31ss sonic questions
 

Thinking very seriously about trading plus the sunsport plus some cash for a 1995 sonic 31ss 454mag 360hrs. What do you guys think of that model sonic ???? What should I expect for performance from the boat???Straight up no bs how good is sonic??

I love mine! I think it's the best boat you can buy for the money. It costs a lot more to get much better. If those are 365's you run around 68-70mph (gps), if Mag MPI's probably around 72mph. In rough water (4' or better) I would put it up against any other boat. The cabin is also the biggest/nicest I've seen in this size range. The rigging is good, not as pretty as some, but in 6 years of lots of rough water I've never had anything come loose or an electrical problem. I would recommend offshore mounts if you're going to be in rough water often, 'cause you won't be slowing down for it!!

The 31 is absolutely incredible for its size and price range. Sonics for one thing are built like brick sh$# houses and the 31 is a great all around boat. The cabin has a lot of standard amenities and space for spending the weekend. The rough water capabilites will make you question if you are only in a 31' boat. I have 496 mags w/ 375 hp and I ran 69.2 on gps.

is this the one in Texas?

What year is your sunsport? How many hours? What is the nada on yours compared to the sonic? I know the 31 sunsports run a few bucks.....

My sea ray is a 1994 sunsport 310 454's bravo 1 and 270 hrs. You could eat off the motors!! East Coast B do you know somebody who might want to trade for an offshore?

Dyno's got a 31 SS and loves it. I'm sure he'll see this thread and give you some insight.

Check out my Sonic SS 30 at www.hyperfishing.com. It is a 1988 boat that has been customized with an aluminum box on the stern, folding side rails and a fighting chair!

The wife and I love it. We have cruised all over the northeast, been through ten foot breaking seas, lived on it most of the last few years summer weekends (not this one) and catch fish from it.

We taken the boat through heavy seas many times, yet there are still no creaks or groans from the hull in bad conditions. Have travelled at 60 MPH+ in six foot seas and blowing wave tops. A fifty foot police boat (going to launch fireworks) was rolling 80 degrees in the same seas, I screamed over the waves smooth as pie to see if I could be of help as it looked like he was about to flip over.

I had the Mag 350s and Alphas ripped out and installed Scorpion 377s (350 HP) with Bravos and labbed Btravo props. Best I have seen was 68.? MPH.

I use a Gator pickup truck net to keep soft bags up in the nose on the V berth from bouncing back into the cabin.

Sonic is the only high performance boat with non skid decks and large hatches.

I was just questioning the trade and cash for the sonic... I was thinking you had a formula sunsport, they tend to bring more money... for that year sonic... I'd say it should run in about the upper 50 to 60k range... I'm not sure what your sea ray would bring, but I would think it would be close to it... though below it... I don't know anyone off hand looking for a 31ss... Your boat does look nice... How much are they asking for the sonic? It's a buyers market.... then again, it's not a sellers marker...

Sonic makes a great product. Several of my friends own them. One has a '99 31SS with 502MPI's that runs 75GPS. (I'm not reallly sure on that year model though).
Their are a lot of guys on OSO that own them, so you may want to ask again in the Sonic Forum. Tell them what the asking price is, and I'm sure thay will have a lot of input for you.
Good luck

We have a Sonic dealer here on Lake Norman now. He use to be Baja and I've become good friends with him.

They just got their first Sonic in and it is a new 31 with 496 Mag HO's

It looks AWESOME. I was over there Friday to loan him a generator and they had just got back from testing.

It ran 72 on the GPS.

They have a new 35 due in any day with 525's in it. I cannot wat to see it. The cuddy room in a Sonic is very nice.

Team Carolina Marine
Dave Natkin
704-799-6666
[email protected]

Tell him Dock Holiday sent you.

ttt

dockholiday the 31 sonic with 496 ho's does 77-80 mph gps not 72mph . are you sure the engines were'nt 496 mags?

is it this one you are considering?

No that's not the one, but who's is it?? Is it for sale?
Jason

it's on boattrader.com

been for sale for a while. somebody on the board looked at it and said it was beat up bad. i was just trying to warn you. good luck on the other one.

Sunsport,

I love mine. An '03 w/496HO's. No WOT run yet but at only 3700RPM's with full fuel, gear and 4 adults I am running 60MPH on GPS.

BN,

Did you buy from Offshore Performance in MD?

Bought my 95 Sonic 31SS about 6 months ago and love it. Huge cabin and great ride through rough water. You will not be disappointed, I know that I'm not.

Another.

ttt

Sonic makes a great boat. I dont think anyone will argue that. What you probably want to do is ask the board if anyone knows the particular boat you are looking at to see if anyone knows any negative history about the boat.

Have you seen the boat in person yet? I posted once about the boat in Texas inquiring if anyone knew the boat before i flew down there to check it out. Someone replied that they looked at it, and it was a mess...told me it was not worth the plane ride. Saved me some time and $$.

bn above said he only got 69.2 with 496mags. That would put the HO's around 72-73 I would think. Does anyone have pics of the cabin, and what makes it so huge? Height? Width? Length? Also, why would he need to install offshore motor mounts? Shouldn't they have them standard already if it's a true offshore boat?

Just some observations made reading along this post that brought these questions to mind....

Sonic puts Offshore Mounts standard on the 500EFI and up I believe. You will not be disappointed with a 31SS in any way. The cabin is big due to the lifted center deck section, and enclosed head opposite the sink/cargo, work really well. The cockpit is not overly long, so that makes the cabin very, very nice; commonly what you would see in a 33-35 foot boat of another make. The pull-out settee makes the sleeping arrangement HUGE.

I absolutely love my 26. We would have 31SS already if I did not have my heart set on 37-38 feet for the next boat.

They definately are HO's. That is what he told me, hope I remember right. It is a sweet boat, I would have thought the speed would be higher than that?

X-cited - yes we bought it from Offshore Performance.

Yes we only got 69.2 on gps. Not sure if these were any factors, but this was in fresh H2O and the boat is loaded up with fridge, a/c, electric head, tv, dvd plus all our gear and I believe 1/2 tanks of fuel. Also, this was with 26P Bravo 4 blades turning 4600 - 4700 rpm's trimmed out and stable as can be.

I was thinking of sending the props out to be labbed this winter, I just want to break the 70 mark. Also thinking about the Stage 1 or 2 products from Whipple. Anyone tried them:

http://www.whipplesuperchargers.com/...sp?ProdID=1190

Here she is:

If you're spending the $$, go with the stage 2. I don't think stage 1 will be very noticeable. Although stage 4 sounds nice.......

Love mine and its old!!!1993 runs 75 with my 330's on roids around 475 hp.

BN

My wife and I went for a sea trial in your boat around memorial day. Paint is unreal. Very unique. Do not remember the TV/DVD (after market). We wound up buying the white with blue/yellow/red paint in the showroom with the 496HO's. Have not run WOT yet.

:D :D :D

Nice boat

Interior shot

Interior shot with center pulled out

We rerigged one and found it ran excellent in rough water. Well built glasswork too.

Chris

X-cited please email me, I have some questions for you and don't want to take away from this thread. (your profile won't let me pm or email you)

Yes the tv and dvd are aftermarket. Here it is, the dvd is in the cupboard behind the tv.