Look at the Regal 250XL. Think made them ‘84-‘-92. We had one as our first boat. Mercury 454 w/bravo 1. Wasn’t a speed demon, would run 50-55mph. But, was heavy and rode great. Pulled skiers. Nice cuddy. Big cockpit. Handled the LOTO slop great

lol.
I have a 1986 Flat Deck. I know about old boats and what they need and don`t need.

p.s. *You`re

Vice,

Nope. Along with his Cig, Dan also has a 20-ish foot skidoodle jet boat that goes all of 50MPH or so, and it kinda sounds like he prefers boating on it.

The problem you're erecting for yourself is that, for a 30+yo boat, you're either looking at a project, or something that somebody else has already "project"ed. You're going to pay for that work, one way or another. While Dan has his unique take on things, he's not wrong. Take his advice as "best intentions". You've got a mountain to climb to reach your goals.

Thanks. Brad.

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace...6512551755666/
looked nice, unfortunately its a 1990.

"Icdedppl' (Dan) is dead on the money. We ourselves have done these projects.,..doing one right now with a 1986 Superboat. As much enjoyment as it is when you finish these projects they are a ton of work and money. Out of your list I suggest the Formula 242...if you can find a good one. Do not take responses personally. There are a ton of guys on this site that have the experience and knowledge...utilize it. Wish you the very best...you will find the right one for you.

Im sorry I`ll have to start trying to be "softer" with my responses , more cuddly and nice I guess.

My boat was "fresh" new engines, new paint, new interior, etc etc .. it was a completed project.
You can search "cigarette adventures" in the Cig forum to see how that worked out for me. 11 years of burning money like it`s firewood!!
New gas tank, cables, drives, engines, interior, hoses etc etc ...
I only regret all that when it breaks because when it runs right , it`s the $HIT!!!

Anyway, hope you have a great day, I`m sure everything will work out splendid and I hope you find the perfect boat with a $20k hidden in the cuddy.

A 35 year old boat that’s not a project... well good luck on that !!


(This needs to be seen one more time. It sounds harsh but it’s the truth)

RR

not sure where you boat at?

but checkout checkmates.

Checkmate Community Forums (checkmate-boats.com)

Understood and anybody putting that much time & effort into a project of that magnitude deserves respect, he’s got mine.

Still, me targeting older boats doesn’t make me naïve to what can be hiding under their skin, just as somebody putting that much time into a project to make it beautiful is not naïve or foolish.

A little off topic here but….I’ve spent the last 45 years of my life (when I'm not doing my regular day job) restoring cars & motorcycles, and some of the projects I took on no one would touch with a ten foot pole, but some things in life (to the individual) are worth it anyway.

Not everything in life is about resale value, or money you’ll never get back, sometimes it’s the journey.

Sometimes you strike gold and it all comes together, sometimes you strike out and you're back to square one.

I did mention in my original post that I learned a lot and that I wouldn’t take on any more projects.

That means that whatever I buy next will be turnkey, and it will be inspected by a professional before I take ownership, believe me.

I’ve gotten a lot of good recommendations so far, I’ve already shortened my list, and I’ve increased the bandwidth on the year range.

Understood, but the assumptions that are being made here are quite literally blowing my mind, especially given the clarity in how I framed my original post.

I guess I have spell out more clearly what I thought I clearly conveyed originally.

I truly learned a lot from my first experience and everything that some of you are saying about older boats and them possibly being projects, spoiler alert, I already know, you're all correct, and I've already been down that road.

I thought that would have been a given from my post.

I’ve also learned that there’s no fast, cheap way to get into boating because to your point, and your absolutely right, you’re going to pay one way or the other.

This is where I think folks are getting crossed up. I absolutely don’t mind paying a fair price for an 80’s or 90’s boat if it’s in extremely good shape. I also don’t mind paying for a boat that’s had a little, to extensive work done by the previous owner (regardless of its age).