Help with choosing a boat please
 

Hello,

Looking for what basically amounts to a toy to tool around with on occasion. We have an all around fishing-cruising boat with outboard but miss my old Chaparral with the 496, wasn't the fastest boat but with the captains call it sounded like I was going fast....lol. Anyway it would be a 2nd boat that I would use on occasion with the family when we wanted to go for a cruise with no plans to fish etc. etc.

I was originally thinking of trying to locate another bow rider type boat maybe a cobalt with one of those 502's but I came across the Laveycraft 2750 which has me intrigued unfortunately I live in the Panhandle of Florida and have no interest in picking up a boat from Havasu which seems to be where the majority of them are located. What interested me in the 2750 (besides the speed) was that they were stable in rough chopped up water which is primarily what we get out here, we have flat days occasionally but more often than not there is wind driven chop not to mention big ass cruiser's wake....boating will be strictly salt/brackish water in the Choctawhatchee Bay, out the Destin Pass when doable and the inter coastal.

Not looking for anything super fast but a stable 70'ish I could be down with, would like a boat that I wouldn't have to constantly tweak while driving. Not an engine guy, I can do maintenance so and so forth but would prefer an engine that doesn't need continuous attention so to speak.

Anything I should give serious attention too? This is a 2nd boat don't want to break the bank was thinking I should be able to find something in the mid 30's to 50 max.....Thanks for any suggestions.

GIven your specs I would look at 28 Donzi ZXO's. Mid-cabin bow riders that were built super solid. Can do 70ish with twins or low 60's with a single and can be had in your price range.

https://www.offshoreonly.com/classif...ng-o71403.html

II know its up north but a great boat

I have a Donzi bias, but the bias didn't start until after the research was done before the purchase. 28zx or zxo (bowrider) are solid package boats with twin small blocks (350 Mags), will get you right to the 70mph mark. Those small blocks are solid engines that require little maintenance and the 28's handle chop incredibly well for their size.

Thanks for the Donzi suggestion looks like a sweet setup., any advantage of going with closed bow over open? I cant imagine using the closed bow for anything but storage as it would be too darn hot the majority of the time. Doesn't look like a whole lot out there at the moment but I'll keep my eyes open.

Closed bow will get you an extra 2-3mph from what I've heard. Also has the forward bed and more storage space. We use ours to store all the water toys, towels, snacks, coolers, etc. and it's a great changing room. The open bow Donzi's didn't appeal to me cosmetically, not the look I was going for.

There is a vr1 29 ft in Velocity section of the classifieds.

Padraig

Sounds like what you want is a single engine go fast with stock merc power. I had a 271 Fastech and it was a good boat. It actually resides down there in the panhandle down by Orange Beach now. I saw it down there last summer.

Correct something along those lines, the ZXO's with twin 350's doesn't sound too bad if they are low maintenance engines. A boat that handles chopped up water well is first and foremost on the list....something that wouldn't have to be constantly worked. Not real keen on closed bow's as other than the storage advantage I have no intentions of hanging out down there, why I first was drawn to the Lavey Craft 2750 and in turn the Donzi 28 ZXO with the mid-cabin's.

Still wouldn't mind a traditional bow rider but I don't think they exist if you want to keep the rough water handling capabilities without getting too big to trailer or more than I'm willing to spend.