express cruiser vs. flybridge

[camaro_z28]

My wife and I are looking to buy a bigger boat before too long. We Like alot of inside space for long weekend trips, but also enjoy some outside sun. At this point an express cruiser and a flybrige seem to both be decent options. we are looking into the 28-32 foot range. I am just curious on the differences in both. I am aware of the obvious like layout and such, I'm more interested in handling, speed, fuel economy, maintainence etc. that might set the 2 apart. It will be used on Lake Erie. Thanks for any input

 

[TilliamWe]

Re: express cruiser vs. flybridge

Most flybridge boats up there are going to be displacement or semi-displacement hulls. All express cruiser are planing hulls. You can't get much more different than that! The flybridges are most likely going to be inboards, the express cruisers in that size are probably going to be I/Os. Again, you can't get much different than that.
Do you mean that you actually go out boating on your weekend trips? Or will you use the boat as a floating camper, tied to the dock all day?

 

[camaro_z28]

Re: express cruiser vs. flybridge

By weekend trips, I mean up to the boat dock, then day trips here and there out to the islands and nearby places then back to the dock to spend the night. Then maybe a few overnight trips on the boat during the season.

 

[ChampionShip]

Re: express cruiser vs. flybridge

Ask and ye shall receive: http://www.mroutboards.com/pre_owned_detail.asp?sid=07030908X11K10K2010J5I49I45JPMQ3639R0&veh=719125

 

[camaro_z28]

Re: express cruiser vs. flybridge

I love that boat and the price. I just think the twin 454's might be stretching my yearly fuel budget

 

[Solittle]

Re: express cruiser vs. flybridge

I have had both. I preferred the flybridge all the way. The express sucks fumes from the engine into the cockpit which turned me off.

My flybridge was a 27 1/2' 1977 Bayliner which had a huge bridge - you could seat 4 adults easy. It had a Chevy 350/Volvo I/O for power and was underpowered if you want to get up on plane. It was trailerable (triple axle trailer) and scared the crap out of me going down the road.

 

[mr 88]

Re: express cruiser vs. flybridge

Well the flybridge will give you a man cave on the water. The ladies like to sunbathe on the aft deck. The flybridge is a great place to pilot from and gives you a great view, whether looking ahead or astern at the back deck For sure it has to be a twin screw, better to be overpowered than under, plus the one motor to get you home factor.I think the fuel consumption will not vary a lot with the twins regardless of displacement. If your scared of that then your probably out of your league looking for a bigger boat. The purpose is to enjoy yourself not worry about how much fuel you burn . If that is the case then leave it docked and pick up a $1000 small runabout/jetski to get your fix in.The savings in gas will pay for the quick hitter in less than a season at 3:50 per gallon on the water.Gas tanks on a boat that size has to be 150-250 gallon, do the math at 1 mile per gallon. I had a Stamas 26 footer FB w/twin straight [economical] 6's and a 9'6" beam= 1.9 per mile@ cruise
One other thing is to get a survey for a boat that size more so if its a older model.Sound like you live in the Cleveland area, probably a ton of boats to choose from. Buddy just sold A 36' Trojan FB mid 70's I think, that was gone over with a fine tooth comb, went for mid 20's and was pretty much mint.

 

[JBF 1962]

Re: express cruiser vs. flybridge

how can you beat a nice express with an aft cabin?

 

[erie_guy]

Re: express cruiser vs. flybridge

Camero,

I also had both styles of boats and have a boating friend that have had both types. We both have a different slant on what is needed on Lake Erie with its chop and need for speed to run from quickly changing weather on the lake. The flybridge models; mine was a 30' Sportcraft and my friend had a 34' Silverton convertable.

We both changed to express style boats for the improved roll stability when running on the lake. Mine is a 32' ChrisCraft with twin 5.7 liter VP sx stern drives, my friends boat is currently a 34' Silverton with twin 454 V-drives (inboard). Both boats are quite fast on the lake and do not roll excessively when running. The V-drives only get about 3/4 miles per gallon at 22 mph cruise while the stern drives provide about 1.4 miles per gallon at a 32 mph cruise. The 34' silverton is a much heavier boat at 16,000 pounds VS 12,000 pounds for the Chris Craft (shown in my avitar).

