Hello! I am looking to purchase our first boat. We are a large blended family of 8 so we have narrowed down to two bow rider/deckboats. one is a 2010 Larson LXi238 fully loaded with 109 hours on a Volvo Penta 5.0 We have negotiated a fair price of 23k. the other is a 2005 Sea Ray 240 SunDeck. Again, this boat is pretty loaded. Normal wear and some fading on the hull. Nothing a lot of elbow grease won't fix. The Sea ray has a brand new Merc 5.0 Sroker 383 with full warranty. We still havn't settled on a price for the Sea Ray and cant seem to get him below 25k. NadaGuide lists it at 21k being retail and The Larson at 29 k. I have seen good and so so on the Larson, mostly so so on the older Larsons. Can someone please provide some input that may make my decision easier. Both seat 10+ wihich with 6 boys we need. Both have a head with potty and pump out. They both have bow and transom ladders, nice size swim decks rinse hoses and filler cushions for sundecks. Do I go newer and have an older motor that appears to have been well maintained or older boat with brand new motor?

Sorry bud this is OFFSHORE ONLY.........we are friends with many people but come to this site to enjoy our PASSION amoungst fellow performance boaters.

I would suggest another site

A better choice of forums for information on these type boats would probably be..

http://www.boatered.com/forum/default.asp?CAT_ID=1

http://www.thehulltruth.com/boating-forums-4/

Cheers,

Dave

Darr I say anything ?

As mentioned above, there are better forums to ask this question.
As far as the boats themselves, I would say they are about equal in build and durability.

But your post is confusing.

What exactly is the motor in the SeaRay? Is it a 5.0L 305 (cubic inches) OR is it a 383 (cubic inches)?
What is the outdrive? Alpha or Bravo, or Bravo III ?

Generally, you are going to want the bigger motor for towing. BUT, which outdrive does the Larson have with the Penta? Is it a Duoprop? This can help the boat a bit more with low end grunt.

8 people on either boat is going to be a crowded mess and neither is powered for that load.

I apologize for posting in the wrong forum. it is a 5.0 383 stroker Motor, supposedly equivalent to a 454 in power and it is a Bravo III out drive. Yes the Larson has a duoProp.

Thank you for your reply

I stand corrected,it is a repowered 5.0 and is 5.7 liters 350 hp

So it was a 5.0L, and now it's a 5.7L?
If so, I think this is your better bet, with it's additional HP and grunt, given what your load is going to be.

But I think you should take 5 of your guy friends with you for a test/demo ride, and make sure the boat has the power you expect it to.
You may should have a bit bigger boat with a big block in it, not a small block.

Where are you going to be boating? Lake? River? Ocean?

That is good advise, thank you! Mostly Bay. Barnaget Bay and Egg Harbor in NJ.