Pre-purchase Hurricane Questions

[EyeintheSky57]

Hi all,

I was hoping a some of you could answer a couple of question that I am having trouble getting answered in a complete manner.

We have had a 19' bowrider with an I/O for the past 12 years. We have kept to the St. Johns near Jacksonville, Florida and stayed away from the intercoastal and ocean completely.

We recently moved to the Gulf coast 30 miles north of Tampa. And we just can't resist the Gulf of Mexico so we are boat shopping for something more appropriate.

We determined that a deck boat was the right choice. Factors in our decision:

1. We have 2 your children so tubing (and eventual skiing) are a given.
2. As a family, we snorkel pretty heavily.
3. I am the only certified scuba diver but will eventually include my kids.
4. We would like to entertain friends from time to time (Port-O-Potty).

We do not fish much so that isn't a deciding influence.

So, here is my main question: On Hurricane's website, they list the SunDeck, SunDeck Sport, and the FunDeck. What are the differences in how they perform in the open water of the Gulf?

We are looking to buy something from 21'-24'.

We got to rent an older (2002, I think) 232 FunDeck w/ a 150HP OB and absolutely loved the layout and setups. The boat handled the IWW well enough but it was a pretty nice day. From the looks of the hull design, it seemed a bit flat for the open water.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

Jeremy

 

[NelsonQ]

Re: Pre-purchase Hurricane Questions

Jeremy

First welcome to iBoats and also welcome to the (almost) Hurricane Owner's Club.

Everything you're looking for is available in a Hurricane and I suspect you wouldn't want to resist trips out into the Gulf with a new boat and that kind of access.

I have a Sundeck Sport (188) but previously have owned a FunDeck as well.

What you'll notice is the layouts are similar on all of these so pick the layout (length) you want with the ammenities. The big difference in the FunDeck is the aluminum walls making the FD from the deck up very much a pontoon style/feel.

The other difference you'll find (and care about) is the hull. In some of the FDs and the SunDeck Sports you get a modified V hull, which you've described as a 'bit flat'. You're bang on. This design will slap you around a bit in the open water, so you're most likely looking at the SunDeck series with the V hull which will handle the waves and open water much better. Something like the SD 2200.

Last piece of advice is you're looking at tubing/skiing in the future. Check the max HP ratings. You need a minimum 75% of the max HP ratings for watersports and I strongly suggested you buy as much HP as you can afford. Unlike cars, more HP doesn't equal more fuel burn and in fact will allow you to haul those kids in the cruising range giving you better fuel consumption and not having the engine at the top end range. In fact my 188 with a 200HP burns about 30% less fuel than my 17' with a 115HP did.

Hope this helps.... and you become the next Hurricane owner.

 

[EyeintheSky57]

Re: Pre-purchase Hurricane Questions

Thank you NelsonQ.

That was exactly the answer I was looking for.

I am a bit surprised by what you are saying about HP... but it does make sense. We have been (mistakenly) looking at Motor size as helping with the cost of fuel (gas prices are so high ($4.19/gal here for 89 Oct) it becomes a driving force behind decisions. It is exciting to think we could get more motor without worse fuel consumption (unlike in a truck).

If you don't mind me picking your brain a bit...

How does prop design play into this?

On our 19' Rinker (190HP Merc I/O), we had a horrible time getting on plane. We dealt with staying at the sky way to much over the last 12 years. After we sold it, someone mentioned I should have just changed the prop.

 

[Ernest T]

Re: Pre-purchase Hurricane Questions

Doing research before buying my Hurricane, I discovered that they basically have 2 different hull types. The vast majority of the boats, whether a Fundeck, Sundeck, or Sundeck Sport that have model numbers that DO NOT end in zero "0" will all have the exact same hull design. The difference is the topside layout and length of the boat. These boats have what I would describe as a typical deckboat hull. This is the hull that you describe as "flat" These boats are very stable at low speeds, but get bouncy as the chop increases. You are right in that this type of boat may not be well suited for off shore use. It will give you a bouncy and wet ride in rough water.

