Now that the offshore/fishing style boats had been eliminated, it was a matter of scouting out the mid-cabin bowriders.  The ‘favorite’ was the Cruisers Yacht 338, as it had the best layout of all the brands under consideration.  There were several on the market at the time of our search.  Formula 330 CBR and Chaparral 327 were also under consideration.  I eliminated the Cobalt 336 from our list, as the downward sloping bow would be less favorable in the ocean.

We took a first and second look at a CY 328 (earlier version of the 338) that was local to us.  The engines were in rough shape, not having been run in a while (1+ years) and the interior color scheme and vinyl were not all that desirable.  So, the focus switched to the other CY 338’s on the market. 

A trip to upstate NY to see a CY 338 was worthwhile, as the boat was in much better condition than the 328.  The only issue was that the hull color scheme (all blue) was not great and was already showing signs of fading.

There were 3 boats on Long Island NY of interest . . .  a CY 338, a Formula 330 CBR and a Chaparral 327.  The Admiral and I took a trip to Long Island, and saw all 3 boats in a day.  I originally was not a fan of the Formula layout (even though I had owned 2 of them previously), but after spending more time on the 330 CBR I considered it a close second to the CY 338.

Cruisers 328

Cape Cod, MA

Cruisers 338

Upstate NY

Formula 330 CBR

Long Island, NY

Chaparral 327

Long Island, NY

(Only 1 picture of the Chappy)

Cruisers 338

Long Island, NY

The CY 328 (above) was showing signs of neglect.  The engines appeared to have remained dormant for 1+ years and rust had accumulated on all the pulleys.  Not a fan of the tan interior either, and the vinyl had developed some discoloration.

The CY 338 (above) was in good shape overall and was a special ‘South Beach’ Edition.  I was not a fan of the blue hull and the gelcoat was fading on the topsides.  The engines had 2X the number of hours for its age (5 years) and the asking price was a bit high.

Formulas are always eye-catchers and this boat won the ‘good looks’ category of the boats we saw.  It was under-powered ( at 2 X 300 HP ) and needed some upholstery repair.  We were also not a fan the cabin access door, which was part of the helm station, and when opened seemed to be in the way.

The Chappy 327 was our least favorite.  The cabin arrangement was not ‘Admiral Approved’.  The engines were raw water cooled (with CAT converters) making it unsuitable for ocean (salt water) use. 

The cockpit upholstery, although looking a bit dated, was in the best condition of all the boats.

The other CY 338 (white/gray) showed some potential.  I liked the color combination vs. the blue 338.  The engines ‘checked the box’ as being Mercruiser SeaCore (closed cooling), making them OK for salt water. Engine hours were typical for the age (5 years, 260 hours).  The big drawback was that the cockpit upholstery was coming apart at the seams (literally), and the boat would need a full re-upholstery job.

After having looked at all of the boats mentioned, we were in decision mode.  We had 2 finalists in mind.