The difference in ride between these two boats isn't going to be drastic, because they are both deep vee flat bottom (no step) boats with similar length and weight . That's why if it were me, I would focus more on what you're using the boat for and which boat is more turn-key. I would also again stress getting a professional survey prior to purchase.

You seem very focused on the ride quality, so if you want to get a real "wave crusher" I would look at a 37 Active Thunder Excess. I spent a lot of time on a friend's '04 AT with a stepped hull, including doing some poker runs on Lake Erie in rough conditions and that boat rode better (in those conditions) than any other boat that I've ever been on...

How much of your boating are you planning on doing in big or rough water? It's nice to have a boat that handles the bigger water when you come across it, but most people aren't going out looking to pound their boats in big water and put 5 years of wear and tear on their equipment every time they go for a ride, especially when you are looking at boats that are 35+ years old... That can get very expensive and lead to more down-time than fun-time.

Key bit of advice there, should be a sticky. Also rough isn't fun for most passengers. Unless you're going out with a bunch of hard cores your passengers aren't going to appreciate having their stomachs being slammed against their buttholes every time they hit a wave.

This is huge. Thank you for this advice. Last night I looked at as many pictures as I could have the cafe racer interior and I’m not seeing much room for me and my wife to overnight. I know a picture can be misleading but I’m not seeing any room for us to sleep. I could be wrong since I’ve never been on one. The 357 looks like it has a lot more room to sleep. I’m also wanting to add some sort of air conditioning to whatever boat I get. I did find a formula 382 Fastech that checked all the boxes but was a little more then I want to spend at the moment which leads me to another question. Should I wait and not settle. I honestly keep flip flopping. I’m really thinking about going to Performance Boat Center and kicking tires so I can actually climb around some of these boats and get an actual feel for them.

In a Cafe, the v-berth is big enough for 2 to lay down in, assuming they like each other at least a little. My Cafe had A/C but I doubt that was standard equipment. Lots of Formula PCs have A/C but I don't know about the SR1s..

You can see in this pic how the v-berth is arranged in a Cafe. The seatbacks for the bench seat fold down to give enough flat space to lay down in. Not my Cafe, one I found online. Mine had vinyl upholstery in the Cabin, this one has velour, like most SR1 Formulas had.

I didn’t know the seats folded down. That definitely opens up that v birth. Thanks for sharing. Oh did you add a/c to your cafe?

It's definitely the buyer's market this time of year. Wait. Don't jump.
Find one that is more turnkey. Rebuilding something regarding a boat always takes 3X the money you expect, and 3X the amount of time too.

Funny that Perfect Storm mentions the 37AT. The 32 Active Thunder has origins from the 35 Cigarette. The 37 Active Thunder was born out of the 32. The part of the modern 37AT that makes it cut so well though the rough stuff is everything forward of the step is derivative of the 35 Cigarette from back in the day.

Eddienel
1) Where do you boat?
2) What is your budget?
3) How do you plan to use the boat?
4) What are your rough expectations of cruise and top speeds?
5) How are you going to store the boat? (trailer, lift, other)

[QUOTE=Sydwayz;4937235]It's definitely the buyer's market this time of year. Wait. Don't jump.
Find one that is more turnkey. Rebuilding something regarding a boat always takes 3X the money you expect, and 3X the amount of time too.

Funny that Perfect Storm mentions the 37AT. The 32 Active Thunder has origins from the 35 Cigarette. The 37 Active Thunder was born out of the 32. The part of the modern 37AT that makes it cut so well though the rough stuff is everything forward of the step is derivative of the 35 Cigarette from back in the day.

Eddienel
1) Where do you boat? I plan to trailer. Mostly the gulf but a couple trips to LOTO. Galveston mostly and orange beach
2) What is your budget? About $50k but will to go higher if it checks all the boxes
3) How do you plan to use the boat? Just cruise and explore. I do want to be able to overnight when I want to. I have a buddy building a boat house on Crystal Beach (Galveston) that I can use whenever I want.
4) What are your rough expectations of cruise and top speeds? 50 mph cruise. Too out 70ish
5) How are you going to store the boat? (trailer, lift, other)[/. I’m adding a storage bay to my shop at home. 15x45x12 foot tall. They start in 2 weeks. That’s eating into my budget money but I do not want to store the boat in sun. No sun unless we have fun. I’m also ok waiting if thats what it takes to get the right boat for me.

That one is worth a look.

I ask about storage, etc. because you want to have access to fuel that you need, etc. If you store the boat on a lift and the closest marina only has 89, when you might need 93; that's an issue.

There really is no comparison formula vs. cigarette.

build quality on a cig is light years better than a formula. I have owned both. Layup, quality of materials, strength, durability, layout etc is all better on a cig.

you will break your body before you break a cig. Sadly I can’t say the same about formula. We broke that boat. Windshield coming off, helm dettaching from hull, etc. it was bad.

Thank you 1moses1. I’m looking at your boat right now.