On the other hand, Hurricane boats with model numbers that end in zero "0", have a deeper "V" shaped hull. These boats also tend to have more freeboard, which results in a deeper interior, and they will give you a much better ride in rough water. Examples of this type of hull are found on the Sundeck 2000, 2200, 2400, 2600, 2700, etc., and the Sundeck Sport 200 and 220. A downside is that these boats tend to have more bow rise, and are not as easy to fish from if that is a consideration.

As to the prop. I swapped out the 3 blade prop that came with my F150 outboard, and changed to a 4 blade. This gives you better hole shot at the expense of a little top end speed. I also added trim tabs to my boat. The combination of the 4 blade prop and the trim tabs (I went with Smart Tabs), gave me better hole shot, reduced the planing speed of the boat from 19 mph to 15 mph, reduced the bow rise, and made the ride more stable.

I agree with NelsonQ, don't spare the HP if you have an option.

Good Luck in the Purchase!

 

[cjjjdeck]

Re: Pre-purchase Hurricane Questions

Doing research before buying my Hurricane, I discovered that they basically have 2 different hull types. The vast majority of the boats, whether a Fundeck, Sundeck, or Sundeck Sport that have model numbers that DO NOT end in zero "0" will all have the exact same hull design. The difference is the topside layout and length of the boat. These boats have what I would describe as a typical deckboat hull. This is the hull that you describe as "flat" These boats are very stable at low speeds, but get bouncy as the chop increases. You are right in that this type of boat may not be well suited for off shore use. It will give you a bouncy and wet ride in rough water.

On the other hand, Hurricane boats with model numbers that end in zero "0", have a deeper "V" shaped hull. These boats also tend to have more freeboard, which results in a deeper interior, and they will give you a much better ride in rough water. Examples of this type of hull are found on the Sundeck 2000, 2200, 2400, 2600, 2700, etc., and the Sundeck Sport 200 and 220. A downside is that these boats tend to have more bow rise, and are not as easy to fish from if that is a consideration.

As to the prop. I swapped out the 3 blade prop that came with my F150 outboard, and changed to a 4 blade. This gives you better hole shot at the expense of a little top end speed. I also added trim tabs to my boat. The combination of the 4 blade prop and the trim tabs (I went with Smart Tabs), gave me better hole shot, reduced the planing speed of the boat from 19 mph to 15 mph, reduced the bow rise, and made the ride more stable.

I agree with NelsonQ, don't spare the HP if you have an option.

Good Luck in the Purchase!

I apologize for the untimely response, but I just joined the forum and saw this thread.

Good advise and comments from both responders to your post (especially Ernest T., he?s got great knowledge on boating and of course, Hurricanes? I've been seeing and appreciating his posts for some time now).

I just want to add something that wasn?t mentioned. It seems most Hurricane owners in the Florida area mostly use outboard power (maybe it?s due to easier replacement or upgrade, better for salt water operation???..I guess I?m ignorant to the reasoning on this). A friend of mine was in an RV park and marina on one of the islands in Key West in January and he told me the marina was pretty much full of Hurricane boats, he didn?t see an I/O in the mix.

I have a 2012 Sun Deck SD237 I/O with a Mercruiser 5.0 MPI ECT and a Bravo Three dual prop drive. This combo jumps this boat on plane in a flash with very little bow lift (basically flat). I also haven?t have a need for trim tabs either as the boat tracks straight and level for me. My model is the flatter boat style that Ernest mentions (12.5 degree dead rise, the ?O? ending models I believe are 15.0 degree dead rise), but I had this in Lake George, NY in some pretty choppy water (just prior to hurricane Irene hitting last year) and my Coast Guard friend (the boy?s been in some pretty nasty North Atlantic seas he don?t like talkin? about) and I were very impressed with how it handled it (length and overall weight of this type of hull probably helps too). Our family had a 60?s Evinrude Sweet Sixteen tri-hull, and we are all lucky we still have most of our teeth in our head, so I know all too well how flatter hull can ride. The Hurricane hull rides nothing like this. The family loves this boat.

Just wanted to throw out the I/O comment, it adds an additional drive option if you hadn?t considered it.

Best of luck!