beachbob

97 AT T/502's 70mph
http://adcache.boattraderonline.com/6/2/8/81838928.htm

96 Dom T/502's 80mph
http://adcache.boattraderonline.com/6/6/2/79952762.htm

This should be pretty accurate 10 mph is a huge difference.

In AT's defense though it is a diffrent animal Offshore (and a foot longer) but how often are you going out in the chit?

Not sure with 500efi's but would be real similiar results im sure.

Sydwayz

iTrader: (1)

I'd agree on the Formula if you like the (windshield) styling. A Formula 31 or 33 would fit the bill, BUT they also have flat decks which limit your cabin headroom/space.

Stormrider

Bob, I hear ya... but I don't necessarily use used boat ads for speed comparisons... owners are likely to embellish.

LA3, what do you want your boat to do? speed wise and usability?
How fast do you want to cruise?

If I were to get another boat to use for my family, and it were not a CC, it would be a wave crusher. I'd just want to cruise at 50 all day in anything, and not have anyone complain about one bump.

bonecrusher

I owned a 2001 32 sunsation with 502 mpi, it was my first offshore boat and just loved it easy to drive great in rough water. Very fast start honest 80+ gps, i had 3 young kids and the cabin was fine for our needs only negative is the porta potty was a pain to use. I would buy one again, loved the look. I only stepped up to a 36 cat, but actually enjoyed driving the Sunsation, felt as easy to drive as my ski boat. Good Luck, call some dealers they always have guys looking to trade up.

Stormrider

32 hustler is also a good boat. There is a nice one in the classifieds here on OSO too.

Drive them all and see which you like.

LA3

All inputs on ALL brands are welcome and interesting!
I would like to have a top speed of 75mph.
And I love the idea of a wave crusher. Just don't want
the rest of the fleet to have had their drinks and eats by
the time I arrive.

Let look at another issue...

Which brand of boat with twins has the most room to work
on the engines? I "hear" fountains have NO room to do anything between the motors.

And I will NEVER be the FASTEST boat. Just don't want to be
the slowest. So 70mph to 85mph would work.

Thanks to all

Stormrider

More i think, the more i like this hustler.
Twin 500s, guys like to see merc racing engines for resale.
Also, not always many for sale, so low supply.
I'm one more for classic lines. This has lots of freeboard too.
http://www.offshoreonly.com/esvon/page-8029.html

Chris288

That seems like a lot of coin for a 10 year old boat,, you could probably get a couple year old 32 sunsation for around that price..

Reckless32

Freeboard from the inside, or freeboard from the outside. There is a difference on all of them. You can set a 32 Dom along side a 35 Cafe in a raftup and practically see the same freeboard from the water level that is, but of course there's a difference from the floorboard to the top which is where the "safe feeling" comes from. And the narrow beam mentioned is exactly the same as a 38 Topgun. That's the performance characteristic of a good offshore wave-cutter. Things are definitely tight between the motors in the Dom but after taking out a couple bench seat pieces forward access for things like impeller changes or general bilge cleanup is not all that bad really.

My 2005 32 with 496HO's is a solid 81 mph boat stock props and has seen 83 on a cool day. For a lighter "fast" boat it hangs with much larger boats in snotty waters. It's where the wave span gets wide (distance between wave tip to tip) where the length becomes the advantage for longer boats ride-wise. Looking at the Hustler pic above using the driver's position relative to the side that tells me the freeboard from "floorboard" is not all that significant. Outside freeboard looks good though.

Budget, personal styling preferences, mfr. support, dealer support, ability to take a whuppin' and not fall apart, driver comfort at the helm, passenger comfort/freeboard when sitting as well as standing at the bench seats, etc. etc. are all considerations when purchasing a boat. Most importantly though and tended to be forgotten is you have to fess up to yourself and realistically think about how, when, and how often you're gonna be using the boat for different things such as overnighting or offshore pounding. Each boat mentioned brings a different flavor to the table to be considered. Again on how you're realistically gonna be using it most of the time.

If you could buy new the 32 SS is a real beast. That's the boat I wanted form the get-go but at the time Sunsation said they thought it was a good idea but wasn't gonna market "another" 32 model over their current Dominator and Innovator editions. Low and behold a year later after I take the standard Dom model, the SS hits the street. I've entertained laterally trading to one anyway, going after a used 38 TG, or waiting until the 43 is built and a 37 shrunk down model is introduced. Gotta love having to make choices, it's what makes boat buying exciting....

Stormrider

Reckless... please see thread about freeboard.
Freeboard is an exterior measurement...
just bustin your balls.

BTW, i was at the NY LI boat show 2 wks ago.
There was a nice 2005 Fountain EX w/ 496s... New. could be bought for 130k. Financing would be easy.