Larson vs Crownline

[abogle]

I currently have a 2005 Larson LX with 3.0L Volvo Penta. I may have the opportunity to sell the Larson and purchase a 2005 Crownline 180 with 4.3L Merc. Just wanting some thoughts on which boat is considered better. Is Crownline considered better than Larson, vice versa, or are the equal? Also, any thoughts on the engines?

 

[njrextreme]

Re: Larson vs Crownline

I currently have a 2005 Larson LX with 3.0L Volvo Penta. I may have the opportunity to sell the Larson and purchase a 2005 Crownline 180 with 4.3L Merc. Just wanting some thoughts on which boat is considered better. Is Crownline considered better than Larson, vice versa, or are the equal? Also, any thoughts on the engines?

I have a older 94 crownline 182 BR and can tell you it's a very well built boat. It has the 4.3 mercruiser and it is very reliable and good on gas. The newer 4.3L has a little more h.p. I dont know much about larson but the crownie should be a great boat. Maybe check out crownie HQ's web site for more info and reviews of the 180.

 

[jkust]

Re: Larson vs Crownline

Have you seen the Crownline in Person? It should take about 10 seconds to see and feel that in the small bowrider class, the Crownline is a better built boat. That said, small Crownlines in the early and mid 2000's for some inexplicable reason have glued in carpet which is simply unacceptable imo. They did finally move to glass floors but I don't recall which year. Their competitors gave you a fiberglass floor and made you buy the carpet snap in pieces while Crownline stayed old school. What is the dry weight difference between the two boats taking into account the engine differences? Generally, and there is a pretty positive correlation here but the more expensive and better built the boat and all that that entails, the heavier it is. Just based off of a spreadsheet without brands or prices you can generally pick out the nicer boats in the small bowrider class by weight alone all things equal. It's not 100% because I've seen some heavy Bayliner nowadays but in the early and Mid 2000's I'd put stock in it. Plus I dislike the marketing and money saving VEC hulls.

 

[tpenfield]

Re: Larson vs Crownline

I currently have a 2005 Larson LX with 3.0L Volvo Penta. I may have the opportunity to sell the Larson and purchase a 2005 Crownline 180 with 4.3L Merc. Just wanting some thoughts on which boat is considered better. Is Crownline considered better than Larson, vice versa, or are the equal? Also, any thoughts on the engines?

Are we just trading or the sake of the bigger engine? I am more partial to Crownlines, but I doubt the difference alone would be worth a swap.

 

[Mason78]

Re: Larson vs Crownline

I am also a Crownline owner so I am probably biased:joyous:

I have a 94 196br. It has the 5.0L V8 and 370 engine hours on it. My father-in-law purchased the boat new in 94 and sold it to his sister in 2007. She let it sit in a garage for 2 years before I purchased it from her. I changed the fluids and installed a new battery and it fired right up and has run perfectly since that time.

It will run 51-55 MPH depending on conditions and is terrific out of the hole. It is well constructed and gets compliments all the time. Guests are usually surprised that it is nearly 20 years old.

I also know that maintenance is everything on a boat, and mine has been maintained impeccably since 94 (except for the two years it was ignored.)

I am not familiar with Larson so I cannot comment on them.

I am currently searching for my next boat because we need something that can handle a few more passengers. Crownline is at the top of my list.

 

[jestor68]

Re: Larson vs Crownline

Both brands are of equal quality. The Crown is only "better" because it has the V6. You will appreciate the better performance of the V6.

 

[jkust]

Re: Larson vs Crownline

Both brands are of equal quality. The Crown is only "better" because it has the V6. You will appreciate the better performance of the V6.

While I don't own a Crownline, as is the case in MN where everyone owns a small bowrider or fishing boat capable of fitting in a garage, I have friends with both brands so it would be difficult to agree with the above in the small bowrider class given my experiences. That said, the V6 is a suprisingly powerful engine as compared the much less capable 4 cylinder. Plus it sounds so much better. I will say that the newer than 2005 Senza Larsons are a step up from the LX and certainly closer to Crownline. One thing I don't care for about Crownlines is they are skinny, intended to have a sportier look about them as compared to others with a luxurious look that may happen to have a wider beam.

 

[haulnazz15]

Re: Larson vs Crownline

I would say the Crownline is nicer than the Larsons I've seen, but not enough to really make much of a fuss about. I would only upgrade to the Crownline in question since it has the V6, which would be a better fit for the 18'er. I wouldn't put much money over what you can get out of your Larson to upgrade. If you can't get into the Crownline for $1,500 over what your Larson sells for, all else being equal, I'd probably pass on the deal.

 

[cyclops2]

Re: Larson vs Crownline

The VEC hulls are much lighter. My 2002 Chap was about the last heavy old school hull from Brunswick ? It rides smooth & solid. Vecs are noiser in a choppy.

 

[r.j.dawg]

Re: Larson vs Crownline

The VEC hulls are much lighter. My 2002 Chap was about the last heavy old school hull from Brunswick ? It rides smooth & solid. Vecs are noiser in a choppy.

Your Chap was made by Brunswick?? The guys over at the Chaparral Forum would be shocked to hear that.

I would be voting for the Crownline too. What I have seen from Larson in that year is more in keeping with a Bayliner/Rinker type of fit and finish.

 

[Slip Away]

Re: Larson vs Crownline

The VEC hulls are much lighter. My 2002 Chap was about the last heavy old school hull from Brunswick ? It rides smooth & solid. Vecs are noiser in a choppy.

:laugh: Chaparral-Brunswick now that is funny. I nearly spit my coffee all over my keyboard after reading that. And VEC hulls may be slightly lighter than others, but the boats are NOT appreciably lighter than a non VEC hull.

