Crownline 230 LS
It doesn't get much better than a beautiful sunny day on a serene Texas lake, especially when you're enjoying it from the helm of Crownline's smooth and agile 230 LS.
November 1, 2005
When you're checking out a boat,
putting it through its paces, trying to see how well it does the things you want it to and how well
it fits your style, you generally try pretty hard not to let external stimuli affect your
impression. Thing is, it's next to impossible not to be swayed by things that really have nothing
to do with the boat. For example, if you're caught out in a terrible thunderstorm with lightning
crashing all around, you're liable to have a less-than-sterling impression of the boat you were on.
On the other hand, if you're out on Lake Travis, just outside Austin, Texas, and you're testing a
brand-new Crownline 230 LS, and it's an achingly beautiful day, you're likely to look kindly on
that boat.
It helps, of course, that the Crownline 230 LS is a pretty darn good boat, one that you'd appreciate even without the external stimuli. But if there's a choice between going out for a drizzly, dreary day on a new boat or going out for a day when Lake Travis is reflecting so much blue sky that it almost seems as if a bit of the Caribbean has been relocated to central Texas, why not take the good one, right? The wise boater is one who's willing to risk the influence of a beautiful day on his or her impression of a new boat.
And at first glance, under the bright Texas sun, the wise boater can see clearly that the 230 LS lines are traditional, even conservative, which isn't a bad thing. If you ask, you'll find that the vast majority of boaters want a 24-foot runabout, like the Crownline 230 LS, to look like a 24-foot runabout, not like something George Jetson would be tooling around in. There's a little bit of aggressive styling to be seen in the 230 LS's body, especially at the transom, where the integrated swim platform makes a graceful little leap up and away from the waterline, echoing the boat's graphics package. That's the sort of understated flourish that's appreciated.
There's a bit more flash for the eyes inside the Crownline 230 LS. The bow seating area is
about average for a boat this size, but there's a bonus up front ' an optional forward boarding
ladder ($215) that shares the anchor locker, giving the 230 LS a bit of a deck boat-like feel and
greatly improving its capabilities as an easygoing swim platform. The fact that the anchor locker
is self-bailing is also nice.
Of course, it's one thing to look good and another thing entirely to actually perform well. Taking turns riding in the bow, although it's not where you'd usually expect to find fully grown adults, proves the 230 LS's real-world capability. The only beef, and it's minor: On this particular test boat, the anchor locker door rattles, a mild annoyance that could easily be fixed by adding a little extra weather stripping purchased from the local hardware store.
A wide walkthrough offers in-floor watersports gear storage and makes the passage from the bow seating area to the cockpit a breeze, even for an overfed marine journalist. It would be nice, though, if Crownline would add a door ' even if it were optional ' so you could close off the walkthrough and cut down on the cold breeze that ventures through on chilly mornings or evenings. On a warm afternoon like this one, though, the breeze sailing past your ankles is a welcome thing.
Seating in the cockpit is comfortable and well laid-out. Both pilot and observer get a captain's chair with flip-up bolster. The aft bench seat is extra-roomy, with a lot of seat depth so your thighs are well supported, something that really adds to the comfort on longer cruises. Those on board report that the added thigh support helps even on a shorter cruise, such as the run from the Lakeway Inn & Conference Center's marina (this test's home port) down to Windy Point for a look at the scores of sailboarders who fill the lake whenever there's even the slightest hint of a breeze.
Although the Lakeway-to-Windy Point run is relatively short, just a few miles, it's a good one. Lakeway more or less represents the northern edge of the most popular section of Lake Travis, and as you head south, toward Windy Point, the waters get more and more crowded. Passing the big, boat-up restaurants ' Carlos'n Charlie's, Johnny Fins, Aunt Tilly's ' and the nearby marinas, one has to start fighting the urge to turn the boat test into a margarita-centric pub-crawl.
