R3 vs. R5

[shrfdeputy]

Other than the crazy wind we've had up here I don't think that lake will be too busy. Most people are winterizing at this point, and with Geneva going no wake for the first time ever a couple weeks ago a lot of people pulled early. If I recall the R3 is actually 21', and the R5 is 23'. I don't care how much dead rise or freeboard you have, in a 21' foot boat it's going to be slow going and rough in the cross wake you see out there on weekends. 32' would be a minimum if I was looking. I boat on the Chain and deal with the same thing, and the difference from my 21' to my 25' is night and day. We stopped going out on weekends in our 21' because it just wasn't fun to go any distance in that, now in the 252 we don't even notice it, as long as I can keep my hand off the throttle.

32?!?!

yeah, should be 23', but I wasn't wrong, a 32' would handle that lake no problem!

I was thinking the same thing. You just took this man’s budget and blew it all to hell and back!

[akorcovelos]

32?!?!

yeah, should be 23', but I wasn't wrong, a 32' would handle that lake no problem!

I was thinking the same thing. You just took this man’s budget and blew it all to hell and back!

That's kinda our thing around here!

[shrfdeputy]

yeah, should be 23', but I wasn't wrong, a 32' would handle that lake no problem!

I was thinking the same thing. You just took this man’s budget and blew it all to hell and back!

That's kinda our thing around here!

Oh believe me, I know. My wallet is still a little warm from the stereo upgrade earlier this year.

[Tuscany]

Being very transparent, ill bluntly throw it out there.

Questions about less hull size vs. more usually revolves around money, and not the size.
Bigger is always better...period... unless you have other financial obligations that say it isn't.

A lot/most of us deal with the winter months, so its understood that the actual time spent using the investment is short.
All of us would rather have more bow room, more stern room, more mid ship room, and a head for the ladies, and some of us have other interests and hobbies to share the piece of the financial "play" pie.

So, how much do you want to tie up into a pure toy? THAT is the question to ask yourself.
This is usually a one time deal, so make the right decision. For me, it was well worth the few extra bucks to go larger and have room to do what we bought it for in the first place, and that's spend quality time with family and friends.

IMO, I dont look at any vehicle's initial cost...
I look at just exactly how much does it cost to own it. (initial cost - resale = cost of ownership. Usually, bigger costs no more to own than smaller.

[Big Block Power]

Sheriff he isn't towing. That's been answered already.
That lake won't be anything like it is in the summer. That's a bummer as yes it would be nice to drive it like you would use it in. Yes the r5 will be better in the washing machine is that worth 10k to 20k? With a engine upgrade along with that. Yes it's worth it for enjoyment. You will feel much safer in a R5. Honestly after being on tgrace98 R7 it doesn't feel that big. But it is very roomy so you can adjust to it very easy don't be afraid of the size. Yes the ride will be totally diff from a 220 to a r3.
Just get a R7 now and be done. Lol yes with a 430 in it.

[Lockey14s]

Man... people really love to spend other peoples money haha. It sounds like the R3 would be a good match for you. the only thing i dont think was talked about was the head. this was a must have for us during our boat decision and we love having it for dry storage and also a quick change or pee break. so that might be something to consider between the R3 (no head) and R5 (head)

[JavaEboy]

I'll throw my 2 cents in here. I don't own either at the present time, but am looking at the R3 vs R5 myself. For my situation, the head in the R5 doesn't come into play. I would never use it and would be against anyone else using it either. I have actually played with the diagrams of the 2 overlaid on my computer. When you take the space taken up by the head compartment, there really doesn't appear to be much more space in the R5. I have a cottage on a small bay on Lake Ontario and can get back to the cottage within 10 minutes from anywhere I would be boating. I'm not opposed to going bigger to get a better ride. To me, it all comes down to pricing what's important to me. I'd rather spend my money on a bigger engine than a tower. When I make up my mind, I will equip both models with the necessities for me. Considering 1 step larger engine upgrade if I go with the R5. I agree that the 350 is the minimum for the R3 and the 380 for the R5. Personally, I don't trade in boats. Also, for me, I have no need for upgraded stereo, underwater lights, tower, or Bimini top. You have to decide how YOU want to use the boat, not someone else, unless you plan on trading up in a few years. As someone else said, the head "may" come in handy, when the little ones get bigger. My current hand me down boat is a 1975 model. I get compliments every time people see it since I take very good care of it. With the exception of the outdated styling, it looks like the day my father bought it. I'm a big believer in a good waxing every year and keeping it under a full canvas when not being used.
Sorry that was so long but I'm a big believer in buying what one needs instead of what would just be a waste of money. Hell, I drive a 2005 vehicle since it does everything I need it to do.
Good luck with your decision.

