Transition from 25' to 30'; advantages and pitfalls??

[cdswindell]

I own a 2008 Chaparral Sunesta 244 bow rider, which has served us incredibly well and is now on its 8th season. I'm thinking I've moving up to the 307 SSX (I want to learn how to maneuver and operate a 2 engine boat), but am concerned I will need to make compromises by moving to a larger vessel.

I'd love to hear from others who made such a transition and learn from your experience. We love docking in Meredith and Center Harbor, visiting friends houses by boat, day cruising, and cove swimming. Although a larger boat should work fine in most situations, we're concerned about docking availability, both at town docks as well as at other homes. With a clearance on the 307 of 9' 6", we already know that we may have to say good bye to the Long Island Bridge route if we go larger, but what other issues will we encounter?

Of course, we are lucky to have such a "delemma" . We love our 244 Sunesta, and want to make sure that by going larger, we won't be limiting our opportunities on this beautiful lake.

Thanks,

-- Dave

[Leoskeys]

I moved from 23'8" to 28'8. Single Engine. It's the Regal 2800 bow rider, and we love it so far. Docking is a bit tougher, but otherwise so far, so good! One great thing about the Regal is the "power tower", it's the arch and can be raised and lowered by the push of a button! So Long Island bridge not a problem!
Check the boat out, it's beautiful. Barry at Silver Sands can help, he's the Regal expert.

[Resident 2B]

With the twins, close in boat handling, like docking should be easier once you know how the work the two drives. I believe there is a person on the lake that provides training.

Only down side I see is fuel consumption. However, that should not be a big issue.

Enjoy your new boat. Big plus is stability on rough days and weekends.

R2B

[Fargo]

Can your friends' docks handle a larger boat? Are the posts tall enough, dock strong enough? Better take a test drive, you may not be impressed with the handling of twin I/Os if that is what it has. Does it have a joy stick? Good luck.

[cdswindell]

Originally Posted by Fargo

Can your friends' docks handle a larger boat? Are the posts tall enough, dock strong enough? Better take a test drive, you may not be impressed with the handling of twin I/Os if that is what it has. Does it have a joy stick? Good luck.

The 307 SSX I'm considering does have the joystick option.

[Fargo]

Sweet joy stick. You can always find other friends with better docks.

[cdswindell]

Originally Posted by Fargo

Sweet joy stick. You can always find other friends with better docks.

HA! Never considered that ;-)

[fatlazyless]

Very similar to transitioning from a 25' up to a 30' super-duper, luxuriating cruiser; this boating season I have transitioned from a $300-17' aluminum rowing canoe down to a $285-15' aluminum rowing canoe. Went from a 1965 Grumman to a 1968 Sea Nympth, and took my $100-1980 A-Row-Bic slide seat rower out of the Grumman and into the Nympth.

So, what's the difference between a 17' and a 15' aluminum canoe?

About two feet ........ duh!

[meredith weekender]

We just went from a 28' Bow Rider with a single I/O to a 33' Bow Rider with twin I/O's. It is a huge difference. Handling on the open water is a piece of cake but docking and getting into tight areas is having a learning curve effect. We looked at the 307 that you are talking about and have heard great things about the joystick option. Take the boat for a spin for an hour or two to see how you like it. It's a big boat and a large purchase, if they really want to sell you the boat they will give you the time to demo it properly. Good Luck!!!

[SAMIAM]

Have a single right now but had twins for years and loved it.
Just takes a little practice.
You can do a 180 in your own boat length which is great for tight places and after some practice you can play with the throttles and learn to crabwalk into a parking spot.....not as good has having thrusters but still useful.
Good luck with the boat

[Winni_Bay]

Hello cdswindell
we have had several small and big boats
23 a 24 a 28 all single engine a 2008 32 ft sunsation twin
and a 2010 310 formula 31 ss twin big blocks
we now have 2014 287ssx chaperrel single engine
our 2 twin engine boats where two types of boats
speed boat and a semi cruisier twins are much easier to handle at docking
it will not take long to get use to the longer lentgth

few things about twins fuel cost twice as much maintiance x2
winteirizing x2 longer boat more to store it away
1 good thing if 1 engine has trobule you can get back on 1 engine slowley
we had to do that once

we have the 2014 287 ssx it is a 29 ft LOA 9ft beam
it drives great it the rough water at winni we wanted a big single engine
that handled winni the 287 does it with ease we are in paugus bay
very rough water going through the weirs every weekend
they make a 284 sunesta check it out

good luck with your choice
if u want a great deal on a 14 287ss solid blue 18 hrs on it pm me
Dave

[Rich]

I went from a 27' single engine I/O to a 38 dual engine I/O.

Some other things to realize: As others have said, two engines mean more costs to winterize, maintain, change oil, etc. But if one engine fails, you have a backup.

Also, with a larger boat, the number of slips and docks you can get into is limited. Sometimes just because you're bigger, you have to wait longer for a spot to open up. Other times some docks can't handle your size.

Also, realize that wind can be more of a factor when docking. A larger boat will be affected more by the wind when trying to dock.

Also, you may be used to just reaching out and grabbing the dock with your hand in a smaller boat. In a bigger boat, you may not be able to do that!

On the other hand, in open water you can be a lot more comfortable with a larger boat when it gets windy or rough.

[Descant]

You won't have to tie up long, they'll all want to go for a ride.

And you'll likely add several weeks to your boating season in spring and fall when it's a little cooler/windier and smaller boats stay home.

Often, at public docks, you can back in, and on a larger boat extend the bow out beyond the end of the dock, tying only stern and mid cleat. (Note that you don't really "back in". You turn on the end of the dock, back up a few feet and head in from the other direction. This applies whether you have one or two engines. You can look like an expert from day 2.)

I don't have much joy stick experience, except a little with pod drives. Straight drives are much more maneuverable than I/O's, because they are located closer to the center of the boat. With practice, you can overcome this with a little throttle.

I'm a fan of straight drives because, aft of the engine, there is only one moving part in the water. Out of the water, nobody steals props, but they steal outdrives.

Tilting the drives can be a big asset if your friend's docks get shallow late in the season.

[gslpro]

We've done the whole foot'itis, all the way up to my last 24' cuddy. Quickly outgrew that. Wanted A/C and room. Went for a 30'. Love it. beam is bigger, and the amenities are great. Fuel is actually not double on twins. You may lose 25%, but the twins are producing X amount of power from X amount of gas. Single needs X+ gas to produce same horsepower. Please, no engineering formulas about the extra weight, etc.. In real life, it is not that bad. I get about 1.5mpg at cruise. Which, is pretty good for the mid 30 mph range. Docking is great with twins, but remember that you will not stick an arm out and grab a pole to stop the boat. It will rip it right out of socket. You use you throttles for just about everything. With the joystick, you will be in your glory. Use gently, and you will look like a pro. Use aggressively, you will look like a newbie. Docking is not all that much harder, when it comes to size. We can usually find open spaces to accommodate the length. Sometimes, the beam gets in the way in Wolfeboro or Weirs where the docks are closer. Patience helps. Hope you make a good decision for yourself, and you enjoy your purchase, if you do end up buying. Enjoy!