Not picking one anybody but I have to chime in . I worked in the 80's for Dennis @ Jet-set marine who made the Avanti . Back in the early 80's there wasnt much out there in a way of these boats unlike today , that said I know first hand as having a hand building these boats and owning 2 - 27 ft they are one of the worst lay-up I have ever seen , wavy , delamanation issues , old munster looking deck . I know for a fact we tried to warn Dennis but he wanted to hear nothing and guess what theyre long gone . They really got bad fron 1986 on as some of his best guy's moved on .

Go ahead beat me up but the last 1996 27 ft Avanti I owned the inner cockpit liner rubbed through the bottom and always leaked as well as a 4 ft crack on the keel from the transom forward . I bought as a beater and unloaded it after a month when I discoverd the engine stringers stopped @ the fuel tank bulkhead and they were just tabbed together . For those who dont know how to build boats , the engine stringer cannot be 4 ft long and tabbed together @ fuel tank bulkhead on new const , they need to go forward

Larry

hey malchoosy, I sent that pm agian, I had the wrong recipetaint last time

He PM'd me by mistake I think...I don't have a hosting site, otherwise I'd post them too...

I'll PM him back and let him know.

Avanti pics
 

Here ya go y'all

More Pics
 

SEI106 drive, make sure to ask about the amount left on the warranty

OK,, I chime in also. Don't know much about the smaller Avanti's but I had two 33 footers. Both been driven in some serious seas. I met Dennis and YESSS he is a bastard and an a$$shole, but the 33 layups were still followed the original Banana boat layup schedule. I also know a few others who have Avanti's and there is no real issues with the hull. Dennis had some rigging issues and details, but I think the hulls (at least the 33's) were built solid. My current boat have no stress cracks anywhere and I been in a bunch of rough seas in the past few years. But it wasn't rigged by Dennis, so I have no issues with the rigging and misc. details either. Plus the hull I got, Dennis made it for his son, with some better quaility control. His son ended up with a CC. I ended up with the hull rigged by Lightning Bay, with all new "stuff". (IE motors, drive, gauges, etc.) so I'm happy with the whole set up.
That being said, it's like pretty much any others, some are ok, some are lemons. Donzi, Fountain, Baja, etc. all have some that are just fallng apart.

He had the outdrive replaced last fall, so I'm thinking there's a year and a half left on the warranty, I will ask him tho, is there issues with these drives, I would really like to put a bravo one this boat in time, any chance the bolt holes will line up

My buddy Ken Borreli made the deck plug and mold for the 33 . He owns Nuwave marine in NJ Nice boat ( 33 ) but very heavy

It will just drill two holes .

Yup it will, but don't get rid of the SEI until the warranty is out their replacement policy is great With that power it should be fine (assuming it's the 350/260) unless you are real hard on it...