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

GottWhat · **Posted:** Tue Jan 20, 2015 5:27 pm

I know we can be a bit biased towards Four Winns but wanted everyone’s take on this. We had a great first season on the lake with our 2000 Four Winns H180. However, we are looking for a larger bowrider in the 23-28' LOA range for $30-50,000. We want a maximum beam of 8'6" so we can keep our rack storage options open. A head is a must and a big block is a plus.

I really want a Formula 260 BR but they don't pop up all the time. Anyway, we came across this 2012 Larson 258 LXi - has everything we are looking for (8.2L, pump out head, nice layout, great condition, etc). This boat seems to be a great value (asking price of $49,995) compared to a similar priced Formula 260 BR which would be 5+ years older with three times the hours.

My reservation is with the Larson brand as it is typically considered a lower tier compared to Formula, Four Winns H260, Cobalt, Monterey, Chapparal, etc. Would you consider Larson to be on par with Rinker?

What do you guys think? Would you get something like the newer Larson or would you get a slightly older Four Winns H260 or an even older Formula/Cobalt for around the same price?

cougarcruiser · **Posted:** Tue Jan 20, 2015 6:35 pm

I am sure it's a nice boat.

Look at comparative values on boat trader. The boat is fairly new, and in fantastic condition. Boat trader has one 2010 for it looks like 34k.... more use, bottom paint, smaller motor... but is it worth a 16k difference? Not sure if it has a trailer for that price... Figure that one will sell for 30k, need a couple grand in work to get it anywhere as near as nice as the 2012 you are looking at, probably 4-5k on a trailer... All of a sudden that 2010 is 40k.

So....

How low will the dealer go on that 2012? I'd say a fair deal on your trade, and a buy price at 45k is a fair situation for everyone. Just my .02

ric · **Posted:** Tue Jan 20, 2015 9:16 pm

Larson? Meh. They're not nearly as refined as a Four Winns or Chaparral. You'll find a lot of little quirks on it that will anger you. I wouldn't waste your money. I myself sold my 2000 Four Winns H180 for a 2009 Stingray and within a year I sold it for a 2003 Chaparral, which I consider a MAJOR upgrade. It was like going from a BMW to a 1980's honda back into a Bentley. I'll never downgrade brands again.

Stick with the brands that are good. Four Winns, Chaparral, Monterey, Cobalt, Fountain, Regal, etc.

GottWhat · **Posted:** Wed Jan 21, 2015 5:54 pm

cougarcruiser wrote:

I am sure it's a nice boat.

Look at comparative values on boat trader. The boat is fairly new, and in fantastic condition. Boat trader has one 2010 for it looks like 34k.... more use, bottom paint, smaller motor... but is it worth a 16k difference? Not sure if it has a trailer for that price... Figure that one will sell for 30k, need a couple grand in work to get it anywhere as near as nice as the 2012 you are looking at, probably 4-5k on a trailer... All of a sudden that 2010 is 40k.

So....

How low will the dealer go on that 2012? I'd say a fair deal on your trade, and a buy price at 45k is a fair situation for everyone. Just my .02

Thanks for the input. I like how you think

Unfortunately, I cannot trade in our H180 as it is locked away for winter but I doubt I will have any problems selling it in spring. Dealership says the boat is on consignment and the owner wants $48K out of it. But who knows if they would accept a $45k offer?

GottWhat · **Posted:** Wed Jan 21, 2015 6:04 pm

ric wrote:

Larson? Meh. They're not nearly as refined as a Four Winns or Chaparral. You'll find a lot of little quirks on it that will anger you. I wouldn't waste your money. I myself sold my 2000 Four Winns H180 for a 2009 Stingray and within a year I sold it for a 2003 Chaparral, which I consider a MAJOR upgrade. It was like going from a BMW to a 1980's honda back into a Bentley. I'll never downgrade brands again.

