i can sit on my step boards and reach to the gimbles lol..lots of room,,

I like the feedback from this group!!

I'd stay away from any saltwater boat. I bought a set of engines that were said to be "freshwater only" and they were all rotted out- clearly saltwater engines. One set of heads were so bad the machine shop said he never seen anything like it and told me to throw them in the trash. The other set needed to be completely rebuild including the valve guides because they were all rotted out. Another boat I bought from New York was totally shot in terms of engine- drive and gimble. The drive was all rotted out from the inside, exhaust was rotted out, engine was shot and the power steering ram was rusted out. Take the advise from others. Steer clear of any boat that has spent its life in salt! There was 311 that was for sale in Traverse City Michigan, search craigslist, it was listed on there. The owner was also a member here. The boats name was Tramp.

I wish my 292 was like that. There is no room in the front of my engines, I'd hate to see the engine room in a 272.

Isn't there a lot of formulas around the great lakes? No offense but why would you look so far away for a salt water boat, it would be one thing if you lived in florida. Have you seen the "lake effect" 311 a couple threads over on erie c list, looks like a nice boat and I cant believe the asking price also although you may not be looking the 272 on chicago c list looks beautiful

My 272 isn't bad at all. Just pull the rear seat back out, sit on the bench with your feet dangling down into the compartment and work away. You can also lay on your stomach and work on the whole front if need be. Before the rear seat was made removable, it stunk though!

[ATTACH=CONFIG]505912[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]505913[/ATTACH] Here you can see I have room to stand in front of the Los Ratas and take a picture of my big feet in front of the new aluminum steps I just put in

Salty
 

You will need to replace everything that is rubber, like hoses and belts, every standard bolt, most cast iron, and your bank balance.

Thanks for all the feedback ... this boat is not for me ... I will continue to search for my elusive "white whale"

You can get stuck in the bilge that way too ...lol ... been there done that. Three bolts and the engine hatch is off, I won't work on mine any other way. I removed my step plates with no plans of ever putting them back also. Still makes me want a staggered set up.. oh well, we can all dream.