New to the forum from NC. but headed to FL.

tarheel

Hi, thanks for allowing me to the site and as said in title I'm a newbie here and also new to the Rinker boats so I'm looking for advised and some direction.
To start off I currently reside in NC and have been here my whole life but am schedule to retire in June 2018. My wife and I made a decision in 2015 to sale our home and purchase a condo in Delray Beach Fl. in which we did and are moving there full time once retired. 
Now to the boats, I've owned several boats over the years at our old lake house with the largest being a 22' Four Winns Horizon with the Volvo Penta engine so I've had some time with boats.
Now I'm wanting to move up to the big boys club and try my hand at the inner coastal waterways and maybe even some off shore operations once in Fl full time. 
With that being said I started to search for boats that would fit the bill for my needs and came across a couple of 2005 Rinker 342 Fiesta Vee's with low hours (under 300) listed around the web and just loved the lay out as well as the design of the boat. I feel the 342 is as large of a boat that I'd ever could want and more than enough to achieve my future boating goals. I also love the Volvo Penta's engines because I had a worry free experience from my current Four Winns so I know there good engines, but I know nothing about Rinker boats in general. This for me will be a large purchase so doing my homework and getting a great boat and not a money pit is a must.
During my search I have found the coastal boat market is over flowing with different vessels brands, sizes and everything else out there so I'm a little over whelmed. 
Any direction would be greatly appreciated

TonyWalker

Welcome to the forum Tarheel.  A great group of boaters here.  The 342 is an awesome boat, we have the '06 version and love it.

 

But I gotta give you some heads up.  Check the outdrives.  If they are the originals, the bellows were badly designed and had a history of leaking after some use.  Then the gimbals and other moving parts get bathed in seawater and you can predict what happens next.  We had a maintenance nightmare with ours until we replaced them with the OceanX model units.  These are bulletproof and having them has made using our boat a pleasure.

 

If they have the original drives, I would ask for a substantial discount.  You should be able to find a lot of the history of this problem with a google search.

 

I really didn't like typing this but in fairness I felt I had to.

 

Let us know what you find.

 

Tony

Salt Shaker 342

PS.  Congratulations on your upcoming retirement.  I think you will really enjoy Florida.

Handymans342

Smart Man!

Dream_Inn

tarheel, welcome to the forum.  As mentioned the 342 is one of the best layouts in that size boat you will ever find.  Not to mention, only 34 with a full size separate shower in the head.  Definitely note Tony's post about the drives.  This is an issue with all Volvo XDP drives in that era (I'm sure others will chime in on the exact years).  So, it does not just affect Rinker, but all brand boats that have them.  You are doing the correct thing by getting on here and investigating.  We all love our Rinkers and most feel they are the best boat for an unbelievable price!  Maybe you can find one that someone already replaced with the Ocean drives, or go with a Mercury.

Good luck and keep us updated with whatever boat you end up with.  You will find that this forum has some great people willing to help you out with any boat you buy! & it sounds like you have a fantastic plan for retirement.

tarheel

Thanks for the warm welcome to the site as well as the information. This is the first I've heard of the out drive issue and man I'm glad I was told . I knew coming here would be a good move.
Now, was there a  year model 342 that had the Mercury out drives? If so what so I may start searching those models. What about the units with 350 MAG Mercruiser and Mercruiser out drives are these some what worry free? 
Of course with any boat I buy I plan on having a thorough inspection done on it in hopes to find any major issues with it, but coming here I knew I'd be pin pointed on things to look for.
Tony, as for FL. we've been going down to visit my in-laws for 20 plus years and fell in love with the year around warm weather as well as the year around water activities.  I plan on keeping the 342 docked in a slip at the local marina which is about 2 miles from my unit. I'm not real happy about leaving it in salt water full time but my understanding is these vessels came stock with fresh water engine coolant systems and that only the out drives get subjected to the saltwater, is that correct?
Any other info or look outs on these boats needed during my search would be greatly appreciated and I look forward to meet members here. 

Cableguy Greg

Rinker offered both Merc and Volvo engines/drives on their boats for a while now. It seems to be a regional thing with what engine/drive combo that you get. It my neck of the woods, Merc is the primary engine/drive combo. Other areas it is Volvo. I agree with Tony that if you get a VP, be sure that the drives have been updated to the Ocean X drive. I know of a fresh water 342 that is for sale in Pittsburgh. It has Mercs in it. It is listed on Craigslist in Cranberry Township, which is just north of the city.

tarheel

Thanks for the advise Cableguy, I'll check out the the one in PA as well as keeping my focus on the 342 with Mercs and B-outdrives. I started searching reviews on the Mercs and seems to be a good combo based on the statements I've read. I did love my Volvo but I only operated it in fresh water so I never really had any issues with her. 

Dream_Inn

tarheel, there are probably several 342s in my area for sale, possibly my marina (used to be a Rinker dealer).  If you find any in the Annapolis MD area that are interesting, let me know.  I can always take a look and may even know the owners. 

I'll say, there are some differences between the years, especially more space in the engine room.  I believe that difference happened in 2004.  Someone here should chime in shortly on it.  Just my opinion, but I'd go with the bit larger engine room, t makes a huge difference on access for routine maintenance (I've worked in several different 342s).  Some also pulled in raw water just from outdrive thru heat exchanger, others pulled in from both outdrive and thru hull (I believe it depended on engine, maybe the Mag pulled from both?).  Two different good friends sold their 342s over the last two years and they were fantastic boats.  I raft up with a close friend that bought theirs new back in 03 and are planning to keep the boat another 10 years.

tarheel

Thanks again Dream Inn for the information.
Now I'm a little concerned if I should search for a direct drive boats VS outdrives. From researching on the net salt water boats vs fresh water  I see that with outdrives they require a lot more maintenance vs direct drive.  Do you or anyone here know is there a combo for the 342 (engine and outdrive) that is considered a bullet proof  or good system for full time salt water such as a mercruiser 350 magnum mpi bravo iii, mercruiser 5.0 l mpi bravo iii or mercruiser 5.0 l mpi alpha one??
I've decided to steer clear of the Volvo's at this point unless there is a cheaper solution to modify them for sea travel because the boat I purchase will be in salt water full time.  

randy56

Welcome @tarheel, all this good talk about the 342 is making me want one. There are several Rinkers for sale on here. There is a guy in MI, @checkmate, has 342 for sale, a 330 for sale owned by @redlightning in Arkansas.
Good luck.

tarheel

Thanks Randy56 I'll check them out for sure.

raybo3

Welcome to the RBOC. Check out this one........
http://rinkerboats.vanillaforums.com/discussion/6288/for-sale-2014-360ec#latest

TonyWalker

Tarheel, is there any way you could keep your boat on a lift?  That would solve many problems.  Some of us on the forum have access to lifts and the pay off is excellent.

 

Absent a lift, the OceanX appears to be a good option.  It is hardened somewhat against salt water's effects.  I wish the solutions were cheap and easy but salt water is quite an adversary.

 

On the subject of other engine arrangements, Rinker did make a few boats that utilized "V" drives, where the engine was mounted facing forward, the drive shaft coupled to a "V" arrangement and standard shafts and propellers were used.  I don't thing many were made as they never achieved popularity.