Cruisers Yachts for Sale

From Thompson lapstrakes to MarineMax

The roots go back to 1904, when Thompson Bros. Boat Manufacturing started building in Peshtigo, Wisconsin. The second generation of Thompsons moved to Oconto in the early 1950s and built wood lapstrake outboard cabin cruisers there. The company dates its founding to 1953, and the first known Cruisers, Inc. catalog came out in 1956.

Fiberglass replaced wood in 1965. Mirro Aluminum bought the company in 1971, and in 1980 the fiberglass line was sold to former Mirro Marine president T.J. Bogard and T.A. Lisle. In 1993 K.C. Stock, who grew up around Oconto, bought it through KC International and renamed it Cruisers Yachts.

The modern era started with the 48 Cantius in 2011. The 60 Cantius followed in 2015, then the 38 GLS in 2019, the 42 GLS in 2020, the 34 GLS in 2021 and the 50 GLS in 2022. MarineMax acquired the company in 2021, the same year Cruisers bought a 216,000 square foot plant in Pulaski, Wisconsin to add capacity. That ownership matters for buyers: most new Cruisers inventory now sits on MarineMax lots.

The 42 GLS

The 42 GLS grew out of the 328/338 bowrider from 2012, which Cruisers' product chief Tony Martens described to Power & Motoryacht as the company's first try at a bowrider with accommodations below. The 38 and 42 GLS share a running bottom designed for either sterndrives or outboards, with molds swapped for the deck and stern.

Specs: 42 feet long, 13-foot beam, 43-inch draft, 27,000 pounds, 403 gallons of fuel and 50 of water. The hull has no steps and 21 degrees of transom deadrise. Two beach doors fold down from the cockpit, and the cabin sleeps four with 6 feet 7 inches of headroom, a mini galley and an enclosed head.

BoatTEST lost its test day to weather. Cruisers' own numbers with triple 400 hp Verados were 52.1 mph top speed and a 38 mph best cruise at 5,000 rpm burning 41 gph, for about 0.9 mpg and a 336 statute mile range. BoatTEST's handling notes mentioned some hull slap above cruise speed and no bow stuffing in following seas. Power & Motoryacht quoted $928,340 for the triple-Verado boat at launch.

What they cost in 2026

Boat Trader listed 21 boats in late 2026. Used outboard boats ran from $549,000 for a 2021 in Miami to $939,900 for a 2024 at MarineMax Fort Myers, with a 2022 sterndrive version at $689,999 in Quincy, Massachusetts. New 2026 boats were listed around $1.27 million to $1.28 million at MarineMax stores in Florida. That spread means a three-year-old 42 GLS can cost roughly half of a new one.

Buying checks for a Cruisers

Know which drive you're buying. The GLS hull was built for both sterndrives and outboards. They are different boats to own: sterndrives need bellows and outdrive service, outboards need their own maintenance and cost more to repower.

Ask about the Seakeeper space. The 42 GLS has a dedicated spot for an optional gyro. Find out whether it was fitted, and if not, whether the wiring was prepped.

Pull the hours on all three engines. Triple-outboard boats can carry uneven hours if one motor was replaced. Get a compression test and a lower unit check on each.

Check freshwater versus saltwater history. Used 42 GLS listings run from Chicago to Miami. Fresh water is easier on metal and gelcoat than Florida salt. Survey reports and registration history tell you which life the boat had.