288 Suncruiser; 2900 Express

A spacious, single-level cockpit, practical cabin accommodations, and a low price made the Wellcraft 2900 Express (called the 288 Suncruiser in 1981–82) a fairly popular model for Wellcraft in the 1980s. She rides on a solid fiberglass, modified-V hull with a relatively wide 10-foot, 8-inch beam. While sterndrives were available in the 2900, most were sold with straight inboards with the engines located under the forward cockpit sole. Inboards are great—they’re certainly more dependable than sterndrives—but in order to have inboards in a midsize express, you have to give up the midcabin interior so common in most family cruisers. There are berths for four in the 2900 with a V-berth forward and a convertible dinette in the main cabin. The no-frills interior is roomy, but the fabrics and furnishings were cheap and these are not what one would describe as luxury accommodations. (In 1995 the floorplan was updated to include an angled double berth forward.) A teak bow pulpit and swim platform were standard. Twin 230hp MerCruiser gas engines cruise the 2900 Express at an economical 19–20 knots and top out in the high 20s.