Talk me in/out of this boat - 2012 Larson 258 LXi

Jdpber · **Posted:** Wed Jan 28, 2015 10:25 am

have you ever owned a black hull?

have you ever tried to detail one and keep it looking sexy?

Black hull i charge double to detail. EVERY mother trucking water spot is shown. every little scratch. HORRIBLE! dark hulls only i repeat ONLY look good 5 minutes after a detail while they are on the trailer.

RUN LIKE HELL from that dark hull they are a mother to keep looking good.

Decision · **Posted:** Wed Jan 28, 2015 11:05 am

NOLV4V8 wrote:

GottWhat wrote:

My in-law's just sold their 38' Carver with twin 454s. They would burn 25 gph at cruising speed. Needless to say, they spent a lot of time "camping" at the marina.

but thats a hard comparison...i mean my buddy has a 42 Sundancer with the 7.4Ls, and watching his $600 fill up for half a tank sucks...

my reading is the twin 350s shaking out at 13gph at cruising speed...

I agree there is quite a difference in boats when comparing 38 - 42 footers to 26 footers. But, in talking about a specific boat that has the option of different power plants, in general I would go with the larger motor(s) with everything else being the same. The same boat with a small block option or a big block option will get very close to the same GPH fuel consumption rate at cruise speed. The big block will be revving lower than the small block for the same speed, but with the big block you have that extra power available when you need it (heavy load, climbing steeper waves or outrunning a storm to get back to port).

Interesting discussing 38 - 42 footers in whether diesel engines are worth the extra $ for the number of hours boating you do vs gas. But that is another topic altogether.

One advantage you have right now in the Lake St. Clair area, is that you have a lot of fresh water Great Lakes boat to consider both in the US and Canada and most of these locations you could boat your new boat home. If you find an appealing boat on the Canadian side of the Great Lakes your US Dollar gives you almost a 20% bonus in purchasing power when buying Canadian.

Happy shopping.

LouC · **Posted:** Wed Jan 28, 2015 2:19 pm

About the black hull I must agree. If you don't want to be a slave to a boat get a white one. The only colored hulls that keep their color over time are ones that are painted with Awlgrip or Imron. I had my '88 done in Imron and it looks new. No amount of buffing, sanding etc would bring it back for more than a few months.

ric · **Posted:** Wed Jan 28, 2015 2:38 pm

If I ever bought a boat new I'd get it all white and have someone paint on any hull stripes. Colored gel coat is such a horrible thing.

Jdpber · **Posted:** Wed Jan 28, 2015 2:56 pm

ric wrote:

If I ever bought a boat new I'd get it all white and have someone paint on any hull stripes. Colored gel coat is such a horrible thing.

this. but i would use 3M vynal that way is easy to fix in the event it is thrashed

LouC · **Posted:** Wed Jan 28, 2015 7:52 pm

Formula boats (the ultimate in sterndrive style boats up there with Cobalt) use white hulls but the graphics are all painted on Imron. They will look good forever.
The shop where I had my boat done is the best on Long Island. The boats he does have to be seen to be believed. He gets some back for touch ups that are 10+ years old and the color and gloss are still as good as when they were done. Gelcoat, while its more durable in some ways, will not hold color like that.

Jdpber · **Posted:** Thu Jan 29, 2015 9:35 am

still my point is this.. ANY colored hull, i do not care if it i.e. gel or a $50,000 paint job with 10 layers of clear. color is a mother trucking pain in the butt hole to keep lt clean..

GottWhat · **Posted:** Thu Jan 29, 2015 10:07 am

Thanks again for all of the input guys.

I am going to likely wait until after the Detroit boat show before getting something...boating season is still months away here. A nice Formula 260 or 270 BR in my price range might pop up

ric · **Posted:** Thu Jan 29, 2015 10:14 am

GottWhat wrote:

Thanks again for all of the input guys.

I am going to likely wait until after the Detroit boat show before getting something...boating season is still months away here. A nice Formula 260 or 270 BR in my price range might pop up

They always do. Don't be afraid to ship something. Even if you want to see it in person what's a $400 plane ticket?

GottWhat · **Posted:** Thu Jan 29, 2015 10:55 am

ric wrote:

GottWhat wrote:

Thanks again for all of the input guys.

I am going to likely wait until after the Detroit boat show before getting something...boating season is still months away here. A nice Formula 260 or 270 BR in my price range might pop up

They always do. Don't be afraid to ship something. Even if you want to see it in person what's a $400 plane ticket?

Absolutely!

GottWhat · **Posted:** Thu Feb 19, 2015 2:45 pm

Went to the boat show the other night (Tuesday). Larson was not represented but was able to check out boats from Formula, Four Winns, Cruisers, Chaparral, Monterey, Crownline, Rinker, Sea Ray, etc.

I love the Formula 270BR but obviously not in my budget. They had a 240BR without a trailer in the mid to high $70K range but did not include trailer and it only had the 6.2L and was still out of our price range. These are by far my favorites.

They did not have a Monterey 268ss there but said they could sell me a left over one with Merc 5.7/B3 for $70K. Too much for me.

The Chaparral 257 is really nice but priced higher than the Formula 240BR and Monterey 268ss.

The Rinkers were cheapest and felt like it. The marina we have our boat rack stored sells more Rinkers than any other dealer and they are always trying to sell me one but not going to bite.

I looked at the Crownline 255 SS and it was priced and felt comparable to the Rinker. However, the sales guys said they were comparable to Cobalts…yeah, right.

Skipper Bud’s did not have any H260 boats at the show but steered me towards their Cruisers Inc (formally Azure) 258BR. In my opinion, they were the best combination of price and quality. The one at the show had a MSRP of ~$95K but a show price of $66K including 5.7 Merc (300hp) w/B3, trailer, GPS, pump out head, etc. Sales person implies we could likely get it for around $60K. It is above our budge but tempting considering the features and quality. However, I feel it is underpowered for a boat this size. The sales person called me today and was suggesting I make an offer on the boat.

In the end, I think we are going to hold out for a Formula 260BR that fits our criteria best.

Here is a pic of the Cruisers…

GottWhat · **Posted:** Thu Feb 19, 2015 6:17 pm

The Cruisers sales person called me again. He mentioned that he read somewhere today while researching that the Formula 260BR had a rough ride and we might not be happy with it....

alex8q4 · **Posted:** Thu Feb 19, 2015 7:24 pm

If that boat is around 5000 lbs and has a bravo 3 it should perform great.

I would assume top end around 50mph and enough power to get up on plane in a hurry.

alex8q4 · **Posted:** Thu Feb 19, 2015 7:35 pm

I think this is the same boat with a 300 hp bravo 3

http://www.boattest.com/boats/boat_video.aspx?ID=3205

GottWhat · **Posted:** Thu Feb 19, 2015 7:46 pm

"Top speed for the Cruisers Sport Series 258 Bow Rider (2015-) is 46.6 mph (75 kph), burning 23.80 gallons per hour (gph) or 90.08 liters per hour (lph)."

I guess I am just spoiled with the current power:weight of my current boat which tops out at nearly 55 mph.

If only it had a big block or at least the 6.2L. Boattest also tested the 258Z which is the same boat with lower profile windscreen indicating it tops out at 52.9 mph with the 6.2L.

For me, it isn't about the top speed but typically a higher top speed typically means an easier cruising speed and extra grunt when you have a boat full of Americans.

It is a good deal for a new boat. I am still thinking about it.

www.iFourWinns.com

Talk me in/out of this boat - 2012 Larson 258 LXi

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