It’s not often that we get to compare two of the same hulls with different deck configurations from the same manufacturer. What a bonus when they’re both high-performance outboards! Stingray Boats of Hartsville, South Carolina, recently released its 23 OSX bowrider and sistership OCX cuddy cabin.
On a sunny May afternoon on Stingray’s home lake, these two 23-footers powered by 300 hp outboards provided great fun and driving experiences, as well as a great comparison between these two styles of boats. It doesn’t hurt that they’re built well and loaded with cool features.
Drew Gantt is a design engineer at Stingray and was deeply involved in the OSX/OCX execution. He notes that the bottom design comes from the boatbuilder’s previous 225SX featuring Stingray’s famous patented “Z-Plane” design. With no flat running pad like other performance V-hulls, it’s easy to drive even the first time out. Modified with added length and beam, and set back to handle larger loads and today’s heavier outboard engines, the entire boat is CAD-designed and goes through simulated testing before a plug is ever made. It’s built from 100 percent composites, so there’s no wood to rot, and it presents a solid ride with no rattling or creaking. All backing plates for cleats, eyes and rails are composite. There’s no core in the running surfaces; it’s all woven roving, stitched fiberglass, and mat with stringers. The transom is a new foam core, infused with resin. Everything is bonded together, even the stringers to the hull and deck, with no bedding putty. Warranty is lifetime on the hull and one year on everything else.
OSX and OCX Specs
| LOA: | 23’5″ |
| Beam: | 8’4″ |
| Deadrise at Transom: | 20 degrees |
| Draft: | 1’1″ |
| Displacement: | 3,364 lb. (with engine) |
| Seat/Weight Capacity: | 10/2,080 lb. |
| Fuel Capacity: | 56 gal. |
This boat is large for a single outboard: At 23 feet, 5 inches long and 8 feet, 4 inches wide, it weighs almost 3,400 pounds without a trailer. The stated maximum capacity is 10 people, but a group of five or six would be more comfortable and realistic.
Each of our two test hulls was powered with a 300—the OSX bowrider with a Yamaha and the OCX cuddy with a Suzuki. This is significant, because while both are 300 hp V-6 four-strokes, the two use vastly different gear ratios in the drive units. The Yamaha uses a 1.75-to-1 ratio, which is a common gear ratio in larger, powerful outboards. The Suzuki employs a much shorter 2.08-to-1 ratio. Theoretically, that would give the Suzuki the acceleration advantage and the Yamaha the top-speed edge. Of course, these differences can be mitigated with careful propeller selection. The Yamaha was fitted with a 23-inch-pitch Yamaha Pro Series stainless-steel three-blade. The Suzuki employed a (gasp!) Mercury 28-inch-pitch Bravo 1 four-blade. Why the Mercury wheel? According to Stingray techs, in testing, it outperformed the stock Suzuki propellers handily, but more testing is scheduled for the near future.
While both are great performers, the OSX bowrider outperformed the OCX cuddy. We recorded 68.3 mph at 6,000 rpm with two aboard and a half-tank of fuel, in 6-inch windblown lake chop. The canaryyellow OCX cuddy saw a best of 64.7 mph at 6,500 rpm with the same passenger and fuel load. From a dead in-gear idle, the OSX bowrider planed in 3.6 seconds; we hit 30 mph in 5.4 seconds. The OCX cuddy was decidedly less quick, planing in 5.4 seconds. Zero to 30 mph took 7.9 seconds. In the fueleconomy contest, the bowrider won again; best cruise was at 3,500 rpm and 37.9 mph, netting 4.9 mpg. The OCX cuddy’s best was at 3,000 rpm and 24.6 mph, a best of 4.6 mpg. So the bowrider got better mileage, and at nearly 14 mph faster. In a boat like this Stingray, the ability to cruise faster while getting good fuel mileage is a decided advantage.