The sailboarders of Windy Point are fun to watch for a few minutes, the way the dot race is fun to watch on the JumboTron at a baseball game for a minute or so. But the reality is that sailboarding is one of those things that's a lot more fun to do than to watch, so after a few minutes, the 230 LS and its passengers motor on, making the traditional sweep past Hippy Hollow, Texas' only legal clothing-optional beach (and on this day, it's apparently attendance-optional, as there's not a soul to be seen soaking up sun, clothed or otherwise).
Arcing past the cliffs that mark the southern tip of Lake Travis and heading back north toward Lakeway and points beyond, the general consensus is that adding the optional Premium Package Plus tacks $1,500 onto the 230 LS's MSRP, but it's money well spent. Along with the forward boarding ladder, the package gives you a key chain remote that operates the courtesy lights (something you'll really appreciate if you're boarding after dark, when you're liable to stub a toe) and a cockpit table with two bases, for better entertaining. And as long as you're spending money, go ahead and order the Razor Package ($2,315), which adds a wakeboard tower ' which you know you're going to wish you had before long ' and some spiffy graphics.
The Premium Package Plus also adds some flair to the helm by color-matching the dash and steering wheel. The racing-style steering wheel looks and feels good, and carries out the very rounded, organic motif that predominates the 230 LS helm. There's a little slippage in the fit and finish on this particular test boat, as the spokes of the steering wheel aren't completely snug. The spokes have a two-piece construction, and it's likely that a couple of turns of a screwdriver would fix the problem, but it's still worth a mention. Crownline needs to focus just a little bit more in this area.
In terms of power, however, Crownline's focus is just fine. From the base power package, a 5.7L MerCruiser Alpha with 250 hp, all the way up to the top-line 6.2L MerCruiser MX MPI Bravo III or 5.7L Volvo-Penta GXi SX, each with 320 horses, there's plenty of muscle to be found in the 230 LS's expansive motor compartment. The test boat is nicely equipped with a midline package, a 5.7L Volvo-Penta Gi DuoProp, delivering 280 hp, and landing more or less right in the center of the MSRP range, listing at $51,542 before options.
That midrange power package works very well. With two persons and gear on board, and three quarters of a tank of gas, the 230 LS accelerates from 0 to 30 mph in a hair less than 5 seconds (4.95 seconds, to be exact), en route to a top speed of 50.6 mph. Thanks to the DuoProp, the power comes on quickly, with little lag between the hammering of the throttle and the feeling of your back sinking into the captain's chair.
Adding to the driving experience is the new Fast-Tab platform. The boat feels very light in the water, but there's no hull slide to speak of, even in hard, high-speed maneuvers. The overall effect is something like a Mazda Miata on the water ' super light and nimble, yet stable and surefooted. Simply put, the 230 LS is a load of fun for the pilot, while still delivering a dry, stable ride that the passengers will enjoy as well. Although finding rough water on such a perfect day isn't easy, there's enough boat traffic down near Mansfield Dam, where the famed Oasis restaurant hangs off the cliffs overlooking Lake Travis, to churn up some wakes that put the Fast-Tab hull's ability to ride out the rough to the test. And to its credit, the hull deals with the washing-machine turbulence easily. True, the bumps are felt, but that's to be expected on any boat this size. The end result, though, is a ride as smooth and comfortable as any in its class.
If you venture behind the boat, you'll find, as expected, a pretty good wakeboard/inflatable wake, and an acceptable recreational slalom wake. With room for eight people to sit comfortably (Crownline claims an 11-person capacity, but that's a little crowded) and with the Razor Package installed, it's not hard to see the Crownline 230 LS serving as a solid fun boat for the gang, pulling wakeboards and inflatables until everyone's too tired to take one more pass.
For now, the Crownline 230 LS will have to stand on its own merits, and it stands up pretty well. It needs a little more attention to detail; improved fit and finish would help justify the price tag. The power and performance, though, need no tweaking at all. And that's not just the influence of the beautiful day, the puffy clouds, and the 75-degree water of Lake Travis talking. Returning to the Lakeway Marina to dock for the night and enjoy a couple of festive beverages while watching the sun set over the lake, everyone involved agrees: The FastTab platform is a winner, and the Crownline 230 LS is a serious contender with solid potential.
