H2xed

Hi guys, looking for some info on a Sunsation 288 midcabin. I am currently looking to buy one and wanted any opinions on their water handling.
Right now I am running a 24 foot Baja H2x and just hate the way it handles 2 foot chop. The thing just wants to jump right out of the water and beats the heck out of you.
How does a 288 handle it? Anyone know the deadrise on that model?
I really like the styling and rep of the Sunsations. The one I am looking at sports a 496 mag HO.

ZP'd

It'll handle 2 ft chop easy and way better then a H2X you currently have. It is a Drivers Boat and will take some time to learn to drive to get the best out of it. Once you really learn to drive it, you'll love it. Flys level, will drive like it's on rails and is a solid boat with best in the industry Customer Service regardless if it's new or used. Excellent rigging from the engine compartment up to under the dash where all wiring is neatly tied and secured VERY well.
Been in a 04 and 08 and IMO the full step hull may have rode a tad better but very little, the newer fairing is taller then the older style as well giving the cockpit a slightly deeper feel.

I'm sure anyone owning one woujld be happy to take you out if you'd like. Where do you boat at?

bdubs

I have an 02 with a 496 HO. I would say it handles great for what I use it for.

They have a 24* deadrise and a small pad. I think it makes for a good mix of smooth ride and efficient hull.

I was in the QC poker run, and it was great in that. Running behind 30 other boats makes a lot of slop, and the 288 handled all of just fine. Ya, we had the prop out a few times, but if you work the wheel and throttle right, it flys flat and lands smooth.

bsboss

I had some of the same questions, check
out this tread:

I have owned both. I have kind of come full circle in my opinions of Sunsation in the past and now.

I have owned three Baja brand boats including a 20 Outlaw, 245 and a 25 Outlaw being the most recent. My 25 was a great boat and in all honesty I might still have it had my wife and I not had our first child and I wanted to alleviate some debt. My only gripes about my Baja boats was the attention to detail in the rigging and some of the fit and finish. You do get a huge bang for your buck though. Yes there will always be Baja haters but in my opinion they have always been a great boat. One thing the haters need to remember is that there is always a better, faster boat out there.

My first experience with a Sunsation 288 was not a good one. In fact, after taking a ride in a poker run in one an aquantence of mine owned, I vowed never to get back in one. From the passenger bolster it felt unsettled and all over the place sometimes coming down on one side or the other when the going got rough. I am not a novice to rough water or performance boats and it is one of the few times I was nervous. The guy I was riding with had owned the boat for a few months but had owned several performance boats so I figured he knew how to operate his stuff. What I have later found is that the guy really did not know how to drive the boat and operate it in that kind of water which brings us to some differences.

As a guide, my 25 was a 2006 model with all the options including 35th anniversary package. My 288 is a 2001 model with Mcleod interior and some other custom touches.

The 25 being a standard deep v non-ventilated hull is kind of hard to get into trouble in. Not saying it is impossible but it is a no-frills hull without any tricks. Hammer the throttle and hold on and even a novice will be safe with mild power. The Sunsation requires a bit more input due to the step in the hull...older Sunnys had kind of a half step and newer ones have a full step. I would call my Sunny more of a driver's boat needing more input from tabs, drive and throttle to get the most performance and handling out of it.

The 288 is a bigger boat, if only by a couple feet. It feels bigger in rougher water and has just enough extra length to span bigger rollers. Now, while it has added room in the cabin and overall length, it is not much bigger if at all in the cockpit. In fact, I would say it has almost identical room as the 25 in that aspect. The sun pad on the 25 is bigger if that is important.

As far as fit and finish, I have been very pleased with my Sunny. The rigging is great and the glasswork and gell work are very good. The engine compartment is well finished and all wiring is done very neatly. My 25 was also very good but the wiring was not as neat and the finish in the bilge was a bit more confused looking. I would say out of 1-10 I would give my 25 a 7.5 and my sunny a 9.

Speed between my Sunny and 25 WITH EQUAL POWER is about the same. I got around 66 out of the 25 any day of the week in any condition with a 496HO and my sunny is a solid 70 no matter what with a warmed over 502.

As I said before, my 25 was a fantastic boat but this go around I wanted something different after three Bajas. I am extremely happy with my 288 but I would go back to a bigger Baja in a heartbeat when the times comes to make a move to a larger boat.

In the end you just need to drive and experience both and buy the one you like the best.__________________
I don't want to be a product of my environment, I want my environment to be a product of me.

H2xed

Thanks guys, just the kind of info I was looking for.
(bdubs) I was in the Quad City poker run as well. We were the Baja in the back holding on for dear life! Fun time though.
Really it was seeing so many nice Sunnys that day that has steered me that direction. I was kind of shocked over the weekend to hear my wife say "maybe we should look at some 32 Dominators as well".

ThunderStruck53

H2xed - Just wanted to drop a line with my .02. My father transitioned from a 2000 Baja H2X to a 2003 288 Sunsation. The H2X was his first high performance boat and was an absolute treat when compared to the cabin cruiser he had for many years. Unfortunately the beating a family of 4 took on one rough day on the river had him in the market for the Sunsation. The 288 was much larger and handles both 2 foot rollers and 2 foot chop very will. To piggy back off of a previous comment, the boat is a true drivers boat. With the right trim, the boat handles amazingly over 2 foot chop.

After many, MANY trips to look at a variety of boats, I decided to purchase his Sunsation. It was the best decision I could've made and look forward to many endless summers on the sunny. Good luck with your search and if you have any questions, please feel free to ask.

bats05

H2xed, I also have a H2X baja. Boat on river and lake of the ozarks. Im interested in the 288 myself. I hope you update your post for future reference.

288sunny

I currently have a 03 288 closed bow, lots of goodies, 07 alumium trailer. Here is a link with info and some pics, pm me or email me if interested..

http://www.sunsationboats.com/forums...ead.php?t=3807

Baja_man

What year did the hull go from no step to half step to full step? And is there really much difference in speed between the half and full (w/equal power)? What about handleing?

Plowtownmissile

Guess a lot of us Baja guys at the QC poker run started looking at 288 MCOB Sunnys after that run

I was in the solid red 20 Outlaw. At the first card stop (sand pits), my buddy and I's wives jumped in Reedy's Nordic because the ride was to rough in that slop everyone churned up. I wanted a cabin and wife wanted a bowrider. We were looking at the 288 MCOB's but the wife didn't want everyone walking thru the cabin. We ended up picking up a Baja 292 Islander and we both got what we wanted.