Ray,
Congrats glad to see you made it! Hope everthing goes well for the rest of the season.

Ray's Wife,
I sometimes wonder why we have electronic Rev limiters on the boat. The wifes work just as well SLOW DOWN!!!!!!!!!!! That came from a good friend of mine a couple years ago he had me doubled over laughing when I asked him why he backed off he pointed at his wife and said in his best blond voice "my built in limiter kept screeming at me to slow down"

One thing you can't argue about the 380 is that it has a nice high freeboard with a great tucked in tight and safe feel to it. Pretty soon she will be like mine "faster honey faster can't we keep going?" Have a great weekend Scott

Congrats, Ray - been a long time coming! 77 huh, nothing like a grandmotherly-type break-in Is that with 32P's?

ps. I have started a write-in campaign to merc to award you full technician certification status, you earned it.

I back from the water and with a little more experience. I had the family aboard so speeds were down (70+-) I did learn if on take off if I bring it up to 3500 Rpm she jumps up sigificantly better than at 3000. It seemed it was slipping at 3000 but I just give it a little more and it gets going fine. A little gun shy I guess. I did take it out into Lake St Clair and used my GPS to get me back. All went well. I will be fixing a few problems during the next week and changing props too. I will be out next wekend too!. My wife is allready planning trips all over. I keep telling her to let me take it one step at a time. But I think I am will be going to Put-N-Bay in a couple weeks (During the week days).

96Vyper I hope to be calling you "2002 Avenger" soon. I would really like someone to run with with a similar boat. Especially right out of Sassy's.

Kentz - I thought 77 was respectable for my first 1 hr of operation!

One more picture of the 380 next to our friend's 52' Hatteras (the top out at 18 MPH (52,000 Lbs though)

Nice looking boat Ray! Good luck with it! You'll be a real pro by the end of the season! And I know that look that the wife gives, I get the same thing.

I have a 15 sec video (no sound) of me running you may have to right click and save to your hard disc to get it to work. It is abou 4.5 Mb

http://www.raymondbaldwin.com/1strun.mov

Ray---

Very nice looking 38. Which engines do you have? Assuming this is a new boat--how has the factory been to work with?

Thanks---TD

TDS69,

No not a new boat, it is a 1998 but I did just re-power it with 502MPI's and whipple chargers. I also upgraded the drives to IMCO Extreme SC's. This has been almost a two year project boat since I bought it. The previous owner had it all jacked up. But I have worked with the factory a few times on minor things like parts and a full moring cover. For me the factory has been good for others lately it seems they have been a little tough.

Ray--

Very nice completed project. Wow---I am looking for the same scenario. I have a completed new 540 and if I could find a 34 or a 38 with bad/no engines at a good price then I would just build another 540. I've been looking at the Sonic 31SS (like the cabin layout) but it seems they have poor factory support from what I've read on OSO. If you have pictures of your cabin I would like to see. I have some questions for you offline. My email is [email protected]

Thanks---TD

Good to hear you made it... Hope you have a trouble free summer, after last years debacle. I'm joining the broke down group, however, toasted my forward gear (busted right at the gear floor)on my port drive last weekend at the Poker Run in Grand Haven, there's two grand out the window ! You're gonna have me thinkin' about Imco's if these Bravo I's start giving me problems, I always though I ran 'em pretty conservatively, but after all it was a poker run!

Good Luck,
Paul

Nice boat,

Just took my 2002 38 to Mackinac island and then to beaver island from new baltimore. aweek of cruising. no problems.
765 miles on my gps trip meter.

I keep my boat at home and boat in your area.

I like to cruise, and will be doing another pib trip this year. It is a fun ride with a couple of offshores.

dave