Cabin cruisers for sale

What counts as a cabin cruiser

The name covers a wide range. At the small end are 26 to 30 foot express cruisers with a mid cabin under the cockpit, like Sea Ray's Sundancer line. Above them sit aft cabin boats, which put a second stateroom under a raised aft deck, as Carver did on its aft cabin motor yachts. Express fishing boats with cabins, built by Stamas and others, cross over into sportfishing. The idea goes back a long way. Cruisers Yachts traces itself to Oconto, Wisconsin, where the Thompson family built wood lapstrake outboard cabin cruisers in the early 1950s. See Cruisers Yachts and Carver.

Published specs and tests

BoatTEST lists Cruisers Yachts' 42 GLS at 42 feet with a 13 foot beam, a 43 inch draft, 27,000 lb and 403 gallons of fuel. Its cabin sleeps four, with 6'7" of headroom, a small galley and an enclosed head. On the fishing side, Chesapeake Bay Magazine tested the Stamas 370 Aegean with twin Suzuki 350s. It cruised at 19 to 26 knots burning 17 to 22 gph, reached 42 knots and has 6'4" of cabin headroom. See Stamas.

Dated prices

BoatVerdict's used Sundancer data runs from under $20,000 for an older 260 to well into six figures for recent outboard models. Fall 2026 Boat Trader listings for Stamas expresses included a 1997 290 Express at $24,500 in Destin and a 1997 360 Express at $29,000 in Key Largo. Cheap cruisers can need expensive engine work, so budget for a survey. See Sea Ray, Chaparral and Regal.

Carbon monoxide comes first

A cabin traps exhaust. Make sure the boat has a working CO detector and test it. Run the hull ID through the Coast Guard recall database. A 1999 Chaparral campaign, for example, covered 708 boats over wiring in the CO monitor circuit. Check the generator exhaust and the boat's ventilation too.

Other cruiser checks

Hire a marine surveyor and get an engine survey, with oil analysis on inboards. Inside, look for water stains around hatches, portlights and windshield frames, and press the cabin sole for soft spots. Run the head, the holding tank pump-out, the water heater, the galley stove and the shore power system. On sterndrive cruisers, ask for bellows and outdrive service dates. On inboards, check the shaft seals, cutless bearings and engine mounts.

Where to browse

Cruisers are common on the Great Lakes, the Chesapeake and both coasts. Browse Michigan, Maryland, New York, Florida and California.