It helps, of course, that the Crownline 230 LS is a pretty darn good boat, one that you'd appreciate even without the external stimuli. But if there's a choice between going out for a drizzly, dreary day on a new boat or going out for a day when Lake Travis is reflecting so much blue sky that it almost seems as if a bit of the Caribbean has been relocated to central Texas, why not take the good one, right? The wise boater is one who's willing to risk the influence of a beautiful day on his or her impression of a new boat.
And at first glance, under the bright Texas sun, the wise boater can see clearly that the 230 LS lines are traditional, even conservative, which isn't a bad thing. If you ask, you'll find that the vast majority of boaters want a 24-foot runabout, like the Crownline 230 LS, to look like a 24-foot runabout, not like something George Jetson would be tooling around in. There's a little bit of aggressive styling to be seen in the 230 LS's body, especially at the transom, where the integrated swim platform makes a graceful little leap up and away from the waterline, echoing the boat's graphics package. That's the sort of understated flourish that's appreciated.
There's a bit more flash for the eyes inside the Crownline 230 LS. The bow seating area is
about average for a boat this size, but there's a bonus up front ' an optional forward boarding
ladder ($215) that shares the anchor locker, giving the 230 LS a bit of a deck boat-like feel and
greatly improving its capabilities as an easygoing swim platform. The fact that the anchor locker
is self-bailing is also nice.
Of course, it's one thing to look good and another thing entirely to actually perform well. Taking turns riding in the bow, although it's not where you'd usually expect to find fully grown adults, proves the 230 LS's real-world capability. The only beef, and it's minor: On this particular test boat, the anchor locker door rattles, a mild annoyance that could easily be fixed by adding a little extra weather stripping purchased from the local hardware store.
A wide walkthrough offers in-floor watersports gear storage and makes the passage from the bow seating area to the cockpit a breeze, even for an overfed marine journalist. It would be nice, though, if Crownline would add a door ' even if it were optional ' so you could close off the walkthrough and cut down on the cold breeze that ventures through on chilly mornings or evenings. On a warm afternoon like this one, though, the breeze sailing past your ankles is a welcome thing.
Seating in the cockpit is comfortable and well laid-out. Both pilot and observer get a captain's chair with flip-up bolster. The aft bench seat is extra-roomy, with a lot of seat depth so your thighs are well supported, something that really adds to the comfort on longer cruises. Those on board report that the added thigh support helps even on a shorter cruise, such as the run from the Lakeway Inn & Conference Center's marina (this test's home port) down to Windy Point for a look at the scores of sailboarders who fill the lake whenever there's even the slightest hint of a breeze.
Although the Lakeway-to-Windy Point run is relatively short, just a few miles, it's a good one. Lakeway more or less represents the northern edge of the most popular section of Lake Travis, and as you head south, toward Windy Point, the waters get more and more crowded. Passing the big, boat-up restaurants ' Carlos'n Charlie's, Johnny Fins, Aunt Tilly's ' and the nearby marinas, one has to start fighting the urge to turn the boat test into a margarita-centric pub-crawl.
The sailboarders of Windy Point are fun to watch for a few minutes, the way the dot race is fun to watch on the JumboTron at a baseball game for a minute or so. But the reality is that sailboarding is one of those things that's a lot more fun to do than to watch, so after a few minutes, the 230 LS and its passengers motor on, making the traditional sweep past Hippy Hollow, Texas' only legal clothing-optional beach (and on this day, it's apparently attendance-optional, as there's not a soul to be seen soaking up sun, clothed or otherwise).
Arcing past the cliffs that mark the southern tip of Lake Travis and heading back north toward Lakeway and points beyond, the general consensus is that adding the optional Premium Package Plus tacks $1,500 onto the 230 LS's MSRP, but it's money well spent. Along with the forward boarding ladder, the package gives you a key chain remote that operates the courtesy lights (something you'll really appreciate if you're boarding after dark, when you're liable to stub a toe) and a cockpit table with two bases, for better entertaining. And as long as you're spending money, go ahead and order the Razor Package ($2,315), which adds a wakeboard tower ' which you know you're going to wish you had before long ' and some spiffy graphics.
