IMO......Formula may have a safety isssue with the hull/deck bonding.
it's a bit of a debate, but worth looking at i suppose. My boat is fine.

I went from a 25' Active Thunder to a 33 Outlaw .
no more getting my ass kicked on lake michigan.

that big of a difference?

There is a huge difference in ride comfort. It was a huge difference when I went from a 28 Pantera to my 32 AT.

Some Formulas also some issues with the engine compartment stringer system liner having hollow spots between it and hull due to not enough plexus or poor distribution of the plexus.

the formula fastech is a gentlemen’s performance boat. It is fairly well built for a production boat. As mentioned I would pay particular attention to the hull bond, bilge grid, and windshield attachment points.

we had a 292. It was a nice little boat. We did have our string of issues with the windshield and helm. But we ran it in big water. Not advised.

the bilge will likely be super tight with 525’s. Having said that…blue merc power with xr’s is the desired engine package. Depending on the maintenance. Top ends need to be done every 275-350 hours. Bottom ends could go to 700 hours in my opinion.

the fastechs don’t have much wood so you don’t need to worry about rot…I think the only area is the transom.

good luck!!!

You say it is being offered to you by a friend and your father is a surveyor. So, what does your father think of the boat's condition? If it is your friend, I assume you have had many opportunities to ride and test drive this boat?

If you do all your own maintenance then you are familiar with boat systems and mechanics. What do you think about working in that tight bilge? Doable?


1MOSES1 Said:
Not much wood is not no wood. If his quote is correct then a wet transom could be a disaster.

I'd get a 3rd party survey done, if you are really interested.

Like going from a horse and carriage ride to a 1980`s caddilac.

thats a big difference. the 28zx i have rides decent, but i would like a better ride for sure. we boat in the chesapeake bay in maryland alot. water can get decent pretty quick

my wife was less than pleased that I got another performance boat as she hated the ride in the Outlaw. One ride in the 353 and she loves it, as do I. Extra length and weight make it a much better ride.

A friend of mine's 1st boat was an 09 353 Fastech with 525's (he still has it). You'll be fine.

The 353 is a great boat. Fast enough(very low 80's), rides well, plenty of cockpit and cabin room, Ect.

The only thing I've noticed is that it wants to porpoise a lot. At 1st I thought he just didn't know how to drive (lol) but after riding with him he wasn't over trimming or anything. That's just how it wants to ride if you don't drag the tabs.