Stick with the brands that are good. Four Winns, Chaparral, Monterey, Cobalt, Fountain, Regal, etc.

I know what you are saying but after talking to some people that are very familiar with the Larson brand and the their larger boats, this would not be a lower tier boat. I would not be stepping down to a Bayliner, Tahoe or even Rinker. Some even said the LXi model line is similar to the offerings from Monterey, Regal, etc.

I will say this though, no offense to the current FW H180 owners but I think the new H180 is a much cheaper looking and feeling boat than the one I have and you had. If we were to gauge a brand only on their entry level boats today, we might have a different opinion of Four Winns. But when you step up to the larger FW boats, you can see the details which make their boats more appealing. I think Larson is the same way, the LXi is considerably superior to the LX model line.

I cannot speak of Stingray boats as they are not popular up here but after further research and conversation, the LXi series is superior to Rinker 246 which is very common here. On paper, the Rinker 246 appears to be comparable to the Stingray 250LR.

TX H210SS · **Joined:** Thu May 27, 2010 9:10 am **Posts:** 1488

I agree that that looks to be a nice boat. I've never been on a Larson, but that was a brand recommended to me along with FW, Crownline and Sea Ray. The only boats I've been on that I wasn't impressed with was the Tahoe.

Its a personal personal thing and most components are made by same folks in these boats. Ie..no offense to Ric but the five foot flipper style air vents on the Chaparral boats do nuthin for me. Some like them though.

Just remember its boat buying season, not selling season. I would start at 43 and plan on landing at 45 if asking 48. You can always come up.

ric · **Posted:** Wed Jan 21, 2015 9:45 pm

The only thing that turns me off about it is that Larson doesn't design their own boats. They contract a 3rd party and basically every boat sold is different. It doesn't have the heritage of a tried and true design that has been around for years like four Winn, chaparral, regal, or even stingray. Stingrays are garbage but their hull? f***ing amazing and super refined. I was doing 60mph in a 190hp 4.3. If they only spent money in their interior design department they'd be a real contender.

Cap'n Morgan · **Posted:** Thu Jan 22, 2015 7:12 am

Quote:

VEC® is the patented, computer-controlled manufacturing process used to produce every Larson VEC® hull. In fact, Larson is the only boat brand in the world made exclusively with VEC® Technology. What does that mean for you and your family? The VEC® process guarantees that every Larson VEC® boat meets highly precise standards for quality and design. Larson's VEC® process produces incredibly precise hulls using a closed-molded composite lamination process that the competition can't touch. The result is a one-piece “uni-body” hull with an integrated composite stringer and transom system that is stronger, lighter and more robust—so you experience a fast, dry and quiet ride.

GottWhat- good observation on the new vs. older FW entry level boats. So true. I would not hesitate to buy that Larson, if you can get the price down to a more comfortable level for your budget.

ric · **Posted:** Thu Jan 22, 2015 8:01 am

VEC is the process of making the hull, not it's design.

Watch this video, within the first minute it's explained how Larson paid a 3rd party designer to design the 258's hull from scratch and is nothing like their other boats. Is that good, bad? I can't seem to find the name of the guy that drew it up. As far as we know he's Bayliner's chief designer (looks like it). I don't like it, the things like how the seats are held down with those pins, and that horrid hinged monstrosity that will slice the heck out of your legs going to the swim deck is a big turn off. What is this 1982? Come on that's so cheap. Also, almost no storage. All the storage lockers are open air. 100% Useless. Let's not talk about the swim platform that sits nearly a foot off the water. That's just a piss poor design. I'm trying to keep an open mind about it, but to me personally? I can't find anything good. Nothing that stands out like "Hey that's cool" like you can on just about any Four Winns, Monterey, Chaparral, etc. All I see is negative things that I would encounter on a daily basis. That's what you get when you buy a boat designed by ONE person, not a team of engineers that spend years with focus groups.

http://www.boattest.com/Partners/Partne ... 883&p=0&s=

GottWhat · **Posted:** Thu Jan 22, 2015 11:29 am

Thanks guys. With the Detroit boat show coming in Feb and quite a few months until spring, think I will hold off on getting the Larson. This will give us a chance to check out a lot of bowriders and shop for deals all in one place.

