After reading this and owning 3 Formulas and my current Fountain, I feel my Fountain is a much more durable boat. The hull and deck are glassed together and Plexus or no Plexus, I'm a lot more confident. Also, the Fountain uses foam coring and two layers of glass in the hull and decks and I can say my deck on the 38 is a lot stronger than any of my Formulas. That said, the fit and finish on the Formula is heads and shoulders above the Fountain. I guess I can put up with a little less fit and finish given the structural integrity of my 38. Now all I have to worry about is my transom and stringers rotting

I'm in the same boat, so to speak. Having owned 2 Sr-1's all the while dreaming of the fastech. A friend of mine said he thinks this is what happens when people think their boat is indestructible then push them past their limits. I'm on the fence. I would be more likely to agree if other brands of boats were experiencing similar issues.

I almost can't wait to have to do this to my boat after having to do what I am doing to my engine bay!

I would not agree with that statement in all cases. My cap popped loose this summer at the marine head location while trying to pull up a stuck anchor. It is a short area about 20" long and it popped with strain on the front cleat where the anchor was tied. No speed involved and I didn't think the boat was strained hard enough to do that but it did. I understand Formula is very helpful with support if a person is going to do the repairs. I expect to contact Formula for the info etc and fix mine.

We have hammered the boat on Lake Erie and a poker run here at home and it did just fine in it's own running dynamics. Strange that this twist popped it loose.

This is an old post and I post this for future members to read. This is definitely a gargantuan safety issue. Something of this matter should be told to the USCG in a Safety Defect Report. I believe the matter would have been looked at ASAP. If the CG found cause, they would have made Formula issue a recall and cost the owner nothing.

This goes for any defect an owner finds that deals in the safety of vessel and crew.

Consumer Safety Defect Report

Hi all. Thought I would bring this back to the front. I am getting inquires from a few Formula owners that have found this issue on their boats. AGAIN this is not a Formula bash. This is a informational thread. Its a relatively easy fix in the scheme of things. Thanks

I don’t think this applies to a 206LS. Only newer boats with a grid floor system.

ph1971, I agree. I have had conversations with a few mid west 382 owners this year regarding this issue.

Hi All!

Sorry to beat a dead horse with this one, but I am looking at purchasing a 2003 Formula 382 Fastech and another OSO member in the general boating discussion thread referred me to this issue with the Formulas. A couple of questions:

• I'm getting the boat surveyed next week before finalizing the transaction. Is this something a normal survey would catch, or should I tell the surveyor to keep an eye out for this?
• Earlier in the thread this sounded like something that had to go to a shop and was a doable, but relatively involved repair, but the last couple pages make it sounds as if this is a relatively easy fix that I can do myself if it is a problem. My family is in the auto body business and I am pretty hands on with things. Is this something I could do myself? Has anybody put together instructions for doing this?

Thanks in advance! Hoping to join the Formula family soon!

The telltale sign that any boat has this issue is that the rubrail will be loose (mostly midship). Grab a hold of it and if it moves up and down at all, chances are there is the bonding problem above. The screws holding the rubrail to the hull go through the bonded joint (thru bolted) and if it has separated these screws snap and allow the rubrail to be loose. I repaired mine myself (1997 382). Not technically difficult but labor intensive and necessitates getting to nuts (from the thru bolts) on the inside of the boat. Some are VERY difficult to get at and require taking parts of the cuddy apart. If you decide to buy the boat and it has the separation issue be prepared to do some work (mine took about a week) or pay someone to do it. There is plenty of info on the repair on this thread. Good Luck!