pulling the trigger...sunsation or sonic
 

im looking for some feedback, pros and cons, opinions anything. Ive decided to get out of cars and back into a boat . Ive been looking trading my 1000+ rwhp mustang for a boat and these two options have presented themselves


1998 sonic prowler 260 procharged 502 mag. everything else is stock, stock steering, stock drive, stock stereo says hes seen of a best of 81mph gps which is hard to believe after doing some reading on these and how heavy and sticky they seem to be

http://orlando.craigslist.org/boa/4266112979.html

or 1993 sunsation aggressor 25, 7 hrs on fresh 582 hp 496 from champion racing in Detroit, 45 on freshened outdrive. external hyd steering. nice stereo, updated interior. I was told Glassdave replaced a stringer on the boat because of a wet area around an engine mount through bolt and kindof glassed the whole bilge and sturdied it up as well as looked the whole boat over and said it was very solid

http://www.powerboatlistings.com/view/25112

sonic is 25K sunny is 21K and trade deals reflect that

Where do you plan on using the boat?

For me the Sunsation edges out the Sonic by a nose because of the hydraulic steering and upgrades (read- fresh motor, upgraded drive).... The con would be the dated hot pink color on the boat. The Sonic wins the aesthetics competition, and it's 5 years newer.... Tough choice!

it is a tough choice.
my buddy does vinyl graphics and I could have the windshield wrapped white and the magenta stripe covered with silver that matches the sunsation logo for about 600 bucks.

I would be using the boat on the ohio river and lake cumberland

the sunsation is 4k cheaper also just a reminder

heres how I would plan on updating it

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...ads/sunny3.jpg

Glassdave's word and work are gold, so major plus for the Sunsation, but I think the sonic is going to feel substantially bigger. I would not want to be north of 70, let alone 80 with stock steering

Howdy!

I too am a Mustang guy. Pushing the 700hp so not quite to that 1k club. However, here's my take on it.

As a 4.6 guy who took an edge to a terminator platform, it's all about building a foundation and having an eye on what you want in the end. I say this because I too boat on the Ohio and Cumberland and size matters.

If you're trading in your 'stang, I would take time to consider moving up to a 288. I say this because that hull will run out of runway if you get an itch to add more power. Starting with a bigger hull will get you started until you get a feel for the handling.

It starts with a pulley, moves to a port, on to a bigger blower, throw in a bigger pump/injectors, and before you know it you're running e85 and it's a street beast. Same thing applies to boats but at a cost of 5x what you saw in the prior hobby.

Just food for thought!

apparently I misread on the sonic

Has an intercooled procharger setup installed by ***** Performance Marine
Has an upgraded aeromotive full fuel system
High performance corsa captains choice exhaust (loud or quite)
Has an upgraded XR upper with drive shower
This thing runs 81mph @5100rpm with a 28P prop (has seen 83mph on GPS)

it will cost me even more money to optain a bigger boat and then more money to make it see the speeds of a smaller single. a 25-27 is really all that's in the budget right now. with the sunsation i figure i can play with props trim and rpm and be a true 81-84 mph boat he ran 81 at only 5200. the majority of the time water is very smooth so don't necessarily need a big boat and i will also spend my 80% of my time at 55-60

The Sunsation is a 7' beam isn't it? That right there will make the cockpit very claustrophobic. The 25 Agressor is a small 25' boat. I had a Velocity 260 (24' hull) tied up next to a 25' Sunsation and my boat looked like a monster next to the Sunsation. I would lean toward the Sonic. Take the 4k you save buy buying the Sonic and put it toward hydraulic steering..

the sonic is an even trade on my car. the sunsation would be is his boat plus 4K to me

the narrow beam was a downfall vs the 8+ beam on the sonic deeper boat and walk around ledge on the hull

My Velocity had a ledge that was very nice to have in certain situations.......

