Best 27-31' sunbridge cruiser for rough water?

PIRATE JOE

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Oct 16, 2016
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Hi, I'm new here. I live in Vancouver and will be cruising up and down the coast. mostly weekends and a few week long trips. It can get pretty sloppy. I have a budget of 45,000 max for a well used sunbridge cruiser. (maybe a flybridge?) My main concern would be rough water performance. i don't want to be travelling at 8 knots with the bow up in the air at a 45% angle lol but i dont want a trawler or nordic tug style boat. Given my budget, should i be looking at a 2003 Bayliner 305 with twin 305's 500 hrs very clean or a 1995 sea ray with 4.3s? a 2000 chap? 1999 four winns? single engine and kicker or twins? any suggestions would be great ... there also is this 1990 tiara 3100 open ....
 

shaw520

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Aug 27, 2009
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Out of the boats you mentioned the Tiara maybe the best built for your task,... Im a fan of twins,..just like flying an airplane, you always have one engine to get you home.
 

PIRATE JOE

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Oct 16, 2016
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Thanks, it's a nice boat. Wish I could sea trial all of them in a small craft warning lol.
 

wrvond

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Hi, I'm new here. I live in Vancouver and will be cruising up and down the coast. mostly weekends and a few week long trips. It can get pretty sloppy. I have a budget of 45,000 max for a well used sunbridge cruiser. (maybe a flybridge?) My main concern would be rough water performance. i don't want to be travelling at 8 knots with the bow up in the air at a 45% angle lol but i dont want a trawler or nordic tug style boat. Given my budget, should i be looking at a 2003 Bayliner 305 with twin 305's 500 hrs very clean or a 1995 sea ray with 4.3s? a 2000 chap? 1999 four winns? single engine and kicker or twins? any suggestions would be great ... there also is this 1990 tiara 3100 open ....

I vote for twins as well. You don't say what size Sea Ray, but my feeling is the 4.3s would feel under powered. The Tiara is the only top tier boat you list. It has twin Crusaders, which are arguably the best engines you can buy. Of course, it's going to cost about twice your budget to get into one.
 

PIRATE JOE

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Oct 16, 2016
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Yes the Tiara is older and it has been repowered with mercruisers in 2003. 5.7. it needs a bit of work.. the sea rays are the 290 sundancer 1995-97. 4.3 and 5.7, they are in rough shape. there's a nice Doral prestancia with twin 4.3s we love the layout and the lines. It's a 1989 it would leave a lot of money left over to make it just right. I just don't know much about them, if it's just too old or a lemon?
Also. I've looked at a couple of formula PCs 27/31 2002/2001 I know the hulls are solid and all but the fit and finish they are famous for really isn't there. All the doors are crooked both windshields are corroded , panel switches with no lettering.. paint peeling around , well everything..I was surprised.
 

JoLin

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Aug 18, 2007
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Forget 4.3's in a 29-30' boat. You won't be happy with them. Seems to me that a 45K budget will buy a lot of boat, but maybe life is different n Canada. For that money I'd be looking at a straight inboard (no I/O's or V-drives) cruiser. The Tiara fits that description, as does any number of other boats. Shop, shop, shop.

My .02
 

PIRATE JOE

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Sounds good. It was 45k Canadian dollars so that works out to about 35k US. I'll check out that Tiara 3100, deadrise is only 14? but it may ride nice
 

wrvond

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Sounds good. It was 45k Canadian dollars so that works out to about 35k US. I'll check out that Tiara 3100, deadrise is only 14? but it may ride nice

That's a shame about the engines, but there are advantages to Mercs, too. Twin 5.7s is about as small as I would go with any boat in this class of boat.
One problem with older boats is parts availability. The older they are, the harder it is to find stuff to repair them with. Here is a thread about an 89 Doral you might find interesting:
 

jbcurt00

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Pirate,
Please take note of the date of the last post before posting to a topic. After 90days w no new posts, best to leave the topic for research only and not to be posted to. This is noted in the helpful tip comments above the forum page's topic list and in the rules you agreed to when you joined. Thanks
 

wrvond

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Well, I was doing some reading and discovered that Doral is no longer in business. Finding parts for old boats is hard, finding parts for old boats that the manufacturer went out of business is really hard.
Just something to keep in mind.
 

Pat_220v

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Oct 12, 2016
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Out of the boats you mentioned the Tiara maybe the best built for your task,... Im a fan of twins,..just like flying an airplane, you always have one engine to get you home.

This is actually a very poor example.

http://www.flyingmag.com/wrong-worry...versus-singles
**** started pointing out in Flying that twins were not safer than singles after either type of airplane lost an engine. His research clearly showed that twins were involved in more fatal accidents after an engine failure than were singles.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Obviously that does not directly apply to boats, although a similar effect might happen with inboards.


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edit:
Please take note of the date of the last post before posting to a topic. After 90days w no new posts, best to leave the topic for research only and not to be posted to. This is noted in the helpful tip comments above the forum page's topic list and in the rules you agreed to when you joined. Thanks

I did not even think about that or checking dates. My apologies, feel free to delete this post.
 
Last edited:

southkogs

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I would actually disagree - most of your fittings and rigging on the boat itself are not particularly manufacturer specific. Seat bases and integrated pieces might be, but many other things would be available from OEM suppliers and aftermarket parts. I had a 1972 and it was easy to keep the main pieces put together.

Drive line and condition are key - OMC went outta' business, so ya' really don't want to deal with an older OMC sterndrive unless you know what you're doing. Merc on the other hand is still going strong. There might be a few specific Mercruisers you don't want, but overall they're pretty serviceable.

I wouldn't be afraid of a boat in good condition where the manufacturer is gone.
 

boatman37

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i have thought about that. i saw a couple of Maxum's, although i know nothing about their quality, but skip over them because they are out of business and i'm afraid of parts availability
 

wrvond

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Mar 2, 2010
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I would actually disagree - most of your fittings and rigging on the boat itself are not particularly manufacturer specific. Seat bases and integrated pieces might be, but many other things would be available from OEM suppliers and aftermarket parts. I had a 1972 and it was easy to keep the main pieces put together.

Drive line and condition are key - OMC went outta' business, so ya' really don't want to deal with an older OMC sterndrive unless you know what you're doing. Merc on the other hand is still going strong. There might be a few specific Mercruisers you don't want, but overall they're pretty serviceable.

I wouldn't be afraid of a boat in good condition where the manufacturer is gone.

My concern is based on the posts on this and other forums of people looking for manufacturer specific parts such as cabinet panels, port light frames, hinges, and brackets. Windshield components were another item I recall people having a hard time finding.
Like you, I certainly wouldn't walk away from a boat I really like from fear of not being able to find parts, but it is something to be aware of. In fact, pointing out to the seller just how hard it will be to find parts could help price negotiations.
 

airdvr1227

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Jul 15, 2009
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I think most of the major players in the boat size you're looking for have sacrificed handling in rough seas in favor of interior room. Of course "rough seas" is a pretty subjective term. I have noticed on Lake Erie that many of the boats that are set up for fishing tend to have a hull designed to cut through the waves vs. ride over the top...Tiara being one of them. Take a look at the charter boats near you and you'll have a better idea of what I mean.
 
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