Input on "other brands"

dpvandy01

dpvandy01

Well-Known Member
Sep 6, 2007
2,535
Cincinnati, Ohio/Ohio River and SW Florida Gulf
Boat Info
2007 38 Sundancer
&
2014 Sea Fox 256 Commander
Engines
Twin 8.1L Close Cooled V-Drives & 300 Yamaha OB
My 1986 190 Seville has returned to port tied to the stern of another boat FOR THE LAST TIME!!!!! We plan to replace the old tub with a newer bowrider. My preference is clearly Sea Ray but in the price range the Ministry of Finance has allocated I am afraid I'm limitted. SO that being said I am looking at few other brands and I would like some opinions on their quality.. Engine size and brand are not the issue as Mercruiser is Mercruiser and Volvo is Volvo without regard to what fiberglass surrounds them. So I am looking at 2008 thru 2011 Larson's, 2011 & 2012 Bayliner's, a 2008 185 Sea Ray, 2006 thru 2008 Glastron, 2008 Four Winns, 2011 Crownline's, 2011 Tahoe, and 2011 Rinker.... All of the above range between $17,000 and $24,000... All are in the 18' range. Here is the question.. How do these boats stack up when it comes to fit and finish, overall quality and so on??


Sea Ray,
Larson,
Bayliner,
Glastron,
Four Winns,
Crownline,
Tahoe,
Rinker,


Thoughts???? Feel free to order these in order of ranking on quality.. Thanks in advance
 
In my opinion I think the Sea Ray and Four Winns are the only ones worth considering in terms of fit/finish, quality and re-sale (maybe Crownline).

My Ranking would be:
Sea Ray
Four Winns
Crownline
Rinker
Larson
Bayliner
Glastron
Tahoe
 
Don't sleep on Chaparral, I thought my previous boat was VERY Nice...
 
Chaparral has a new H2O series that is in you price range and is very comparable to Sea Ray in quality. Monterey is another brand you should check out and is lower cost than either Sea Ray or Chap.
 
How do they stack up against Sea Ray boats? Look at any 5 year old off-brand and you will see that they don't stack up.

My son just bought an '04 190 Sundeck lake boat that had a total of 89 hours on it. Needs some detailing, but you literally cannot tell the interior and mechanicals from a new one. Price was $9,200. I just bought a Whaler Dauntless 15 w/ 75 hp Merc. and while it might be a little small for you, the Whalers are nearly indestructible. Do yourself a favor and look around before you make a move you will regret.
 
fwebster said:
How do they stack up against Sea Ray boats? Look at any 5 year old off-brand and you will see that they don't stack up.

My son just bought an '04 190 Sundeck lake boat that had a total of 89 hours on it. Needs some detailing, but you literally cannot tell the interior and mechanicals from a new one. Price was $9,200. I just bought a Whaler Dauntless 15 w/ 75 hp Merc. and while it might be a little small for you, the Whalers are nearly indestructible. Do yourself a favor and look around before you make a move you will regret.
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Good grief, just how many shares of BC and HZO do you own???Nice boats, but give me a break, there are other makes out there that would fitthe bill of the OP, geez.

I know, I know, it is a SR forum, etc., and I have very few posts, right???
 
Four Winns, I'm on my third. Monterey looks like a pretty decent boat, although not as nice as FW. Crownline is pretty good from what I hear.
 
windowwasher said:
Good grief, just how many shares of BC and HZO do you own???Nice boats, but give me a break, there are other makes out there that would fitthe bill of the OP, geez.

I know, I know, it is a SR forum, etc., and I have very few posts, right???
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Smart assed comments might be better off in the Holding Tank.
 
Regal seems to be a good choice. Stay away from Tahoe they look like they would fall apart on the trailer. Cheep
 
I wouldn't count out finding something a little older such as a 2001 sea ray 190. An older boat which was used and maintained may offer you more comfort than the newer boats in the range your looking at. Specifically compare the beam and length minus any bolted on swim platform. Those early 2000's sea rays are high quality with fiberglass liners and no potential structure issues. The extra beam makes a world of difference and if you bolt on a platform you could instantantly create a 21 foot boat.
 
blaster said:
I wouldn't count out finding something a little older such as a 2001 sea ray 190. An older boat which was used and maintained may offer you more comfort than the newer boats in the range your looking at. Specifically compare the beam and length minus any bolted on swim platform. Those early 2000's sea rays are high quality with fiberglass liners and no potential structure issues. The extra beam makes a world of difference and if you bolt on a platform you could instantantly create a 21 foot boat.
Click to expand...

