Sometimes a little more turns out to be a lot more. That's the case with the Stingray 200CS.

You might be a young family, brand new to the cruising lifestyle and looking for your first boat. A runabout with more than just runabout accomodations, the Stingray 200CS could be a solid start on cruising or a great choice as a cottage boat.

With a centreline length of 20 feet, 3 inches and weight of 2,827 pounds, you could trailer the 200CS behind many light trucks or even some cars.

Two things make this boat a little bit different. First, the 200CS has Stingray's Z-Plane hull design that seems to offer strong performance. Second, it is a cuddy cabin that actually has sleeping accomodation for two adults in the bow and for a child on the fold-down sleeper seat. Our test boat was equipped with a cooking element, deck hatch and Thetford porta-potty, as well as two side portholes for ventilation. The folding cabin door opens up nearly two thirds of the bulkhead to make it nice and airy.

To get forward over the bulkhead, there is a clever swing-out step that normally stows under the dashboard. Swing it out and you can more easily step though the windshield opening to go forward on the non-slip finished deck to set an anchor.

The helm proved to be very comfortable with a flip-up bolster seat and easy-to-read, black-and-white marked instruments — even including an engine hour meter. A four-speaker CD stereo is standard and there are conveniently located drink holders and handholds.

Stingray gave the 200CS a durable fiberglass inner liner, as well as an aft bench seat with gas strut lift that reveals an engine compartment with good access and convenient storage on either side of the engine. Contributing to the quiet running was the fact that much of the engine compartment is enclosed under a padded cover and has carpeted sides. I was not particularly keen on this feature because oil and gasoline may someday be present in the carpeted area.

There is storage in the side pockets and an under-floor locker. More storage is available in the cabin area under the cushions.

The MerCruiser 4.3 MPI sterndrive turned in an impressive performance, delivering a top speed of 45.6 mph at an acceptable 91 dbA and accelerating from a standing start to 40 mph in only 10.5 seconds. The test boat was fitted with a standard aluminum three-blade with 19-inch pitch.

Nevertheless, at only 2500 rpm the boat was solidly planed off doing 24.5 mph at a quiet cruise of 82 dbA — very pleasant. I found the 200CS turned responsively, even at high speeds, with just a bit of sliding at the stern. During the test, we had to deal with some serious weather out on Lake Ontario, making our way through a close chop running three to five feet high (where a 20-foot boat really doesn't belong), but we were able to make our way steadily through the waves and back safely into the harbour.

For its size, the Stingray 200CS cuddy cabin will deliver a high level of versatility along with strong performance, whether you use it for family cottage duties, waterskiing or cruising to places like the Rideau or even the St. Lawrence.

by Andy Adams
2007 Annual Test Issue

NOTE: The magazine article showed a photo of the 220CS instead of a 200C model.
The model shown above is a 200CX.