Tell me about mid-late 90's Crownline 225 bowriders.......

IQRaceworks

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I?ve been looking around for a nice 22? bow rider, and my spending limit is around $15,000. I?ve seen several nice Crownline 225 bowriders for sale in my area, all late 90?s models. I?m trying to do some research on these boats before I go and look at them. How?s the build quality on the older Crownlines? How do the 225 hulls handle rough water? The ones I?ve seen either have a 350 or 454 in them?..what motor should I go with? How do they compare to other 22? bowriders? Anything I need to look for specifically when I?m looking at used ones?

Any info I can get on them would be great! Thanks
 

LippCJ7

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Re: Tell me about mid-late 90's Crownline 225 bowriders.......

ok after the pecker contest you were apart of (which I stayed away from) I think you have a pretty good idea of how opinionated people can be LOL

225's are a great boat, they handle well, sports car of the line, 225's are one of Crownlines most popular sizes, but your really being funny when comparing a 350 to a 454, in fact you can find 225's with 502's if you look enough. Either is plenty for water sports, they are simply for going fast, top speed for the original owner who has since moved on. If I remember your previous post you were looking for something that will be good for water sports and that is where I think you should focus, a Bravo III should be your focus, hard to beat a Bravo III/duo prop for getting people out of the water, you can also find Crownlines with towers, Crownlines factory Tower went against the grain and was a reverse Tower

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but any tower you want will work fine. As always condition, care and maintenance is most important and Crownlines have a very dedicated ownership, we have Crowndezvoux's yearly and our own website at Crowniehq.net, If your into the more sport aspects look for a LPX model but they are the same hull as the standard 225. Crownlines are built to owner spec boats so you can find them in just about any package with any motor with any outdrive, where Crownline stands out is Hull and Gelcoat quality, my 248 is nearly 15 years old and looks very much like it just came off the showroom floor, yeah I maintain it properly but you need a a solid base to start from.

As to how they compare to others? I feel Crownlines are a high end Boat, they always stand out in the crowd, sporty and fast but heavy and a good hull gives you a nice ride in water that most get beat up on, most models hit 55 MPH and some can go into the 60's, not many boats this size can give you a decent ride at that speed but the Crownlines do. They are as good as any other Bowrider for watersports. If you want a go fast bowrider you will want to stay away from the Bravo III its a bit slower, my 248 has a Bravo III and I do 50-55 MPH Here in Colorado, plenty fast enough for me and I can pull big people up on water skis too, Love my Crownline, but I am Biased too.
 
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IQRaceworks

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Re: Tell me about mid-late 90's Crownline 225 bowriders.......

Thanks for all the info. I found a nice one with a 454 and Bravo 1 drive. It's not a huge concern of mine, but with so many nice 225s in my area...all with different engine/drive setups...can you give me some info on the 5.7 vs the 7.4 motors as far as speed and fuel usage? If the 454 is only a little faster on top end, but uses a lot more fuel than the 350....I'd probably go with the smaller motor. Also, what about carved mercruisers vs the MPI's? Should I hold out for a newer 225 with a fuel injected motor?

Thanks again.
 

LippCJ7

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Re: Tell me about mid-late 90's Crownline 225 bowriders.......

on a 225 I would look for a 350 MAG over a 454/7.4L or any big block for that matter, the boat will be a 55-60 MPH boat and do well on gas, Carbed over Fuel Injection, I always like Fuel Injection, but I also trailer my boat from Colorado to Lake Powell, a difference of 2500 feet or more, Fuel Injection is less problematic for boats that are used in multiple elevations. But if your a flatlander and never see a difference in elevation like I do a carb is fine, Fuel Injection can also mask issues, fuel injection has the ability to change fuel mixture to overcome problems with your motor but that very same ability allows it to solve my problem, I love Fuel Injection, my boat fires in less then 100 revolutions everytime I cannot speak highly enough about it LOVE it I highly recommend it. But I would not be scared of a carb, they are easy but intimidate people, once they are setup they are as good as FI, you don't see many high performance motors with FI.

