Rinker 280 Express Cruiser Diesel (Stock Boat with Warranty) - SOLD

The term ‘Sports Cruiser’ is a bit of a euphemism at times, especially when it comes to Diesel powered examples of this particular breed…

In any boat over 26ft or so there’s a strong preference for diesel power in this part of the world, but it’s often a disappointment to many buyers. If you’re moving from a sporty Bowrider or Cuddy with a powerful V6 or V8 motor then the step up into a diesel cruiser can also be a big step backwards in performance.

If 30 knots used to be your normal cruising speed, it can now become your top speed and you’ll be having to thrash the life out of that poor old oil burner to keep it there.

Now, I know that this is of little consequence for a lot of more sensibly minded people than me.

If you are happy to trade performance for the undoubted fuel economy benefits of diesel power (including lower cost non-road-duty fuel) then fill your boots. Buy any old oil burner and have at it. You can plod around the coast till your heart’s content, taking in the sights, burning next to no fuel, and generally enjoying life.

And maybe that is the route to true happiness…. Who knows?!

I, on the other hand am afflicted with a terrible, insatiable, need for speed…

It’s why I keep buying gas guzzling cars, jeeps and pickup trucks (my latest acquisition being a Dodge Ram SRT-10 pickup with a 500HP V10 motor; but I’ll tell you more about that another time). It’s also why our own personal boat has an 8.1L V8 petrol donkey in it.

Whilst I know and see the benefits of diesel powered boats on an intellectual level, they never really excite me all that much on an emotional level.

That was until we ordered up a Rinker 280 Express Cruiser, back when we were Rinker dealers, with a Volvo Penta D4 300HP motor.

It used to be, and really still is the case, that in a 26ft to 30ft cruiser, the diesel power options went up to around 250 or 260HP and stopped there. Then in 2008 Volvo Penta tuned up the D4 to 300HP and I finally took some more notice of the diesel options list. With a turbocharger and a supercharger the D4-300 combined really strong low end grunt with substantial top end power to both get big boats onto the plane quickly and propel them onwards to impressive top speeds.

We duly ordered up a black 280 with a Volvo D4-300 from Rinker and it really exceeded my expectations.

That boat hopped up on the plane like a sports cuddy and she ran right up to 40mph with no effort at all. You could throw it through the turns like a little speed boat, but nail the throttle in lumpy conditions and due to her 30ft length and relatively skinny 9ft beam she would blast through the waves like they weren’t even there.

This was a diesel boat that I could finally get to grips with. She really did get the pulse racing when you wanted to, but had all the diesel practicality and fuel efficiency that you need in a grown up cruiser.

We eventually sold that boat to a Dutch guy who became a good friend. He took the boat down to Cannes where he had a villa on the coast and he looked after the boat extremely well. When it came time for him to change he gave me a call and I jumped at the chance to get the boat back into stock.

That Rinker 280 is now for sale here again as a stock boat of ours, with warranty. It looks and performs every bit as well now as it did when she was new.

She’s in immaculate condition and her comprehensive specification includes a bow thruster, radar arch, teak decks, vacu-flush toilet, TV/DVD player, GPS, VHF, etc, etc., as well as that all important Volvo Penta D4-300 motor.

Watch the video tour to find out more.

To get the full low down on this boat you can watch our full length video tour, which includes a lot more water test footage and a more detailed look around the boat – sign up for FREE VIP Access to see it.