250 vs 270

[Relentless]

can anyone provide me with any input on the 250 Fiesta Vee?  I here about a lot of leaks from the 270, but I never here any complaints about the 250 other than it's a bit tight working on the engine?  Any input, pro or con would be appreciated.

Thanks

[Richard fry]

Rentless You would never be  wrong to pick the 270 9 1 beam 8 6 you can not blive the extra room. other than leak the boat has been excelant

[Talon]

Can't give you any background on the 250, but the 270 is a great boat. I've been on a couple of them and, for it's size, I think you'd be hard pressed to beat it. In that size range, they are almost always hard to maintain the engine, just because there is not enough beam. Our 27ft Cierra was a nightmare to work on. I assume the Rinker is slightly better due to the extra 1/2 ft of beam.

[gareth]

i've got a 250 i find that there is not much difference between the 250 and 270 as regards to the cabin the only thing that stands out to me is when your on top the seating is bigger and you have the radar arch i like the boat it's a good starter cruiser mine's powered by a volvo 5.0gxi with a duo prop it's heavy on the juice which hits the wallet bad here in the uk as it's £1.10 a litre but it's a joy to drive  

[Talon]

Welcome Gareth! According to my napkin quality mathamatics that works out to about $7.18 a US gallon

and I complain when I pay $3!!!

[gareth]

scary ai'nt it give another few years and we'll be paying £2.00 a litre it's sad but it's a know fact that the goverment here take's 80% of that £1.20 as tax i'll be glad when i get a deisel engine rinker wont worry as much then   still the same amount of tax but will get more miles per gallon

[Sea Saw]

Relentless: I would go for the 270 again in a minute. When you put the two boats side by side there is huge difference. The Extra Beam was a huge selling point to me. The extra cockpit space and huge sunpad with the optional cushions are a plus. Head room in the cabin is 6' 4". The beam also equals more space in the aft cabin.

A couple of things to remeber: Since the 270 has 9'-1" beam it can be a problem to trailer in some states. It is a big, heavy, and a tall boat. So when you trailer it, you need a big truck. I used a 3/4 ton diesel truck to pull mine home from the dealer. I have towed a lot of things over the years and let me tell you the 270 is huge to tow. There is a 1000#s difference in the two boats.

Don't think beacuse it is so big that the boat is slow. My boat has an 8.1L 375hp and will run about 47mph. My buddy has an 04 270 with a 5.7L w/carb 250Hp and can run up to 39-40 mph.

My old boat was a 24' bayliner and it felt like a tinker toy in rough water. The 270 rides like a dream.

I'm also not sure if the 250 can be documented w/USCG or not. It needs to be 5 tons of displacement in order to qualify. In KY and several other states a documented boat does not have property taxes or state registration numbers.

[SteveF]

I'm with those recommending the 270.  I have an '05 since last Memorial day.  No leaks, no major problems at all. A few minor issues that the dealer was happy to take care of.  I can't recommend it more highly.  You'll never be sorry to have the extra space, believe me.  When we were just 'looking' at the 270 (our 2nd boat, our 1st cruiser) it seemed sooooo big.  Now that we've had it for a little while it's funny how 'small' it now seems!  Not that it's really small, but once you get used to it, it's not as big as it first seemed.  The 250 is an excellent boat, but I'd go with the 270 or larger if it's something you can swing.

[gareth]

just out of intrest how much does a 270 cost over in the states here is the page of my local dealer who i bought my 250 from. This page shows how much the 270 is here

http://www.cambrianboats.co.uk/newboats ... 17&ishow=1

[Craig]

Go with the 270. You will never be sorry.

[Relentless]

Thanks for all the replies (keep them coming )  All my boating will be in the Hudson River in NY and used mostly as an overnighter.  Trailering is an issue, but only intend to trailer it twice a year for a short distance.  The 10K+ cost difference is also an issue, I'll find out more at the Boat show..  Any input on fuel consumption??

[nwaring]

Relentless...we have a 250 and really like it but if you can swing a 270 I would go for it.  We spent almost every weekend on board this past summer and the extra beam would of been nice but it is just the admiral and me so it wasn't hard to make do with the 8.6 beam.  We have a 28' restriction at our club so the 270 was out anyway.  Actually we had to forgo the windless and we got Rinker to put a short anchor roller just to keep the 250 under 28’.

The 270 is only 10k more...thought it was more.  Boating is expensive so don't over do it up front.

Good luck
Niles

[pedromerk]

I bought the 270,i did look at a 250 and a 320 also.I really need the 320 because i have three boys and do find the 270 a little tight.What it came down to was money.The 270 is was only $10,000. more than the 250 but the 320 was exacally twice as much as the 270.I didnt feel with the 320 that i was getting twice the boat. As far as i am concerned the 270 is the best value out there. Touch wood i have not had any water leaks,lots of fit & finish problems (screws falling out,door not sliding properly, etc) but i also realize thay this boat is about $12,000. less than its competetors.

[Mikes342]

I traded my 270 in for a 342.  I had the 300 hp Bravo 3.  You will enjooy the boat.  A little tight when sleeping but it will do the job.  You might get some pricing on adding some padding in the berth area's.   My 2003 padding in thoes area's wa ll we needed to be comforatable.  We just needed more room  and I wanted twin 6.2's.  We loved our 270 nothing ever realy came loose.  Just a snap or two.  I owned a 258 Four Winns which everyone said was such a great boat.  It wasn't.  It was the worst boat I have ever owned.

Enjoy your 270 it is a great boat as is the 250 and if you are not limited by size and it fits your pocketbook you won't be disappointed.

Mike

[schnippert]

I wouldn't hesitate on buying another 250, after 3 seasons of ownership.  Had minor build quality issues when new (loose hose clamps, screws left laying around in the bilge) but overall the 250 has been solid and leak free.  If you can afford the extra boat (and the extra gas, dockage and storage) consider the 270.

I thought I might miss not having a genset on the 250 but really haven't missed it (although we don't overnight much).  The 250 trailers really well (admittedly with a 3/4 ton truck)  which is a plus  Another plus I didn't think about when buying was the greater availability of indoor storage for the winter without the extra height of the radar arch.