Gotta say either one is a little bit of a stretch. I am looking at financing $100,000 +/- regardless. As such, the 496s just make more sense for me.

They require almost zero maintenance (over and above fluid changes) and my current $300k insurance package on them (in my 96) runs less than $900 a year.

Mike,
where going too the St Louis boat show this coming Friday / Saturday and hopefully Raymond's will have a 35 L there. If they do I'll let you know how the fit is behind the helm.

Eugene

Thats a great point!

I have 496's in my 06 lightning and couldn't be happier. Gas and go! Yes, cheaper to insure, operate, and 5 year warranty baby!

Over 90 in the new staggered setup and so bad. The coin saved over the 525's buys a lot of gas or a really nice trailer for it.

The new boat's interior is significantly smaller than last years 35. Everything is pushed forward but the space behind the helm is about the same. They robbed the space from just about everywhere else. On my boat if feels like you have a lot of nose out front, in the new boat you feel like you are sitting exactly amidship.

Hi Rick,
Congratulations on the new to be Lightning. What dealer are you working with? There isn't any in So-Cal is there? I took mine to Cataling yesterday (Saturday 2-3-07) Had a really fun trip. It was really nice going over, kind of rough on the return, but still fun.
David

[QUOTE=Dkahnjob;2015356]Hi Rick,
Congratulations on the new to be Lightning. What dealer are you working with? There isn't any in So-Cal is there? I took mine to Cataling yesterday (Saturday 2-3-07) Had a really fun trip. It was really nice going over, kind of rough on the return, but still fun.
David

David,

Haven't made the decision yet - only considering at this point. (I would really like to make this happen though.....)

Like alot of people looking to move up, It's going to come down to what I can get for my current boat and how quickly I can sell it.

I spoke with Joe Malich at the show. He owns PowerBoatsNW in Washington. Seemed like a pretty straight forward individual.

I go to Catalina quite a bit. Even in the summer it can rough in the late afternoon. We'll have to hook up at some point.

Rick

David -

Here's a Catalina shot from last February. Cold, foggy and rough (on the way back), but fun none the less..

Rick

Rick,
When you go over to Catalina do you go from San Pedro or Marina Del Rey. I am thinking it may be better to go over from San Pedro only because the trip back would be shorter. It was no problem for me, but my wife wasn't along, and she broke her back a couple of years ago, so the rough ride might not be too good for her.
Let me know when you go over next time and I will see if I can run over with you. We are near by, since I am in West Hills.
Dave
818-464-5246 cell
[email protected]

David,

If I'm looking to go quickly, I launch from Davies in Long Beach. They have plenty of parking and good wash out facilities. On a good day, it's about a 25 minute run from break water to break water.

However, I like the ride from Marina Del Rey. We head south along the shore line all the way to the Palos Verdes point and then hit a direct heading (I think it's 193) to Avalon. By staying close to the shore for the first segment, you get the protection of the bay - so even if it's rough in the channel, you don't take the full brunt. The whole run takes about an hour on a good day.

Even if you decide not to make the whole trip, you can stop at Redondo Beach before heading back. It's protected by the bay so it's an easy trip.

Here's a shot of my wife and kids from 3 weeks ago (in Redondo). The channel was just too rough to cross to Catalina so we turned around.

The blanket on the sun pad was soaking wet from taking wind whipped white cap spray from over the bow...

http://www.raylarengine.com/packages.html