[Dudley67]

JavaEboy.... Loce to see a couple, pics of that 75!

[Lockey14s]

I'll throw my 2 cents in here. I don't own either at the present time, but am looking at the R3 vs R5 myself. For my situation, the head in the R5 doesn't come into play. I would never use it and would be against anyone else using it either. I have actually played with the diagrams of the 2 overlaid on my computer. When you take the space taken up by the head compartment, there really doesn't appear to be much more space in the R5. I have a cottage on a small bay on Lake Ontario and can get back to the cottage within 10 minutes from anywhere I would be boating. I'm not opposed to going bigger to get a better ride. To me, it all comes down to pricing what's important to me. I'd rather spend my money on a bigger engine than a tower. When I make up my mind, I will equip both models with the necessities for me. Considering 1 step larger engine upgrade if I go with the R5. I agree that the 350 is the minimum for the R3 and the 380 for the R5. Personally, I don't trade in boats. Also, for me, I have no need for upgraded stereo, underwater lights, tower, or Bimini top. You have to decide how YOU want to use the boat, not someone else, unless you plan on trading up in a few years. As someone else said, the head "may" come in handy, when the little ones get bigger. My current hand me down boat is a 1975 model. I get compliments every time people see it since I take very good care of it. With the exception of the outdated styling, it looks like the day my father bought it. I'm a big believer in a good waxing every year and keeping it under a full canvas when not being used.
Sorry that was so long but I'm a big believer in buying what one needs instead of what would just be a waste of money. Hell, I drive a 2005 vehicle since it does everything I need it to do.
Good luck with your decision.

Me too! Is the 75 a Cobalt?

some good 2 cents right there.

[tgrace98]

I'll throw my 2 cents in here. I don't own either at the present time, but am looking at the R3 vs R5 myself. For my situation, the head in the R5 doesn't come into play. I would never use it and would be against anyone else using it either. I have actually played with the diagrams of the 2 overlaid on my computer. When you take the space taken up by the head compartment, there really doesn't appear to be much more space in the R5. I have a cottage on a small bay on Lake Ontario and can get back to the cottage within 10 minutes from anywhere I would be boating. I'm not opposed to going bigger to get a better ride. To me, it all comes down to pricing what's important to me. I'd rather spend my money on a bigger engine than a tower. When I make up my mind, I will equip both models with the necessities for me. Considering 1 step larger engine upgrade if I go with the R5. I agree that the 350 is the minimum for the R3 and the 380 for the R5. Personally, I don't trade in boats. Also, for me, I have no need for upgraded stereo, underwater lights, tower, or Bimini top. You have to decide how YOU want to use the boat, not someone else, unless you plan on trading up in a few years. As someone else said, the head "may" come in handy, when the little ones get bigger. My current hand me down boat is a 1975 model. I get compliments every time people see it since I take very good care of it. With the exception of the outdated styling, it looks like the day my father bought it. I'm a big believer in a good waxing every year and keeping it under a full canvas when not being used.
Sorry that was so long but I'm a big believer in buying what one needs instead of what would just be a waste of money. Hell, I drive a 2005 vehicle since it does everything I need it to do.
Good luck with your decision.

