28-35 twin recommendations
 

i'm looking to move up from my 25' Nordic Rage with the 496HO. Mine is a MCOB and it's an honest 70 mph boat with minimal maintenance. We're building a new house and it's going to have a 40' bay dedicated to this boat. I want to go to a closed bow boat that would handle Powell and Ozarks water. I love my boat but when the water gets rough it's time to head for the dock. In the mix at this point are the Cobalt 343, Fountains, Formulas, Donzis, etc. I'd love to have 525's with XRs. If y'all think small blocks would work please elaborate. I'm drawn to boats that have a genset an Ac but I've just started this research. I'd like to go 80 but definitely not less than 70 with minimal maintenance and stay under 80K. I know... pigs flying... thoughts? Thanks much.

In the 28-35 class for Donzi, you'll only find 33 and 28zx's with small blocks or 496/502's, not 525's. There are a few out there with 575's though, but you'll pay over $80k for them. And if you're wanting 80, only the 28zx with 377's will approach that or the 33zx with 575's. 33 is a heavy boat, around 9600lbs dry. No AC in the 28zx's.

have you considered a 35 flame?? I have a 28 heat and it rides better than a rage but still not great in rougher stuff...the 35 flame however rides totally different than even my heat...better than a fountain?? prolly wouldn't go that far but pretty good nonetheless....with 500 efis its an honest low to mid 80s boat all day long...just a thought

Stewart

I went from rage to our current 32 sunny, I was looking for basically the same thing you are, my 32 with HO's runs low to mid eighties everyday, and having black motors to me meant a lot of fun with basic routine maintainence without breaking the bank account, even oil changes add up with twins when you buy 18+ quarts and filters, that said, I would never go back to single screw once you get a feel for twins, good luck in your search, there's a lot of great boats in that range of size

Lots of great boats in this segment. I'd love to stay with a Nordic it I'm not sure a Flame would fit in the garage? This is going to be a learning curve for me... never driven twins and have a lot to learn about these boats from cabins, weight, and paint v gel. I have a 6.7 Cummins 2500 and I plan on towing quite a bit. Thanks for everyone's advice.

You will be fine with that truck, our 2500 Duramax pulls our just fine, I'm guessing we are just shy of 10k fully loaded, setup on a custom trailer, which most are, triple axle trailers track very well, if you get a painted boat, get the fender covers, the rubber will scratch the crap out of paint

Be careful before buying anything. Make sure to actually measure it on the trailer. I'm building a shop for my Donzi 35 and with the trailer and drives sticking out...from tongue to prop it is going to be rather cozy in a 50 foot deep shop. There's room to walk around behind the drives but it isn't like I have enough room to put a bunch of stuff.

you're right...not sure if a flame will fit in a 40' bay...ill try to get ahold of my buddy to see if he knows what his measures on a trailer if youd like

Previous Sunsation owner?
 

You had a Sunny for a while? I remember you had Bob rebuild the motors. Which model was that and why'd you switch? You've seen my Rage run... I just want to do that with a nice cabin that handles bigger water. How do you like the Donzi?

fwiw I just talked to him and he told me with the drives down his 35 flame fit in a 40' stall by 3 inches just so you know...that's on the trailer from Nordic that came with the boat

stewart

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

Truth in advertising
 

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

Super Attractive boats
 

Hows the cabin on these? Genset AC?

Talk to me about launching and retrieving
 

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.

It is a little longer then you wanted but there is a nice looking Velocity 390 in the classifieds. 525s, air and gen. set.

Padraig

I like my 35Zr..it was a huge step up from the 22zx I had a few years ago. Its size is just right for type of boating I enjoy and although the cabin is "small" compared to other 35ft boats...I find myself enjoying the lower profile and even flight when its underway or launching from waves. I have plain old 496 MagHo's and reliability was a huge factor when I was shopping. I know of another 35Zr same configuration with 496's that has 900+ Hours and no rebuild yet! The only drawback I have like Captain Yarr is that anything involving a solo trip is out of the question. This is likely because I do not want to bounce my boat off the dock and screw something up. It may not be the fastest 35ft boat on the water...but its one of the nicest looking and it can handle nearly any wind or wave thrown at it.

It is definitely more of a handful than my Sunsation was. I drove a 32 Dominator this weekend and it is ridiculously easy to maneuver in tight spots. That said, it is a perfectly maneuverable boat. Probably because the props spin in, it doesn't reverse particularly well so I find you need to use the throttle when moving around tight spots. Not a big deal but wasn't needed on the Sunny. Like Ropes said, going solo is a bit of a nervous exercise because there can be times when you need another hand around the docks to make sure you don't kiss the dock. I've done it a few times but wasn't particularly excited about it.

Sure I'd be happy to get you out and show you. On Lake Travis, the ride is hard to beat. I'm booked for the rest of October but I'm sure we'll have a nice day in November for a cruise.

Sounds good!
 

id love to get out for a cruise but I'm also available if you want to get out before it gets cold for our two month winter. If anyone else has a FASTEC 35 it's high on my list as well.