I have a flame with Paul Pfaff 700's that I am thinking of selling, runs in the 90's. I can get a measurement this weekend if you want

I'm in the early stages of research and won't be buying a boat for a while. Appreciate the consideration though. Im a bit concerned about going with high performance motors. I'm really spoiled with the 496 and the lack of maintenance.

31 sonic fits your criteria well. Hard to beat the cabin of a sonic! Sleep 4, head, fridge, ac, and microwave. Should run low-mid 70's with 496's and does well in rough water.

Yep I did. 32 Dominator. Awesome boat. Perfect for Lake Travis. I was in the mood for something different and wanted to try a cabin.

LOOOOVE my Donzi 35 ZR. Handles big water like a champ. Rides silky smooth. But that said, it is significantly bigger than the Sunsation and it is a way bigger chore to launch/retrieve. Enough so that I sometimes don't go boating. When I'm out, I have zero complaints. Just a lot harder to get on and off the water by myself than the Dominator.

I do like working on it a lot more than the Sunsation. Way more engine bay room.
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Go as big as you can afford / store.

Nordic Flame 35
Wellcraft Scarab AVS 33
Formula FasTec 353
Active Thunder 32

all would be nice choices in your budget but will need blue power to run in the 80s

Sunsation 32 is a nice boat and will run 80 with stock 496s but like mentioned is much smaller than others and very comparable to other 28-30ft boats.

How about a 35 Fountain Lightning or Ex. Lots around, fast, priced reasonably according to year & power, and easy to trailer. I’ve enjoyed mine for 4 seasons now and plan to keep it. Good luck on your search.

Agreed ^^^^
A single step Executioner does high 70's with plain old 496's, if you need more speed, there's twin step lightning, blue motors, staggered configuration, just choose your speed and adjust the budget!

35' Length overall plus trailer, steel trailer would probably fit nicely, the aluminum trailers with longer draw bars could be a problem. Measure carefully.

RR

Hows the cabin on these? Genset AC?

i do most of this myself too. Is it difficult to maneuver in tight spaces? Wind pushing the boat around at slow speeds? I'd love to for a ride some time. Let me know if you want to get out.

I’ve seen some with AC/Gensets and there is plenty of room in front of the engines to accommodate same. My 2005 Lightning came with vacu flush head, sink and most importantly a fridge. I have shorepower and plug in at the end of the day to keep it running and the batteries charged. I have a slip but dry store it on the trailer at the marina, only keeping it in the water when I’m up at the lake/bay. My wife and I easily launch and haul it out. The cabin is adequate and I think comparable to similar sized go fast boats. The 35 with its taffy pull nose (aka beak) and deep swim platform is more comparable to a 31 - 33 foot go fast. But it sure has nice silhouette when sitting on the water.