I appreciate the input guys!

NOLV4V8 · **Posted:** Mon Jan 26, 2015 9:05 am

have you been looking in other areas of the country?

There are a lot of Formula 280BR in the lake of ozarks / st louis...for very reasonable prices. The Formula dealer at the boat show last year told me the 280ss/br hull is one of the best riding on St Clair...vs the 33 option, which I am considering both.

Example: http://stlouis.craigslist.org/boa/4805336084.html

A few more on Boat Trader as well. Have a look. I think you could stumble onto a better price if you look outside of the area.

ric · **Posted:** Mon Jan 26, 2015 10:35 am

NOLV4V8 wrote:

have you been looking in other areas of the country?

There are a lot of Formula 280BR in the lake of ozarks / st louis...for very reasonable prices. The Formula dealer at the boat show last year told me the 280ss/br hull is one of the best riding on St Clair...vs the 33 option, which I am considering both.

Example: http://stlouis.craigslist.org/boa/4805336084.html

A few more on Boat Trader as well. Have a look. I think you could stumble onto a better price if you look outside of the area.

Now that's a boat.

GottWhat · **Posted:** Mon Jan 26, 2015 11:08 am

NOLV4V8 wrote:

have you been looking in other areas of the country?

There are a lot of Formula 280BR in the lake of ozarks / st louis...for very reasonable prices. The Formula dealer at the boat show last year told me the 280ss/br hull is one of the best riding on St Clair...vs the 33 option, which I am considering both.

Example: http://stlouis.craigslist.org/boa/4805336084.html

A few more on Boat Trader as well. Have a look. I think you could stumble onto a better price if you look outside of the area.

I have and thanks for the suggestion. I actually saw that 280 online before and it is a beauty. However, I am limiting my options to boats with single engines (don't want the extra fuel and maintenance costs) and boats with beams no wider than 8'6" to keep my indoor rack storage options open as that is the limit for some marinas in our area.

I am still keeping my eyes open for a cream-puff Formula 260BR or 270BR in my price range though

NOLV4V8 · **Posted:** Mon Jan 26, 2015 2:35 pm

GottWhat wrote:

I have and thanks for the suggestion. I actually saw that 280 online before and it is a beauty. However, I am limiting my options to boats with single engines (don't want the extra fuel and maintenance costs) and boats with beams no wider than 8'6" to keep my indoor rack storage options open as that is the limit for some marinas in our area.

I am still keeping my eyes open for a cream-puff Formula 260BR or 270BR in my price range though

I keep forgetting the beam is 9' 2" on the 280's....total bummer for your needs...Thats crazy they keep the beam that narrow.

Do they not support the wider beam? or does it effect the price?

GottWhat · **Posted:** Mon Jan 26, 2015 2:39 pm

NOLV4V8 wrote:

GottWhat wrote:

I have and thanks for the suggestion. I actually saw that 280 online before and it is a beauty. However, I am limiting my options to boats with single engines (don't want the extra fuel and maintenance costs) and boats with beams no wider than 8'6" to keep my indoor rack storage options open as that is the limit for some marinas in our area.

I am still keeping my eyes open for a cream-puff Formula 260BR or 270BR in my price range though

I keep forgetting the beam is 9' 2" on the 280's....total bummer for your needs...Thats crazy they keep the beam that narrow.

Do they not support the wider beam? or does it effect the price?

Some places do not support the wider beam for indoor rack storage (Beacon Cove said their max is 8'6" for indoor rack storage) and others charge more. But my main thing is I don't really want to step up to twins and burning twice the fuel...

www.iFourWinns.com

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

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