Lots of good points made here. It all comes down to how you use the boat. I bought the R7 for the space. we never use the head either. as a matter of fact I have removed it and it is just a nice space for dry storage now. Only time it ever becomes a factor is in the spring and fall rides when the water is too cold but there is always a marina we can pull into. We have non stop sun and 90+ degree weather in the summer so the tower with the larger bimini was a must for us. It stays deployed from late may till october. I didn't get the interior RGB led's or the underwater led's because bugs get attracted to lights at night. so the lights stay off unless we need to turn them on to find something. the 10 small led's provide that level of light we need. I did the premium sound just because I did not want to drill holes in the transom down the road. the 380 is plenty for me in the R7. the 430 would have yielded 2mph. So if I was going to spend the money on an engine upgrade I would have gone to a 520 which my dealer and Cobalt were not making easy to do. Even so if I wanted a fast boat I would go buy a fast boat. This boat was not designed to do 70mph

[Red Herring55]

I have actually played with the diagrams of the 2 overlaid on my computer. When you take the space taken up by the head compartment, there really doesn't appear to be much more space in the R5.

Drove both this past weekend; wind was SW about 12-15, which meant go out a couple miles and it would be sufficiently bouncy to get an idea. Still, the only idea I got was that they were both better than the 220S, but I knew that already--the R3 outweighs it by almost 800 lbs, the R5 by almost 1200. I went for whatever wakes I could find, but nothing enough to tell. A tie on that front.

The other thing I was looking for was overall usability, and on that point JavaEboy has it pretty much nailed. In fact, we found that due to the head door on the R5, the R3 has more legroom in front of the passenger seat, which is important to my wife who is on the tall side. Other than the ability to sit back to back on the passenger seat and a bit more width in the starboard side single there's not much difference at all. Yes there's more room upfront, but I rarely sit there so not a big deal. Would I use a head? Personally, no, but the granddaughters might and occasionally others, but not a big deal either. Another virtual dead heat.

This may just come down to where the boat ends up living in the summer. My 220S and 200 before that were in an indoor drystack where I could just call and they'd be in the water by the time I walked over. Rarely had to even clean them in any way. Sweet, but 22 was the biggest they could put in there. My options now are (either buoy, harbor wet slip, or lakefront lift. Availability of the latter two is iffy, at least initially, and although the buoy runs like the drystack (call, they go get it, uncover it and bring it to the pier), it also runs the risk of some schmo in a rental Bayliner cutting through the buoyfield and t-boning my nice new R-boat. For that reason, due to cost and risk I think if I get stuck with a buoy I'm going R3; if I get either slip option I'm going R5. I should know my options in a couple weeks when the summer deposits are due.

[Big Block Power]

I would go and measure the r3 out might fit indoors. Find how they measure it for storage. From where to where.

[Krob1114]

We went with the R3, but our question wasn't R3 vs R5. It was more R3 vs CS23, as the CS was more affordable. We spent what we considered maximum budget, and at our age, this is probably last boat. Out of 15 weekends on the lake, probably 10 weekends are just the wife & me. That was the main reason for not spending the extra $20 k on R5. My wife thought she would enjoy the head, but in 8 years on out last small boat, it never was a problem. I went to Dicks and bought a small camping john and have it in storage for emergencies The R series layout, freeboard, extra weight, were all factors. We have not regretted decision.

[Red Herring55]

I would go and measure the r3 out might fit indoors. Find how they measure it for storage. From where to where.

It's a very compact drystack facility, and the length while in the bunk is not the primary issue--it's the turning space inside the building and also the weight distribution. The R3 would be too heavy and too long for the forklift they use. The 22 was already borderline due to the length of the forks--they had to get it all the way back or it would start to tip forward. This happened once (while I was watching) and they had to get a bunch of guys to stand on the back of the forklift so it didn't tip over while they had another forklift reset it further back. Scary, but then I thought well, who better to wreck your boat than your dealer?

[akorcovelos]

I would go and measure the r3 out might fit indoors. Find how they measure it for storage. From where to where.

It's a very compact drystack facility, and the length while in the bunk is not the primary issue--it's the turning space inside the building and also the weight distribution. The R3 would be too heavy and too long for the forklift they use. The 22 was already borderline due to the length of the forks--they had to get it all the way back or it would start to tip forward. This happened once (while I was watching) and they had to get a bunch of guys to stand on the back of the forklift so it didn't tip over while they had another forklift reset it further back. Scary, but then I thought well, who better to wreck your boat than your dealer?

At Gordy's? I know for a fact they can dry stack up to 25', I looked at a 252 in dry stack there, and there were boats that looked bigger sitting on racks near it. Did they tell you they wouldn't stack it, or you're just not comfortable with it?