A good point but my wife will not go for anything older than a 2006.. this is not negotiable.
 
dpvandy01 said:
A good point but my wife will not go for anything older than a 2006.. this is not negotiable.
Click to expand...


Dont be scared of a well maintained sea ray 180 / 190 series, my family and I have trusted and still trust our 2001 sea ray 180
 
What problems are you having with the boat you currently own? C'mon - It's a machine, It can be fixed....

LK
 
My wife and I almost boat a Regal before landing the Sundeck. They are nice boats with good fit and finish. You also might be able to find a smaller Cobalt bowrider within that year and price tag.
 
You can nix Bayliner, Glastron, Tahoe and Rinker off your list right from the get go. Glastron's are not bad boats as far as construction but their add on's are not up to my quality standards. Monterey makes a nice boat I owned one in the past. Someone listed Rinker above Larson?? No way.. Larson makes a great boat. Four Winns would make my list as would Crownline and Chapperal.
 
Larsons are ok to drive but the problem I've seen is in the quality of the gel coat. Lots of spider cracks on many of the larsons I've seen. Glastron has made some nice boats thru the years but their better models have outboard power. Chapperal makes a quality boat and four winns are nice too. The cobalts are nice but they have nothing on sea ray. Also check out bryant boats, their built really solid.
 
Revised List (without bias)
Regal
Monterey
Sea Ray
Chaparral
Four Winns
Crownline
Rinker
Bayliner
Tahoe

You NEED to look at each brand and judge for yourself. A few here have not looked past Sea Ray in years, and the other builders do offer a quality boat for a good price. There is not as big a difference between brands as their was 10 years ago. It's really a matter of what features,layout you like best, and what fits your budget.
 
Of the above Revised List here's my experience:

Regal: Have a few buddies with Regals. Seem to be a real nice boat. The guy I bought my SR from replaced it with a 235 Regal Cuddy, and while it seems to be a bit underpowered (350), its a nice ride and great layout.

Monterey: No experience other than hearing that they make a good boat

Sea Ray: Obviously most anyone here's choice. I figured myself a speed boat guy and was looking for one when a deal on my 200 was too good to pass up. For an '89 the thing looks brand new with timeless lines. Same goes for just about any other Sea Ray. I have a couple of tears in the cushions but essentially my boat looks brand new and its 23 years old. I've been wanting a bigger, faster boat pretty much ever since I got mine (4th season) but I keep looking at newer Sea Rays because the materials they use seem to be excellent quality. I really wish they would have made a 24' Pachanga!

Chaparral: Same as Monterey

Four Winns: Again suppose to be a great boat. My business partner had one for years before he bought his now Crownline. His whole family loved that boat.

Crownline: As noted above, my business partner has a 225BR with the 7.4. I really like this boat to the tune if he decides to sell it, I'll be tempted to buy it even though I'm now looking in the 24-27' range. Quick, nice interior, and a pretty decent ride. Could be a deeper hull for my liking but it's only a 22' boat.

Rinker: Everyone says they are cheap boats, but the people I talk to that have them, love them. I did a stereo upgrade in an '08 246 last summer and really liked the layout. Not sure how good the interior will hold up over time, but the finish on that one was pretty nice.

Bayliner: They get a bad rap for being a cheap boat and essentially they are. My old roommate has a '95 185 Capri with the 4.3LX that he bought brand new. This guy is not known to baby stuff and this boat has seen its fair share of partying. It now looks like crap and the interior is shot, however it still runs great (around 60), and somehow still floats.

Tahoe: Don't know much about them other than they look very cheaply made.

I'm by no means an expert but these are my opinions based on personal experiences.
 
First off, for use on an inland river, any of them will work. If you just want to have a quality discussion though.

Sea Ray
Crownline
Four Winns/Rinker (tie)
Glastron
Larson/Bayliner/Tahoe (tie)

Now, if you're willing to find good used boats with a few years on em, you could go a bit bigger as well, and here's where I'd fall:
Cobalt
Formula
Sea Ray
anything else.
 
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