Cheap, smallish speed boats... what would you buy?
 

I'm looking for a speed boat for use on a lake, thinking 22'-25' or so. Some sort of cabin would be nice but not necessary. My tow vehicle is rated to pull 6500lbs, but it seems a little high to me. My old crownline 225 br w/trailer weighed about 5000lbs and that felt like the upper limit of what it can pull. A hull that will handle a fair amount of chop is a big plus as my local lake can get pretty rough sometimes.

Price is going to be the main factor. I would like to try and stay under $12,000 but $15,000 is the absolute limit. I've wrenched on cars for most of my life and am not scared of working on the boat at all. I do not however want to get into something with hull integrity issues. This Scarab looks promising, but i've been reading bad things about how well they are put together.

http://www.powerboatlistings.com/view/9263

Other boats that pique my interest are Baja 20 outlaws, Stingray 220/230SX's and Velocity 220's, but they all seem to be a little out of my price range.

Is it possible to get into something that will do 60-70mph with these restrictions, or would I be better off saving more?

I have seen some good deals lately on boats in that size range and in your budget. The scarab looks sharp but they didn't say what engine is in it.
I highly recommend you write down what you want in a boat and get the right boat for the task rather than compromising.
Stick with the high end brands for resale.

I don't know the boat, but saw this, looks clean enough to eat off of and dependable power and a sweet price..

http://www.offshoreonly.com/classifi...o34797-en.html

Scarab scs is a great boat for the price but I don't think you will find one for 15k. No wood construction and ours has a held up beautifully in not the calmest lake around . . .

An Apache or Pantara would fit those requirements

24 Superboat

All of those i'm finding are like $30k+

Then I'd look at older ones.. I sold my apache with a 300 promax for 13k.


Here's a 24 Superboat for 10k

http://www.screamandfly.com/showthre...erboat-250-efi

http://jerseyshore.craigslist.org/boa/1782498641.html

:drink:

I have zero experience with outboards, they kind of intimidate me because of it. I wouldn't have much hesitation tearing into a small or big block. What are the main differences with outboards? How viable a power source are they?