292 Fastech owners, are you happy?
 

Just wondering how many of you 292 guys are happy with their boats, or would you have wanted something a little bigger and a little faster. I will be getting out of a 95 mph Eliminator Daytona, and while I know I am going to be slowing down quite a bit, thats ok as long as I can take on some rougher water. This has been a tougher decision then I thought it would be.

Overall I have to say yes, I am happy, but it really will depend on your situation. Sounds like you are in the similar situation I was in. Went from a 110mph Talon to the 70mph 292.

Of course having something bigger and faster would be nice, but there are several things to consider. I will list some pros and cons (IMHO!). For reference I am married with a 9 year old daughter.

Pro's:
The 292 handles rough water great, especially if you replace the Bennett tabs with K-Planes.
Great for long cruises.
We enjoy camping on the water, and the bimini with full enclosure is really nice.
The 292 tows great behind my Duramax.
Fits in my shop.
Very reliable.
Unique - twin small blocks.
A little easier on gas than a larger rig.
It's a Formula.
Less $$ than a 353 or 382.

Con's:
Not very fast, but that gives me something to look forward to! (greater HP engines).
Leans (compared to a tunnel hull) which took some time for the wife to get used to.
A little bit of a "drivers boat". Takes some time to figure out the best trim and tab settings in various water conditions.
Takes longer to wax than my Talon 22!

4mula, thanks for the reply, you've got alot of great points. Sometimes I think that I'm going back into a boat that is too much like my 1993 27' Powerquest, with twin 350 mags. S omething keeps pulling me to that 292, though.

292's are great boats. Mine is a 2002 with 350 mags and it has 480hrs on it now and she still runs like a top!
Great boat for the chain and is a blast out on the big pond even in 3-4'ers. (Gets a little hairy if they are bigger than that which we have been in a couple times)
Always felt safe in this boat no matter what. very solid.

debcod2, what kind of graphics do you have on your boat? It seems most of the Chain 292's have the World Champion graphics.

I've been through boats covering the range from 19' to 34' and most everything in between, and I keep gravitating back to the 27 to 29' boats and the 02 292 fastech I had is probably one of the few boats I've ever owned that I would buy again...
Just my opinion

Slick02, thanks for the comment, thats good to hear.

Stripes are red, blue and black.
Boat name is Never Satisfied

The overall quality is great. Love the styling.
It has surprised me how well it handles rough water, but you need to use the trim tabs.
Overall I am really happy with it.
I do not have a bimini and full enclosure though, so that could be a nice addition.
When sitting down the windscreen does not really offer much protection from the wind, on cold days that would have been nice.

My 02 292 that I traded to Magicfloat a couple of years ago would run an honest 70 under good conditions(80 degrees with mild humidity and a 1 to 2 foot chop) was big enough to handle a 3ft chop without breaking a sweat, and small enough to handle/dock/load/unload by myself which was a big plus because MOST(note I said most) of the dock bunnies I ener found were pretty useless when it came to being any help,,,but they looked good, and thats why we take em..

And the bimini was the best investment I ever made on that boat, even if Cuda doesn't like em.