242 LS vs. 272
 

Help! New to boating. Found an 89 242 LS to buy but came across an 88 272 today for about same price. What do I do?

Re: 242 LS vs. 272
 

Make a decision!!!

Seriously, lay the pro's and cons of each boat out on the table before you make your choice. They are both very good boats in my opinion, how many engines do they have? what specifications are they?

Please provide more information.

Re: 242 LS vs. 272
 

Buy the one in the better condition.

Re: 242 LS vs. 272
 

Ill go with you on that Cuda.

Re: 242 LS vs. 272
 

Me too.
I have a 272 SR1 and a friend has a 242 LS with bolsters , so I have a good comparison.
272 rides a bit better , more cabin room , twin engines...additional maintanance and fuel also more difficult to work on.
242 easier to trailer (lighter) , good right for a 24 foot boat , single engine , less and easier maintanance. loads of room in engine bay. Over twice the mpg than a 272 if cost is a consideration. Cockpit the same size as a 272.

Re: 242 LS vs. 272
 

Thanks for all who have responded. The 242 has the 454 365 hp. The 272 has twin 350's puched out to twin 400's. Will the 272 truly cost double the money to run? i was leaning towards the 272 because of the better ride. I will be spendinga lot of time in Lake Ontario. The 242 is like new with 245 hrs. The two concerns I have with the 242 is that the bottom is painted (they say fresh water only) and it doesn't come with a trailer. The two concerns I have with the 272 is that the motors have had some work (professionally done with all receipts); reliability and the cost of running. If it truly cost double to run the 272, I may lean toward the 242. If I decide to go with the 242, any advice on new/used trailers?

Re: 242 LS vs. 272
 

Where abouts is the 242 for sale Iman?

Although it is supposed to be a fresh water boat, it would need to be antifouled if it was staying in the water for extended periods.

The 272 will cost you almost double to run (fuel & maintenance).

The benefits for the additional costs are: more space, more speed & a slightly better ride as Mopower has already stated above.

If the condition & running costs are important, go for the 242. Either way you will not be dissappointed.

Re: 242 LS vs. 272
 

Cost of operation? My 272 with 454s got 1.5 mpg at 3000 rpm cruising speed. My buddys 242 with a single 509cu in/535 HP (new in April) is doing 3.8 mph. I find this hard to believe but I can say he can go a long way and the gas guage does move much.
Mine now has 540s and the best I've done is 1.3 mpg

Re: 242 LS vs. 272
 

That much difference in mileage is surprising.

Re: 242 LS vs. 272
 

Yeah , I have to keep an eye on him to make sure he's not cheating :rolleyes:

Re: 242 LS vs. 272
 

I am still confused. Thanks for all who have responded!! Any other advice suggestions, comments? I want to own one by the end of this week. This will be my 1st boat. I am anxious and proud of the thought of being a Formula owner. I want to make the best choice.

Re: 242 LS vs. 272
 

If you buy the 242, next year you will want the 272.
I would buy the 272.

Re: 242 LS vs. 272
 

A 272 with small blocks will probably burn 1.75 of the fuel the single big block will burn. In addition to bigger/ better ride/ more storage, having twins gives you the ability to get home if one engine has a problem. I'd buy the 272 considering the concerns you have listed. Bottom paint would be a deal killer for me and significantly reduces the value and re-sale of the boat.

Re: 242 LS vs. 272
 

Exact reason i bought mine. I love it :drink: BTW this is also my first boat.

Re: 242 LS vs. 272
 

For what its worth, I bought my 292 this time last year, and before Labor Day, I was already wondering when and where I could find a 357.

Also, as t500hps said, with twins, if one goes down, you can usually always get home with the other. Plus, once you get bitten, your just going to want more, so get the 272 to start, you'll be happier in the long run.

Just my 0.02.

And yes, and everyone else is saying, stay away from bottom paint......big mistake. :eek:

Re: 242 LS vs. 272
 

And twins are way cool docking :D

Re: 242 LS vs. 272
 

I have a 242 with a BBC not bad on gas I would love a 272 sbc, more room and a good ride. Remember your lake can get nasty in a hurry there is for length :eek: :drink:

Mopower says " you can HP or money it`s hard to have both"

Re: 242 LS vs. 272
 

I will NEVER, EVER buy another boat that's been bottom painted. I've done it twice. :(

Like I always say, gas is the cheapest thing I ever put in a boat.

Re: 242 LS vs. 272
 

For me it's gotta have twins, even though it will cost twice as much to maintain or modify. And bottom paint really sucks....alot.....really.....try taking it off......did I mention it sucks......alot :D
Just my 2 cents.

