Opinion on 2004 Rinker 250 ...

Hai Nhi

Petty Officer 2nd Class
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Jan 20, 2013
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192
Good morning everyone.

What's your first impression about a 2004 Rinker 250? What's good about it? Any bad reputation/things to watch out for?

How's these boats compared against Sea Ray, Regal, and Bayliner? (performance, holding value, resale value...)

I'm looking at a 2004 with a Mercruiser 5.7 300 hp bravo 3, with same year custom painted trailer. Boat shows very nice, with all the goody options (boat cover, cockpit cover, bimini w full enclosure, windlass). Engine is about 200 hrs or less. $29k.

Nadaguides shows basic price for ~$21k - $24k (low-average retail), but with all those options listed above (and microwave, refrigerator, etc...), it becomes $28.5k - $32.5k (low-average).

Let's say the engine surveyed out excellent, would the asking price a fair or good buy (note: comes with a trailer, which probably costs $2k-$3k at least in my market). Do we base on Nadaguide's base prices or with all options prices?

I asked similar questions before (regarding nada guide and what not) but still confused on how I should use it.

Thanks again.

Nhi
 

Slip Away

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Re: Opinion on 2004 Rinker 250 ...

Use NADA as a guide. nothing more, for that is all it is. I had a good friend that had a 250FV for 4 years. Worked well for a couple. 4 people may be tight for extended stays on the boat. It was a good boat for him. Not on par with Sea Ray, Regal, but a sizeable step up from a B-liner that size and year.
 

TilliamWe

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Re: Opinion on 2004 Rinker 250 ...

I looked at Rinker cruisers at boat shows back in that 2002-2007 era. I found them to be decent enough boats. They used a double wide helm seat in one or two of the models, which I prefer to a bucket helm seat. I think it was a 250 that I looked at that had some good storage up top. But it was also the same boat that I looked at that had an open space between the helm seat and the rearward facing seat that if you droped anything in, I have no idea how you would get it out! Also some of the trim pieces and windshield supports weren't very heavy duty. A lot of boat for the money, just not trimmed out as nice as a Regal or Sea Ray.

But on a boat that is 10 years old, how it was cared for means as much as how it was built. The engine/drive combination is a good one for a 25' boat. Power shouldn't be any issue at all, with 300hp and a Bravo 3! Drive corrosion is an issue with B3s, so make sure anyone inspecting it removes the props and looks at the rear bearing carrier closely.
 

agallant80

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Re: Opinion on 2004 Rinker 250 ...

How many hours are on it?
Also I would not go by NADA, I would use market value. go to boat trader dot com and do a nation wide search for the boat. that will give you a better idea of what the real value of these things are. The price seams to be lower than what people are asking.

Just to give you an idea and its just my observation but if I were to tier boats in that class I would go with the following

Tier1: Searay/crownline
Tier2 Rinker/Larson
Tier3 Stingray/Bayliner

I think the boats in the last 10 years or so all have pretty good construction but where I see the difference is material used. When I looked at a searay everything was top notch, the fridge was real stainless steel, the carpet and vynle were good quality, the cabinates where solid cherry, I could not find any exposed plywood.

When I looked at the bayliner the fridge was just a standard plastic fridge, cabinates were laminated partical boatd and they made no effort to hide the fact that the boat uses allot of plywood.

The stingray was really well constructed, I could not find any plywood but there were NO frills at all, it was a floating Clorox bottle.

Now with that being said they all had Merc motors and out drives, the pumps were all the same manufacture, the A/C unit was the same manufacture they just all had their own approach to controlling cost. Searay being Searay did not hold back, Bayliner has a really nice layout and features but with cheep matieral and the StingRay used good matierals but the boat had no frills.

So I think these days it comes down to is how much do cherry cabinates mean to you. They don't mean much to me and for $20K less I went with the bayliner. You will just have to decide what level of quality fit and finish you are happy with.

Hope this helps. By the way here is a link to the boat search.

Page 1 of 3 - RINKER Boats for Sale near Raleigh, NC - BoatTrader.com
 

Slip Away

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Re: Opinion on 2004 Rinker 250 ...

Boattrader is a poor example of "market value" The asking prices on there are just that, asking prices. what people would like to sell them for. A dealer can tell you what the same boats sold for exactly over a several year period if you ask them. They pay for that access.

