An Open Interior, Suitable Cruising Range, and Good Pricing Keep Boaters Faithful to Rinker

Rinker Boat Company, one of the oldest names in the marine industry, introduced its "Fiesta Vee" line of sport cruisers in 1986 with the Fiesta Vee 250. The Fiesta Vee 342 continued the company's tradition of offering affordable boats with spacious interiors and an impressive array of standard equipment. Add runabout-like top speed to that combination, and it's no wonder this has been one of Rinker's most popular models.

Packaging all these features and systems into a relatively small unit inevitably results in some compromises, however, and the limited access to engines and machinery for routine maintenance and repair is one of them.

This model was introduced in 1998 as the 330 Fiesta Vee. Slight changes to the interior arrangements resulted in a name change, to the 340 Fiesta Vee, for the 2000 and 2001 model years. After retooling the deck mold, Rinker renamed it the Fiesta Vee 342 from 2002-2005. In 2006 Rinker dropped its signature "Fiesta Vee" from all models, and the Fiesta Vee 342 became simply the 342 EC, indicating express cruiser. The model was discontinued at the end of the 2006 model year.

In 1998 the 330 Fiesta Vee was the queen of Rinker's fleet and featured a standard equipment list that included a 4.5-kilowatt auxiliary generator, 16,000-BTU reverse cycle heat and air conditioning, anchor windlass and central vacuum, just to name a few.

The overall length of the 342 is 37 feet and includes the transom-mounted swim platform, while the on-deck length is closer to 33 feet, likely accounting for the model's original name. The freeboard and cabin are necessarily quite high in order to allow more than six feet of standing headroom in the cabin, although the designers have nicely disguised the height with a combination of feature lines and stripes for an attractive, contemporary look.

The hull of the 342 Fiesta Vee is constructed of a combination of chopped strand fibers, hand-laid woven roving fiberglass cloth and polyester resin. Structural member are fiberglass-encapsulated wood. For interior components, Rinker used a single-piece fiberglass cabin liner set into the hull and secured using adhesive sealants. The decks are fiberglass composites with balsa core, and the hull and deck are joined in shoebox fashion with adhesive sealants and stainless steel screws.

The method and quality of construction are typical of other manufacturers of production boats in this size and price range, and the 342 Fiesta Vee can be expected to stand up well to normal service. That said, she may not fare as well as more robustly built boats in extreme use or abuse. Available power options allow the 342 Fiesta Vee to reach speeds in excess of 40 miles per hour, but the prudent owner will back off on the throttles when operating in less than ideal conditions.

The arrangement of the deck and cockpit provide a good combination of small- and large-boat features, such as a walk-through windshield commonly found on smaller models and a cockpit wet bar usually found on larger boats. The foredeck features an anchor locker with an electric anchor windlass and three deck hatches in the cabin top. In the cockpit, there is a double helm seat to starboard, a settee to port and a benchseat at the transom. The welded stainless steel rail around the forward and side decks is 1 ⅛ inches in diameter rather than the more usual single-inch rail typically found on boats in this class.

The 12-foot beam allows for a spacious and open interior with a few twists on more traditional arrangements. The forward berth is large enough for two adults to sleep in comfort and can be separated from the main cabin by a privacy curtain. The galley along the port side of the main salon includes a two-burner electric countertop stove as well as a built-in microwave oven and coffee maker. To make room for storage below the galley counter, the refrigerator normally found there has been moved beneath the forward berth. A small dinette opposite the galley seats three comfortably and four in a pinch. The head is aft to port and includes a separate stall shower not commonly found on boats in this size range. A mid-cabin U-shaped settee is tucked beneath the bridge deck, which can be a bit claustrophobic for sitting but handy when you need to convert it to a second double berth.

The standard power package included twin 250-horsepower MerCruiser engines coupled to Bravo 2 outdrives, which provides a cruise speed of 20 to 22 miles per hour and a top speed of 28 to 30 miles per hour. Several optional power packages were offered, the most powerful of which included twin 300-horsepower MerCruiser engines coupled to Bravo 3 outdrives that permit the 342 Fiesta Vee to cruise at 28 miles per hour and reach a top speed of more than 40 miles per hour. Fuel capacity on early models was 200 gallons and later increased to 235 gallons, either of which provides suitable cruising range for this type of boat.

The dual-prop, counter-rotating Bravo 3 outdrives offer some significant performance advantages over the single-prop, Bravo 2 models, but they require an attentive maintenance schedule to prevent corrosion damage. Maintenance of Bravo 3 drives should include regular removal of the propellers to inspect sacrificial zinc anodes that are not otherwise visible.

The 342 remained one of Rinker's most popular express cruiser models from 1998 to 2006, and as a result, there are ample offerings on the used-boat market. Offerings are plentiful, which helps to keep prices competitive, and the range of prices should make this model an affordable choice for a wide range of potential buyers looking for a mid-sized express cruiser with more standard equipment than perhaps any other boat in this size and price range.

Jack Hornor, NA is the principal surveyor and senior designer for the Annapolis-based Marine Survey & Design Co. Hornor writes for BoatU.S. Magazine and other marine publications.

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