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Originally Posted by LakeLifer
(Post 4668736)
Lake Cumberland, the waters don't really get bad here. I would say your major holidays with a few cabin cruisers and a poker run is as bad as it gets.
Other than the obvious, bigger boat costs more to build, and trailer too.. is there not much difference in cost to own or maintain? I would think a 42 is much harder on fuel than a 35 or 38.. At that point it would be a matter of choice on cuddy size I assume? And a 42 would force me to upgrade to a 3500 series truck. Thanks for the reply! A semi stag 38 wouldn't be bad either, still a little easier to work on the motors, docking isn't bad because drives are spaced out, and have a little more length. Like this one. https://www.boattrader.com/listing/2...ing-103475063/ As for towing, no way on those steep ramps would I have a 1/2 ton and a 42! You don't need a dully for any of them. |
Originally Posted by Wildman_grafix
(Post 4668784)
That is a nice lake, been there when we lived in Indiana. If it was me I would do the 35 just for the fact most of the time it will be much more fun to drive. Yes, for those days when it gets choppy the 42 would be better but if that's only 10% of the time you are out why not have fun the other 90%.
A semi stag 38 wouldn't be bad either, still a little easier to work on the motors, docking isn't bad because drives are spaced out, and have a little more length. Like this one. As for towing, no way on those steep ramps would I have a 1/2 ton and a 42! You don't need a dully for any of them. |
On the reliability end, hard to beat Merc blue motors. I’m sure there will be a lot out there ready for top end servicing, try to buy 50 or so hours after the work has been done. Let someone else take the hit, and with time on them after you have a good chance the work will hold up. Id almost rather buy 500 hour sealed motors that are still running than something that someone just did a bunch of random work too. With the 500 hour motors you have a good idea what’s in store. Nothing hurts more to pay more for work that was just done only to drop a valve Memorial Day weekend and be down for weeks and out the expense of redoing them. That being said there are a handful of shops I would call to verify what was done and never think twice on their quality of work. Drives, if you are sticking with 500s or 525s I’d almost stick with just standard bravos, buy a thousand dollar spare and go use it. If your running them to the point of regularly hurting them on the lower hp, step/notched boat xr’s won’t last much longer. That being said if you buy and it has xr’s, rock on. |
Can someone educate me on the difference between the 35' and 38' non staggered boats? Obviously '3 Fountain feet' but where is that difference? Is it split equally between engine room, cockpit and cabin or is all the cabin, all in the engine room.....etc, etc? RR . |
Originally Posted by rak rua
(Post 4668848)
Can someone educate me on the difference between the 35' and 38' non staggered boats? Obviously '3 Fountain feet' but where is that difference? Is it split equally between engine room, cockpit and cabin or is all the cabin, all in the engine room.....etc, etc? RR I think about 2' cabin and then maybe 1' cockpit. and engine bay. |
Look at fountains 38 fever also, the cockpit has more room than the Lightning’s, because they don’t have the walk around built into the deck |
Originally Posted by tmmii
(Post 4668843)
On the reliability end, hard to beat Merc blue motors. I’m sure there will be a lot out there ready for top end servicing, try to buy 50 or so hours after the work has been done. Let someone else take the hit, and with time on them after you have a good chance the work will hold up. Id almost rather buy 500 hour sealed motors that are still running than something that someone just did a bunch of random work too. With the 500 hour motors you have a good idea what’s in store. Nothing hurts more to pay more for work that was just done only to drop a valve Memorial Day weekend and be down for weeks and out the expense of redoing them. That being said there are a handful of shops I would call to verify what was done and never think twice on their quality of work. Drives, if you are sticking with 500s or 525s I’d almost stick with just standard bravos, buy a thousand dollar spare and go use it. If your running them to the point of regularly hurting them on the lower hp, step/notched boat xr’s won’t last much longer. That being said if you buy and it has xr’s, rock on. |
Originally Posted by halfgassed
(Post 4668865)
Look at fountains 38 fever also, the cockpit has more room than the Lightning’s, because they don’t have the walk around built into the deck |
Originally Posted by tmmii
(Post 4668843)
On the reliability end, hard to beat Merc blue motors. I’m sure there will be a lot out there ready for top end servicing, try to buy 50 or so hours after the work has been done. Let someone else take the hit, and with time on them after you have a good chance the work will hold up. Id almost rather buy 500 hour sealed motors that are still running than something that someone just did a bunch of random work too. With the 500 hour motors you have a good idea what’s in store. Nothing hurts more to pay more for work that was just done only to drop a valve Memorial Day weekend and be down for weeks and out the expense of redoing them. That being said there are a handful of shops I would call to verify what was done and never think twice on their quality of work. Drives, if you are sticking with 500s or 525s I’d almost stick with just standard bravos, buy a thousand dollar spare and go use it. If your running them to the point of regularly hurting them on the lower hp, step/notched boat xr’s won’t last much longer. That being said if you buy and it has xr’s, rock on. |
The fever is totally different than the lightning. Fever is closer to executioner they stopped making the 38 fever when they started the 38 Lightning. May have had both for a year not sure on that. Blue motors are good but for the most part be prepared to do top ends around 300 hours. Some have run more and been lucky others not so much. Many that have been done at 300 we’re still running but had spring issues. Either pressures gone or even broken springs. |
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