Crowline, while nice boats, do not make anywhere near as many cruisers as Rinker does, so it would be hard to judge similar sizes.
 

tpenfield

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Re: Opinion on 2004 Rinker 250 ...

Good morning everyone.

What's your first impression about a 2004 Rinker 250? What's good about it? Any bad reputation/things to watch out for?

How's these boats compared against Sea Ray, Regal, and Bayliner? (performance, holding value, resale value...)

I'm looking at a 2004 with a Mercruiser 5.7 300 hp bravo 3, with same year custom painted trailer. Boat shows very nice, with all the goody options (boat cover, cockpit cover, bimini w full enclosure, windlass). Engine is about 200 hrs or less. $29k.

Nadaguides shows basic price for ~$21k - $24k (low-average retail), but with all those options listed above (and microwave, refrigerator, etc...), it becomes $28.5k - $32.5k (low-average).

Let's say the engine surveyed out excellent, would the asking price a fair or good buy (note: comes with a trailer, which probably costs $2k-$3k at least in my market). Do we base on Nadaguide's base prices or with all options prices?

I asked similar questions before (regarding nada guide and what not) but still confused on how I should use it.

Thanks again.

Nhi

I thought you bought a 24 foot Bayliner a couple of weeks ago :noidea: So, what happended?

NADA guides can be a bit tricky . . . you only count "options" if they are in fact not provided as standard equipment with the boat. Sometimes, that can be hard to tell. Also, keep in mind that NADA is more of a depreciation schedule than it is a market indicator. therefore it tends to overstate the value for newer boats and understate the value for older boats (in good condition).

Of the brands that you mentioned, I'm liking SeaRay and Regal . . . as the better of the bunch, other opinions may vary.
 

Hai Nhi

Petty Officer 2nd Class
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Jan 20, 2013
Messages
192
Re: Opinion on 2004 Rinker 250 ...

...They used a double wide helm seat in one or two of the models, which I prefer to a bucket helm seat..

That's one of the biggest thing I look for when searching. :) I'd just like to have her sitting next to me, when needed. :)

Nhi
 

Hai Nhi

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Jan 20, 2013
Messages
192
Re: Opinion on 2004 Rinker 250 ...

I thought you bought a 24 foot Bayliner a couple of weeks ago :noidea: So, what happended?

NADA guides can be a bit tricky . . . you only count "options" if they are in fact not provided as standard equipment with the boat. Sometimes, that can be hard to tell. Also, keep in mind that NADA is more of a depreciation schedule than it is a market indicator. therefore it tends to overstate the value for newer boats and understate the value for older boats (in good condition).

Of the brands that you mentioned, I'm liking SeaRay and Regal . . . as the better of the bunch, other opinions may vary.

Hi Ted.

Yes I just picked up my Bayliner 245 home last Saturday. Everything looks brand spanking new. :) Really happy with the purchase. Everyone loves it. My kids were up there hanging out since I took it home (Both Saturday & Sunday afternoon). I also have a galvanized trailer, with everything changed out (new 4 SS disk breaks, new 4 radial tires, 1 spare, change master cylinder and springs for the actuator, new springs & ss u-bolt mounting kits, new trailer spa washdown kit). All and all, the boat's value comes to ~$20k I think. But, hahaha, yeah but: I still need a VHF radio & antenna, windlass, camper enclosure, would like a swim platform, a boat cover. So I figure after all these, its value would come close to $24k-$25k.

And, the only things I like about this boat are: small (24'), bright (has 2 side windows), still new (very low hour on engine, cabin is technically "brand new"), newly updated galvanized trailer. On the other hand, there's lots to be desired for my taste: The cockpit setup (I like the double helm vs bucket), larger V berth (Bayliner 245 is a bit cram, which is fine as a start for us. But I'd like to keep my boat longer than 2 years so a 25' boat gives me that extra feet). Fuel injection vs carburetor. Swim platform & enclosure: I know I can still buy them but by doing so, the cost would be pretty much the same as getting the Rinker, which would give me a bigger boat for almost the same money.

So if I can get the Rinker for about $26k-27k, I can sell the Bayliner for some ... profit (I actually got a very good deal for it), add a couple grand (or maybe more depending how much I can get from the Bayliner).

The question is still: How much would you willing to pay more for this Rinker vs my Bayliner? Would a $26k a good deal (I hope)? :) My thinking was: if I can sell my current boat for about let's say ~$22k (with the trailer - which costs me $4500), I'm willing to add $4k to trade for that Rinker (since it has a windlass, full enclosure, extended swim platform, fuel injection, and I think the closed cooling system too). What you think? Man these boat things really get me going. :)

Nhi
 

tpenfield

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Re: Opinion on 2004 Rinker 250 ...

