Been lurking for a few days, and tried a search (so don't blast me) and I'd like some opinions.

I'm looking for an older 22 foot (give or take a couple) performance oriented boat. Not a full on head turning Fountain, but darn sure not an express cruiser either.

Looking in the $15K neighborhood. Ride is more important than speed. Build quality is more important than either speed or ride. Bravo drive is a must, but would be okay with a small block in front of it, 'cause I've always wanted to build a stroker for something like this anyway. Cuddy and swim platform are a must.

The 22 foot SR Pachanga really has me interested. So does the Stingray 698 SVX, 230 SX, Chaparral Villain III, etc.

Pros and cons of these and suggestions of others with their pros and cons would be greatly appreciated.

This one fits your criteria perfectly.
http://detroit.craigslist.org/boa/364993656.html

For $15K don't sell yourself short on a 22ft boat. If a cuddy that you are going to use is a must then I wouldn't look at anything under 24 ft. Yes there are some 22ft boats with a cuddy, but they are way too small and most are just used for storage.

If your limited to 22 ft - Donzi classic 22, Cig 20,
If I had to pick one of the ones you mentioned - 22 Pachanga.
If I had $15K to spend - 24 pantera or something similar.

Thanks. The cuddy will be mostly be used for storage of water toys, and a place to put a frige, but I can go 24 ft if need be.

Have checked out Panteras and like them, but not many come up in my price range and I didn't know anything about them. Thanks for the heads up. That's why I'm here.

What other options are out there? What else is similar to Pantera?

22 Scarab like mine. There are a couple on eBay right now in the 15K range.

Think I have decided against selling my Pachanga but might...have to querry the wife now that she's becoming more interested. Could be she also notted I don't really wanna sell especially after all the time and money I invested.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1987-...QQcmdZViewItem

Something similar to a 24 pantera, but cheaper.................24 python was a good first performance boat for me, excalibur, monza, corsa, martini, avanti, carrera, superboat.


Others: magnum 27, formula 242, 26 scarab, lots of others.

Try to find a boat that isn't all over the classifieds. If it really is a good boat there will not be many for sale. Do your research here on OSO; use the search function and you can find out most everything you ever wanted to know about most powerboats.

Best bang and ride for the buck would be a Regal Velocity 230. Built on Velocity's "Step" bottom, great looking, and many were built with 454/bravo combos. Better and faster than the Pachanga with more cabin room.

Formula 223 or 242

You should be able to find a decent Formula 242 around that price range. It has a decent cuddy, we overnighted in it before. I really miss that boat.