I made it to the show Saturday. The Crownline area was quite busy. I own a 340 and like to comparison shop the new offerings in the category. It appears that if you want a boat that offers as much interior size from any other manufacturer, there are few choices. Chaparral 350 a nice cabin but the cockpit layout is small, especially the seats themselves. They offer a hardtop too. The one thing I liked better on the Chap was the helm seat. That was about it. To get a sea ray with the same space you need to go to a 38 footer, and spend an extra 100 grand. And the seats in the cockpit still are smaller and less comfortable. Regal 3760 is a nice boat and the cabin is nice but there is that nasty bump in the aft cabin where the stepdown is for the stairs. Also the cockpit area seems separated by the upper half circle seating area and the lower 3 person bench which is all by itself. The Cruisers 330 is much smaller feeling for about the same money as a Crownline and the 36 is more similar in feel for size, but the quality of materials seems less than the Crownline. The Four Winns and the Monterey and Rinker are much less boat in every area. The formula boats had a nice build quality but the 34 is still smaller inside and a lot more money. Tiara makes a nice boat, the 3500 and it can be ordered with the IPS gas or diesel. The beam is a foot wider and the length is an extra 2 feet overall. The cockpit layout is Ok but will fit fewer people than than the Crownline. Also the boat is a lot more money. Crownline is still the clear winner. I wonder what some of these manufacturers were thinking when they put the pencil to the paper in the design department, especially Larson . Their 35 feels tiny. Crownline has one of the largest cockpit refrigerators out there too!
Things I liked on other boats that I would like to see on the 340?
formula has nice hinged cockpit seats for easier access. This would be nice on the seat over the cooler. Cooler access is a bit of a chore if you want to get in and out. One of the competitors has the cooler under the seat, but not enclosed and the seat just flips up and stays in place. This is the easiest access of all. When our refrigerators are full and guests come on board, the cooler is usually where we put their stuff. I would put in a split helm seat with a better bolster. I would find a way to make the swim platform seating easy to deploy like some of the other manufacturers. This creates a storage problem and may not be an easy fix. We are considering putting the fenders on the bow rails in those fender holders as an option . Sometimes, people going up to the bow sunpad accidentally trip a breaker on the panel with their foot when accessing the bow through the center window. It would be cool if the aft cabin bed could be set up by just pulling out the cushion on a slide. This would be easier and not take up storage space under the bed. One of the boats had larger garbage cans on tilt out hinges, very nice, and some have holes in the sink areas in the cockpit and cabin with a cover so you can drop garbage more easily. I like it when the cooktop is covered instead of exposed. some of the boats have square window hatches which allows for built in shades and screens. Some offer IPS or Zeus drives.
Each manufacturer seems to have one or two features I liked, but no boat came close to the Crownline for best boat overall, for me. The space, styling, fit and finish of the Crownline, the quality is far superior. and the Cockpit seats are the best period. My wife loved the colors, inside and out. But hey Crownline, if you are looking for ideas, here are a few from my ideal boat dream list.