something doesn't seem right...
 

Looking for a new boat and found an "83 formula 31se" boat looks clean and the price is right.. Only problem is I can't find a such boat... It looks to me like an 86 302... Did they make a boat that even looked like this in 83??? Thanks!

http://i1102.photobucket.com/albums/...83484AB4E7.png

Thats a 302

But doesn't it look newer than an 83?? Looks like an 86??

Do you have the HSN - Hull Serial # ? With that, some people (including Formula of course) could decipher it for you.

The 302 was available in'83. The 31SC Express was a cruiser style boat.

That really looks like a boat a friend of mine owned back in 1998 or 1999. Color and name, low profile is the same. It was in Western NY.

Padraig

yes it must be it cause this one is in elba NY do you happen to know if was an 83?? cause to me this looks like an 84-86... he said there was a problem with the title due to a repo but its been fixed but im thinking he got a reg from an 83 and hes trying to pass it off as an 83 cause he doesn't have a title for the actual boat...? I texted him last night asking for a picture of the transom numbers when he gets a second but haven't heard back. I would hate to drive 6 hours to find out hes trying to pull a scam

I haven't talked with him in quite a while. I think I can get of him and I'll see what I can find out. He sold it a long time ago.

Padraig

That would be great! If you can't get alhold of him it's no big deal but thank you!

Just talked to my friend. Unfortunately he can't remember the year. He bought it used ran it for a while then sold it. The guy who bought it trimmed it to the moon and blew an engine. He put it up for sale at a local marina and my friend bought it back rebuilt the motor and eventually resold it. A salesman from a local car dealership then had it for a while but after that he lost track of it. There was talk of sometime kind of trouble so that may be where a repo happened.

He may have some info on it at his office and will check it out on Monday, if so he will let me know.

You might want to give a shout out on the Lake Erie section and maybe someone in the Buffalo or Rochester area can check it out for you.

Padraig

It's a LS 302

http://www.formulaboats.com/wp-conte...a-Brochure.pdf

Page 11 in the PDF.

Great old boat.

but that one has 2 hatches this boat has 4.. which makes it an 84-86, so why would he have it labeled as an 83?? seems fishy, ill need to see pics of the transom numbers and the reg numbers to see if they match and yes i think he owns a dealership out in that area "Bergen sales inc"

I wonder if the SR-1 models had 4 Hatches and the LS model only 2....I don't know externally what the differences were then other than the low profile windshield.

As you say...the truth is in the Hull Number. Also of note...It may have a pre fix of SGN indicating a Decatur, Indiana built boat or a TRNM indicating a Miami built boat. Interestingly...my 255 is an Indiana Boat that made it's way to South Florida.

The windshield also looks curved not square? Hard to tell from the photo and the link is not working right now.

I had a 1983 just like that. Mine was actually Betty Cooks boat with Kaama surface drives on it. It has no port holes in the sides and 4 hatches on the bow. The LS version has port hoes and completely different dash and bow section.

Look on page 80 of pictures of formulas you will see my yellow 1983. No port holes and completely different upper deck.

Agree it looks like the second generation of the 302 with the flatter windshield and no side port holes.

Question if it really is the 302, or might it be the 272? It's hard to tell size from an angled picture. IIRC the 272 only had two hatches in the deck.

http://i1102.photobucket.com/albums/...CEBB3.png.jpeg

http://i1102.photobucket.com/albums/...EC450.png.jpeg


http://i1102.photobucket.com/albums/...E01A5.png.jpeg

I am reasonably sure that this is a F-302 LS. I had a '86 272 LS and it had one hatch....my friend had a '89 272 SR-1 with 4 hatches, I think '87 ~'88 was the change over years that changed to 4 hatches.

I'm calling this one a 1984 F-302 SR-1....:evilb:

Sit down would be an LS stand up would be an SR I think?

I here you...but in the '84 brochure Formula shows only the SR-1. During those years I'm not sure if you had a choice of models (LS vs SR-1) but if I remember correctly you could order SR-1 equipment on a LS. My '86 272 LS had the same seats that are pictured in this boat with the drop bottoms. I also ordered the "Offshore Engine Mount" package that came with the 320 EFI's and Alpha SS drives.

It's interesting to sort this out on these old 302's...which may be the best all around consumer oriented offshore boat that Formula built. I remember Formula Action did a write up on a guy that survived Hurricane David in 1979 running a F-302 from The Dominican Republic to The Turks/Caicos....quite an adventure...legendary boats !!

Hey Keith, did you ever get a pic of the hull numbers?

Padraig

Nope! Sent another text to him saying " I wasn't sure if you received my last text but could you take a picture of the numbers on the transom for me" and still nothing.. I'm going on vacation Friday and won't be back until the 29th when I get back I'll give him a call and see what's going on..