Boating – May 2018

60 | BOATINGMAG.COM | MAY 2018

PHOTO: BILL DOSTER

profile, with supportive padding, minimal-

ist accent striping, and a carved-out inwale

for storage and the requisite cup holders.

Stainless-steel grab handles are located

above all seat backs so that no passenger

is left wanting for a handhold. Behind the

helm, the aforementioned refreshment

center includes a sink, stainless-steel fau-

cet, and plenty of solid-surface counter

space. Add the side-mounted pedestal table

and the optional electric fridge featured

on our test boat, and the drinks and hors

d’oeuvres are ready to take center stage.

At anchor or nosed into the sandbar,

that cockpit crowd will likely spill onto the

aft platform. Here, Rinker designers mixed

form and function with a unique take on an

outboard’s seating and swim platform. Rec-

ognizing that passengers would most likely

trod over a cushioned rumble seat, they

maintained the padded seat back but re-

placed the bottom with an extra-thick layer

of EVA traction material, finished with

a soft, brushed texture. With the padded

backrest, it makes a suitable perch when

coving or gearing up for watersports but

also offers a smart way to navigate around

the outboard motor when boarding or dis-

embarking from the stern. Dual swim plat-

forms flank the bracket-mounted motor

and provide a spot for skiers and boarders

to gear up or swimmers to come aboard via

the three-step stainless-steel ladder.

Dig deeper into the boat and the not-so-

obvious details continue to impress. Rather

than the typical open cavern, the space

below the helm is cleanly finished with

composite lumber and features dedicated

storage for both the 25-quart Igloo cooler

and cockpit table, as well as a shelf and deep

cylindrical trash can, which can be mount-

ed to brackets on the door’s interior. The

3-foot-10-inch-by-2-foot-2-inch-by-2-foot-

10-inch head compartment within the port

console features a fiberglass liner, for both

showroom appeal and low maintenance, a

fiddled shelf and standard port-a-potty. The

stowage space below most cockpit cushions

is cleanly finished with low-maintenance

roto-molded tubs. The clean dash swaps

out multiple gauges for a single Simrad

GO7 touchscreen display; lighted rocker

switches with resettable breakers are ar-

rayed below. To the left of the Gussi wheel

resides the Kicker KMC10 head unit with

Bluetooth capability; to the right is a padded

vertical mount to secure your phone.

Our test boat was powered by a Mercury

300 Verado Pro, a powerful, quiet mo-

tor mounted off the transom on a custom

bracket. It pushed the boat onto plane in

4.8 seconds with surprisingly minimal bow

rise, and passed the 30 mph benchmark in

8.3 seconds. Top speed peaked at 53.9 mph.

Economy? Most efficient cruise occurred at

22 mph, where the engine burned 8.5 gph.

The hull handled our test day’s light chop

with confidence and banked smoothly into

turns, holding its line without hiccup.

Overall, it’s a design both similar to yet

different than Sea Ray’s nearly identically

sized SDX 270 OB ($104,593 with Mercury

300 XL Verado Pro outboard). Both craft

feature similar profiles and interior layouts.

Sea Ray squares off the bow to enhance in-

terior room in the forward cockpit, opts for

doublewide helm and passenger seats with

flip-over backrests, and sacrifices space in

the main cockpit in favor of an aft sun pad

and full-width swim platform. The head

compartment includes a sink, pullout

sprayer and opening portlight, but Rinker’s

standards list includes the Simrad display,

Bimini top, and the wet bar with sink and

faucet. And yes, one very cool blender

that will make you a hit at the sandbar.

—Jeff Hemmel

 Q Series running

surface is based off the

former Rinker Captiva

232, the best-selling

model in the company’s

75-year history.

C

CERTIFIED

TEST

RESULTS

SPEED EFFICIENCY OPERATION

naut. stat. n. mi. s. mi. sound

rpm knots mph gph mpg mpg range range angle level

1000 4.34 5.00 1.10 3.95 4.55 260 299 0 56

1500 5.65 6.50 1.80 3.14 3.61 206 237 1 63

2000 6.60 7.60 3.00 2.20 2.53 145 166 3 63

2500 9.12 10.50 4.80 1.90 2.19 125 144 4 67

3000 13.90 16.00 6.80 2.04 2.35 134 155 5 76

3500 19.12 22.00 8.50 2.25 2.59 148 170 4 79

4000 21.72 25.00 10.40 2.09 2.40 137 158 3 79

4500 27.63 31.80 12.80 2.16 2.48 142 163 2 81

5000 34.67 39.90 16.50 2.10 2.42 138 159 2 82

5500 39.89 45.90 20.60 1.94 2.23 127 146 2 84

6000 44.49 51.20 25.50 1.74 2.01 115 132 2 86

6420 46.84 53.90 29.50 1.59 1.83 104 120 2 87

MOST ECONOMICAL CRUISING SPEED

AVAILABLE POWER:

OUTBOARD

High Points

XStandout details include a full-length

padded armrest for your throttle elbow and

forearm, molded-in inwale stowage for dock

lines along the transom walk-through, gel-

coat hull colors rather than stick-on graph-

ics, and seemingly endless cup holders.

XGenerous in-floor ski locker has room for a

variety of tow toys; the hatch is finished off

with a rubber seal to eliminate rattles

underway.

XOptional watersports tower adds a stylish

accent as well as a solid 7-foot attachment

point for towing duties.

Low Points

XPortside head compartment door has a

small vent but could benefit from a

screened portlight, for both additional

ventilation and welcome natural light.

XPet peeve? Many boaters prefer to run with

the walk-through windshield open for venti-

lation. We would prefer to see a strap or

catch to keep it secured in place.

· LOA: 27'2" BEAM: 8'6" · DRAFT (MAX): 2'6"

· DISPLACEMENT (APPROX.): 4,950 lb.

· TRANSOM DEADRISE: 20 degrees · BRIDGE

CLEARANCE: 5'3" · FUEL CAPACITY: 73 gal.

· MAX HORSEPOWER: 350 · AVAILABLE POWER:

Mercury, Yamaha or Suzuki outboards to 350 hp

Price: $88,612

(with test power)

HOW WE TESTED

ENGINE: Mercury 300 Verado PROP: Merc Enertia

14.2" x 18" 3-blade stainless steel GEAR RATIO:

1.85:1 FUEL LOAD: 50 gal. WATER ON BOARD:

11 gal. CREW WEIGHT: 360 lb.

RINKER BOATS

Syracuse, Indiana; 574-457-5731; rinkerboats.com