Re: 242 LS vs. 272
 

Everyone:
you have all been really helpful!! This has been a great website. i am glad that I joined. Pretty much, you have all sold me on the 272. One last question around resale. This issue will not stop me from purchasing but would like your thoughts. This boat came with twin big blocks, therefore it has brava outdrives. However, it now has smallblocks; 350s punched out to 400s. They have a pretty mellow build to them. The motors have about 150 hours on them and run awesome. The seller has all of the receipts. Will the small blocks replacing the big blocks hurt resale of boat?

Thanks again for all of you help!!

Re: 242 LS vs. 272
 

A little, but Alpha drives were the real bastards of the small block boats. That package should run upper 60's and get better than 1.5 gph. Assuming you can get it in the mid $20's (or less) sounds like a nice combo.
Any 272 owner chime in on performance numbers????

Re: 242 LS vs. 272
 

I think on a 272 it should help resale. Better ride and a tad cheaper to run. Definitely faster than stock BBC twins. Good Luck.


GRIZ

Re: 242 LS vs. 272
 

With Bravo drives it's a good combo, because if you want to go faster(spend more money) you can.

Re: 242 LS vs. 272
 

Hard to say :( . Big blocks are always worth more , so the small block price issue should also show up in the current selling price. Looking into the future and gas prices.......small blocks coould be a plus in years to come :eek:

Re: 242 LS vs. 272
 

I might sound stupid here, but, when I had my 242 with a single 454/350, it seemed that the boat loved to run at 40mph which was about 3800rpm. Of course, my friends had twin engine boats cruising at 40-45mph. So, that's what I had to do to keep up, plus it felt like it ran smoother at 40mph and up!

Now, with my 292SR1 w/twin 454 mags, it can run at 43-44mph all day long at 3200rpm (maybe more with the Stainless exhaust-coming soon! :D ). I cruise at 4mph faster, and 600rpm less...So, I haven't noticed a huge increase in my fuel bill moving over to twins. Maybe it's just my style of boating! :rolleyes:

Re: 242 LS vs. 272
 

My 87 272 350 mags bone stock runs 39 MPH at 3100 cruising. I rarely run WFO either. I'm running 23 mirages which is a little too much pitch. 21's would be perfect. Anyway i like my combo even wuth the Alphas. I have been easy on my boat with no hole shots or slamming the throttles at speed. My boat ran 54.7 @ 4200 with 3 people and a full load of fuel. With the prop change and lighter load of fuel mine should run 58-60. BTW rock solid ride. :drink:

Re: 242 LS vs. 272
 

I like my 50 mph @ 3000 :cool: Actually 51.1 GPS :D

Re: 242 LS vs. 272
 

I do not think it will hurt resale at all to have the small blocks. The small blocks would be my choice in that boat just so that it is easier to work on. Of course I say that and own a 18 Donzi with a Big Block in it :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

Re: 242 LS vs. 272
 

Hey Mopower,

Whats that on top of your dash? Is it a cover for the Compass?

Re: 242 LS vs. 272
 

Yes.

And don't ask. All I can tell you is it came with tha boat. I have no idea of the history of it :confused: :confused:

Re: 242 LS vs. 272
 

Again I just joined os and am browsing some Formula threads what happened here did you buy the 272? also is it the one that was in buffalo ny? also for the comment above my 242 loves 38~4000 rpm right around 40, it performs best and cuts thru any chop, if i go slower around 3000 i have to tab down a little more to keep the bow from bouncing

Re: 242 LS vs. 272
 

I agree with the above quote. I have found that if you run both boats at 3000 rpm you will most likely find that the single runs app. 26-28 mph but the twin will run app. 30-33 so you should be able to pull throttles back several 100`s rpm and see the same speed as the single equals better mpg. Just a few more rpms in the single will get in the secondarys on the big block and wait till you see the different that makes on mpg. Bottom paint on a fresh water boat? No way would i paint a 24 degree offshore hull and kill resale value on my 1st boat. Just learn to drive with twins will make you look sideways at a single when it come time to get in a tight place to park.

Re: 242 LS vs. 272
 

I"m new to the site. I think I bought the 242 you are referring to. Bottom painted (which I immediately had removed), no trailer. Was it in Alexandria Bay NY??

Hey guys, quick question.... everyone seems to HATE bottom paint and say it will devalue your boat??

I plan to slip my hopeful purchase of a 242 in the Delaware River all summer and thought bottom paint was necessary to do so??

The boat I am looking at does have bottom paint although needs a fresh job,,, should I remove entirely or put a fresh new layer on?

Note, the boat was a fresh water boat its whole life

Old thread, but yes it will devalue the boat, if its there and your leaving it in may-sept, I say leave it there, just make sure you buy the boat at a already devalued price