3pointstar

Nate 2587

I know there is a lot of prejudice in my comments but may I suggest a Cobalt 242 with a big block since you want to primarily use on a big body of water. We currently have a 226 with a 7.4 MPI Bravo III and thru hull exhaust. Let me just say it goes very well-- 63 mph with 1/2 tank fuel and 2 people in the boat - minor chop. I spent a number of years (it was a long time) looking for a boat and out all of them Cobalt rose to the top. There are a number of very good boats that you have listed - Formula, Baja just to list a few. But take a look at the Cobalt - one the biggest thing that impressed the heck out of me was the composite hull - in fact there are only two pieces of wood in our boat - the instrument panel and the panel that holds the stereo -- that means no rot. The other was the aluminum backing plates on everything that goes thru the fiberglass/composite- that means no pull out screws or loose hardware. I could go on and on about them and I'm sure that the other brands that you spoke of have similarities- Now the downside is price - they hold the value pretty good so used ones typically fetch top dollar. But as the saying goes -- You can buy new oats or you can buy the ones that have been thru the horse -- they come a little cheaper.

All the best

3pointstar

NevrThrottleBack

1989 Checkmate 251 Convincor. Fresh ZZ502. 74 MPH. Great in the rough. It's my buddy's boat and its clean. I have seen it run in some good Lake MI chop too! PM OSO member "Ross251" for more details. I think he is asking $14,900 OBO.

Mseuro

Your money situation is NONE of my business but I would recommend buying the newest boat for the amount of money you want to spend. Getting an older performance boat for around 15,000.00 would require much more than that to maintain it and keep it running, IMHO your asking for more trouble than you might be able to handle. Recommend you start with a simple pleasure boat (Tahoe, Stingray, ect) then as you are able to upgrade to something else.

nate2587

The way im looking at it is to find an older boat with fresh rebuilt or new engine(s) and just ensure that the stringers and transom are solid so I don't have to deal with that. Why do you think it would cost more to maintain?

dereknkathy

a friend of mine was sick of working on boats. bought a brand new bayliner 20 cuddy fish. he sold it 6 years later cuz he was sick of working on boats...

hadleycat

This would be one of my recommendations also.

Speedracer29

I was looking for a similar boat last fall, and (based on photos), there were several I was interested in. I just did a quick craigslist search, and the stock has dwindled. You'll probably see a better selection as the snow melts. If I HAD to buy today, I'd be weighing these three as contenders and asking for recommendations on SURVEYORS.

http://detroit.craigslist.org/mcb/boa/4287560693.html

http://lansing.craigslist.org/boa/4272003615.html

http://detroit.craigslist.org/mcb/boa/4321688412.html (Needs interior)

nate2587

HAHA What's funny is I already have those three bookmarked Thanks for the quick search tho. More will probably be listed once it starts getting warmer anyways. I'm still waiting for my tax return to get here before I can purchase a boat plus I am not going to buy one unless we take it out for a ride.

nate2587

http://lansing.craigslist.org/boa/4272003615.html

Is this the one you are talking about?

Captain Nick

The Four Winns Liberator would be a good choice or a Sea Ray Pachanga.