10 Best Sports Cruiser Brands
These sports cruiser brands are top options for savvy boaters.
There’s a wide variety of sports cruisers on the market, and depending on what you want most from a boat you’ll have a wide range of top brands to choose from. Sports cruisers can span from 25-footers to 80-foot yachts and we have sports cruiser reviews of models throughout the gamut. But, just what constitutes a sports cruiser? While there’s no dictionary definition, most boaters consider this category to include sporty-looking powerboats of an express style with an open cockpit, a cabin forward, and no flying bridge. If this is the type of boat you’re interested in, these 10 brands will be among the top choices.
- Axopar
- Azimut
- Back Cove
- Boston Whaler
- Cruisers Yachts
- Hinckley Yachts
- Pershing Yachts
- Riviera
- Sea Ray
- Tiara Yachts
Axopar
A relatively new builder based in Helsinki, Finland, Axopar introduced its original 28 one decade ago and immediately disrupted the sports cruiser market with its unique new design and instant popularity. With a long, narrow, wedge-shaped hull, angular features, plumb bow, pilothouse-style cabin, and steps in the running surface, it drew eyeballs from the moment it was premiered. Modular furnishing and aft cabin options made the boat customizable, and buyers flocked to Axopar. Today, the lineup has expanded to include five sports cruiser models from 25’ to 45’. Its success is confirmed by numerous copycat competitors that are on the market today trying to mimic Axopar’s design.
See Axopar sports cruisers boats for sale on boats.com.
Azimut
The Italian builder Azimut is known more for yachts than boats, but they have a number of sports cruisers including the Verve 42, Verve 48, Atlantis 45, and Atlantic 51, which many would consider among the very best sports cruisers on the water today. They also offer several models such as the S6 and Seadeck6 (a hybrid model reducing emissions up to 40-percent), which are offered both with and without flybridges. In all cases the styling and look of these boats is as sporty and as sexy as you’d expect from premier Italian designers, and you can expect to find highlights like “beach club” style hullside swim platforms, opulent stateroom décor, and in some cases performance up to 50 knots.
See Azimut sports cruisers boats for sale on boats.com.
Back Cove
Sport cruiser aficionados who enjoy the traditional look and feel of Downeast lobster boats will be attracted to the Back Cove line, all of which fit the parameters as sports cruisers. Ranging from the 340 to the 41, these Maine-built boats mix classic design with modern construction, performance, and amenities. They are vacuum infused boats, offered in a mix of inboard diesel and outboard gasoline configurations.
See Back Cove sports cruisers boats for sale on boats.com.
Boston Whaler
While the Boston Whaler Conquest line is known mostly as a fishing boat and the builder might seem a strange pick as one of the best sports cruisers, many boaters who have never owned a fishing rod pick the brand for two major reasons: the Conquests are fully equipped for cruising and serve admirably for the task, and like all Boston Whaler boats, they are completely unsinkable. The fiberglass-foam-fiberglass construction sets these boats far apart from the crowd, and from the 27’10” 285 Conquest to the 41’4” 405 Conquest, they’re every bit as luxurious and comfortable as sports cruisers that don’t have rod holders and a livewell. Plus, Boston Whaler boats retain their resale value better than virtually any other brand, so in the long run they tend to be a much better investment than the competitors.
See Boston Whaler sports cruisers boats for sale on boats.com.
Cruisers Yachts
The Cruisers Cantius series, from 39’ to 60’, are classic express cruisers that originally set the bar for bringing the outdoors into the indoors with huge amounts of interior natural lighting, 360-degree visibility from the saloon, and atrium-style connections between the upper and lower cabins. Today they remain a top pick thanks to an intelligent use of the interior spaces that often makes occupants feel like they’re on a significantly larger boat. Cruisers also gets a tip of the hat to their GLS series (ranging from 34’ to 50’), which tread into bowrider territory with a recessed bow cockpit accessed via a port-side sidedeck, but still carves out room for a cabin amidships.
See Cruisers Yachts sports cruisers boats for sale on boats.com.
Hinckley Yachts
Another builder of Downeast styled boats, the Hinckley Yachts line of Picnic Boats, Motor Yachts, and Outboard Yachts all fit into the sports cruiser mold, though with an extra dash of panache. Fit and finish is immaculate and construction is cutting edge, including the use of epoxy resin infusion and carbon composites. Ranging from 35’ to almost 60’ these boats offer an unusual feature in that they’re powered by jet propulsion rather than propellers, usually coupled with joystick controls. This allows them to maintain extremely low drafts and even the 70,000-pound, 59’11” Talaria 57 can float in less than three feet of water.
See Hinckley Yachts sports cruisers boats for sale on boats.com.
Pershing Yachts
Built under the banner of the Ferretti Group, the Pershing X series runs from 54’ to a whopping 92’ in length. Italian design and construction lend them standout styling and luxury, but they’re also set apart from the competition by performance. Pershing is one of the few builders to utilize surface drive technology, and as a result offers cruising and top-end speeds that lead the pack in many of their classes. That 92-footer, for example, can cruise at an amazing 43.7-mph and tops out close to 50. The 62’ 6X can cruise at 46 and tops out at 55 mph. Most boats of this size would be considered excellent performers if they could cruise at 30 mph and break 40 mph at top-end, much less attain the speeds of a Pershing.
See Pershing Yachts sports cruisers boats for sale on boats.com.
Riviera
Australian builder Riviera is best known for its flybridge boats, but it has an extensive line of Sport Yachts, SUV, and 39’ to 64’ plus its Belize Sedans (the 54 and the 66) featuring retro-modern looks. This is the largest yacht builder in the Southern Hemisphere, and they’ve made their mark by maintaining costs that undercut much of the competition. Naturally considering their size and luxury level they still demand a significant investment, but measured up dollar-for-dollar and foot-for-foot they usually represent a good bargain. Rivieras also enjoy an excellent use of space, with perks like al fresco dining areas, cockpits larger than the norm, and additional crew’s cabins often designed in.
See Riviera sports cruisers boats for sale on boats.com.
Sea Ray
Sea Ray Boats has been known as a top brand for decades, and they retain that status to this day in the sports cruisers department thanks to their Sundancer series. With four models from 32’ to 37’ in both outboard and stern-drive configurations, Sundancers offer a mixed emphasis on indoor and outdoor spaces. Bow design incorporates large bow cockpit loungers and the helm decks are like convertibles, with massive opening sunroofs and the ability to enjoy the breeze when it’s nice out or button up in complete protection when the weather takes a turn for the worse. Sea Ray also brings some modern tech into the mix with features like VesselView Mobile, 12V and USB ports, Apollo stereo systems, Active Trim, and Joystick Piloting.
See Sea Ray sports cruisers boats for sale on boats.com.
Tiara
With three generations of family ownership since its founding in 1974, Tiara has long been known for building sports cruisers that outshine the competition. Today they offer 11 different models from 34’ to 60’ that fall into this category with both inboards and outboards. Tiara has made a mark in recent years for designing changeable layouts, with features like fold-down gunwales that turn into massive side swim platforms and rotating cockpit settees and dinettes that can face forward, face aft, or anywhere in-between.
See Tiara Yachts sports cruisers boats for sale on boats.com.
There are certainly other sports cruisers that are worthy of top billing and might make this list in your own personal opinion. No matter what your priorities may be, however, there’s no doubt that these 10 are leading contenders — and if a sports cruiser fit the bill for you needs, these are all brands you should be checking out.
See all sports cruisers boats for sale on boats.com.
