When two boats share the same hull type — in this case both the Qwest 818 RLS 2012 and the Qwest 820 XRE Cruise 2012 are pontoon designs with aluminum construction — the buying decision usually comes down to a handful of practical questions: how many people are you putting on the water, how far do you trailer, and what does your tow vehicle weigh?

On paper these two are close siblings in the size department — Qwest 818 RLS 2012 at 19,3 ft versus Qwest 820 XRE Cruise 2012 at 20,7 ft. Weight tells a clearer story for trailering families: the Qwest 818 RLS 2012 tips the scales at 1 325 lbs — 1 180 lbs more than the Qwest 820 XRE Cruise 2012 at 145 lbs. That difference is meaningful if you're working within a half-ton or three-quarter-ton truck's tow rating, especially once you factor in a motor, gear, and fuel.

Both boats share a closely matched power ceiling — 70 hp for the Qwest 818 RLS 2012 and 75 hp for the Qwest 820 XRE Cruise 2012. Real-world performance will come down more to which motor is actually bolted on, its load at the time, and whether it's a 4-stroke or 2-stroke setup.

For family outings this is probably the sharpest distinction between the two. The Qwest 820 XRE Cruise 2012 is rated for 10 passengers, while the Qwest 818 RLS 2012 caps at 9. If you're regularly pulling extended family or a group of friends onto the water, the extra seats on the Qwest 820 XRE Cruise 2012 could be the deciding factor.

One place where both boats are genuinely identical is tube construction: both run 2 aluminum tubes at 23" diameter. That shared spec means stability and buoyancy characteristics are closely matched — the ride difference you'll feel between them comes primarily from deck length, weight distribution, and motor choice.