I have done a few fun runs with my 242. It flat out sucks. I have a 420hp 454/bravo setup. It runs 46mph@4100rpm and 62mph@5000rpm. Speed is not really the problem. The ride is terrible. The boat bucks side to side, wants to be airborne alot. Its just very uncomfortable. I ran with a baja 250es and a 27 fountain. All three boats were almost identical from bow to swim platform size wise, yet they were able to blow me away in the rough. My steering and gimble are tight, my rams are tight, my trim tabs work fine. My boat is perfect running order. The boat rides great when its smooth, it even rides ok in lake chop, but when you put in other boat wakes it is just brutal. I bought the boat after hearing how great the 242 rides, I am not very impressed. I am wondering if I just need to go bigger or if there is just a setup trick I am missing.

Here is a video of me running in 1-2' chop @ 45mph

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arxeB3O1xWc

Any small boat (and by small I mean less than 35 feet) is going to be a bear to run in the slop caused by the other boats around you. Our 31' Cigarette Bullet (a wave crusher and a half) gets tossed around pretty good when getting to it in the start of the run. The water is churned up rather unnaturally. You've got lots of boat wakes around you. If those other boats were doing well and you were getting the snot kicked out of your ride, you were too close and in their wakes.

The 242 is a great boat, and a wave crusher in its own right, but it's not a Top Gun. It's still a 24-foot boat. One of the best! Maybe you're asking too much of the old girl. Just saying.

Btw... your boat looked like it was doing fine in the video.

Yea I don't see any problem with the way it was running in the video. Looked smooth to me. I know it can be deceiving. Behind the wheel I'm getting tossed around, but when I talk to others they say I looked like it was running so smooth. I know you want to run with the big boys, I feel the same way. I wish my 292 could run with the 35fters, but I can't cut through the slop like they can.

The design of the poker run is so you don't have to be the fastest or biggest in the fleet. I'd rather drive in 3-4fters then deal with the turbulence from boat traffic. I'd pull back on the sticks a bit, let the big boys run up front, get into your comfort zone with her where she can run like she wants and just enjoy the day.

I had my first Poker Run ever this summer and was terrified by the waves of other boats at start - the boat just went all over the ocean and I had to slow down to 35knots. :-) But otherwise I was very happy of the run even though we had rather hard weather and some parts were broken when coming down from a jump. The waves were for about 4-6 feet. Here is a video from another boat. At 11.50 formula 28 passes the filming boat and for about 12.03 my boat passes also.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ftwtqm5vACc

79 Formula, What are you running for prop?

Mirage 23p

Use the tabs at all? Is the 86 hull much different than the 88 ls?

I think 86 and 88 are the same. The boat did not look that thrashing from the video, heck he never even broke water.

It is the nature of the beast. My 242 rode its best skipping across the peaks of the waves. They ride well if you match your speed to the wave peaks. You do get more air time but it pounds you and the boat less. They dont have the length to span the peaks with lots of hull in the water like 33'+ boats.

what he said