See if you can find a nice 24' Baja Outlaw or ES with a 454 or 502 and a Bravo. A Checkmate 251 would also be a good boat to start with at the right vintage and price range. There are hundreds of them out there. There are plenty of neglected/soggy ones out there though. Make sure you check it out well (get a survey WITH a moisture meter; thoroughly check the stringers and transom), and it should last you a few seasons until you are ready to move up/on.

Yes, for Lake MI, 25' or longer is best. 24-25' Outlaws are nice and plentiful. Or 251's. Those have always been popular boats on Lake MI. Or Powerquest 257/260.

you can't overnight on a Donzi Classic, but they will hold their value well.

For an overnight boat, and probably the best deal in the boat market (for a long time now) Formula 272 SR1 1987-1991

You can get twin Big Blocks with Bravo 1 drives, a basic cabin, excellent build quality, great ride, and a great price. They can be bought for under 20k right now.

I got a 88 Baja 240 Sport. Same hull and deck that got renamed Outlaw. Its pretty good in the rough stuff with a weight of 5000 pounds and 24 degree hull. The hammers are not a 24 degree hull. That will affect the ride. Like mentioned before, look for an older baja, powerquest, checkmate, pantera, formula, etc.

i am sure the pantera guys love to be in the baja category JK
scott

That is what my brother in-law just went to. they are some boats for the size and handle the rough well.

Ditto on the 272 Formula. There are a lot of older ones around for a reason.

Since you are in Grand Haven, and are only going to have one boat, you need to be less than 26' in length. The Spring Lake NO WAKE ZONE gets real old in a hurry at no wake speeds.

SPRING LAKE - R281.770.9 - Slow--no wake speed.

9. On the waters of Spring lake adjacent to the city of Ferrysburg, village of Spring Lake, Spring Lake township, Ottawa county, it is unlawful for:

(a) The operator of a vessel less than 26 feet in length to exceed a slow--no wake speed when within 200 feet of any shore, dock, or pierhead.

(b) The operator of a vessel 26 feet or more in length to exceed a slow--no wake speed.

Look at the 24 to 25 foot Checkmates. They are reasonable, will run almost 100 with a stout 540 and Bravo, and can handle Lake Michigan in almost all conditions. I think there is one in NY now for under $10,000 with a big block rebuilt in 2002.

The 23 Velocity's are also a good boat in that size.

Check with ArticFriends on Baja's.

Good luck, I'm sure you will get a lot of advice.:D

Theres a 26 Sutphen w twin outboards listed in Fruit Port, MI for $12,500

This is true. Checkmate will run good and you can get to Hanky Pank in a hurry if you wanted. I had a 272 Formula for 3 years out there and i will say that i would not want to go out into the big lake with anything less than that.
just my .02:drink: