that is what Sick does, almost everything is worth more in the parts.

2018 was a boom year for boat sales..... this year anything with a prop was in demand to the point where 2018 sales numbers were knocked off before July. Crazy but that mentality takes everything off the open market including the junk - someone, somewhere will buy it.

I have a '88 Bullet for sale w/454's and 177's on them. Some pix and info under project wanted thread, post #15.

Where did they all go?
 

I am sure that there are damn few performance boats that are bought as an investment. A renovation of any boat is almost always a financial loser. I know. I have restored a custom built 23 foot outboard. I am on the 3 rd outboard ( 300 Johnson, 250 HO E-Tec, And 300 XS Mercury. I have redone gel cote and paint 4 times it’s 3 rd interior is going in now gauges stereo electronics. I might get 20% of the cost on restorations. I
like the boat and that’s why I still own it. If this craziness is not enough, I bought a 29 Fountain with 280 freshwater hours. I knew that I would need an interior and new paint. I wanted a big stereo and new gauges. When you put new shiny parts next to 20 year pieces, you have to buy more new stuff. I wanted more HP, then needed a bigger drive. ItI just never ends. I love boating and I Ike to go fast, but not triple digits fast. My wife calls it a sickness and I can’t disagree. I am an old man and I just love my boats.

The only justification I have is that to buy the approximate new would cost significantly more. What would all this be worth when it is sold. Probably 25% maybe. I have to look it as an entertainment expense. People waste money all the time and this happens the way I do it. My plan is to have fun while I am here.

You're selling Wayne?

At that $60k mark, I would look for a 25 to 32' foot cat, something like a American Offshore 26 or 31 foot model, Liberator 24 or 30 foot model, Talon 25 foot model, etc. I like a true cat hull because of where I boat on a river that is usually rough with 1-3' chop. A long cat hull handles this water really awesome.
It took me better than five years to find a decent cat in the 25 to 30 range. As you found, the boat manufacturers aren't offering very many models, like they use to back in the mid- to late 90's, even in the early 2000's. I searched far and wide for the 1995 model cat I bought back in October 2020. My boat is single BBC with Bravo outdrive and is fine for what I want. However, I like twin outboards, too. Look for something with twin outboards, especially with the Merc 300X two-stroke motors. They are great motors. I called about several cats with twin outboards in the 25-30 foot range, and in the price range of mid-30's to $50k. They were all sold. A decently clean boat sells fast in that price range, so be prepared to move quickly if you find one. Stay away from PowerboatListings.com, as they don't keep their listings updated, so many that you'll find on a search are already sold. I called on over 100 boats listed on that site, and they were all sold, some many years ago.
Be patient, know what you want, and be ready to move quickly when you find one you like, else it will be gone faster than you can blink.
Good luck.
Speed Prop

I think a small/medium sized cat with a pair of 300's would be a blast on Tahoe or my other smaller lakes.

With what's going on now though, I'm putting all purchases on hold for a while.

Same here! I found a 31ft Bullet from a forum member that is super clean and priced right and I just cant pull the trigger with all the uncertainty going on right now. Im pretty sure my cost of living is going to go up and the economy is going to go down. I pray im wrong but I think we are going to have 4 years of an Obama coming in.

35 Lightning
 

What year are you looking for? I have a 93' 35 Lightning Reggie Fountain signature. I was going to list in the spring, it's on the Lake of the Ozarks. Asking $30,000 it has 454 mag motors. Removed the cabin carpet and put in seadek.

life is short man, if you want a boat and have the means, buy a boat and enjoy it. You can’t always worry about what might happen.