Because the weights of both hulls are nearly identical, it’s clear that some propeller, engine height and setback tweaking is in order if the OCX cuddy is to be competitive with the OSX bowrider. While the OCX’s sculpted deck might look cooler, even the cost advantage goes to the OSX bowrider; similarly equipped, it’s about $5,000 less.
Read Next: Stingray 23 OSX
In these boats, the differences are all forward of the windshield. The OSX’s bowrider section features two wide lounge seats with backrests facing forward, with ample room for two to stretch out. The seating is plush and detailed, in a white-and-deep-gray-vinyl combo that looks crisp without being drab. Folding armrests, stainless-steel grab rails, and plenty of cup holders are featured up front and also in the cockpit. At the bow between the seats, there’s a built-in insulated cooler and a very cool anchor locker with slide-out anchor holder.
The OCX cuddy looks svelte and dashing with a long, pointed deck that’s sculpted for more strength and style. Under the deck, there’s a double V-berth that’s plenty long; Gantt is 6 feet, 3 inches tall, and he fits with room to spare. A center section cover conceals a portable toilet. The hull sides are fitted with upholstered, padded rails to keep small items from getting lost. There’s a sink, phone charger, a pair of stereo speakers, a mount for a small gas grill, courtesy lights, and a round access hatch in the center of the deck. A headliner is well-fitted and covers the fiberglass for a neat appearance. The liner is fiberglass for easy cleanup. There’s easy access to the backside of the dash if troubleshooting is needed. Access from the cockpit is through a custom-made acrylic and plastic doorway with articulated hinges.
From the windshield back, the OCX and OSX are identical. The only option on each of our test boats was the Garmin display; everything else is standard, including digital switching and a Yamaha or Suzuki digital engine monitor. Tilt hydraulic steering coupled with electric power assist is standard. A Fusion sound system with amplifier and six speakers is standard. The self-bailing cockpit is a huge advantage when boarding soaking-wet passengers or even just forgetting to cover it when it rains. The pilot and navigator sit in deep, plush bucket seats that provide great stability and security at higher speeds. Just aft, two longitudinal lounge seats blend into and around a full-width stern bench seat.
Under the stern seat, there’s a door to quickly access the battery switch and fuel tank. Fully finished overboard-draining storage boxes are underneath both sternside lounger seats, which hinge up from the forward side and feature cantilever-hinge supports to keep them open for easy access. At the stern, there’s a wide watersports platform with a built-in insulated cooler on the port side and extending stainless-steel boarding ladder under a hatch cover on the starboard side. The center section of the aft seat unlatches and hinges forward to access batteries, a water tank, bilge and water-tank pumps, all of which sit atop thick, gelcoated fiberglass covers that hide flotation foam underneath. The aft end is one very large storage compartment, great for life jackets, water toys and the like. The entire compartment is gelcoated smooth for easy cleanup.
Stingray’s twin hot rods provide great options for those looking at performance outboard hulls, capable of lending speedy thrills while serving admirably towing watersports enthusiasts, hosting dinner cruises, and impressing the locals at sandbar parties. With so many opting for fast pontoons these days, it’s refreshing to see fast outboard fiberglass hulls again.
Stingray 23 OSX Bowrider
How We Tested
- Engine: Yamaha F300 four-stroke
- Drive/Prop: Outboard/Yamaha Pro Series 141/2″ x 23″ 3-blade stainless steel
- Gear Ratio: 1.75:1 Fuel Load: 28 gal. Crew Weight: 450 lb. Price: $104,434 (as tested)
Stingray 23 OCX Cuddy Cabin
How We Tested
- Engine: Suzuki 300 four-stroke
- Drive/Prop: Outboard/Mercury Bravo I 151/4″ x 28″ 4-blade stainless steel
- Gear Ratio: 2.08:1 Fuel Load: 28 gal. Crew Weight: 450 lb. Price: $108,923 (as tested)
Stingray Boats – Hartsville, South Carolina; stingrayboats.com
