Hey everyone, I'm looking at getting into this expensive powerboat game and needing some expertise. I'm an experienced boater and mainly deal with Wake Boats now but I have owned runabouts and currently own a pontoon and a 1979 Taylor Custom Stiletto jet boat, but I'm wanting to step it up a notch. I mainly run small lakes and don't see much rough water aside from all my friends wakesurfing waves and the occasional main channel chop on the weekends. On average I'd say I see 2' maybe 3' waves at worst. I have researched and looked at local boats for sale and I'm really in a hard spot. I think with our lakes not being anywhere near a LOTO style lake I'm leaning more toward wanting a boat that is fast, dependable, and has a roomy cabin so I can spend a weekend on the lake. I thought I had it narrowed down to a Baja or Checkmate but now I'm not so sure. From what I've been reading through research now has me thinking of a Powerquest, Sonic, Velocity, and maybe a Sunsation, if I can find one in my price range. I've found a nice Eliminator Eagle 250 (not to crazy about the layout) and a Virage 26.5 which is a rare boat to find especially around these parts. What are your expert opinions on a good single engine starter boat between 24-28 foot that runs around the 35-40k range or less? Thanks for any help and info that you may give.

288 sunsation covers all your wants. also runs pretty fast for the power and is perfect for your waters.

I agree with the 288 Sunsation. Relatively light and fast for a 28' boat and also well built.

Good suggestions here. Hard to argue those. Even a 32' Sunsation may fall into a decent price point.

Thanks for the replies. I've been looking a lot at the Powerquest 280 Silencer. I've found 2 with around 350hrs and one has a 502 and the other a 496. I've also spotted 2 Sunsation 288's with one having a Whippled 496 with 450hrs and the other having a stock 496 with 375hrs. Are the Sunsations really worth 8-10k more considering my needs? My plan is to only run in small local poker runs until I get use to the boat anyways. Thanks in advance for the help.

I actually just saw a Sonic 260 prowler that I think may fit the bill.

Can't go wrong with the Cig 31'