Yeah, since I test drove a 303 w/454 mags, I was really impressed with the 303. I don't run WFO alot, but this time might be different, lol. The issue with the regular 454's is that there is NO room for upgrading the power output without doing heads etc.
And, that is not cost effective, especially with a boat that has 500 hours on it. It'd be better to just bite the bullet and repower it (ugh).

Thanks for the link of the 303!!! Otherwise, looks right up my alley!

I called and left a message anyway. Maybe he can convince me that the 310's are enough.

Those engines should go 1000+ hours...

a helpful tool for searching craigslist if you don't already use it

searchtempest.com

Thanks for the link. I've been trying "zoomthelist" to search CL. Maybe I'll try both.

SearchTempest used to be a little easier to use... google changed the way results are given so now it's not as friendly. Still useful though.

If you are looking at the older boats you need to take extreme care. But then again same with the new ones as you can see form all the repairs I am doing on my 353. The places that you need to investigate well are the front bulkhead, the stringers in the engine bay, and the bulkhead around the entrance to the cabin, and the transom. These boats are getting old now so if a repair is not done properly or the boat is not taken care of you never know what you are going to find. Get a survey if you are not real comfortable doing it yourself. I loved the ride of my 311. It was a very capable boat.

So how would one go about checking those bulkheads? Seems like they aren't easy to access....

On a 242 you can remove the padding from the bed and there is an access panel for the water tank. You can get the forward most bulk head there. Then maybe if you pull the toilet out you can check more?

I assume you are speaking about the 242 and 272 where the toilet is under the front v berth?

Yes