38 Foot Rampage Express from the past few years

[Wreckless]

Anyone out there own one of these? I am looking for opinions on the quality of the boat and its ride. I am thinking of buying one. Boat looks like it has a pretty flat bottom, kind of like the Post Yachts. Does it slam pretty hard with that or does the deep vee forward take most of the cushioning. How is the quality from them since they reopened?

[captain Chaos]

Hey wreckless, Ive owned a 38 for a few years now and have fished almost all conditions and love the boat. I have 465 yanmars that will push her along at 25 knots burning 22 - 25 gph. The boat is heavy enough to handle rough water without causing bodily harm.... I prefer a comfortable ride ..... I bought her used and slip her in wildwood at schooner island where they do sell them. If your asking an opinion about the boat and the factory support I have no complaints. My deck had a soft spot that I thought was going to be a hassle to get fixed and to my supprise rampage sent a new deck and a crew down to replace it n/c and I didnt ask for a new deck I just happened to metion to the sevice department I had a small soft spot! So again .. Love the boat ! If you have any specific questions feel free to ask.

[Wreckless]

Thanks for the reply. I was looking at them in the AC show and was thinking of looking for a used one. I have a 38 Bertram but wanted to get a little closer to the fishing. I was a little concerned about the ride, I had heard Rampage referred to on this forum as slampage and wondered if the 38 pounded like the smaller boats. Have you had any trouble with the lifters for the engine access? How much room is there on the bed, will a 6 foot 3 guy fit? My Bertram rides great but it only cruises at 18-20 and can really rock if you try to wreck fish. The Rampage had less draft, so I figured it would be a little more stable when drift fishing and I wondered how it was both running and drifting. Are you happy with the quality? I once owned a Silverton which flexed so much I had to rescrew all the cabinets every time I came back from the ocean.

The ones I have found had Cummins.

What kind of props do you have on yours?

Do you fish the Canyons with yours?

Originally Posted by captain Chaos

Hey wreckless, Ive owned a 38 for a few years now and have fished almost all conditions and love the boat. I have 465 yanmars that will push her along at 25 knots burning 22 - 25 gph. The boat is heavy enough to handle rough water without causing bodily harm.... I prefer a comfortable ride ..... I bought her used and slip her in wildwood at schooner island where they do sell them. If your asking an opinion about the boat and the factory support I have no complaints. My deck had a soft spot that I thought was going to be a hassle to get fixed and to my supprise rampage sent a new deck and a crew down to replace it n/c and I didnt ask for a new deck I just happened to metion to the sevice department I had a small soft spot! So again .. Love the boat ! If you have any specific questions feel free to ask.

[JD5652]

Wrekcless-

I fished on a 34 Express on an overnighter last summer......IMHO it was a kick ass boat....needed a little more room but since you're looking at the 38 it should work out great. The 34 cruised without effort at 30 knots. Not sure which engines were in it, but it was the Tred Barta Edition.

Good luck!

[O-SEA-D]

My buddy that I fish with has the 33'. Its an awesome boat. Great layout, rides good, cruises about 27kts buring about 25 GPH.

He has not had any major problems yet. He has about 500 hours on it now.

[Loose Crew]

Though I haven't been on one I would think it would be a good riding hull. Proportions are very similar to the Albemarle 36 and I know that rides like a tank (and costs about 30K less new). Albermarle has a little more beam, little more weight and a little more fuel. It is 11" shorter. Regardless, I believe rampage is making a nicer riding boat these days.

[captain Chaos]

Hey Wreckless, The boat I had before the rampage was a 30 sportcraft. The living space was a little close and it was gas. We moved up to the 38 for two reasons, 1- longer distance 2- comfort. Most of the express boats her size are day boats that really dont provide the weekend stay that we wanted. The bunk is way big enough for a 6'3'' + and the wrap around couch will turn into a bed that all of my fishing crew will attest is very comfortable. The finish inside is right up there with the best Ive seen and has not sprung any screws as of yet. Some of the trips gave me a good reason to find some loose ones. The deck lifters are good. No problems there.
Like I said before whether we are flounder fishing or trolling/chunking no complaints. The new line of Rampage is not the same as the "old" design and there has been a few guys who will tell you the older models were a nail bitter or loosener. My best suggestion is if you live close to Wildwood go spend some time and go over the boat with the dealer.

[Wreckless]

Thanks, capt. Chaos, I have heard similar positive remarks on other forums about the hull and the finish. I thought that the Rampage was the best layout and boat for me that I saw at the AC show. I am trying to get a look at the 36 Bertram but it is going to be hard for me to see the where the Bertram is worth the extra dough and it hasn't been around long enough for many on the used market. The story I get from friends in the boat business is that a lot of guys buy the express boats but their wives just don't like to cruise in them and they don't work well for taking other couples along so they end up selling after two years. Hopefully that works in my favor. I looked at a Rampage on paper that had 540 hp cummins, but I read on a forum that Rampage states that that is a 30 gph boat but one owner wrote that he never came close to that at cruise, he was using 40gph and only had a 240 to 260 mile range which just does not do it in that regard. Sounds like a little smaller engine will be the way to go.

Originally Posted by captain Chaos

Hey Wreckless, The boat I had before the rampage was a 30 sportcraft. The living space was a little close and it was gas. We moved up to the 38 for two reasons, 1- longer distance 2- comfort. Most of the express boats her size are day boats that really dont provide the weekend stay that we wanted. The bunk is way big enough for a 6'3'' + and the wrap around couch will turn into a bed that all of my fishing crew will attest is very comfortable. The finish inside is right up there with the best Ive seen and has not sprung any screws as of yet. Some of the trips gave me a good reason to find some loose ones. The deck lifters are good. No problems there.
Like I said before whether we are flounder fishing or trolling/chunking no complaints. The new line of Rampage is not the same as the "old" design and there has been a few guys who will tell you the older models were a nail bitter or loosener. My best suggestion is if you live close to Wildwood go spend some time and go over the boat with the dealer.

[LineSet]

A little late to this thread but I have an 05 38 Rampage. So far we have close to 400hrs on it with Cat C9's. No major problems at all, biggest thing has been the wiring of the fresh water pump. I do question their placement of the control boxes for the ZF controls, I would have liked them on the forward bulkhead instead of on the sides. Boat rides well, a little wet but it is an express. Tracks very well in a following sea. It has what I describe as a "Viking chine" where every now and then it will jar you if one wave knocks it off level and then another wave catches it just right. Very stable at rest. I'm a little over 6' tall and have plenty of room in the berth. Fit and finish is good, some things could be done better but no real complaints.

Heavy cruise(~80% load) loaded with fuel, ice, people is around 28 knots at 36-38 gph. If I pull back to 25 knots I burn 28-30gph. Effective range is a little under 300 miles, I would have like more fuel capacity since I run 70+ miles each way at a min. If I go farther and overnite it can be pushing it. The new 41 carries much more fuel. On the pins I hit 32-33 knots, but not stock props, at 50gph. Stock props cruise a little more efficiently at 25 knots but slower top end and more fuel burn to run 28-29 knots. Not sure on the differences between sets.

Let me know if you have any other questions.

[blackwell50]

viking chine, that's funny,vikings ride like crap.