mike, I bought my 87 242ls two years ago for 17,000 I though it was a good price , then I put a new engine in my mistake. some of my friends have bought new boats an I do not think the quality of some of these boats are as nice as a formula. You will have to spend twice as much on a slightly used boat to get the same quality.

good luck
mark

:D

mike...just bought a 242 last year...make sure you find a reputable marine surveyor...i had mine surveyed before i bought it and the whole transom is rotted out...make sure you check the transom due to the bolt on swim platform...

The 311 that CUDA referenced looks like it could be bought fo the 30 mark you were thinking of. Remember that is his asking price. The boat from the pics looks REAL CLEAN!! I'm not trying to cheat the guy but between the 29 you are at and the 33 he's at is workable. That's not much difference in a payment...say $20 a month or less ???
as far as handling the boat..just be slow at getting "BOLD" around the docks.
Go out on a week day when no one is around and practice at the marina's farthest out slip till you get the hang of it

Not to mention he has probably 2 to 3 grand in exhaust there. And anybody that has mirrors on their hatch surely takes care of his engines!:)

Am I lost or is the BEAM 12' a misprint.
Thats a lot of beam for 31 ft.

Unless that guy ordered the optional "sponson kit", it's a misprint.:D

I am on the lake with the owner of the 311 mentioned above. It is a very clean boat and well taken care of. The owner is also a good guy. Good luck with your purchase.

Hey - thanks for all the input. I have gone in circles on what to do. The 242 I saw had some work done to the swim platform - in particular the entire edge has what looked like a stainless steel or aluminum plating where the rub strib would normally be - extending a few inches along the full width. Also, the exhaust is not built into the swim platform, rather it has conventional tips located under the platform. For some reason this was all changed - my guess is the platform was damaged and presumably rebuilt, and if it was an impact, I would definitely be concerned about the transom. I did not see any evidence of any other damage. Regardless, the lack of bolsters bugs me, as does the ridiculous asking price. I think I will keep looking, and check back on it in a few months and maybe look closer at that point. I am in no hurry right now. As for the 311, as cool as it looks, I don't think I want any bigger than 29' LOA, at this time - which means a 272 for Formula. All this input is helpful and appreciated. Regards. Mike.