 
Sea Ray makes a 290 Amberjack. It came with I/B's as an option. I believe they have a version in the models years you are looking for. but they are pricey
 
Rinker sells their boats with a choice of Merc or Volvo Penta, so you might be able to find a used Rinker with a VP outdrive. Nice boat and the chicks dig it!
 
also look for fresh water cooled (fwc) engines. over the long run, you'll need to replace expensive parts (like risers and manifolds) less frequently.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top