You are probably setting a world's speed record for going from first to second boat. . . You haven't even gotten stranded yet out in the bay or anything like that with the first boat . . .
 

Hai Nhi

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Re: Opinion on 2004 Rinker 250 ...

You are probably setting a world's speed record for going from first to second boat. . . You haven't even gotten stranded yet out in the bay or anything like that with the first boat . . .

Hahahaha. I actually had plan for this.

Originally I wanted a sea ray or regal just like you said. But with those, I can only get max 2001 for a regal, or 2000 for a sea ray in my max budget ($25k +- $1-$2k depending if it's worth the push). For sea ray I definitely fall in love with the 1998-2000 270. But they are too big & long for my first. There's none of 250 for sale. 240 was all too old & too high asking price.

Then I ran across the bayliner. It's too good of a deal to pass so I bought it hoping to find something nice coming up so I can trade (sell bayliner & buy it).

I saw the rinker and decided to go check out. Everything looks good. Hence the thread. :).

So yeah, it's not like a change of heart or anything like that. Hehehe
 

tpenfield

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Re: Opinion on 2004 Rinker 250 ...

The rule that my wife insists upon is that I have to sell my existing boat before I can buy another boat.

So, you will now get your hand at selling. I have been fortunate in that regard, having sold my two previous boats fairly quickly.
 

Hai Nhi

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Re: Opinion on 2004 Rinker 250 ...

I hope I can sell mine quick too.

Well, my wife knows that I'm gonna do it, but not this quick. :)
 

brnschoneck

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Re: Opinion on 2004 Rinker 250 ...

I hope I can sell mine quick too.

Well, my wife knows that I'm gonna do it, but not this quick. :)

lol mine tells me the same thing u have to sell the one u have now first lol ..hahahah
 

Hai Nhi

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Re: Opinion on 2004 Rinker 250 ...

Wives are created ... equal, for sure!!! :D
 

Hai Nhi

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Re: Opinion on 2004 Rinker 250 ...


:) I got a bit luckier in term of parking space, plenty of them.

Anyway, back to the Rinker: I heard some one said he asked around and read reviews on Rinker's and said I should stay away from it for the thin hull and what not. On the other hand, one broker I know said he's pretty impress on Rinker. :( Rinker 270s list pretty high in my area. The broker I know actually have his 270 on pending (2005 model listed at ~$50k, pending within 10% of asking price). He said he's bringing in another one this weekends too.

I personally can only tell from the look (of the design, cabinet, upholstery, etc...) of the 250 I looked at. Pretty nice too. But not sure if the thin hull story has any merit to it.

Anyone?

Nhi
 

25thmustang

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Re: Opinion on 2004 Rinker 250 ...

I think the boats in the last 10 years or so all have pretty good construction but where I see the difference is material used. When I looked at a searay everything was top notch, the fridge was real stainless steel, the carpet and vynle were good quality, the cabinates where solid cherry, I could not find any exposed plywood.

Are you sure about the cabinets? One thing that stood out for me at the recent boat show was that Sea Ray uses plastic laminated plywood cabinets. I guess it's possible to be a wood veneer, but there was no solid wood cabinets inside the ones there. Seemed cheap to me, but also seemed to be the same across most brands.
 

Slip Away

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Re: Opinion on 2004 Rinker 250 ...

Are you sure about the cabinets? One thing that stood out for me at the recent boat show was that Sea Ray uses plastic laminated plywood cabinets. I guess it's possible to be a wood veneer, but there was no solid wood cabinets inside the ones there. Seemed cheap to me, but also seemed to be the same across most brands.

SOP now for all cookie cutter builders, veneer cabinets. It is a cost and weight savings. So that is what you will see , unless you buy a custom or semi custom yacht.
 

Weber67

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Re: Opinion on 2004 Rinker 250 ...

It's a good boat, the main issue with these are the drive units. If it has the bravo 3, you are good to go. The composites are known to have problems.

A good buddy of mine has the same boat you're looking at, very nice, comfortable, and lots of nice features.

I'm currently looking to buy a 34 or 36 rinker because of how much I like his. The layout of the rinkers are excellent, very easy to entertain and enjoy the day or weekend on the water.
 
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