mikesufka

Gentleman,

Can I get some opinions on who makes a nice 25 foot or so v-hull? I'm used to small 18-20 foot high performance outboards (i.e. Allisons, Hydrostreams, STV's, etc...) and know NOTHING about the mid sized I/O's.

Do they make a boat of this size that will run 70-80 MPH with a 454 or 502 mercruiser? What Brand? How much for a used one? What would $40,000-$50,000 buy? Are Velocity, Sunsation, Powerplay, Advantage good boats? Any others to look at? Checkmate? Are they still a contender? Baja? Wellcraft? Commander? Profile?

Any opinions? I'd like to keep the "performance" theme, but have something that I can put 4-6 people in with relative comfort. Top speed must be 70+ MPH. Closed bow. "Cigarette boat" style.

The problem is that I'm coming off of owning a 80 MPH Hydrostream, a 95-100 MPH Allison, and a 105+ MPH STV. These small rigs are a kick in the pants, but not practical in bigger water or when I want to take others out for a spin. I don't want to be bored.

Thanks for the help.

Mike

frequentflyer

Mike,
I will have an obvious bias but I swear by this boat. I have never been on a 25 foot boat that handles and rides like a 25 Powerplay. It is a straight hull that can ride on 3 foot waves at upper 60's to lower 70s as comfortably as it gets on a 25. I have a top end now in the 80's and am still not dialed in. I absolutely love my boat. I have not been on a closed deck one (mine is an open fisherman) but if they are anything like mine I stand behind it 100%. Call Dan or Tito @ Powerplay and they will take care of you. If you can help it, ride a Powerplay before you buy anything else. That will be the true deciding factor.

LapseofReason

26 Sonic, ton's more room than any other boat close to it's size. low-mid 70's with 500hp.

IDRPSTF

25 Outlaw- Best controll and safety for the buck in the snotty stuff! It is all a matter of opinion and where you do your boating

Velocity Tom

My friend has a 260 velocity hull that did have 300 pros on it . It did run 86 at lake x. I think its priced in the 20s. Its in boat trader.

sunsation98

ive beenn working on setting up boats for awhile now -

hands down 25 sunsation-

not to far behind active thunder-baja outlaws if they havent already had all of the half inscrews rattled from the deck!

for the ride-hands down any boat that used that 24'7" hull by 7'4" wide will ride considerably better then any other in its class.

CFD5

25 Outlaw. Not the fastest but runs great in the rough. Big boat for a 25. Mines got a procharged (3.5lb) 496HO and runs 75+ on GPS. And its for sale too, in the for sale section. Around 50K.

R Addiction

Look at an Active Thunder. A 25 with an HP500 will run 75-80 mph with a full cabin. Good solid boat, (180hours in the chesapeake and not a single problem). Let alone the classic offshore looks!!!

R Addiction

crappy pic here ya go:

R Addiction

they look fine on my computer..........hmmmmmmmmmm