You need to ask your questions on the Rinker Owner's web site. Aside from the price, I doubt too many folks on here will advise you to buy a Rinker.

 

Thats a big DITTO.........:thumbsup:

 

You are a brave man.

 

A brave man indeed!
It's your money and what about resale?

 

Sounds to me like you are moving closer and closer to going offshore and you should shop accordingly. I think the deadrise on the Rinker is about 17 or 18 degrees vs Sea Ray at 21 degrees I think. That means less big water seaworthiness. The Rinkers I believe are higher as well (to get more interior space), but in my view they look top heavy. Not sure how that affects the handling. Its possible the 2003 DA is similar height too. I am not sure if the Rinkers only come with stern drives. If you are in salt, the stern drives will cost a lot more in maintenance compared to inboard vdrives.

The Rinker's look good on paper, but there is a reason why they are so much cheaper. Sea Rays cost more to buy because they cost more to make. But SR's also hold their used value better. I would guess that the total cost of ownership (depreciation included) would be about the same for the 2003 Rinker and a 2003 Sea Ray assuming you kept it 5 years or so and sold it. Try comparison shopping for 1998 Rinkers vs SR DA now and that will give you an idea.

But,if you don't use the boat much and are not venturing beyond the bays on nice days, then a Rinker might work if you get one in good shape and at a good price.

 

If you go to a Rinker convention folks will ask what's that. If you go to a Sea Ray convention folks will ask where's it at? You choose.:grin::grin:
Just my opinion.

 

A couple of things... One when you move up, don't buy outdrives. Rinker does not make many, if any, inboard boats. You will be disappointed with twin outdrives in salt water. Three, you need to compare apples with apples, and look a 280 and 290 Sea Rays to compare to a 310 Rinker. If I were you, I would look for a 1999-2002 310 or 340 with inboard engines... I saw a 99 310 in Brick on Craigslist for about 30K, needed cleaning but looked like a good deal... Keep looking, and buy a boat with inboards...

 

The Rinker can be bought cheap, but compare the components and the way things are done. I think you will see a difference. Not sure why the Sea Rays you are looking at are not well maintained. But in my area, Sea Rays tend to be better maintained. Compare the 312 to a 310 or 300 Sundancer.

 

Skip the Rinker and keep looking for a nice used Sea Ray for 50K. There's a ton of them out there.

Look for the 99-02 310. You'll find inboards and sterndrives. I bet you'll find some very nice ones with asking prices around 60k. The 99-01 290 is a great choice too for under 50k.

If you're not afraid to go older and bigger, keep looking at 96-99 330s. That model is a true classic, and should be in the price ballpark.

 

I believe I remember reading that Rinker uses only carbureted Mercruiser engines since they are cheaper than the MPI ones. A fellow in my first marina had a 27' Fiesta Vee and was amazed that my little 24' VIP had fuel injection. I personally would never buy a boat that was not fuel injected.

 

I believe I remember reading that Rinker uses only carbureted Mercruiser engines since they are cheaper than the MPI ones. A fellow in my first marina had a 27' Fiesta Vee and was amazed that my little 24' VIP had fuel injection. I personally would never buy a boat that was not fuel injected.

Why would you discount a boat just because it was carbureted? Yes, fuel injection is superior in several ways, but carbs are simple, reliable, and still widely used.

Doug

 

My advice is find a boat that fits YOUR needs in YOUR budget. Crawl around in all sorts of different boats and find what works and what doesn't work for your family. Take the kids (if you have them) and take the wife and let them roam around. You will see very quickly how it's going to satisfy or not satisfy your needs. Personally I wouldn't get too hung up on the brand. While resale is important to some degree, it also depends what you purchased the boat for initially. If you buy low, you stand a much better chance to recoup some or most of your 'investment' when you go to sell. I would also not discount going a little older for your next boat. Your money goes a lot further as you move towards an older boat. I'm willing to bet for the same $50k, you can find a 330DA around the mid-1990's which is bigger than either boat you're looking at.

Doug

 

Nice boat and alot for the money but something has to give. If ya start looking close the quality of the hardware and other things is little weak.

 

Rinker is much less expensive for a reason. We looked hard at Rinkers for about 5 minutes. Once we got past the price difference and started opening lockers, looking at gel coat and tapping on the hull, we left and went to look at Sea Rays. There really isn't a comparison in terms of build quality and fit and finish. I remember looking at a 30'+ Rinker cruiser at the boat show a few years ago - the snap in carpet was loose and bunched up even though all the snaps were installed, there were flaws in gel coat, the cabinet doors were uneven and wouldn't close - mostly fixable, but my thought was that this is the boat show, everything should be at its best!

