Chris Craft Bowrider or Crownline Bowrider - the choice is unclear...HELP!

[JASinIL2006]

Sure, but it's a lot less vulnerable than open cell, all things being equal.

Sure, but so what? How many boats have you heard of that were made using open cell foam?

Sometimes it's not just the type of materials that are used, but how the materials are constructed.

I have no idea what this means...

 

[Rookster]

Sure, but so what? How many boats have you heard of that were made using open cell foam?



I have no idea what this means...

Average quality materials assembled well is better than great quality materials assembled poorly. So just because a boat is not wood, doesn't mean it's better than one which is, if the wood one was better constructed. Hope that helps clarify the point. Just my humble inexperienced opinion...what do I know - lol

 

[Rookster]

So I ditched the CC, but CL still in the running. Good thing about a fiberglass deck is that the gas tank hatch is super easy to remove - just unclip the snap-in carpet, pluck out four screws and lift off the hatch. There you'll see that there's nothing special about the traditional wood construction and that the FG-encased wood stringer system is as susceptible to rot as any other. And if the stringers are FG-encased foam, they are often cracked from stress. Anywho, under the deck, the CC was not that impressive, so I passed. Issue is, I haven't been able to get under the marine plywood deck of the CL, because it would mean pulling up carpet that's glued down onto the gas tank hatch. So still figuring that one out.

 

[Rookster]

Well, considering another boat in the mix - 2001 Stingray 180LX...one of the big features of this boat is the Z hull allowing it to hit the 50mph mark - even with a 3.0L! But let that not be the basis of the discussion, as I'm more interested in quality and build of the hull and below deck...any thoughts?

http://www.stingrayboats.com/cgi-bi...t=model98_01.pl&model=180l&modelyear=models01

what other brands would you compare it to in quality?

Thanks!

 

[Bayou Dave]

Rookster... you posted this to someone else's thread and it should have been in a PM to me.
"Originally posted by DRS4164 View Post
On the right side of the stern, outside the boat, the HIN will be stamped into the hull. The last 2 numbers will be the year of manufacture.
Nice Larson...I'm semi-considering that same boat at the moment, just a 180 I/O instead. Just curious - any issues with the hull and stress cracks or blisters anywhere at all? How is are stringers constructed under the glass floor liner?"


To answer your question my Larson was constructred using the VEC system. It is constructed from composite materials. Meaning there is no wood in the boat, including stringers and transom. There are a couple of minor pieces of wood here and there mainly for hanging steering cable, wire, etc. If you are looking at a Larson you need to see if it has the VEC decal on it. Which Larson are you considering? Do you have a link to it?

 

[Blind Date]

...and yet, boating is all about emotional joy and fun - nothing practical about it - lol

Absolutely! Let's face it most our purchases are tied to emotion. When used boat shopping I usually look/shop around to figure out a particular brand & model I like based on styling, layout, amenities & drive options. Then I go find one worth buying.

I'm in Minneapolis, my SeaRay came from Cinncinatt. The 23' cuddy I had before it came from Atlanta. I'd have have driven half way across the country for the right CVX18, but I found that one in MN. For me half the fun of buying a boat is the hunt!

 

[Rookster]

Rookster... you posted this to someone else's thread and it should have been in a PM to me.
"Originally posted by DRS4164 http://forums.iboats.com/forum/general-boating-outdoors-activities/boat-topics-and-questions-not-engine-topics/10354952-new-guy-from-on-canada-sunray-questions?p=10355562#post10355562"]View Post[/URL]
On the right side of the stern, outside the boat, the HIN will be stamped into the hull. The last 2 numbers will be the year of manufacture.
Nice Larson...I'm semi-considering that same boat at the moment, just a 180 I/O instead. Just curious - any issues with the hull and stress cracks or blisters anywhere at all? How is are stringers constructed under the glass floor liner?"


To answer your question my Larson was constructred using the VEC system. It is constructed from composite materials. Meaning there is no wood in the boat, including stringers and transom. There are a couple of minor pieces of wood here and there mainly for hanging steering cable, wire, etc. If you are looking at a Larson you need to see if it has the VEC decal on it. Which Larson are you considering? Do you have a link to it?

Thanks for picking up on my posting error - I mostly post only in my own threads, so not familiar with the various scenarios. So thanks for the tip - will use PM next time.

