I can't with certainty says that's what happened to the boat, but the signs are there.

Did the 242 sell yet?

Not yet, but it's still the heart of winter... when spring comes, she'll be gone quickly I'm sure. A friend of mine might be interested.

Might not want to sell her till you find the 311 lol

Do you mean a formula dealer took it in on trade for a new boat?
Hard to believe the formula factory is dealing directly with a customer and taking their old boat in trade.

Yes, they took it on trade for a new custom boat (big $$$), and this boat's trade toward it has something to do with tax offsets.

The way it was explained to me was that they are a showroom for Formula, and the deal is essentially a passthru for them. Maybe they're full of it, but my business does the same thing with one of our vendors all the time.

That makes sense to me. EXCEPT whoever winterized the boat should have caught all the issues correct? Did this dealer perform any kind inspection before taking it on trade?

They took the boat in trade rather quickly; Formula asked for compression numbers on the engines and the general condition of the boat. Formula accepted, and they went forward. I'm not sure of how long they were waiting on things, but I know they mentioned some scrambling to get it winterized due to a harsh cold snap that hit the area.

The video of the engines running that I received from the owner just prior to delivery to the dealership show a very nice running boat. Smooth, smooth, smooth, So either they messed up winterization, or maybe someone took the boat out and beat the tar of it. Who knows.

I know they've winterized the boat from yesterday's work. I have a reasonable cash offer on the table that I believe Formula is now aware of. I'll know more later today I'm hoping,

This I my kind of deal! Similar to my little 242. Spend all day working on it before bringing it home.

Maybe your offer will work and you get a deal on it and fix it your way.

I'm tired of fixing boats! I want to be able to actually use one on the water versus yard boating!

In discussions with the guy I'd want to do the work, he's thinking about 10k to fix and make right "if" the block is toast. My offer is based around that number, and would keep me in the ballpark in regard to the spend.

We shall see.