Wellcraft 2900 Express (288 Suncruiser)
Built 1981–1987 by Wellcraft Marine
About the Wellcraft 2900 Express (288 Suncruiser)
Researched from public sources for this model. Any individual boat may have been modified or repowered — confirm before relying on any figure.
- Built
- 1981–1987
- Builder
- Wellcraft Marine
- Length
- 28.67 ft
- Beam
- 10.67 ft
- Draft
- 2.5 ft
- Displacement
- 9,000 lb
- Hull
- fiberglass
- Hull / keel
- planing
- Propulsion
- inboard
- Fuel
- 120 gal
- Water
- 28 gal
- Bow thruster
- none
- Stern thruster
- none
Called 288 Suncruiser 1981-82. Solid fiberglass modified-V (16 deg); most have straight inboards under the forward cockpit (no mid-cabin). HMY's text mentions a 1995 floorplan update, which conflicts with the 1987 end date and is probably a typo.
Known problems for this model
No well-sourced problem reports found yet.
Engines & parts
MerCruiser 5.0 (305) / 5.7 (350) V8 gas parts: good
Factory standard engine — you entered “MerCruiser gas V8 inboard”
GM small-block Chevrolet base engines, so internal parts are everywhere. Marine exhaust manifolds and risers for 1983–2002 small blocks are sold by many aftermarket makers (Sierra, Barr, Osco and others) through Power Boat Supply, Hardin Marine, Basic Power Industries and similar stores; Mercury sells genuine parts through dealers.
Parts sources: Power Boat Supply, Hardin Marine, Basic Power Industries
Common problems (2)
-
Manifold/riser failure and water in cylinders exhaust
Cast-iron manifolds and risers rust internally or their gaskets fail, letting water back into the cylinders; small amounts cause hard starting and rough running, large amounts hydrolock and wreck the engine. Service roughly every 7 years in fresh water and about 5 in salt.powerandmotoryacht.com · forums.iboats.com · justanswer.com
-
Overheating from scaled manifolds cooling
Rust and scale inside the manifolds restrict cooling flow and cause overheating under load.powerandmotoryacht.com
Model sources (1)
Other Wellcraft models
- Wellcraft 3400 Gran Sport (3400 Express) 1984–1992
Researched from public sources. Spotted an error? The sources are listed above — tell us what they got wrong.