I looked at a 26 sonic very clean nothing wrong with it flew 1/2 way across country to see it. IT PORPOISED REALLY BAD. The only way to get it stop was to have the tabs down and trim the drive up. If anything upset the boat like a wave or a boat wake you had to re-trim everything again. I asked around people said the boat had hook / thats just the way they are / to much weight in one area of boat ( boat was empty just some lines and life jackets) or the drive was to low. So go for a test ride and see how it rides at cruise speed not just wide open . Hope this helps

24/7 boats are cool, and $4k buys a fair amount of gas and booze. Just get it to the vinyl guy before your friends see it.

hahaha. I owned a python 24/7 and it was a fun drivers boat only ran 62 gps with a 330hp but it was a cheap first boat and fun to drive. when looking at the two boats side by side the cockpits don't look much different. the beam is wider on the sonic but looks like the extra space is used with the catwalk

This Sonic is a MUCH bigger boat.

The Sunsation is a 24x7 hull from the days of way back. Just shy of 24 feet long, and 7 feet wide. It's like a go kart on the water; as it is a small and light boat. It's considerably smaller than the Sonic. The Sunsation will not porpoise; but you will find it a bit difficult to get to the bow over the windshield.

The Sonic is a 25' long boat with a 1' long swim platform; much taller and heavier. It's 8'6" wide, but the walk around squeezes the cockpit a bit tighter. If you are under 200 lbs, no problem. Over 200 lbs, you will notice a bit of the narrowness of the cockpit; compared to other boats that are 25/26 long. The Sonic has a notched transom, and if you do not trim it correctly, the boat will be looking for the last little part of hull that is "missing" due to the notched transom. It will porpoise as it gets up, and then falls wall looking for that last couple inches. You will want hydraulic steering on that Sonic, and longer tabs.

Make sure you compare boats using the same yardstick; and not just naming conventions and marketing slicks.

You will outgrow the Sunsation much quicker than the Sonic. I owned a 26' Sonic for several years, and have been in several 25' Sunsations as two good friends have owned 3 between the two of them. The Sonic is a "supercharged Mustang" and the Sunsation is a "Miata with a 302SBF dropped in".

how do you feel about the 80-83 mph claims with the intercooled procharged 502 mag

I would keep looking.... I doubt the sonic would hit 80, & the pro charger is like a grenade on top of a stock motor & the pin has been pulled! lol , to bad the Sunsation motor wasn't in the sonic... then you would have something, the Aggressor is a tight little boat with any passengers

Buy both swap motors and keep the sonic .like ran-dom said the projunk is a time bomb 2c

72mph in perfect conditions with my 26' Sonic with HP500EFI with 470 propshaft horsepower. The boat weighs around 5100 lbs before fuel, gear, passengers; 7300 on the trailer with fuel.

80-ish is doable in perfect conditions which would be 15" to 24" of wind blown chop; enough to get air under the hull, but that you would not have to get off the stick (much) due to airing out the prop.
BUT, I would not do it without hydraulic steering.

You can't run a boat motor on the rev limiter long term. You are "constantly going up hill at full tilt in first gear" in a boat. Chit will break; somewhere.

heres a little video of the car im trading. neither of the boats are my dream boats but sometime with a trade you cant get exactly what you are looking for

http://youtu.be/jurVZua6-1Y

he sent me a picture of the dash showing 72@4300prm but from everything ive dug up on here about the sonics it just doesn't seem believable

I like most of the features, looks, etc of the sonic better but im just not sold on the ride quality, weight/speed, and powerplant

Only thing you can do is take a ride in both then. My figures above are 100% accurate.

There is a "1997 Baja Boss 272. One season on 900hp 522c.i. procharged efi with XR drive. Hydraulic steering, stern jack, CMI's...too much to list. Boat runs 90mph. You won't go this fast this cheap anywhere. Boat is really clean. Looking to upgrade to a 33-36 Outlaw. $27,900" in the powerboat swap shop on facebook that you may want to check out.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/101777369989888/

Everything about that boat sounds interesting...
...EXCEPT the SternJack.

That's a liability in a single at that kind of power and speed.

