When two boats share the same hull type — in this case both the Rinker Captiva 220 MTX 2012 and the Rinker Captiva 226 2011 are deep vee designs with fiberglass 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 — Rinker Captiva 220 MTX 2012 at 22,8 ft versus Rinker Captiva 226 2011 at 23,5 ft. Weight tells a clearer story for trailering families: the Rinker Captiva 220 MTX 2012 tips the scales at 3 875 lbs — 3 510 lbs more than the Rinker Captiva 226 2011 at 365 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 — 300 hp for the Rinker Captiva 220 MTX 2012 and 320 hp for the Rinker Captiva 226 2011. 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. Both carry nearly identical fuel loads — 39 gal and 42 gal — so range won't be a tiebreaker here.

Both boats are rated for 1 passengers — a good fit for a family of four or five plus guests. Comfort at capacity is another matter; the longer hull typically means more seat options and better weight distribution.