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There’s a huge selection of new and used sports cruisers on the market today for one simple reason: boaters love to go cruising, and they love to do it in a sleek, sporty boat. A sports cruiser gives you the ability to head for distant ports at a fast clip, stay overnight or for a long weekend, then cruise back home in comfort. Choosing which sports cruiser will be best for you and your family, however, can be a tough call. If you’ve been researching the different sports cruiser options out there be sure to check out these seven top picks, which we’re happy to include with video tests from Rightboat’s content partners at BoatTest.com.
1. Aviara AV40
The Aviara AV40 is representative of a new breed of sports cruisers that place a strong emphasis on outdoors adventure space and less focus on maximizing cabin space. The open-air helm deck includes an al fresco galley and is shaded by a huge hard top with a power sunroof, while a monstrous cockpit aft includes fold-down hullside terraces and a triple-wide lounger. The bow is scooped out for a seating area that’s bolstered all around. Yet even with so much to offer in the great outdoors, down below in the cabin there’s room for four to sleep, an enclosed head compartment, and an entertainment center. This boat is a serious performer, too, with a top-end hitting 55 mph and a 4500-rpm cruising speed in the upper 30s with a pair of Mercury V12 600-hp Verado outboards on the transom. Aviara boats for sale
Aviara photo
2. Boston Whaler 380 Realm
The 380 Realm may seem like an odd choice for a sports cruiser, but will prove ideal for boaters who enjoy a bit of fishing from time to time. This boat has everything it takes for sleeping aboard at distant ports, including a settee that converts into a berth, a galley, and an enclosed head compartment. It’s the open deck space that most boaters will fall in love with, however, incorporating a huge bow cockpit with a triple-wide lounger and an aft cockpit with plenty of room for angling plus a huge fold-down transom seat. Entertaining and relaxing get a boost from a helm seat that swivels aft to face a settee. Performance is about as sporty as you’ll find anywhere, with a hat-stripping top-end in excess of 60 mph when rigged with quad 400-hp Mercury Verados. And the Realm also integrates basic angling amenities like fishing rod holders, insulated fishboxes with pump-outs, and an optional livewell. If you want to mix some fishing fun in with your cruising, the Realm is the ticket. Note that Boston Whaler’s Conquest line also falls into the Sports Cruiser category and has plenty of highlights of its own, which is one of the reasons Boston Whaler made our list of the best cabin cruiser boat brands. Boston Whaler Realm boats for sale
Boston Whaler photo
3. Galeon 435 GTO
Galeon’s 435 GTO mixes sports cruiser with bowrider to come up with a boat that has all the amenities you want for extended stays aboard, yet also offers sporty bowrider-style fun. The bow cockpit is huge, with plenty of room for a half dozen or more people to relax or go for a thrill ride. The cockpit enjoys dual swing-down terrace hullsides, and there’s room under the hard top for a dinette aft of the three-seat helm station. The cabin has two private staterooms plus a head with a stall shower, and there’s a full galley as well. Triple Mercury Verado V12 600-hp outboards sit on the transom, which blast this boat to an uber-sporty top-end in the mid-50s. Galeon boats for sale
Galeon photo
4. Hanover 347
Available in both stern drive and outboard form, the Hanover 347 delivers a generous cabin without cutting the cockpit short. By turning the berth athwartships, there’s also space for a settee in the mid-cabin. Forward, there’s a convertible dinette/V-berth, plus a galley and head compartment. The open cockpit offers L-shaped seating capped off with a massive swim platform aft and a fold-down hullside terrace on the starboard side. The way bow space is utilized on the Hanover 347 is also unusual; there’s a fold-back section of windshield and a recessed sidedeck to port, offering an easy walkaround. When you make your way forward, you’ll find a triple-lounger integrated on the cabin-top. Hanover boats for sale
Hanover Yachts photo
5. Nimbus W11
With 40’7” of LOA and an 11’4” beam, the Nimbus W11 is dubbed a weekender by the builder but it certainly has the space and accommodations for a sporty cruising experience. It boasts impressive performance for its size and even with standard power (a pair of 300-hp outboards, which can be optioned up to 400-hp powerplants) the boat easily gets into the mid-40s. Give credit to a tricked-out twin-stepped hull design. But also give credit to Nimbus for designing a bright, airy cabin thanks to a double skylight with hatch above the V-berth plus a pair of large hullside windows. The mid-cabin is far aft of an enclosed head with separate stall shower and stowage cabinets plus a refrigerator. That mid-cabin has a door, too, so it’s far more private than the open or privacy-curtained mid-cabins often found on sports cruisers. And thanks to all that LOA, there’s still a ton of outdoors space to enjoy on this boat. A sunpad sits atop the cabin, while those on the helm deck can enjoy plenty of sunshine thanks to the massive opening sunroof. Nimbus boats for sale
Nimbus photo
6. Riviera 505 SUV
Can a 50-footer really count as a sports cruiser? Looking at Riviera’s 505 SUV it would be hard to argue otherwise. It has sleek looks and a pair of 725-hp Volvo Penta D11 IPS drives providing the power, which nets you a cruising speed around 30 mph and a top-end nipping at the 40-mph mark. The open cockpit boasts an outdoor galley with a grill, sink, and refrigerator/freezer and is capped off with a monstrous swim platform. The cabin is thoroughly impressive with three staterooms and two heads, the most of any of these top sports cruiser picks, but the truly unique feature on the 505 SUV is the Mezzanine. Walk out of the saloon and you’ll find a dinette to port and a settee to starboard, all sheltered by the hard top but open to the cockpit aft. It will be a great spot to hang out and watch the sun set when there’s a chill in the air or its drizzling and you want some protection from the weather but you don’t want to be cooped up indoors. Riviera boats for sale
Riviera photo
7. Solaris 44 Open
If you want ultra-sleek and ultra-modern Italian design, the Solaris 44 Open will hold serious appeal. This boat has one-of-a-kind looks and one-of-a-kind luxury, with touches like a swim platform that drops down into the water at the press of a button, a wet bar with everything from an ice maker to an espresso machine, and 6’3” headroom in the air-conditioned cabin. It puts the emphasis on outdoors enjoyment with sunpads on the bow and stern, and outdoor settees with a dinette aft of the helm deck. When it’s time for a dip, the hullsides swing down terrace-style—naturally, at the press of a button. Belowdecks you’ll find a pedestal berth forward, an enclosed head with shower stall, and a mid-cabin with a settee/berth to starboard and a double berth to starboard. Ciao, bella! Solaris boats for sale
Solaris photo
Check out each of these models on the videos, and there’s a good chance one or more will strike your fancy. Which will prove to be the ideal sports cruiser for you and your family? That’s a question we can’t answer. But we can say for sure that if your imagination runs wild when you envision cruising across the bay in a sleek and sporty boat, visiting distant ports, and spending long weekends aboard, boats like these are what dreams are made of.