The Premium Package Plus also adds some flair to the helm by color-matching the dash and steering wheel. The racing-style steering wheel looks and feels good, and carries out the very rounded, organic motif that predominates the 230 LS helm. There's a little slippage in the fit and finish on this particular test boat, as the spokes of the steering wheel aren't completely snug. The spokes have a two-piece construction, and it's likely that a couple of turns of a screwdriver would fix the problem, but it's still worth a mention. Crownline needs to focus just a little bit more in this area.
In terms of power, however, Crownline's focus is just fine. From the base power package, a 5.7L MerCruiser Alpha with 250 hp, all the way up to the top-line 6.2L MerCruiser MX MPI Bravo III or 5.7L Volvo-Penta GXi SX, each with 320 horses, there's plenty of muscle to be found in the 230 LS's expansive motor compartment. The test boat is nicely equipped with a midline package, a 5.7L Volvo-Penta Gi DuoProp, delivering 280 hp, and landing more or less right in the center of the MSRP range, listing at $51,542 before options.
That midrange power package works very well. With two persons and gear on board, and three quarters of a tank of gas, the 230 LS accelerates from 0 to 30 mph in a hair less than 5 seconds (4.95 seconds, to be exact), en route to a top speed of 50.6 mph. Thanks to the DuoProp, the power comes on quickly, with little lag between the hammering of the throttle and the feeling of your back sinking into the captain's chair.
Adding to the driving experience is the new Fast-Tab platform. The boat feels very light in the water, but there's no hull slide to speak of, even in hard, high-speed maneuvers. The overall effect is something like a Mazda Miata on the water ' super light and nimble, yet stable and surefooted. Simply put, the 230 LS is a load of fun for the pilot, while still delivering a dry, stable ride that the passengers will enjoy as well. Although finding rough water on such a perfect day isn't easy, there's enough boat traffic down near Mansfield Dam, where the famed Oasis restaurant hangs off the cliffs overlooking Lake Travis, to churn up some wakes that put the Fast-Tab hull's ability to ride out the rough to the test. And to its credit, the hull deals with the washing-machine turbulence easily. True, the bumps are felt, but that's to be expected on any boat this size. The end result, though, is a ride as smooth and comfortable as any in its class.
If you venture behind the boat, you'll find, as expected, a pretty good wakeboard/inflatable wake, and an acceptable recreational slalom wake. With room for eight people to sit comfortably (Crownline claims an 11-person capacity, but that's a little crowded) and with the Razor Package installed, it's not hard to see the Crownline 230 LS serving as a solid fun boat for the gang, pulling wakeboards and inflatables until everyone's too tired to take one more pass.
For now, the Crownline 230 LS will have to stand on its own merits, and it stands up pretty well. It needs a little more attention to detail; improved fit and finish would help justify the price tag. The power and performance, though, need no tweaking at all. And that's not just the influence of the beautiful day, the puffy clouds, and the 75-degree water of Lake Travis talking. Returning to the Lakeway Marina to dock for the night and enjoy a couple of festive beverages while watching the sun set over the lake, everyone involved agrees: The FastTab platform is a winner, and the Crownline 230 LS is a serious contender with solid potential.
related articles:
Sea Ray's 270 SLX: Sea Ray's 270 SLX is a high-end bowrider that members of any generation can appreciate.Mastercraft's Maristar 245 SS: Mastercraft's Maristar 245 SS is a luxury watersports platform built for - surprise! - saltwater running.
Crownline 230 LS: It doesn't get much better than a beautiful sunny day on a serene Texas lake, especially when you're enjoying it from the helm of Crownline's smooth and agile 230 LS.
Devil May Care: Norm Dickinson's 1964 Custom Craft Devil Ray brings back the true rebel spirit of boating.
