Ride will be better on the 312 over the 292 IMO. The boat is much bigger than the 292, more space all around. Down side is the 312 is an older hull from a technology standpoint. Single step. You will likely be going the same speeds in the 312 with a pair of big blocks as you would in the 292 with small blocks meaning you will burn a lot more fuel. The 312 is in a class of boat they moved away from... it's big enough to make you want to get into bigger seas but not big enough to handle big waves well. That's my guess on the negative ride remarks... people are likely comparing the ride from a 35 or 38, not from the 29

If you're up to $50K, your also in the ball park of a 353 - much better ride than both.

I started with a search for a 292 or 312, ended up with a 353. Never thought I could get a 353 in the price range of a 312, but was able to find one. If you can go bigger, I would highly suggest it.

If new technology is not that important to you, and you want a big water boat with comfy overnighting in the cabin, I'd suggest you continue to look for 311's or even a 357 (that's a big boat) with stock engines. You can upgrade the engines if you want, but buying an older boat with stock engines suggests it was run by a guy who didn't want to be the fastest, and likely drove it easy. In the newer boats, I'd try to swing a 353. The 312 really is not that big, and get smaller when overnighting on it.

Remember what was said above, some Formulas don't include the swim platform in the length, and some do. If the platform was bolted on, it isn't included (even if the platform looks like it was molded in). If the platform was in the hull mold like the latest ones, than it's included in the measurements. So the 353 is only 2 feet longer than the 311, but the 311 feels like a bigger boat.

The the 311 SR1 is a much larger boat. It will be a lot better riding boat. That being said newer is always nice and an 02 Fastech is a beautiful boat. You really can't go wrong with either one.