We often cruise together to PIB, Kelly's and Leemington Ontario for weekend activities. My friend's wife just about gave up on boating because of the rolling the flybridge produce in some crossings. She said "holding on" was all she could do during one crossing. I suggest you have to decide if a ride on top of a flybridge instead of a more comfortable ride at a lower control station is more important. Or you might get a flybridge model with a second lower control station (with two sets of instrumentation).

Neither of these two boats can be trailered without special equipment and permits.

Hope you find what you are looking for over the winter. I am already getting the outdrives ready for next season.

erie_guy
Port Clinton, OH

 

[JoLin]

Re: express cruiser vs. flybridge

Hi, Camaro- I just responded to your 'single vs. twins' thread, and here I am again. I swear you're me six months ago

When I decided the 24' Chris Craft express was just too small for us, I went shopping for a 28' Carver Mariner/Voyager flybridge inboard. Very, very handsome boats and their owners love them. A few factors led me to the Four Winns express, instead.

1. I'm getting older, have some health issues and I'm not as spry as I used to be. Not sure I'd enjoy the climb all the time, especially when I need to move in a hurry. (FWIW, friends who have flybridge boats NEVER use the lower helm station. The worse the conditions, the more you want to be up there.)

2. With my wife and I both working, outings are confined to overnights and weekends. The Carver started to look like 'overkill'. Bigger, heavier, more fuel used, etc.

3. The social factor- I like being close to the guests when I drive the boat. I'd think that climbing and rolling around up there would tend to keep guests down in the cockpit. Pure conjecture on my part, of course

4. Quick, easy access to the bow through the windshield when I need it.

Either choice is a good choice if the boat fits your budget and the manner in which you plan to use it.

Have fun shopping!

 

[25thmustang]

Re: express cruiser vs. flybridge

I have a 29' express, the next boat will be a 32' Trojan F32. I like the Express, but being up on the bridge just gives a whole different feel of the water.

 

[jaxnjil]

Re: express cruiser vs. flybridge

I love that boat and the price. I just think the twin 454's might be stretching my yearly fuel budget

i think you'l find when you move up to this size boat; you want to get twin engines and the BB boats aren't going to use enough more gas than the SB to make that a consideration. it takes X amount of hp to push a boat at any given speed. before you discount the 454 do search, on people trying to get more performance from there small blocks. or how to get more performance from my under powered boat.

we looked a fly bridge boats when we got ours this spring. 2 glaring problems emerged for me. i have heal issues. climbing the ladder to the bridge was difficult at the dock on a calm day. much less out in the lake with a good wind and the lake running. the 2nd, for the boat the size we were looking for, part of or the fly bridge had to be dismantled or removed in order to trailer.

a third and not a deal killer for us. the extra canvas needed for camper enclosure and cockpit covers to protect the fly bridge from the elements.
the biggest share of the fly bridge boats we see at the marina don't get the bridge used, unless the boat is under way.
we spend most of our time living or socializing on the boat so this is wasted space most times for us.
last but not least go to any marina, when the weather is running and watch how much roll you see at the top of a fly bridge. compare that to the cruisers you see and then make up you own mind.

 

[ChampionShip]

Re: express cruiser vs. flybridge

Anything bigger than 27' than it BETTER have a pair of big blocks. I'd much rather take it easy on a pair of 454's than to have to overextend a pair of 350's. You can always back off on your power! Inboards with straight drives/v drives or sterndrives use similar amounts of fuel- sterndrives are the best on gas typically, but not by much. Like someone mentioned- if fuel is a giant concearn, you're looking at the wrong size of boat.

