Tested By Capt. Bob Smith

The 360 is a natural extension to Rinker’s line offering a choice between the 34 footer and the 41 footer. Entertaining business guests means you need a little more personal space and a lot more luxury aboard than a typical family and friend gathering needs, so the 360 can handle both with ease.

Topside, the 360 is spacious. Bow equipment includes an electric windlass with 30 lb. plow anchor and remote controlled spotlight. The cockpit has lots of seating space and the filler cushions are standard. The double-wide adjustable helm has a flip up bolster. Instrumentation has backlighting for night view, and a wiper for each side makes seeing easier in the rain. The color coordinated full acrylic canvas will also keep you dry when the weather turns. The cockpit galley has a blender, 2 cubic foot refrigerator, ice maker and integrated trash container in the solid surface countertop.

Down Below

The cabin below is really spacious and has an open airy feeling. The forward stateroom has its own 13” TV/DVD for entertainment and comes with a mattress cover and deluxe pillow package. The aft cabin is arranged in a large sitting pit area with a table that converts to a double berth. The forward section of the aft room is a stand up changing area with privacy curtain.

The galley is completed with a refrigerator, two-burner electric stove, microwave oven, coffee maker and central vacuum. The solid surface countertop has plenty of prep room for creating your favorite meal underway. The head has a separate enclosure for the shower, sink, pump-out electric vacuum head that even has an air conditioning duct to keep the space as comfortable as the rest of the cabin.

Engine Access

The engine hatch is electric and Rinker has included plenty of room to get to service points, including a 5kw generator. Dockside power has connections to attach either from the starboard forward section or from the stern so you don’t have as much hassle at the docks wherever you may go. Under the stern bench seat is added space for storage, including a nested spot for an outboard motor if you choose the dingy package. Access can also be made through the stern wall from the swim platform, and the open hatch becomes a sun cover over the rumble seat on the stern. A hot and cold shower will be inviting your guests to rinse off after coming on board from the deep reach four-step swim ladder.

Specs

The Fiesta Vee 360 is another all-new model Rinker is delivering for 2005. She measures 39’4” length overall and has a beam width of 12’3”. Her dry weight has yet to be determined as of the writing of this article. Fuel capacity is 235 gallons and fresh water capacity is 51 gallons. In addition she has a six gallon water heater. Cabin headroom is 6’8” at its maximum and bridge clearance is 13 feet. The 360’s draft has been measured at 24” with the outdrive up and 36” in the down position.

The Engine

We found the engine package Rinker had installed on this model to be a bit under for my kind of cruising, but it did handle very well underway. I made wide sweeping turns without backing out of the power at plane and made more tight turns with little reduction of throttle and no fear of losing control. She seemed to handle more like a smaller cruiser as far as what it took, yet has feel of a larger cruiser when you pile the people and the gear on board. Currently, standard power is either twin 6.2 MX Bravo Two or twin Volvo 5.7 GXi DP. Both packages are rated at 320-hp per engine. Optional power plants are rated at up to 375-hp per engine.

Performance

With three people on board and testing in a fresh water lake in northern Indiana, we found she could be on plane in 6.3 seconds and be pushing 30 mph in 12.2 seconds. At 3000 rpm, she was clocked at 15.2 mph burning 14.6 gph for a range of 219 miles on a full tank of fuel. At 4500 rpm, she was cruising at 31.7 mph burning 27.3 gph for a range of 246 miles. When we pushed her to wide-open-throttle at 5100rpms the 360 was traveling 38.9mph with a fuel burn of 42.8gph and range of 192 miles.

Rinker’s Fiesta Vee 360 rides near the top of their cruiser line and is destined to become a customer favorite as well. This boat has the amenities and the entertainment space for day cruises as well as that extended cruise you have been planning.

• Top speed for the Rinker 360 Fiesta Vee (2005 - ) is 38.9 mph (62.6 kph), burning 42.8 gallons per hour (gph) or 162 liters per hour (lph).


• Best cruise for the Rinker 360 Fiesta Vee (2005 - ) is 19.9 mph (32 kph), and the boat gets 0.99 miles per gallon (mpg) or 0.42 kilometers per liter (kpl), giving the boat a cruising range of 210 miles (337.96 kilometers).


• Tested power is 2 x 320-hp Volvo Penta 5.7 GXi gas sterndrives.