Here's the link to the boat I'm looking at...my question is whether you have any stress cracking anywhere (stern, hull, cockpit, bow, above deck, below deck) on your boat, as I've heard this is an issue with Genmar boats?

http://www.kijiji.ca/v-powerboat-mot...ationFlag=true

 

[Rookster]

Absolutely! Let's face it most our purchases are tied to emotion. When used boat shopping I usually look/shop around to figure out a particular brand & model I like based on styling, layout, amenities & drive options. Then I go find one worth buying.

I'm in Minneapolis, my SeaRay came from Cinncinatt. The 23' cuddy I had before it came from Atlanta. I'd have have driven half way across the country for the right CVX18, but I found that one in MN. For me half the fun of buying a boat is the hunt!

Yup, the hunt can be fun - love that too...but the issue in my territory is that each candidate boat is two hours in a different direction! The used Bowrider at a sub-$10k class is good condition above Year 2000, is almost impossible to find.

 

[Bayou Dave]

Thanks for picking up on my posting error - I mostly post only in my own threads, so not familiar with the various scenarios. So thanks for the tip - will use PM next time.

Here's the link to the boat I'm looking at...my question is whether you have any stress cracking anywhere (stern, hull, cockpit, bow, above deck, below deck) on your boat, as I've heard this is an issue with Genmar boats?

http://www.kijiji.ca/v-powerboat-mot...ationFlag=true

My boat has no stress cracks. In the photos of the 2004 sei 180 it looks like the decal on rear sides is the VEC symbol. If so that boat should not have any wood. If you can get the HIN you can contact Larson and verify it. You can email them at:
JSchmidtbauer@larsonboatgroup.com

He usually is very quick in replying.

 

[Rookster]

My boat has no stress cracks. In the photos of the 2004 sei 180 it looks like the decal on rear sides is the VEC symbol. If so that boat should not have any wood. If you can get the HIN you can contact Larson and verify it. You can email them at:
JSchmidtbauer@larsonboatgroup.com

He usually is very quick in replying.

Great - thanks for the tip! Will do.

 

[Blind Date]

Just as an FYI the VEC Glastrons & Larsons were produced side by side in Little falls, MN. That's when Genmar owned both boat companies and quite a few others. I believe only the hull was manufactured using VEC, the decks were built with traditional lay-up methods.

Lots of Larsons and Glastrons for sale in MN right now although I'm amazed at some of the crazy asking prices.

 

[WIMUSKY]

It's MN, Land of 10,000 lakes. Any boat that's decent fetch's top dollar......

 

[Rookster]

It's MN, Land of 10,000 lakes. Any boat that's decent fetch's top dollar......

Same situation north of the border here in Ontario...

 

[Blind Date]

It's MN, Land of 10,000 lakes. Any boat that's decent fetch's top dollar......

Never seems that way when your selling, only buying!....LOL

 

[jkust]

I remember the day VEC technology came out as they did a news story on it locally here in MN for obvious reasons. It is a cheap way to produce a boat and cut costs of course back then that's not how they toubted them. Lots of issues with them this many years along with a bit of research and of course I know tons of peopel that own them on my large lake that I live on in the summer with mixed experiences as with any boat really though. Probably more VEC boats because they are small as VEC only went up to a certain size for these boat and so many brands under the umbrella that used that technology so I think you tend to hear more about the complaints than the successes. Some good, many with the traditional issues you see or at least those are the vocal ones. As for that Stingray you mentioned....they are fast sure, but you give up things to get that speed. It's all about priorties and how you boat and the body of water you boat on.

 

[Rookster]

Never seems that way when your selling, only buying!....LOL

Sheesh - guess I'll come to realize that soon!

 

[Bayou Dave]

Did you find "the" boat for you, yet?

 

[Rookster]

Pretty close, hope to have that update next week!

 

[Rookster]

http://forums.iboats.com/forum/owne...-i-buy-a-2000-crownline-180-br-merc-3-0/page3

 

[Alumarine]

And is an 18ft 2200lb Bowrider more seaworthy than the 17ft at 2350lbs? What's more important for taking on 3ft waves - weight or length?

It's a crapshoot. Depends on the hull design and the type of waves. They are both small boats.

You haven't said what motors they have in them?
You'd want a minimum of 4.3.