 

I was also on the fence on this topic last year
I was looking at 99 rinker fiesta vee 330 and also a 95 sea ray 330. they were both a bout the same price. As I started to look at each of them, thiere were some things i really like about the rinker, and some thing I really liked about the sea ray. The rinker had a great entertaining layout on top deck, came with camper canvas, and a seperate shower in the cabin , as well as more usable cabin space

the Sea ray, had v drives (inboards) vacuflush toilet vs rinkers electric pump toilet which was broken, storeage every where. and a better build quality on the cabinets, and some of the fit and finish items that u don't notice right away, like ss grab handles all over the boat, as well as storage locker on the transom.

things i did not like about the rinker, bravo 3 drives, a/c unit that was installed in aft cabin wall, with one end the a/c compresser mounted to a 2x6 tilted (so it could drain). I thought this was a rig job by someone till i called rinker and they explained they do this by design ???. also the rear sear was bolted down to the hatch, so you could not set up for fishing well. the batteries were blocking the generater , so to change oil all batteries had to be moved ... lots of little things that annoyed me.

ultimately it was that plus the fear of the bravo iii drive in saltwater, even though they had a mercathode installed. the mercathode is only good till your battery runs out. no easy way to verify it is working.
In the I/o vs inboard debate, I/0 will give you better performance/MPG.
Inboard will give you better saltwater resistance with less under the water line to corrode

Both are fine boats, you will be happy with either one
The rinker has a 21 dead rise I am pretty sure so don't really worry too much about that and I agree they include a lot with the boat to start for the price
sea ray just had a bit more of what I was looking for for me. Make your choice on what works for you and your needs
and above all get a survey

 

When one buys a Rinker he's getting a well equipped package and it offers one of the best boat values on the market because the buyer does not have to add a lot of additional equipment after the purchase.

That being said, there is a reason the Rinker is cheaper to buy. It has to do with less expensive materials used in the construction. They use lower priced hardware, carpets, vinyls, striping, etc. The Rinkers are built to a price point and they take some short cuts to achieve that price point.

A friend who bought a 340 Rinker a few years ago is happy with the boat but wishes he could have had it with v-drives. He's had some problems with it but his Rinker dealer has been very good about taking care of him.

Being a SR fan and having owned 3 of them, it would be very hard for me to consider anything else. Construction of the boat is a big part of my preference.

When buying a used boat, make sure you buy the RIGHT boat. I've always said that THE WRONG BOAT AT THE BEST PRICE IN THE WORLD IS STILL THE WRONG BOAT.

Don't let your checkbook rule what boat you buy, use your head and your heart.

 

I have a 1988 270 Sundancer with carbs and I/Os. I have twin 4.3L engines 175 horse per. Sure I would like to have fuel injectors but I have a 1988 with a 10foot 3 inch beam.
I will also tell you that when I go out ont he water with some of the guys from our marina who have Carvers (88), Maxium (93 and 95) and others - I am the one that gets told - Wow what a nice looking boat. Can we come aboard. And that was before in got all new canvas (new 2010).
My sability on the water when I am anchored out is great (wide beam). And she loves to run. At 3200 rpms I am running around 27 to 29MPH.
Our plans are to move up to a 40 foot. Not because we don't like our 27ft. We want another Sea Ray just bigger.

Now having said all of that. Whatever you buy has to fit your eye and your wallet. When I bought mine I got lucky. One of my golf buddies knew the guy that was selling the boat. I had looked at a lot of boats. This one was wow!

You need to do the same thing. Then buy Sea Ray!!!!

Good Luck!

 

QUOTE=Creekwood;390840]Sounds to me like you are moving closer and closer to going offshore and you should shop accordingly. I think the deadrise on the Rinker is about 17 or 18 degrees vs Sea Ray at 21 degrees I think. That means less big water seaworthiness. The Rinkers I believe are higher as well (to get more interior space), but in my view they look top heavy. Not sure how that affects the handling. Its possible the 2003 DA is similar height too. I am not sure if the Rinkers only come with stern drives. If you are in salt,the stern drives will cost alot more in maintenance compared to inboard v drives.

The Rinker's look good on paper, but there is a reason why they are so much cheaper. Sea Rays cost more to buy because they cost more to make. But SR's also hold their used value better. I would guess that the total cost of ownership (depreciation included) would be about the same for the 2003 Rinker and a 2003 Sea Ray assuming you kept it 5 years or so and sold it. Try comparison shopping for 1998 Rinkers vs SR DA now and that will give you an idea.

