Hey guys, I just signed up. I'm a ex-family boater (19' stingray BR I/O) from the late 90's and early 2000's and now am trying to get into some kind of a real boat. I've been looking around on craigslist and found a few within budget and style. But ultimately what I'm looking for a big, fast boat that can take some people and have room for some coolers and gear. The closest thing I found to what I want is a '89 Sea Ray Pachanga. With the Cuddy, 454 magnum Bravo drive. Boat looks awesome to me. It has the drop down cushion seats so you can stand or sit. Lots of room for people. Has a buddy. And most important that 454 with pipes coming out the back end. My questions and concerns are on the age of the boat and the fact I doubt it's fuel injected. What would be the mid 90's EFI version of the Pachanga? I don't see any for sale after '90. I found a '96 Well Craft Scarab 22 with the EFI 454 Bravo. But it's tight and has no buddy from what I could tell online. I like the look of a old Well Craft Scarab or Pachanga. can you guys please help point me in the right direction. Thanks in advance.

Been doing some research like crazy. I don't think the Pachanga is what I want. A 26' Formula from the 90's or a Wellcraft Scarab 26' from the 90's is what I'm looking for.....

When you find the boat you like, (this is where you need to read) Get A Survey Done.

look at 26 sonic's and 25 active thunders, as well

ok, where are you and what is your budget? how many people you wanna fit? how fast you wanna go? that 22 is smaller in most ways than your old 19 bowrider. a great buy over 500 miles away is not such a great buy. you come here and say "i have $___k and live in such and such a place" and people will come up and tell you what they know of in your area, or what they have for sale. or who to go see for local info-advice. just be ready for a sideshow. one guy will say "this is the best boat for the money." and another giuy will say "that hull is junk." and they will start a catfight and everybody will forget you are looking for a boat and start arguing. but in the process you will get to see the (perceived) downsides of many different boats...and it is fun to watch. oh yeah; welcome aboard!

I stayed up last night reading about the history on boating (speed boating I guess) and the types etc. The pachanga is NOT for me. Nor do I want a carb boat. I want fuel injection. I searched Orlando, Tampa, Miami and Ft Myers Craigslist. This is what I want so bad I could trade my twin turbo bmw for it if he would. I did see that the 22' well craft scarab is WAY to small. No cuddy, no where to put some coolers and family gear. Basically a 5 seater sport boat. Not for me. I really like the 25-27' Cuddy boats like this formula!!!! This is the ticket man!!! I'd say budget of $15k. This guy below already came down to 15k. Anyone want to trade a boat like this for a '07 BMW with 420HP and showroom condition hahaha. The BMW never gets driven.... I think the wife is right. At least with the boat we'd use it as a family. The car is just for me.

https://miami.craigslist.org/mdc/boa/4959456446.html

You would be more happy with that Formula then almost anything out there for the money. Finding a "sport" boat that will seat a lot of people it's very hard, especially in the $15k range! Believe me, I tried.... I used to have a Formula 242ls, and the build quality is absolutely amazing (even better then my scarab), and that 252 you are looking at is a perfect size. Easy to trailer, plenty of room, Will still go 60 +/- and still big enough for when the water gets rough. I dig it, and having a good solid quality boat to start off with is the BEST way to do it, rather then trying to save a few bucks and end up with junk. I will say the sit down seats in the formulas are really annoying, they sit too low and you will want bolsters, but you can ad that later and then you will have it all!

^Exactly. You hit every point bud. The only thing I didn't like about this boat was the seats, which you picked up on. I like the stand-up, flip down bolster kind that have a U-shape to them. But that doesn't seem to hard to retrofit. I do all my own work and have extensive car fab/modification work experience. Yes, this Formula boat is a gem. Just hope I can find one like this in about 6 months when I'm ready to pull the trigger on the deal. So sounds like I'm on the right path. I really want to stick with a Formula boat from I've been seeing. I had no idea about their history until last night. One of the OG's building these deep v's. And I like how well thought out the boat is. The scarab's to me look like stripped out camaro's with roll cages if you compare them to cars. This Formula I found is the best example (minus front seats) of what I am looking for. Could not come up with anything better. I'm not looking to race people or go stupid fast. I want a sporty boat like this that can cruise 45 well with the family and kids. And when I and my buddy's go out could romp it a bit. not looking to modify the engine or race every boat I see.

You aren't yet.... You will tho. Lol. Only reason I went with the Scarab this time around was because I wanted something in the 30'+ range, and if I got another Formula I wanted it to be a 1992 or newer (cause of the rear swim platform and graphic change), and all the 302s & 336s were just out of my price range, and the 31' Scarab Excels are just as roomy on the inside as Formulas (the 22' scarabs are way to small for me, fast but no creature comforts). The only other thing I would consider if you end up with a 24-25' Formula is upping the power in the future. They cruise amazingly, but are heavy boats that are kinda slow getting on plane with a single engine, and will actually cruise faster using LESS gas with a little more power. Throw a small blower on it and you will have an economical family boat with enough power to go out with the boys and get a little crazy with too. I know adding a blower and swapping out the front seats might seem like some big changes when in all reality you probably wanna buy a new boat that is 100% what you want, but they don't really make boats "exactly" how you want, gotta do that part yourself, ha! But starting with a quality built boat that has a good ride, the seating arrangement and cuddy you want is way more important for someone who actually has a family and uses their boat. Formulas are easier to get down into the cuddy then a lot of others as well in that price range too. Oh and don't overlook the trailer! I made my Formula perfect and held off on the trailer and spent every single vacation on the side of the f**kin highway fixing a trailer! Lol

^good to know. I'm not writing off a 26' scarab, just saying I can't see any in my price range from the 90's that are EFI. I know I want those muffler cans gone. That's the first thing that would go. But I don't consider exhaust and bolt on items as major mods. for me major mods is forged pistons, cam, rods, etc. I do not want to get into the motor beyond a "long block" arrangement. And if they are EFI, can't we get tuners for them? I put a full blown laptop based Vishnu Proceed tuner on my BMW and it's nuts. I can control boost, timing, data log etc. Figure there maybe something for the EFI boats. I really like the Formula cubby entry too. as mentioned.