Crownline Manual For 225 Br
I posted the other day asking for advice, and I really appreciate the responses. I've run across what seems like a very nice boat for a good price, I believe. It's a 1999 Crownline 225 BR, and looks to be in very good condition. These are expensive boats, I know. After a little negotiation, I've talked the owner down to around $8500. The boat has a 350 in it, and has no major mechanical issues.
I will have it checked out by a good boat mechanic prior to pulling the trigger, but thought I would come back here first. What do you think.good deal, or could I find better? I want a good family boat over 20' long.something I can cruise in, ski behind, fish out of occasionally in Georgia lakes, etc. All opinions are appreciated. Re: Crownline 225 BR Sorry, I posted that incorrectly. It is a Crownline, not a Bayliner. And I had the year wrong.not sure what's wrong with me tonight.
It's a 1995, not a 1999. I corrected my title. The NADA Value on the boat is $7500 without a trailer and I assume you add $1500 or so for a trailer. The boat is listed here.take a look: The person selling it has been VERY helpful and informative, sending more pictures and telling me the entire history of the boat. As I said, I'd definitely get it checked out by a specialist. $20k for a 10 yr old boat? Do they hold their value that well?
Re: Crownline 225 BR I have talked to owner about this boat as well. Sounds good on paper but keep in mind that they have replaced some of the floor but not all. If you have everything torn up to replace the floor, why would you only replace some or most as she says and not all? Were the stringers rotten and they just covered it back up? You can always lay a new floor over rotten stringers and give the appearance of a solid structure. I had thought about this boat, but have decided to pass due to price being a little high for that age of boat. Just my $0.02.
Re: Tell me about mid-late 90's Crownline 225 bowriders. Ok after the pecker contest you were apart of (which I stayed away from) I think you have a pretty good idea of how opinionated people can be LOL 225's are a great boat, they handle well, sports car of the line, 225's are one of Crownlines most popular sizes, but your really being funny when comparing a 350 to a 454, in fact you can find 225's with 502's if you look enough. Either is plenty for water sports, they are simply for going fast, top speed for the original owner who has since moved on. If I remember your previous post you were looking for something that will be good for water sports and that is where I think you should focus, a Bravo III should be your focus, hard to beat a Bravo III/duo prop for getting people out of the water, you can also find Crownlines with towers, Crownlines factory Tower went against the grain and was a reverse Tower but any tower you want will work fine. As always condition, care and maintenance is most important and Crownlines have a very dedicated ownership, we have Crowndezvoux's yearly and our own website at Crowniehq.net, If your into the more sport aspects look for a LPX model but they are the same hull as the standard 225. Crownlines are built to owner spec boats so you can find them in just about any package with any motor with any outdrive, where Crownline stands out is Hull and Gelcoat quality, my 248 is nearly 15 years old and looks very much like it just came off the showroom floor, yeah I maintain it properly but you need a a solid base to start from.
As to how they compare to others? I feel Crownlines are a high end Boat, they always stand out in the crowd, sporty and fast but heavy and a good hull gives you a nice ride in water that most get beat up on, most models hit 55 MPH and some can go into the 60's, not many boats this size can give you a decent ride at that speed but the Crownlines do. They are as good as any other Bowrider for watersports. If you want a go fast bowrider you will want to stay away from the Bravo III its a bit slower, my 248 has a Bravo III and I do 50-55 MPH Here in Colorado, plenty fast enough for me and I can pull big people up on water skis too, Love my Crownline, but I am Biased too. Re: Tell me about mid-late 90's Crownline 225 bowriders.
Thanks for all the info. I found a nice one with a 454 and Bravo 1 drive.
It's not a huge concern of mine, but with so many nice 225s in my area.all with different engine/drive setups.can you give me some info on the 5.7 vs the 7.4 motors as far as speed and fuel usage? If the 454 is only a little faster on top end, but uses a lot more fuel than the 350.I'd probably go with the smaller motor. Also, what about carved mercruisers vs the MPI's? Should I hold out for a newer 225 with a fuel injected motor? Thanks again. Re: Tell me about mid-late 90's Crownline 225 bowriders.
Crownline Manual For 225 Broadhollow
On a 225 I would look for a 350 MAG over a 454/7.4L or any big block for that matter, the boat will be a 55-60 MPH boat and do well on gas, Carbed over Fuel Injection, I always like Fuel Injection, but I also trailer my boat from Colorado to Lake Powell, a difference of 2500 feet or more, Fuel Injection is less problematic for boats that are used in multiple elevations. But if your a flatlander and never see a difference in elevation like I do a carb is fine, Fuel Injection can also mask issues, fuel injection has the ability to change fuel mixture to overcome problems with your motor but that very same ability allows it to solve my problem, I love Fuel Injection, my boat fires in less then 100 revolutions everytime I cannot speak highly enough about it LOVE it I highly recommend it. But I would not be scared of a carb, they are easy but intimidate people, once they are setup they are as good as FI, you don't see many high performance motors with FI. SO on a 225, a 350 MAG and even 5.7(same as a 350 Cubic Inch wise) will have similar power, in fact spec wise a 350 MAG will have the exact same HP as a 7.4L MPI but the 7.4L MPI will have the edge on torque but you are looking at a smaller boat(then mine) so torque is not as big an issue as it would be for me, but your at the limits for a small block, still well into the mid 50 MPH range and possibly low 60's with props, the Bravo 1 will help your top end out as well and will do fine at the bottom(getting out of the hole). Fuel wise is more on how you drive it, the small block will drink less then a big block unless you drive it like I do, I'm in Law Enforcement and thats how I drive so I get used to paying for gas for me its a non issue, big boat big motor big gas money, but either can be fuel efficient depending on how you drive it. For me I would look for a 225 LPX with a big motor, man what a rocket 60MPH+ but for you and watersports a 225 with a 350 MAG, a Bravo III and a tower would be bad. and actually a very popular boat, still talking mid 50's MPH wise, get out of the hole like a beast even with two tubes or better.
Crownline Manual For 225 Broadway
The boat you are currently looking at, 454 with a bravo 1 will be a boat that may hit 60 MPH and will certainly do 60 MPH with a prop, the outdrive will do better on the top end but the Bravo III will have an advantage at the bottom, nothing wrong with a Bravo 1 but thats the difference, Bravo one is a top speed(top end) outdrive and the Bravo III is a bottom end drive (getting out of the hole). 454 indicates that it is a carbed motor so depending on the year you may need to get the carb rebuilt not a big issue couple hundred dollars every 5 years or so and she is brand new, the 454 is a solid motor but its a beast (its heavy) and it will use more fuel, Yeah yeah you could be real diplomatic and save fuel BS you know it your going to let the big dog eat. I honestly was looking at 225's when I found my 248, great boat and you will be hard pressed to find a boat that looks more like a sportscar on the water.