 

[cyclops2]

Re: Larson vs Crownline

I am taking the 75th. My age. Brunswick & the Lowe boat I also own. Do not get old.

 

[MJG24]

Re: Larson vs Crownline

I've always considered Crownline as the better boat, not to mention the engine would be a big upgrade...

 

[jkust]

Re: Larson vs Crownline

The VEC hulls are much lighter. My 2002 Chap was about the last heavy old school hull from Brunswick ? It rides smooth & solid. Vecs are noiser in a choppy.

I can't recall which Chap hull you have as mine being the 183ss/190ssi (not to be confused with the earlier 190ssi) was patented in 2001 and started as a 2002 model year and used up until about 2008 as was the case with most of the early 2000's Chaps. The pace of change was slow during those years. Vecs are a moneysaving way to quickly mass produce boats with a nice marketing spin to make it seem as though somehow it is a good thing. I recall when they first introduced VEC technonogy as it was started here and they did a news story on this brand new manufacturing process. As for Larson, again take note of my state and you can imagine how many are here...the LX's in paricular are nothing to write home about. We live and breathe 20 foot and under bowriders here on our 10,000 lakes from a young age. It is no coincidence or accident why I have the boat I do. Hard to find a mid 2000's under 20 foot garage bowrider with this level of completeness and attention to detail. I think other brands caught up with Chaps last round of contemporization and downscaling.

 

[Thalasso]

Re: Larson vs Crownline

The VEC hulls are much lighter. My 2002 Chap was about the last heavy old school hull from Brunswick ? It rides smooth & solid. Vecs are noiser in a choppy.

Chaparral Boats (originally Fiberglass Fabricators) was founded in 1965 by William “Buck” Pegg in Ft. Lauderdale. In 1967 fire destroyed Chaparral’s Ft. Lauderdale facility. The company re-built in Ft. Lauderdale. In 1976 Chaparral Boats had outgrown it’s Ft. Lauderdale production facility and was looking to expand. That year the Larsen boat manufacturing facility in Nashville, GA became available due to Larsen Boats filing for bankruptcy. In 1976 Chaparral Boats purchased the facility and moved its headquarters to Nashville, Ga and was incorporated in Georgia, where it remains today.[2] Soon after re-location James "Jim" A. Lane (CPA) joined the company as President, a position he still holds today.[3]

In 1986 Chaparral Boats was purchased by RPC Energy Services (NYSE:RES) of Atlanta, Georgia. In 2001 RPC spun off Marine Products Corporation (NYSE:MPX). This offering included Chaparral Boats, Inc. and Robalo Boats, LLC (Purchased from Brunswick Boat Group in 2001).[4][5]

Chaparral currently manufactures pleasure and fishing boats ranging from 18’ sport boats to 40’ yachts in its Nashville, Georgia facilities.

 

[Slip Away]

Re: Larson vs Crownline

Chaparral Boats (originally Fiberglass Fabricators) was founded in 1965 by William “Buck” Pegg in Ft. Lauderdale. In 1967 fire destroyed Chaparral’s Ft. Lauderdale facility. The company re-built in Ft. Lauderdale. In 1976 Chaparral Boats had outgrown it’s Ft. Lauderdale production facility and was looking to expand. That year the Larsen boat manufacturing facility in Nashville, GA became available due to Larsen Boats filing for bankruptcy. In 1976 Chaparral Boats purchased the facility and moved its headquarters to Nashville, Ga and was incorporated in Georgia, where it remains today.[2] Soon after re-location James "Jim" A. Lane (CPA) joined the company as President, a position he still holds today.[3]

In 1986 Chaparral Boats was purchased by RPC Energy Services (NYSE:RES) of Atlanta, Georgia. In 2001 RPC spun off Marine Products Corporation (NYSE:MPX). This offering included Chaparral Boats, Inc. and Robalo Boats, LLC (Purchased from Brunswick Boat Group in 2001).[4][5]

Chaparral currently manufactures pleasure and fishing boats ranging from 18’ sport boats to 40’ yachts in its Nashville, Georgia facilities.

Nice cut and paste from Wikipedia. However, Chaparral Boats was never part of the Brunswick Boat Group, but Robalo was. Back to your originally scheduled Larson-Crownline thread.

 

[Thalasso]

Re: Larson vs Crownline

Nice cut and paste from Wikipedia. However, Chaparral Boats was never part of the Brunswick Boat Group, but Robalo was. Back to your originally scheduled Larson-Crownline thread.

This was in response to the post that said Chaparral was owned by Brunswick.

I see you had to look it up. apparently you didn't know

Why would i type all that info?

Were did it say Chaparral was ever owned by Brunswick? If you read it a little slower it says Robalo was owned by Brunswick until 2001 and was purchased from them.You didn't offer to much to the question i see, Other then criticism.

 

[cyclops2]

Re: Larson vs Crownline

O K
Does any small Glass company NOT use the cheaper VTECH forms ? If not, would that alone, make any company a better glass hull builder ?
The increase from 3.0 to 4.3 is almost 50% increase. Even allowing for aging. The Crown & the 4.3 might be better deal with 4 + 200 pounders, gear & rough water on the way home. I would be tempted.
Be sure you can financialy wait ......for the Larson to NOT sell.

 

[abogle]

Re: Larson vs Crownline

Are we just trading or the sake of the bigger engine? I am more partial to Crownlines, but I doubt the difference alone would be worth a swap.

The bigger engine did appeal to me,

 

[abogle]

Re: Larson vs Crownline

i'm only doing this if my Larson sells first.