When two boats share the same hull type — in this case both the Sunsation 288 SSR Mid-Cabin Open Bow 2012 and the Sunsation 32 XRT 2012 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?

Both boats share a closely matched power ceiling — 320 hp for the Sunsation 288 SSR Mid-Cabin Open Bow 2012 and 320 hp for the Sunsation 32 XRT 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 Sunsation 32 XRT 2012 is rated for 9 passengers, while the Sunsation 288 SSR Mid-Cabin Open Bow 2012 caps at 8. If you're regularly pulling extended family or a group of friends onto the water, the extra seats on the Sunsation 32 XRT 2012 could be the deciding factor.