Know What to Look For In a Cruiser


Cruisers fall into two categories: express-types for day boaters/entertainers and boats that are built for weekending or even longer on-board stays.

Express cruisers: Express models tend to give you a large above-deck salon with a conversation-friendly seating design and lots of sunning space.

Extended-stay cruisers: Cruisers designed for spending extended time aboard offer more cabin space and usually provide more elaborate galleys and head compartments.

Cruisers designed for fishing give you an open cockpit along with amenities like livewells, fish boxes, and rod holders. Other types of cruisers, such as aft cabin cruisers, have raised back decks that give anglers nowhere to fish — except maybe the swim platform.
 

Cruiser engines & fuel
A lot of cruisers are underpowered (largely for economic reasons), making them slow to get on plane, reducing forward ship visibility because of the large bow rise. By constantly getting up on plane and slowing down for no-wake zones or to be nice to those driving smaller boats, underpowered cruisers will burn a lot more fuel. Straining to get on plane also ages engines prematurely. In general choose a larger engine(s) to make the cruiser easier to sell when it comes time to trade up.

Cruisers with gas engines cost less than cruisers with diesel engines, better tolerate infrequent use, and have a maintenance schedule largely based on the hours you put on it. Cruisers with diesel engines cost more than cruisers with gas engines, but you can see benefits from diesel's better fuel economy if you use the boat a lot. You also need to use diesel cruisers frequently to avoid problems and they require a rigid maintenance schedule.
 


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