Also, the OP is looking to trade a Mustang. Not stated if Baja owner takes trades.

unfortunately it takes someone else with a bunch of cash sitting around and looking for an 1100hp mustang to turn this car into cash and be able t choose any boat i want. until then im limited to trade deals

Maybe check out what pier 57 has in their inventory I think they will take pretty much anything in trade and they may have something more to your liking. Where are you located?

right where you are cincinnati

I think you should keep looking. The Velocity 260 and 280 is a fast hull with minimal power. Mine would hit 74 GPS on the perfect day (ran 70 any day) with a pretty much stock 496 mag (it did have a stage II flash on the ECM and a lapped prop). The 496 mag is a 375hp motor. There are some nice older 260s (now the 280) with decent (450-600 hp) in the mid 20s. They have a high freeboard, deep cockpits (much deeper than anything else in its size and even some much bigger boats). They are built using top quality parts, The cockpit is very wide, yet has a small ledge to allow you to walk around the window. If you get one with a front window instead of a cowl, they help block the wind and rain better than anything else I have been in (some don't like the look of the Velocity with the Windshield). The cabins are decent sized. I'd say much bigger then the Sunsation, but I think a little bit smaller than the Sonic. If I were you I would look to sell the Mustang and look hard at the Velocity. Another nice thing about the Velocity (from a buyers perspective) is because they are a custom built boat, they don't have the name recognition that something like a Baja does. This is good for the buyer because you get a lot of quality boat for less than a Baja Outlaw 24, 25, or 26 costs. But this is bad for the seller for the same reason... My 260 was in pretty much mint condition, yet I ended up letting it go in the mid-20's while older, more abused Baja Outlaw 24s and 25s sold for 10k more.... For the record, I sold my Velocity because I wanted a Center Console. If I ever go back to a sport boat, it will be another Velocity.

That is a very accurate statement. so if limited to the two boats I think the safe bet is the Sonic.

When it comes to a boat I would not settle on something you are not sure you are going to like or does not fit your needs. It's not like a car that you can just unload at the drop of a hat, it may take months or even years to get rid of it. I spent 2 years looking at boats before I finally pulled the trigger on the one that suited me the best. If I were you I would try and sell the car straight up and have cash in hand to get the boat I really wanted, not the one that I could get because that guy was willing to trade. Just my $.02 which doesn't mean much. Hope to see you on the water and happy shopping.

Given these two choices, I will repeat this statement:

You will outgrow the Sunsation much quicker than the Sonic.

ill admit it may be better to try and wait on a cash buyer which would open up my options and probably allow for more bartering and more boat for the money..cash is king. that being said waiting around for someone with that much cash laying around and in the market for a car just like mine can get old and im anxious to get a boat.

Are you the guy that posted his mustang on the Powerboat Swap Shop Facebook page a few days ago? Is so, you probably have realized you will get better answers and responses over here on OSO than on FB. There are way too many idiots posting comments on Facebook.. With that said, I am the one who made the crack about the picture being taken in front of the "we buy scrap" sign....:hitfan:

haha yeah that's me

isnt the sonic a cig splash? if it is i would def go with it, hyd steering he can add...

I already thought of a name for that Sonic.....
Borrowed Time... Between the ProCharger and cable steering, the name just fits...
The Sonic is definitely the bigger, roomier boat, but some of us don't mind smaller cockpits. On the other hand, if my woman was a total sea-hag, I'd probably be singing a different tune.

dsmawdf350, to help us better serve you in making this decision, please post a pic of your wife or girlfriend. LOL!

sonic all the way

Do the pro chargers really have that bad of a rep. Even at 5psi on an efi mag motor with a factory procharger tune on it.?

Though I've seen where some other companies offer reprogrammed ecus and I'm not sure what this one is on. The previous owner had all the work done by a shop

Pro chargers have a bad rep because they offer a "bolt on kit" where they essentially bandaid the fuel system to work and it isn't sufficient. If you or the previous owner spent the money to have the fuel system properly installed and then the motor properly tuned by someone that knows what they're doing (Eddie young comes to mind) then it will live a long happy life.

Offshoreexcursion boat has 500efi pro charged motors with a proper fuel and tune and has something like 250 hours of trouble free boating.

But most people bolt the kit on dont have or want to spend the extra 3000$ getting everything as it should be then it goes boom.

My opinion is you'll be more happy with the sonic, yes you'll need to put steering on it, but the porpoise can be virtually eliminated if you send the prop to a good prop guy that knows the characteristics of the boat.

Good luck with whatever you want to do.