sonic28

ok im going with sonic the wife love's it.we currently have 28 and she wants the luxury of a big cabin.no other boat has the cabin sonic has.the real question is there is there a big diffrence in 3 feet.i need help on this one.i was at the lauderdale boat show spoke to brian and sean.great people to deal with.so you guys cant reaspond.i'm not concerned to much about the speed. just the ride and about 40k diffrence.again thank you brian and sean

LapseofReason

I have'nt driven a 358 but I hear they can be a little tricky to get to run smooth. I have four to six people with me most of the time so I would want the bigger cockpit, plus I run the tunes and A/C all day so I would want a gen. So the 386 would get my vote.

I had a 2000 42 and loved it and I too wanted to keep with the big cabin, Unable to find a Outerlimits I could aford that I liked and wanted to go faster than the 45 Sonics that were on the used market I went with a used Nor-Tech 5000.

Sydwayz

iTrader: (1)

What's your boating area?

River? Ocean? Bay? What are the wave heights?

In the past, the 358 hull has had its issues, mostly with porpoising. Some do; some don't. Since 2003 all 358s have had the transom notch removed (filled), so there is a little more running surface. This notch seems to have been the pitfall of that hull, as once it gets up on plane, and trims out, it is 'searching' for that piece of hull, and hence falls, causing the porpoise. Also, ALL Sonics are now built with Infusion Hull Process (Advanced Vacuum Bagging), which has changed how every single hull in the lineup handles. I have not been in a 2003/up 358, but I have several friends with them who are very happy. After personally test driving a new 2003 386 with twin 525EFIs, my vote would be the 386. It handles amazingly well and we ran 81mph on a crisp fall day. You can't go wrong in the bigger boat. Granted, most of the room you gain on the 386 over the 358 is in the engine comparment, however, the boat is bigger, and will ride better.

Not too overly confuse you though... have you taken a hard look at Active Thunder? The 37AVH is a PHENOMINAL boat. The AVH offers the single step hull, gaining you a few more miles per hour over a conventional V-Bottom with same power; not to mention there is not one sliver of wood in a Active Thunder. I was and am a die-hard Sonic fan, however I absolutely love my 37AT. I was tossed up between a 386 Sonic and 37 AT when it was time to move up. (OK, I was considering Top Guns too, but they were older to be in same price range). I have posted a lot about AT and Sonic, all learned from experience with the two brands; since I got into this sport. Check out the AT and Sonic forums. Bottom line, do NOT let a step bottom AT scare you. Its not a death trap being a step-bottom that others would like you to believe.

If its gotta be Sonic, go with the 386. Richard and Brian and the crew have a lot of irons in the fire with strategic parnterships with Doller and Dakota boats; leading to the fact that they have an great product.

If you can swing a trip through Pompano FL, you need to check out Active Thunder. If you find yourself in the DC area, look me up to check out mine.

45sonic

Yea, What Sydwayz said

ActiveThunder

You can build it as a conventional V-bottom as well.

bajabob38

I know where a 01, 38, with 575's 60hrs owner wants out bad.

NJSONIC

Hello Sonic 28,
Quite the dilemma you have . The 358 will be alittle faster then the 386STS. But the 386STS will ride better-less chance of porpoising. If you would like to talk I'll e-mail you my phone number. It was nice to meet you and your wife.
NJSONIC

sonic28

hey nj
same here my email is [email protected] i would like to talk about my dilemma.
regards paul

Sloman

Go 38 all the way I have a friend with a 2004 35 and he hates the ride. He has to always keep the tabs down unless he balls out. Cruising he beats it into the waves instead of ride on top also the cockpit is about the same size of a 31 the 38 cockpit is about 2 feet bigger, just my .02

RJ1340

The cabin in the 35 and 38 are identical, but you'll appreciate the extra 3 feet in the big stuff. If you get the 35 you'll always be wishing you would've gotten the 38.