i need help choosing my 1st powerboat
 

I'm new to the world of high powered boating. I have narrowed it down to a 1986 27' Cobolt C Condurre (twin 260's), a 1989 26' Celebrity Andretti (twin 270's), a 1990 LARSON SENZAS SPECTRE 25' (454 330hp Bravo1 stepped hull), a 1988 26' baja 265 force (7.4 330hp, hull painted though), a 1988 Wellcraft Nova Spyder (Twin Mercruiser 350MAG's with 270 HP), a 1997 Checkmate 203 (Mercruiser 350 Mag with 300 hp) From the research that i have compiled theses are all good boats, but i have no clue onwhich is a better all around boat. I want reliability, power, speed and lots of fun. thanks in advance.

if it were me i would go with the 26 nova(not the fastest but a wave crusher,and good use of space) or the larson faster and single engine keeps it simple for routine maintainance. Good luck and welcome to your new addiction:D

Go with the Wellcraft......

wellcraft with out a doubt

wellcraft but also senza. they are pretty fast for a single engine boat...

Where do you boat? Do you overnight?

The Newer Checkmate probably has the reliability and the speed advantage. Not to mention it will use a lot less fuel.

The Cobalt, Celebrity, or the Wellcraft are MUCH bigger but they are SLOOOOW.

If you want a bigger boat and you are not on BIG water, I'd pick the Senza.

Hey Dave, I'd choose a 24' Superboat over all of them...:D

Honestly Coop,
If this is your first power boat, start with a smaller single engine boat.

Good Luck and Happy Boating!

Ive always had a soft spot for the wellcraft nova 3....like the look of them and the layout plus you can get them with twins...and the later ones had bravos too! that would be my personal first choice...then the larson...its a cool looking boat as well :)

I might have a 2000 24' Superboat for sale. MAYBE. It may already be time to go with something bigger :D

Larson Senza that was my 1st boat.


any questions about the Senza let me know.

Just a thought...but if this is really your FIRST boat, I would stick with a single engine. A little simpler, less maintenance etc...and better to learn with. you can always step up to something better and faster later. I hate to sound like your mother but I think climbing the boating ladder is much better than jumping in over your head the first time.

I would have to agree. The choices you list suggest you are on a budget, and that's fine. But there will be maintenance, and repairs that will undoubtedly catch you by surprise, especially since these are older boats. Don't kill yourself right away. Let it bleed you slowly.:D Seriously, go with a single for now. You can always move up later when you better understand what your pain threshhold is. You may find you are happy enough, (or poor enough) right where you are.
:drink:

I to am new to boating, well almost new. I had a 19' 165hp I/O from 1988 to 1990. The first year was fun, but the thrill soon went away as it simply was not big enough or fast enough. While I would agree with staying away from double trouble (2 engines) I would suggest spending more than you think you can afford and buy something faster than you think you want. If you don't, you may end up constantly trying to upgrade things for more speed. If you end up on that road, you'll end up spending more money that if you had just bought a more powerful boat from the beginning. Avoid the diease of two-foot-i-tis, go big and powerful.

Great point. For what I have in my POS now, I could of got something much newer, nicer, and faster.

I'd go with the one that's in the best condition. One way to tell, is to look at the bilge itself. If it's pretty clean, it was probably well taken care of. All things being equal, I'd go with the Senza. Great design, and a cool looking boat I think.

Not to mention the 454/330 will run forever with normal care. It won't be the fastest, but it will run every time you turn the key, which means a lot after you miss a whole season fooling with a boat.