To add, our exhaust ports are on the sides of the boat near the transom, exhaust blowback actually is hardly noticeable. Flybridge boats plowing thru more air will generate way more blowback and leave everyone on the back deck in fumes- trust me on that, I fish off of a fleet of them every summer.

 

[erie_guy]

Re: express cruiser vs. flybridge

My 32' express has a pair of 350 (250 hp) and at WOT will get to 43 mph. Not bad for small blocks. How fast do you need to go anyway on Lake Erie ? Most of the time it is t0o choppy for such speeds.

I do like the stern drives as they do provide about 20% better fuel economy with identical engines and HP. And don't forget that modern stern drives exhaust thru the center of their props and bury all fumes in the wake. No fumes to blow back and make passengers ill.

erie_guy
Port Clinton, OH

 

[camaro_z28]

Re: express cruiser vs. flybridge

I agreee with erie guy on the stern drives from what I've read. Generally better performance and economy. Maintainence is no biggie because I do that myself. Speed isnt a HUGE factor to me as long as it can get on plane easy and also give me a little extra when I need it or want it. The times i've been on erie, it gets rough, so going to fast would be way too rough.

 

[ChampionShip]

Re: express cruiser vs. flybridge

My 32' express has a pair of 350 (250 hp) and at WOT will get to 43 mph. Not bad for small blocks. How fast do you need to go anyway on Lake Erie ? Most of the time it is t0o choppy for such speeds.

I do like the stern drives as they do provide about 20% better fuel economy with identical engines and HP. And don't forget that modern stern drives exhaust thru the center of their props and bury all fumes in the wake. No fumes to blow back and make passengers ill.

erie_guy
Port Clinton, OH

That is a pretty respectable speed! On the flipside, I've got a friend with a Searay 33 with twin 454 with B3 sterndrives which weighs around what your Chris Craft (always love Chris Crafts by the way) that will hit 52 mph all day, cruises in the 30's getting pretty respectable fuel economy. HOWEVER, cost of maintenance for sterndrives is often significantly more expensive than inboards/vdrives. To each his own, sounds like your 350's push your boat better than most peoples' so, that's cool.

 

[haulnazz15]

Re: express cruiser vs. flybridge

HOWEVER, cost of maintenance for sterndrives is often significantly more expensive than inboards/vdrives. To each his own, sounds like your 350's push your boat better than most peoples' so, that's cool.

Aside from new bellows every 3-5 years, what is the additional maintenance over an inboard? They both have the same engine, same exhaust/risers, same plumbing. The transmissions on a v-drive need to be monitored just like the B3's would.

 

[lakegeorge]

Re: express cruiser vs. flybridge

After having owned around 20 boats over a 50 year span, the best boat we ever owned was a 32 aft cabin Carver, we ended up owning 2 of them.
Lots of room and very economical.
I don't like larger expresses because I hate canvas, I can't stand taking canvas down and putting it back up, yuck!

If 25th Mustang is reading this I sent you a PM on the F32 Trojan, they have an Engineering flaw and you need to call me before you buy one.

 

[25thmustang]

Re: express cruiser vs. flybridge

lakegeorge, I will check my PMs. Thanks.

ChampionShip, Anything over 27'er, I tend to agree needs twins, but twin big blocks don't seem to be the norm. I can't recall very many sub 30' cruisers offered with twin big blocks. I know the 28' Cruisers Inc around my vintage had it as an option. I'm sure there are others, but up until the 32' range or so, your probably going to deal with twin 4, 6, or small blocks.

My boat is slow compared to most sterndrive express cruisers, but cruising in the low 20ks and topping out into the low 30ks isn't terrible. I actually think it would feel weird cruising at 35 mph in my particular boat.

I prefered the I/B vs the I/O simply because of the location of the motors, and the ease of the drive system. I have heard outdrive horrer stories, very very rarely do I hear I/B or Vdrive horrer stories.

 

[sasto]

Re: express cruiser vs. flybridge

As a fisherman and a fishing captain I like a flybridge for a couple reasons. I can keep an eye on everybody, the fish, and not be bothered by others.