RINKER 270 FIESTA VEE
BUILT: 2002 PRICE: £45,000
LENGTH: 28ft 6in (8.7m) BEAM: 8ft 6in (2.6m) DRAFT: 2ft 0in (0.6m) DISPLACEMENT: 3.5 tonnes FUEL CAPACITY: 315 litres ENGINE: Hyundai Seasail 270hp diesel engine
The Rinker 270 Fiesta Vee is the very epitome of this style and size of American sportscruiser. Small enough to be manageable but large enough to offer a properly useful interior, it ticks a lot of boxes for a lot of people, which is why it was Rinker’s most popular model when it was in production.
INTERIOR There’s a reason that virtually all boats of this size and type share a very similar layout and that’s because it works so well. The dinette forward easily seats four and with the table dropped and the infill cushions in place, it makes a decent sized bed too. There’s a galley just aft to port which, unusually for an American boat, features a useful gas hob as well as a sink, microwave and fridge. Opposite, the heads has a shower which pulls out of the taps, and back aft, a double bed stretches back under the cockpit. For a typical family, it’s about all you really need.
EXTERIOR Rinker eked out volume by making the topsides high and the cabin and cockpit stretch right to the edges. So the route forward is up a couple of steps and through the opening windscreen. The cockpit is split into two linked sections. The forward half has the helm to starboard with a bench seat to port that also provides headroom at the head of the bed in the mid-cabin. Back aft, there’s a bench seat and table, while a small cockpit wet bar has a sink and a removable ice chest. High sides and grabrails help instill confidence in a less experienced crew.
PERFORMANCE Unusually, this boat has been re-engined with a Hyundai Seasail diesel engine.
Its 270hp ought to push the top speed up to around 30 knots whilst burning much less fuel than the petrol V8s found in boats like this.
SEAKEEPING Those high sides and relatively narrow beam are likely to give a little lean in a crosswind at high speed, but nothing the Lenco trim tabs can’t correct. A bow thruster would make close-quarters handling a little easier for a novice, but that’s a relatively inexpensive retrofit.