My review of our second season with a 270

luvinlife

The admiral and I bought our 2006 270 FV late in the fall of 2016 after a year of kind of half looking for a larger boat than our 22 foot Monterey Sports Cruiser. We have been trailer boaters for years and our go-to boating has been the Narragansett Bay. We upgraded from an 18 foot bowrider to the Monterey and thought it was huge when we bought it.  The Monterey could handle more of the bay conditions and we put over 100 hours on her per year for 3 straight years. We had a nice camper canvas made year two and overnighted often. The porta potti and little sink plus a nice cooler and a 12 volt coffeemaker made for cozy overnighting. I installed a second battery so we could play music and use anchor light and charge phones and make coffee in the morning. We loved it and stayed as often as possible in our favorite cove. 

i was working with Marine Max trying to find a nice Sea Ray 260. I was ready to move up in size but wanted to stay single engine for cost and economy's and my dad had a Sea Ray 260 when I was a kid.  My target was a Sea Ray 260. No decent 260 came our way.  We got a call about the Rinker at a late season discount and I took a look. My research was mixed. Mid-tier boat. Lots of extras. Underpowered. 

Bottom line I loved the condition, layout, headroom , extras and the price. This boat was wider and nicer and better equipped than the target Sea Ray. After sea trial, the admirals approval and survey we bought her. I only  got one run in 2016 to move from the existing Marina to our Marina choice about 15 miles away. It was exhilarating, scary and fantastic all at once. 

Had her winterized, tuned up, fluids changed and manifolds and risers as a precaution and waxed and shrink wrapped for the winter. 

We chose Brewers Sakonnett Marina- a quiet, clean, friendly and well run Marina near our favorite cove. 

This is season has been nothing short of fantastic. The boat ran flawlessly. Many great overnights with a real bathroom, fresh water, fridge, microwave, lots of space and just so much comfort. I am over 6 feet tall and can stand up straight in the cabin. Can't do that in the Sea Ray. She is surprisingly more  powerful than imagined and can get into the high 30s with a full load and cruises nicely at 24.  So many great weekends with family and friends every trip. We are still getting used to backing her into the slip but getting better. Met many great folks at the Marina and a few in our cove. I love heading down to the boat and just relaxing and enjoying the sights and sounds. Interestingly we only put  44 hours on the boat this season but spent many more total hours on it than the Monterey

We never did get to Marhas Vineyard or Block Island but I guarantee we will in 2018.

Favorite features of the 270 - the windlass, 4.step ladder, built in trash bin, head room. 

Overall we we could not be happier!  

Thanks for taking the time to read this. 

reneechris14

Glad you had great year,and no problems. Maybe we can bump into each other out at block island some day. Marina living and trailer boating are much different.

trip_n

great job @luvinlife
we too just bought a 06 270 ... my wife and i and the dog....had a great summer using,learning,exploring with about the same hours usage 50 ... we still have about 3 weekends...windlass is sweet and the 4 rung latter is great...that was 1 of our concerns ...getting out of the water .... even maggie our aussie steps right up with no help or problems. we consider ourselves lucky to have found such a great boat.
now all we have to do is make it till nest season,
cheers

rasbury

Well, a happy family of 270 owners! We to have a 270, an 05 and I'm still thrills with this boat after 3 years mow almost. Would I like a bigger boat with more power? Sure. Can I afford that ? Absolutely not. Can I afford the boat I have? Well probably lot. Bang for the buck, I think there is nothing better out there than the 270. It's a great design, maybe a little underpowered but I'm in no hurry to get anywhere, just love being on the water at a doable cost. I hope to enjoy ours for many years to come. Unfortunately I could not do tho when our kids were younger but have grandkids now...

luvinlife

Renee let's connect in the spring to plan a Block Island trip. Love meeting new people. 

Lake_Bum

What a great, descriptive, review of your Rinker!  This was also my first year on a Rinker, and I am just as impressed as you were on your 270, with my 232. I put approximately 60 hours on mine, and plan on lots more next year.  

pault1216

It is a great boat. I regret selling mine a few year ago especially at almost $10K under book price. Replaced it with a houseboat. It was paid for and I should have held on to it. Storage would have been cheaper than replacement. Glad to hear your purchase went well.
-Paul

Dream_Inn

The 270 certainly is a lot of boat with a single engine!  The layout of them is really nice and they have those nice Rinker lines!  Great write up @Luvinlife!

luvinlife

One of my slip neighbors has a nice Sea Ray 260 Dancer and it is A LOT smaller. The beam, headroom and overall feel is of a much smaller boat. So glad I didn't buy one. I would have outgrown it quickly. The 270 feels like the Sea Ray 30 footers. 

J3ff

have to say I love the 270... it's a perfect size for a younger guy and his friends/family.. This winter will be spent getting her 100% back up to shape, hot water, etc.. taking it to cape cod and back this past summer was probably one of the only trips I've taken where the experience was 100% on me... usually always being led around by people, was really cool to see a submarine in the wild, choose the next port of stay the night before leaving the dock, etc.. The beam is why I got the boat, glad I did that instead of the other thinner ones. 

craigswardmtb

Lots of Rinkers in our neck of the woods these days. Perhaps a Block raftup next year is in order. Although I may not be in a Rinker next season but will still consider myself a Rinker guy. My 270 was great and I still dig my 360. 

luvinlife

Craig, J3ff and Renee let's plan something well in advance or it will not happen. I will take the lead. It could be really fun! 

