I am looking for a comfortable weekend boat for the lake. Spend the night,
cook, fish, entertain...I am thinking in the 30-36 foot range. Searay's
Sundancer 340 looks good, but on the high price. Rinker looks to be more
inexpensive. Maxum? Regal? I have only had experience with Searay (good),
but not any with the others....thoughts?

thanks

"sciman" wrote in message
...
I am looking for a comfortable weekend boat for the lake. Spend the
night,
cook, fish, entertain...I am thinking in the 30-36 foot range. Searay's
Sundancer 340 looks good, but on the high price. Rinker looks to be more
inexpensive. Maxum? Regal? I have only had experience with Searay
(good),
but not any with the others....thoughts?


I'm making the assumption you are shopping new, and my comments are based on
this assumption. You are looking at a style and size of boat with many
offerings spread throughout the price/quality continuum. I don't know how
anyone here can advise you on which boat best fits your needs. I can tell
you that Sea Ray's 340 Sundancer has probably been their most successful
model in the entire Sundancer line. That doesn't mean that it's the highest
quality boat in its class (although I think it leans generally in that
direction), but it does mean that many people have liked it over the years
and that it is a favorite boat in its size and style among brokers. Good
resale market. I would recommend spending as much time in each boat at the
dealers as possible, while mentally going through all the activities you
would typically enjoy while aboard. The dealer's knowledge, responsiveness,
cooperation, and general posture would likely have as much impact on my
decision as the boat itself. His ability and eagerness to service you after
the sale would be a major point of consideration if it were me. Any boat in
this size range will represent a substantial expenditure of capital. I
wouldn't let $20-30k of price difference sway my decision over whether I
actually liked one boat over the other. Buy what you like and buy it from
who you feel truly earned the business. Hopefully they can be found at the
same place.

On Wed, 6 Aug 2003 21:53:28 -0400, "sciman"
wrote:

I am looking for a comfortable weekend boat for the lake. Spend the night,
cook, fish, entertain...I am thinking in the 30-36 foot range. Searay's
Sundancer 340 looks good, but on the high price. Rinker looks to be more
inexpensive. Maxum? Regal? I have only had experience with Searay (good),
but not any with the others....thoughts?
===================================

Why an express cruiser? If bridge clearance is not an issue I much
prefer a more traditional flybridge arrangement with the main cabin
up. Visibility is much better when lounging around at anchor, and
also when underway.

I bought a Chaparral 350 Signature this past spring. I looked at a
number of boats between 27 and 40 feet; the final decision was between
the SeaRay 340 Sundancer and the Chaparral. It was pretty close, and the
items that swayed me might not mean as much to you.

In my opinion, the fit and finish of the SeaRay was very slightly better
than the Chaparral, but the design of the Chaparral was better than the
SeaRay. I decided I could fix the odd bit of trim or carpet corner that
wasn't perfect but wouldn't be moving furniture around or changing the
layout.

The swingers, if I recall correctly, we center-opening windshield and
more seating around the helm for the Chaparral and concern about keeping
all the tufted and pleated upholstory on the SeaRay clean. As I said,
not major issues.

I've got almost 90 hours on the boat this season and am still happy with
the decision.

dave

sciman wrote:
I am looking for a comfortable weekend boat for the lake. Spend the night,
cook, fish, entertain...I am thinking in the 30-36 foot range. Searay's
Sundancer 340 looks good, but on the high price. Rinker looks to be more
inexpensive. Maxum? Regal? I have only had experience with Searay (good),
but not any with the others....thoughts?

thanks

My suggestion is to test ride the boat before you buy it. See how and when it
planes, if the ride is level, if it is a wet or dry ride, and what the
visibility is looking through the windshield. There are some express cruisers
that you have to stand to drive with your head above the windshield, while
others allow you to sit under the bimini protected from the elements and
comfortable.

"Listen to the live broadcast of 'Nautical Talk Radio' with Captain Lou every
Sunday afternoon from 4 - 5 (Eastern Standard Time) on the web at
www.959watd.com or if you are in Boston or Cape Cod set your radio dial to
95.9FM.

sciman wrote:

I am looking for a comfortable weekend boat for the lake. Spend the night,
cook, fish, entertain...I am thinking in the 30-36 foot range. Searay's
Sundancer 340 looks good, but on the high price. Rinker looks to be more
inexpensive. Maxum? Regal? I have only had experience with Searay (good),
but not any with the others....thoughts?

FWIW A couple of years ago, wandering around at a boat show, I did an informal
survey of several express type boats in this size range. The best built ones
were the Cruisers Inc and the Rinker; although I don't know if they have kept up
these standards or what their current offerings are like.

Most motorboats seem to me to be very heavy and yet constructed poorly. I would
definitely include Sea Ray in this category. Of course, weekending on a lake (is
it one of the Great Lakes) is not 'round Cape Horn. But issues like ABYC
compliance with wiring & plumbing can play a big part of how well you'll like
the boat's reliability after a few months of use.

Fresh Breezes- Doug King

"sciman" wrote in message ...
I am looking for a comfortable weekend boat for the lake. Spend the night,
cook, fish, entertain...I am thinking in the 30-36 foot range. Searay's
Sundancer 340 looks good, but on the high price. Rinker looks to be more
inexpensive. Maxum? Regal? I have only had experience with Searay (good),
but not any with the others....thoughts?

thanks

I recently purchased a Regal 3860. This is my 3rd Regal. I love the
boat. In my opinion, Regal is not the least expensive cruiser in its
class but provides the most value for the dollar. The boat is well
layed out, came equipped with everything neede for cruising, and is
extremely sea worthy. Regal puts a lot of attention to detail. There
is a new 35' model that was introduced this year that you should take
a look at.

Good luck with your decison!!!