When two boats share the same hull type — in this case both the Rinker Captiva 246 BR 2012 and the Rinker Express Cruiser 260 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?

The power gap is worth calling out. Rated to 430 hp, the Rinker Captiva 246 BR 2012 has a 110-hp advantage over the Rinker Express Cruiser 260 2011's 320-hp ceiling — enough to notice on acceleration and at cruising speed, particularly with a full passenger load. Both carry nearly identical fuel loads — 75 gal and 75 gal — so range won't be a tiebreaker here.

For family outings this is probably the sharpest distinction between the two. The Rinker Express Cruiser 260 2011 is rated for 8 passengers, while the Rinker Captiva 246 BR 2012 caps at 7. If you're regularly pulling extended family or a group of friends onto the water, the extra seats on the Rinker Express Cruiser 260 2011 could be the deciding factor.