Reinell boats

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powellobsessed

powellobsessed

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Hi all ,
After 43 years of boating on Powell it's time to retire my baby and up grade. I'm looking for a good used boat to replace my 43yr one and one boat I have found happens to be a 2008 reinell 220LSE with a 5.7 GI motor and Volvo penta outdrive with 151 hrs on the motor. I currently have a 1973 fiberglass hull boat running with a 350 small block chev v8 and an OMC outdrive my knowledge how about these newer bolts is nonexistent. For all you reinell owners and friends of owners is this a good "lake Powell boat " with the deep heavy haul that I have I have never felt worried in my boat in storms and heavy swells or rain. As far as having a lake Powell boat would this be a good choice? I can honestly say I've never been in another boat in any storms down at Lake Powell other than ours so I do not have an opinion on how they handle in bad weather. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated I have also looked at chaparral and Rinker. thanks everyone and safe boating!
 
I don't know a lot about Reinell. But I would say when you are looking at a used boat (especially one that is 10 years old), how the previous owner maintained the boat is probably about as important as how good of a manufacturer made the boat.

I know many people who have had great luck running Volvo drives. The only caution I would have about that is virtually every mechanic anywhere can work on a Merc and will stock parts. That isn't true with VP. Make sure that your mechanic of choice works on them before you pull the trigger.
 
echo what Ryan has said, service records are key, especially with low low hours like that. has the boat been laid up correctly, did they do the gas mix to lube the injectors before it sat for years.. have they changed oil every year to release any humidity or water out of the oil. have they stored a full tank the entire time. is it real gas or e15, do they have a phase separation in the tank, all easy questions answered with a qualified purchase inspection.
now when it comes to rinker and reinell, they are kissing cuzins, very comparable to Chevrolet and GMC, you can pick which is which.
chaparall is a well made boat also, most if not all of them were Merc bravo 3.
I personally like the Volvo penta, you maintain them they are bullet proof, their duo props run much colder then the mercs, in my opinion a better drive. the motor, all injection systems are basically the same running speed density until you get into the catalytic converter motors.
Service records, service records and your mechanic are your best friends on a used boat.
 
in my opinion when looking at older boats , its all about storage and how it has been stored over its lifetime .

bad gas in the engine is one thing and can be fixed rather easily..... Water logged rotten transom / stringers is quite another and that is quite common in older boats , especially if stored outside
 
Great suggestions from everyone except for this 2008 being referred to as an "older" boat. I have several boats in my shop right now and none of them are that new. I think the newest I have is a '96. haha. It's only 9 years old and in the mid '90's, boat manufacturers really started to look at why boats were rotting from the inside out. A lot of improvements have been made but you stil need to be cautious.

Some simple things to check is:
-Hour meter if it has one.
-Look for a 'bath tub ring" in the engine compartment. This will let you know if it was stored with the Garboard plug in and not draining. Poor maintenance practices if that is the case
-look for water marks down the side of the block and exhaust housing
-open the fuel cap and smell for bad gas. It is a lot stronger smell than fresh.
- any mold in storage compartments?
-do the filters look like originals? 9 years is a very long time for any filter. I had a '93 come thru a few weeks ago and I believe it had the original fuel filter. Very hard to get off.
-look for signs of mechanic work being done. Bolts & paint being scratched, rounded off bolt/screw edges, and the list goes on. If you see signs, ask what work was done.

Reinell did make good boats. I had one my self and knew many people who loved theirs. But, most LP services do not do much with VP's, so like Ryan said, make sure you have somewhere you can have it worked on and get parts. But honestly, I haven't seen a VP come to my shop for more than a bad impeller. They are very reliable from my experience.

Have fun on either boat and be safe.
 
I own a 2007 GL fish and ski. My motor has the carb where I believe yours is a throttle body. Overall, I'm happy with the boat. It's my first deep hull so I don't know what others are like as far as the ride. In my opinion, it rides a little on the rough side but I've never been scared at Powell that the boat couldn't handle the water. Slow down for big wakes (tour boat, etc) and play it smart. I would say go for it so long as it all checks out.

The one issue with Volvo drives is the external hydraulic block for the trim. Yes, the pump is on the outside. Additionally, the plastic plugs they used in the housing fail which causes it to leak fluid. There is an updated block that you will need to buy and replace (if not already done). The work isn't tough and I did it in an afternoon. You can google the issue and what the new block looks like compared to the old one for reference.
 
I would be concerned about the transom, stringers and floor. Bryant boats have not used wood since 1994 and there are some nice used ones out there. Made in Tennessee and popular in th east.
 
Reinell is a fine boat from a company that was family owned, and still may be, for many years, and they tried hard. As everyone has said, condition is key, although a 2008 should still be nearly new.
Do you have a budget and parameters that you want to share? This time of year, you can't give away a boat, and prices are dirt cheap.
 
A friend of mine has I believe that exact boat. It does great on Lake Powell. Very good power to weight ratio, he never has a problem getting on plane, even with a full boat. I haven't personally ridden in it, but I do know it is well built, I have been on it at camp. Reinell isn't quite at the level of a Rinker though as previously stated, the two companies aren't related. I would say a Reinell would be the similar quality to a Sea Ray, but not quite as well built as a Rinker or Chapparal, or Cobalt. They are a solid company though.
I have owned both, and I would say that Mercruiser's are much easier to work on, and find parts for.
 
Thanks everyone for your input lots of things to consider I haven't thought of. I figured after Labor Day weekend I'll find some great deals. Thanks and safe boating this weekend!
 
I wouldn't worry about if someone at the lake could work on an outdrive because typically they are weeks out to work on anything. If you have a favorite mechanic then check with them about any boat you are buying. Volvo's are extremely dependable. That boat is still a very young boat. Peter
 
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