Splendor 239 SunStar
Beam: 8’4″
Dry Weight: 3,500 lb.
Seating/Weight Capacity: 12/3,100 lb.
Fuel Capacity: 54 gal.
Splendor 239 SunStar
Splendor 239 SunStar
Splendor 239 SunStar
Splendor 239 SunStar
Splendor 239 SunStar
Splendor 239 SunStar
Splendor 239 SunStar
Splendor 239 SunStar
Splendor 239 SunStar
Splendor 239 SunStar
Splendor 239 SunStar
Splendor 239 SunStar
Splendor 239 SunStar
Splendor 239 SunStar
Splendor 239 SunStar
Splendor 239 SunStar
Splendor 239 SunStar
Splendor 239 SunStar
We Say: Give Splendor’s 239 SunStar a quick glance and it would be easy to sum it up as just another deck boat. Take another look and you may notice something different. That’s no V — it’s a catamaran. Cats deliver improved stability in rough waters and typically draw less water. Trim up the engine and the 239 needs a mere 12 inches.
A cat also delivers added depth where a V-hull doesn’t: Thanks to the hull below, the head is nearly 4 feet deep. Splendor also drops the bow cockpit lower than the main to keep passengers out of the driver’s line of sight. A self-bailing cockpit, mucho storage and a foam-filled hull might not be exclusives, but they explain why Splendors are favorites in coastal waters. So too is the over-3-foot-deep bow platform, which doubles as a nice casting deck.
Instead of conservative graphics and colors, our test boat featured a black hull and bold, lime green graphics. They’re a good match for a boat that planed in only 2.9 seconds, handled with the agility of a V-hull, and topped out at 43 mph with a 225 hp Suzuki outboard.
Who’d Want One: Those looking for a deck boat’s layout and fish-ski-cruise versatility but demanding the stability, shallower draft and rough-water prowess of a catamaran.
Another Choice: Cat-style decks are rare. Hurricane‘s V-hull SunDeck SD 237 OB ($66,717 with a Yamaha F225) sports a similar cockpit layout, an elongated bow area and an oversize forward platform.
Bottom Line: $46,900 (with test power); splendorboats.com