But,if you don't use the boat much and are not venturing beyond the bays on nice days, then a Rinker might work if you get one in good shape and at a good price.[/QUOTE]

> I just put over 3 grand in my drive. From the outer transom plate to the lower unit. It was in salt part of it's life. I bought it knowing it was in salt so that was the chance I took. The boat was still worth the repair costs to me. I would much rather have an inboard though.
Less parts= less cost & maintenance :smt001

 

Before I bought my 330 I looked seriously at the Rinker 320 and 350. The Rinker had the cost advantage and initially looked like the better buy. However, as I started to examine the detail of the hardware and the electrical and plumbing design I saw that the Sea Ray was much better. Could I live with the Rinker, probably but I know I would be second guessing myself if I did not go with the Sea Ray.

 

This is my observations from a year ago:

http://www.clubsearay.com/forum/showthread.php?t=21372

After being next to the boat some other items, that are not as well done are the canvas and the sun pad. Both are kinda cheap.

 

Please put the guns & hatches & flamethrowers away. :smt043

He only asked this !!.

Any comments or suggestions would GREATLY be appreciated, as I have not signed the paperwork yet.:huh:

Brian, Still owns his Sea Ray . :smt001

 

The Rinker has a built-in blender, which is an advantage Sea Ray doesn't offer. Even as an option. That said, if you come up a few bucks and you can buy a 330DA like mine. Short of going to diesel power in a 40ish footer, you won't do better.

 

Very well explaind guys....
A lot of thinking on my part still taking place. This has been my 2nd Searay, the 1st being a 1988 Seville B.R. Great boat! My current boat is a 1987 268SD. Another great boat!
I would like to stick with the SR name and am currently looking at the 330SDs. The difference that I am finding is, the SR (In my price range) is showing a lot of wear and tear. (Maybe I'm looking at a great deal on the Rinker pricing for the year 2003??)
4 example, I am interested in the 1996 330SD. (Because that is where my pricing structure falls). The SR has a beam of 10'5" where as the Rnk has a beam of 11'4". The power in Rnk is twin 5.0MPI with Bravo3. Where as the SR is twin 7.4L MPI (I LIKE THAT).
The SR would have 311 hrs where as the RNK has 99 hrs.
I Just Don't Know there are SOOOOO many things to consider.?.?
Well thanks again for all of your input. The paperwork is still unsigned and my search continues.
:thumbsup:Anyone with a 2003 330SD or a 2003 310SD in the price of straight $50k and 99hrs I WILL BUY!!!! but must be in NJ:wow:

 

I think your specs are wrong on the 95 to 99 330DA. The beam is 11"5" on my boat. LOA is 35'6" or so.

 

if you are in nj area I am sure you can find a 1997-1998 sd 330 for less than 50k
I bought my 1995 for 27k 2 years ago. don't go by the asking price, make an offer, alot of the 330's have been on the market for a couple of seasons with no takers
just my .02 cents

 

a 7 year old boat with less than 100 hours is a questionable boat. Sitting idle isn't good for engines or systems.

 

I'm going to put my flame suit on here:

The guy that docks in front of me has a Rinker 342 Fiesta. I think it's pretty nice and a lot of boat for the money.
It's not exactly the same quality as a Sea Ray, but might be all the boat you need.
I've been thinking of moving up in both years and size and want to stay with Sea Ray, but I have to say that the 342 Fiesta seems to have a lot more creature comforts and space than a comparably sized Sundancer. I especially like the idea of picking up the seperate shower in the 342.
The outdrives are actually more appealing to me. Mine are 23 years old in salt water and still going strong. I wouldn't be afraid of them in salt water.
The water around here is very shallow and I'd rather scrape the bottom with an outdrive than with inboards. The repair bill is much lower.
I still like the fit and finish on the Sea Ray better, but I wouldn't turn my nose up at a Rinker that was priced right.

 

We had a rinker sink in our marina last year the second week it was in the water.seems the seams across the aft where the integrated swim platform is missed the seam sealer guy on the assembly line.The rain was culpret but the wire for the bilge pump were really to blame being crimped with cheap connectors they failed on one pump and the other just couldnt keep up once she got low enough in the water for the swim platrform to submerge.They didnt get a survey and then the insurance cheated them raw and only dried out the motor and changed fluids .The owner had to put the seats in a closet with a dehumidifier for two weeks to dry them out for free.I wouldnt buy one without a very thourough survey and trial run in rough water.