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.

Almost everyone would like a bigger faster boat wouldn't they???? I'm very satisfied in almost every way with my boat. Rock solid no rattles ever. Handles the rough water beautifully. Super good looking. The boat actually has a few places to store things which can't be said about almost every other go fast this size. The biggest drawback for me is the power. You'll find countless threads in the formula section talking about increasing the power in the 292's. Just plan on repowering or being dissatisfied with the power. Other than that what a boat!-----Nick

A very close friend has an '03 with the Merc Scorpions, biggest power they offered in the 292 as far as I know, and no longer available. Very low hours, fresh water only, lift kept in season, inside off season. Well cared for and shows like new. Let me know if it might be of interest to you.

Love my 2003 292 w/ 6.2s, picked mine up in '06 for $60k with 130 hours, clean, loaded with all options except bimini, on a triple-axle trailer.

If I could have bought a low-hours 353 w/ hi-perf big blocks for anywhere near that money I would of, but for the money I'm thrilled with the 292.

That said, still trying to get some big commission checks banked over the winter so I can either supercharge or have another pair of small blocks dropped in at the 425-450 HP range. Like Nick said...Needs more power, 'cause the hull seems like she would be fin in the mid 80's.

I love my 292 but wish for a few more MPH..
Overall great boat for the chian..

Alright Koz, what graphics are you running. World Champion?

LIMNATER- I'll be out this weekend with my 292 on the chain. Just had a new port motor put in due to the oil pump pick up tube came loose. Bald Knob came through, and they had it all together in less than two weeks!!!! So it was definately a positive for their service department. If you want to go out, drop me a line. Unfortunately, I need to break in the new motor.

Thanks, for the offer, I think I need to make up my mind this weekend. Unfortunatly, I'm leaning towards the 292 thats the twin to yours in the showroom.

What he said saved me a lot of typing.Actually the longer I have it the more I like it.I will probably go bigger and faster someday but its pretty cheap to run and she starts every time you turn the key.

Here is an idea for future 292's. Looks like GM will soon be discontinuing the 496,and Merc will replace it with a new very strong version of the latest 6.2,different from what we have now,but still a small block. A perfect choice for future 292's.

Liminator... did you see the 29 Formula for sale sitting at Munson Ski and Marine (Route 12 and 120)? Drove by a few days ago and one was sitting on the side of the building. I assume it is for sale.

MagicFloat, I heard the last year for the 496 is 2009... is this correct?

2009 is what I heard,but don't know if Merc plans to stockpile any are not. But who knows,the 502 has been gone for years from GM,but Merc still builds all we need,never been clear to me where the blocks come from.

Yeah, I stopped and looked at it, it appeared to be ridden hard, and put away wet. I was told an older gentleman owned it and kept it on a lake in Wisconsin. It was rather beat up, looked like alot of pier damage.

World products makes it for Mercury using a GM mold so it is a GM block but its not made by them this is the block thats used for the 525s and up

fastmcars, saw ya out on Sunday, on Petite, breaking the motor in. Boat looked good, and seemed to be running good. I was in my pontoon loaded down with friends.

Yes, that was me. Mike at Bald Knob did an excellent job putting in the motor. Everything seems to be running fine, and you couldn't tell anything was done. Once again, I have to say that Bald Knobs service took care of me.

I went from a 110 MPH 26' AO cat to a new 292. It turned out to be a great move. The boat was much more comfortable in bigger water and the quality was second to none. You will miss the top speed, but the 292 was almost as exciting at 70 MPH as the cat was at 90+. I would highly recommend it. The boat was hard to beat. The only thing better was my upgrade to the 382.

fastmcars, thats great that everything worked out for you, plus that good to hear about Bald Knobs service dept.

first offshore, thanks for the reply, thats a good recommendation from someone who had a similar situation.