SO on a 225, a 350 MAG and even 5.7(same as a 350 Cubic Inch wise) will have similar power, in fact spec wise a 350 MAG will have the exact same HP as a 7.4L MPI but the 7.4L MPI will have the edge on torque but you are looking at a smaller boat(then mine) so torque is not as big an issue as it would be for me, but your at the limits for a small block, still well into the mid 50 MPH range and possibly low 60's with props, the Bravo 1 will help your top end out as well and will do fine at the bottom(getting out of the hole).

Fuel wise is more on how you drive it, the small block will drink less then a big block unless you drive it like I do, I'm in Law Enforcement and thats how I drive so I get used to paying for gas for me its a non issue, big boat big motor big gas money, but either can be fuel efficient depending on how you drive it.

For me I would look for a 225 LPX with a big motor, man what a rocket 60MPH+ but for you and watersports a 225 with a 350 MAG, a Bravo III and a tower would be bad *** and actually a very popular boat, still talking mid 50's MPH wise, get out of the hole like a beast even with two tubes or better.

the boat you are currently looking at, 454 with a bravo 1 will be a boat that may hit 60 MPH and will certainly do 60 MPH with a prop, the outdrive will do better on the top end but the Bravo III will have an advantage at the bottom, nothing wrong with a Bravo 1 but thats the difference, Bravo one is a top speed(top end) outdrive and the Bravo III is a bottom end drive (getting out of the hole). 454 indicates that it is a carbed motor so depending on the year you may need to get the carb rebuilt not a big issue couple hundred dollars every 5 years or so and she is brand new, the 454 is a solid motor but its a beast (its heavy) and it will use more fuel, Yeah yeah you could be real diplomatic and save fuel BS you know it your going to let the big dog eat.

I honestly was looking at 225's when I found my 248, great boat and you will be hard pressed to find a boat that looks more like a sportscar on the water. I think knowing what I do now I nailed it with a Fuel Injected 7.4L MPI, my wife drives my boat and the FI is a big part of her success it is so responsive, she was never as confident with my last boat which was 6' smaller and had a carbed 350, so go figure you would think going so much bigger she would struggle but the Fuel Injection is what I think makes her so happy driving, that may be an issue to think about as well, I can't tell you not to look for a fuel injected boat, I think FI is a serious advantage, unless you want a 70 MPH boat then a carb is your answer, and yes Crownlines do 70+ built right.

I think I have rambled enough, hopefully your not more confused LOL
 

IQRaceworks

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Re: Tell me about mid-late 90's Crownline 225 bowriders.......

Thanks for all the great info guys...I've been seeing more and more of these 225 BR's for sale, and the prices are really good on them. The latest one I've found is a 1993 with 7.4 and B1 drive, $10,000. Low hours, and looks very well taken care of.

Maybe it?s just because they are older models, but I can?t find many online reviews, boat tests, or specifications on them at all. Does anyone have any good info, or links I can go to in order to get more info on these boats? Are there certain years I should stay away from? Are the newer ones built differently than the older ones? How are the transoms and stringers in these boats? Built with wood? Do they ever have a problems with getting saturated with water and rotting?

Any more info would be great?I think I?m getting ready to pull the trigger on buying a nice used one, I just want to educate myself a little more before I make the final decision.

Thanks
 

LippCJ7

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Re: Tell me about mid-late 90's Crownline 225 bowriders.......

Check the Crownline owners Forum crowniehq.net
 

ZO6 Tom

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Re: Tell me about mid-late 90's Crownline 225 bowriders.......

Did you end up getting the 225BR? We bought ours new back in '99, and it's been a great boat. Bravo 1, 7.4 MPI with Captains Call out the back through hull exhaust. Ours is solid green with cream interior. It runs 58 - 60 with 3 or 4 people in it, and a steady 55 with 8 people on board.
 
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