FasTech 292 vs 312
 

Hi there..

I may be in a position to buy a new boat next week and am considering:

2001 312 Fastech with 454 MPI (380hrs)

or

2002 292 Fastech with 350 MAG (415hrs)

The owner for the 31 says he can go 63-67mph, but online says it should be at 72.

Then the 29 says he can hit 70 on a good day. Witht the lighter boat, the smaller engines can move it due to the HP to weight ratio.

What are your thoughts, recommendations, or warnings?

I'm looking for comfort and more speed. I'm coming from a 38 Baja Special. Formula boats are new to me....I'd prefer a louder boat as well. Both boats have four props. The 29 has drive showers.

Basically both boats have minor things the other doesn't so I'm torn.

Thoughts

If the 312 has 454 MAGS (385hp) it's a 70-72 mph boat (I had one with 502's that would run 74). If the 454's are MPI (310hp) then 67 is best case senario. When parked next to a 292 my 312 seemed quite a bit larger. The 292 is a 70mph boat on a good day.

The 312 has a better ride then the 292. It just feels more solid. However, I can't complain about my 292 with 350's. I've hit 70.8 on my GPS. That was back when I first got it and was just seeing what she could do. The boat does everything I ask and need it to do. It's def. a workhorse. Either way your picking a Formula. Already ahead of the game IMO with either choice.

Yep...all depends on the 454's in the 312. If Mags, your good to go, if just MPIs, I'd pass as the boat would let you down in power to weight. But it would ride like a cadillac under 65! I have the 292, but with scorpions and love it hitting 76mph. The 312 was my first choice, but finding the right power is key IMHO and I passed on a cherry 312 because it only had the 310's. The owner was honest with me saying his best was 65. Hard to find with the larger motors...454 magnums, 502's or 496 mags or HO's would be the only option for me. Remember this...is it worth having a fastboat that doesn't go fast? Of course, this is subjective, but to me the average fast out there is 70+.

Hey thats me Guess I'm average, what are the prices?

there both around 45-50k.....now I'm thinking I may have limited my search and excluded other options...hmmmm

The 312 is Formula's only single step and I believe the 292 is a twin step.

If its any help, we were going to sell our 2002 292 with 350 mags last year and have decided to keep the old girl now. main reason being is that we have owned it for the last 8 years now, now all its minor quirks and even after putting 710 hrs on it so far, the engines still purr like kittens and will still run 68-69 everyday and hit a little over 70 when conditions are right.
We just ran it hard this past weekend at the lake Hartwell poker run in Sc and she ran like a raped ape as usual with a full load of fuel, 3 adults and my 8 year old son on board. Temp was like 94 degrees and we still did 68-69 like clockwork.

If you are looking for a newer style and newer hull technology and to also be somewhat fule effecient and fun to drive, you wont be disappointed with a 292.

My only complaint as well as everyone elses with the 292's is the slow time to get on plane but I can live with that and am used to it now.

We looked at a 312 before we bought the 292 and I am glad I went with the newer technology.

Just my .02. Good luck

The more information people provide, the more questions I start to have. For example, the engines needing replaced. I'm reading that people need to replace "uppers/lowers" after certain hours etc....just getting me thinking.

I generally go out every weekend with 4-6 adults.

I don't know what the recommended replacement hours are and I am sure a lot of people have different opinions on this but I can tell you this, I change the engine and drive oils every 25 hours like clockwork. We lost an oil pump in the starboard motor around the 400hr mark and when the motor was out, you could see the hone cross marks in the cylinders and everything looked really good. The relief in the pump itself failed. threw a new set of main bearings at that time as well since we were in there and called it good. I know we have some valve seals leaking a little as we get a little smoke on start up but they don't burn oil at all even when running hard like we did this past weekend.

When I do have to re power it, I will probably upgrade and go with the 383 mags instead but I doubt I will have to worry about that anytime soon since mine both run great still and they are well maintained.

I am on a crusade now to see how many hours I can actually put on them! Like I said, I am at approx 710 and counting!

Forgot to mention, my uppers and lowers have never been apart either in the past 710 hrs. no excess metal or anything at any of the oil changes so far. i also run the halo driver showers and they have made a big difference in keeping the heat down in the drives which is what usually causes the upper bearing to go out since it out of the water all the time. both drives still shift nice and smooth and no clunking of any sort when going in and out of gear.

I never ran a 292 but had a 2003 312 with 496"s. 72 mph and a great ride for the size of the boat. If your over nighting you may want to consider the bigger cabin. Like stated earlier,you already picked the right manufacturer,now it's just what works for you. Good Luck,and let us know what you decide. Jeff

The only thing I'll add about the 292 is they are fun to drive. Yes they are a bit slow to plane but once the boat levels out it accelerates from 35-40 to 60 in a heart beat. The throttle response is amazing. And the nice thing is they are easy on fuel vs. big blocks. I do miss the sound of my 502 powered 271 but the 350 mags have an exhaust note all their own.

I had the option when we bought our 292 of riding and crawling all over a 312. The 312 is much larger in the cock pit and a little longer side seats in cabin but for the extra cost in fuel it was a no brainer to get the 292. The 292 is much more nimble but slower to plane out. Engine access is about the same. We can cruise al around our lake on 50 gal of fuel a weekend, sometimes less depending on how much swimming is done.

was there a problem several years back in the 292's w/ the 6.2 engines? what model years did that affect? I'm wanting to get into a 292 and looking at a couple of 06's, but concerned about the 6.2 engine. Any thoughts greatly appreciated.

I'm not aware of any issues with the 6.2's. I purchased my 2008 brand new in 2010 and have no problems through the first 85 hours.

it may have been fixed by the 08 model year, but I've heard comments on problems with the 6.2's for a brief period of time that was requiring a lot of repair work or new engines completely.... for some reason I was thinking it was in the 06 model year boats.

My 2006 292 has 6.2s. Bought the boat new and now closing in on 300 hours. Turn key reliability and run as good as new. I follow a very good maintenance routine and they have treated me right. The only issue has been IAC valves, but that doesn't have anything to do with the 6.2.

I thought I had heard of a bearing problem with 2004 6.2's