BellevilleMXZ

Great review!! We still love ours and this was our second full year with it. I think they are a great boat and would buy a Rinker again in a heartbeat. We looked at a ton ofboats in this size before we bought, and the beam and cabin height were way better than any others we looked at. It was an easy decision.

Trashman

Nice post @luvinlife. 270 is a real nice all around boat, IMO.  Had a blast on ours this past summer.  270 will forever be the easiest most fun boat I’ve owned.   We did a nice trip this summer I will never forget.  Met some awesome people and the Rinker 270 always gets a curious onlooker at the docks.  Always got compliments on her layout and cabin space. Can’t wait to jump back into a Rinker in a year or two. I’ll be looking for a 310.  

Willhound

@luvinlife you took the words right out of my mouth. Our first season on a 270 also and all I can say is ditto.

luvinlife

The 270 has space and amenities not found in much larger boats. AC is a nice luxury I didn't think we would use but we do. My wife did the organizing when we provisioned the boat last spring and found a home for everything tucked nicely into the many cabinets, under cushion locations and we even use the engine compartment for tools and spare engine parts. Plenty of libations and food on board and almost anything you could want. Our guests were always surprised when they asked if we had this or that on board and the answer was nearly always "yes we have that". 

J3ff

Would love to hang out! 

reneechris14

I'm in ,sign me up.time and date.

luvinlife

I will pick done dates and locations in the spring for a get together. 

rasbury

we need some more members in FL! I wonder if Rinker will be at any of the shows this year in FL??

rinker270nb

I picked up the 270 with trailering in mind and have made a few upgrades.  With lots of inland water around the midwest, I have the freedom of experiencing different water and getting my wife and two daughters on (and in) the water.  We are in Lake Michigan currently but have done 5 bodies of water in the Midwest.  Just need more summer!

rasbury

Me too- ee trailer and being a peninsula, gives us about 1000 miles of shoreline plus lakes and rivers!

04FV270riverrat

We did the same exact thing @luvinlife, went looking for a 260 Dancer and wound up in a 270 FV. The wife didn't like the small entrance to the aft cabin on the dancer and it's all boxed in, unlike the open area under the stairs on the Vee. We were worried about the 9'1" beam over the 8'6" as far as trailering, but it tows just fine behind my 2500 and the extra room it gives is unbelievable compared to the dancer. My only complaint is no rear facing seat in the Vee, but I can deal with that as I'm always driving or sitting on the L seat. We have the 350 MPI and I'm pleased with the performance although I think some 20p 4x4 props will be on my future mods list.

Happy Boating!

luvinlife

Okay it's now the end of season 2 and I am happy to report that we had another fantastic season. We had one early season glitch with the shifter cable that was a quick fix.  The boat ran great all season. My original review said we could get into the high 30s with a full load. I must have dreamt that lol.  She will run all day in the low to mid 20s but a heavy load (6 to 8 adults) plus gas really slows her down. WOT with just my wife and me and it feels pretty sprightly, can get into the 30s.  We always have at least another couple with us and often 2 other couples. Wondering if propping down a bit in pitch or gong to four blades will help with loads and allow lower speed planing? I don't even know the pitch on my props. (Volvo DP). We did get out to Block Island for a weekend and 4 of us slept in it. We followed a buddy in his Albin 28. We also did overnights in coves as well as on a mooring in Jsmestown RI.  All in all a great season. Met many slip neighbors and enjoyed every moment. It's a great boat that we plan to keep for a while. 

Handymans342

@luvinlife that sounds great! Its the same with us now in an RV but with a 10 fold expansive area and a heck less expensive!

reneechris14

That's great and I'm glad the 270 is working out great for you. Maybe next year we can meet up.

luvinlife

Reneechris that would be great. Let's make it happen! 

cassiola

We too love our 270! Just ending my 11th season on our 05 270 and still love the layout and deck space. We were looking at a larger boat recently for some more comforts (like the seating area in the 350) but in the end decided to stay same as it meets our needs for what we do. Hope to have quite a few more seasons on it!

Seabutt

We are down here on the Chesapeake Bay with an 02 27FV bought it at the end of the season in 2016 we love it. I keep it in a slip during the year and bring it home for the winters on a trailer. Its coming home next weekend. Ours came with the generator so that makes the anchoring out great..Im new to this forum.

jhofmann

Welcome aboard!!! 
You will find alot of useful information on this forum. The 270 is arguably the most popular  boat Rinker made. I have the one below it, the FV242, and hoping the 270 will be the next one.

Dream_Inn

@seabutt welcome to the site!  There are lots of us here on the Chesapeake bay.  I agree that having a generator makes a world of difference.  Allows those long weekends out on the hook somewhere remote.  Where do you keep your boat in the summer?  I'm out of the south river.