Rinker Hulls

halifax212

Just curious if there is a difference in hull design when moving up to larger Captiva's. When the Bay kicks up a bit now my wife can't take the rough ride/pounding anymore. The 212 is fine in the calmer conditions but getting to the islands usually requires going through open water/white caps. The guys with Stripers/ Edgewater boats seem to slice through with deep V hulls. The 8'6" beam is amazing in a 21 foot boat but may be more designed for smoother conditions. Not sure if simply moving up in length would be better or do I look at something more ocean capable.  Are the 246's /276's deeper V's or just longer. A cruiser would solve things but still like the sport boats. Had no idea what a Rinker was 7 years ago but what a great boat it has been.

wheatst

Deadrise on the boat makes a difference, but can be the same regardless on the size of the boat...the bigger boat will handle the waves better and be smoother...primarily driven by the weight of the boat.

Glassguy54

We have a Captiva 246 bow rider and there is no comparison to the Glastron SX195 we used to have (sold it after only 10 months). We really took a pounding in that Glastron. The weight of the 246 makes a HUGE difference in how comfortable it is, especially when encountering chop and wakes from other boats. The 246 has a 20* deadrise, compared to, say a Chaparral with similar displacement, but a 22* deadrise. A greater deadrise will slice through rough water better, but may feel  slightly less stable than a boat with less deadrise.

halifax212

Thanks guys. Was not thinking weight but makes sense.  I'll let her know we are getting a bigger boat.....right

randy56

She will be so proud of you!

Michael T

@Halifax212. My Admiral said our 226XL's ride was a little too bumpy. I turned that into an EC 360 with twin 502s......anything for the Admiral, right?

In my younger days I had deeper "vee'd" boats 4Winns Liberator and Doral Phazar and drove Donzis, Cigarettes, Apachies and DCBs. These boats had much deeper vees BUT needed MUCH more horsepower (and fuel) to get and hold plane and achieve big top ends but they sliced through waves.

My Rinker all gave nice stable rides with great fuel mileage, handling, quick to plane and easy and cheaper gph to keep them on plane. To do this Rinker employed less vee and wider beams. Rinker's addition of their "integrated afterplane" technology made for an even better ride by extending the hull sides aft, in effect lengthening the hull - with better mpg. As well, they used notched transoms and keel pads on some as well as hull mods taken from race boats. BUT.... I didn't consider any of my Rinker sport boats except the 236 with a 502 (older version) a rough water boat. I considered them lake and river boats.

I have not driven any of the new 246, 276, 296 Rinkers. They may be bigger water boats.

But the 2013 Rinker EC 310 with its beefier build and twin 350 mags B llls could handle bigger water. It would handle 3 footers with a bit of banging noise (not vibration)...a solid feeling banging. The ride in the cockpit was very smooth. The Admiral loved it. I did have to slow down one day in 5 footers though. The 2014 EC 360 with twin 502 mag B llls was another story -  it just crushed 3 footers.

Bottom line, if you boat in weather that continually gets "seruious" you want a true deep vee in a smaller boat or the bigger stronger Rinker - like the big runabouts or the wave crushing Rinker cruisers. No substitute for the big solid Rinker cruiser hull in rough seas unless it's a bonafide offshore racer.

That's been my experience with Rinker boats: 190, 192, 212, 226XL, 232, 236, EC 310, EC 360.