Hello all, im new to the boating world and was wondering if I could have your opinion on a few boats. Ive always owned Cobalts, and am ready to get into the Cigarette type boats--only thing is that i have no clue between manufacturers. So my question is--which boat manufacturers are known for quality? I want a boat in the 24-34 foot range, as a first boat, and will be running it in a local lake here in central texas which can be rough---Lake Travis. I would like a boat that can run 70mph, what combo does it usually take to do that? Is there a big difference between a 502 and a 454? Which boat cuts rough water the best? Im the kind of person that either has the boat pegged or is sitting anchored in a cove. So im looking for quality and speed and was wondering if yall could give me your opinions on the aforementioned boat manufacturers. thanks

Heh heh heh ... he said "Cigarette type boats"

hehe... yup he said it cool:

welcome to the board man enjoy it here

Take a look at Active Thunder. We have been looking to move up to a 35-40' boat from a 29' and were very impressed with what they have to offer. We looked at Formula, Donzi, Sonic, PowerPlay and Fountain and found that Active Thunder offered a lot more value than the others. They are not widely known, but they build top notch boats. Visit their website at www.activethunderboats.com and give Steve a call. Their customer service and attention to detail will blow you away.

best bang for the buck without a doubt is Baja.

o ya and if money isnt a real factor, fountain,active thunder,hustler,cig,donzi, and formula all build great boats too

Do you want a cabin? If not the Phantom 30 Speedster is the boat to scream around in at a reasonable price. Just don't plan on any overnights.
www.phantomboats.com

You have so many boats to choose from in that range that you should really go to a few boat shows or spend your weekend go to boat yards.

In regards to Baja boats---What year did they start making the floors fiberglass instead of wood? Also, there are alot of different models, which are the "faster" hull boats? Would that be the Outlaws, H2x's, etc?

List your must haves such as windshield,top,ladder an then look at which boat meets your requirment.Remember they are all yours untill you buy one.Have fun looking!

Some additonal brands to consider:

American Offshore
Eliminator
Hustler
Powerquest
Powerplay
Sonic
Skater
Sunsation
Superboat
Velocity