buying a boat

[fnulnu]

I am in the process of buying my first boat. I have it narrowed down to three. Crownline 220 or 240, Monterey 234 FS, and Bennington's new Azure line 240. These are deck/sport boats since I will be using them mostly in inland lakes(maybe Lake Michigan on a real calm day) I don't ever plan on sleeping on one, or doing any serious fishing. Just tubing and having fun. Any thoughts on quality or warranty of these boats would be helpful in making my choice. thank you

 

[POINTER94]

Re: buying a boat

Based on your needs, the best boat is the one that is sold by the dealer you feel most comfortable with. A dealership that stands behind the product and have an excellent service department can make or break your experience. The only caviat would be that you get plenty of horsepower. You will spend the next couple of years wishing you did. <br /><br />Also figure EXACTLY what you will bring on most trips out and see which boat will accomidate them the best while providing the type of room you are looking for. Other than that your maintainance will have as much to do with the boats longevity as initial price. Crownlines tend to be pricy and Monterey seems more of value line of boats. A savings of 5K put towards indoor storage and routine maintaince will make a lesser boat of more value than a more expensive boat left outside down the road especially in a deckboat type unit. JMHO <br /><br />FYI, BMW gives a three year warranty, Hyndai like a 10 year warranty. Which would you rather own? How your dealer stands behind the warranty is what is the critical measure. Most (but not all) build, or design failures will most likely rear their ugly head in the first or second years anyways.

 

[KCook]

Re: buying a boat

The Monterey 234 is a bowrider, their deckboat model is the 233. Basic quality is pretty much a wash. There are differences (subtle) in the quality of the appointments and seat materials. The Azure line was started by Bennington just a couple of years ago. So they do not have a track record to guide us like Crownline and Monterey do. But so far I have not seen any complaints on Azure. And they sure do a nice job on their fit-and-finish. Know that all builders "work" their warranty issues through the local dealer. So how much of a standup dealer you have may affect your ownership experience more than the fine print on the warranty. And dealers can vary a LOT from town to town. Make no assumptions just because they may carry an expensive boat line.<br /><br />One of the charms of the layout for deckboats is the wraparound seating you usually find in the main cockpit. Typically a L-shape lounge. But when this L gets chopped off then the charm becomes moot. And on some layouts like the Crownline 220EX the L is very stubby. May as well just get a bowrider as one of those. 24' deckboats typically have the space for a nice roomy L-lounge. Some 22' designs "buy back" the nice L by doing away with the captains chair on the left side.<br /><br />Prices can also vary a lot from dealer to dealer.<br /><br />Here is another thread on deckboats that may give you some ideas - <br /> Deck Boats - Advice on which are better <br /><br />Kelly Cook