Hey! I have been contemplating buying a MCOB (mid cabin open bow) performance boat for a little while. It's AMAZING that there are less than a handful to be found
down here in Florida! But, it seems like this style boat would be great to take more people out boating and still have the ability to escape the hot sun without having to be in a hot cabin with
limited ventilation. Is there something I am missing? I'd hate to make a purchase and then have a hard time getting rid of it if I didn't like it for some reason.

Seems like just a preference thing. The east coast started the performance boat scene and was always focused on being the traditional offshore style. It seems the mid west builders were more open to different designs,maybe because there customers were on lakes and rivers and not gonna be running in big stuff. I like the MCOB layout as it let's you take more people out but still have a boat that will be good if you run into some snotty water. Envision made a few models and has a 36 that has a ton of rear deck seating plus the MCOB. I have seen a few reasonable but it's hard to get much info on their build quality as there aren't many around. I'm just partial to them as they are what the Pachanga turned into. The Sunsations are really nice and prolly a little more offshore worthy than the Envisions. If it fits what you want to do I'd go for it, an MCOB will be on my list for a next boat as it would work great for around here in the Bay and Rivers.

The hard thing is finding one to look at to see how each of them compare, without having to fly out west every time you think you find one. I have seen the Envision. And, even though I don't care for their particular styling, the layouts seem very practical. I might wind up just getting a bowrider of some type or just say heck with it and "go with what you know"! Resale might be a bummer on this coast. I found a couple Donzi ZXO's. I might check them out as a first step. Everybody wants all the money these days....

BTW, is Turbofox a turbo fox body?

Yeah...it used to ... had a 93 gt convertible with a twin turbo 347. All I have left now is a 92 gt with a 01 Cobra drivetrain swap project.. It runs but needs paint and interior put back in. I really want to swap the 4.6 with a new 5.0 though....then a turbo or a procharger.

Thats cool. I got a triple black 86 GT vert 5spd (na, but modded nicely...~300rwhp), 93 yellow feature vert w/blk int with a 5 spd and a really clean white 91 5.0 (stock) auto vert. I'll be selling either the 93 or 91 soon in order to get a notchback fox to round out the collection, lol. I was thinking about putting a turbo on the feature car, since it's not perfect anyway and might be kinda fun. Doesn't sound like it would be that complicated to install a turbo.

Meanwhile, I gotta find a boat, lol!

What size MCOB you looking for?

Yeah... I had an 87 notch...should never have gotten rid of it. The only body style I haven't had is a T-top so I always have an eye out lol.

They are great boats for Florida heat. I had a 32 Sunsation MCOB and loved the boat. In no wake/idle zones the breeze coming through the cabin was priceless for the kids/passengers hiding out from the sun. Closed deck boats are a waste of space in Florida (too hot, cabin is a hot box and you would never sleep aboard). You can ride up front at speed in flat water but I wouldn't advise kids up there solo in case you find a wake/wave because they will go flying. Capt's Choice in Ft Walton Beach seems to have a few around, they sold more Sunsations in Florida than anyone.

FYI the 288 and 32 Sunsations are identical from the windshield/fairing to the transom. The bow area and mid cabin are slightly smaller in the 288. The midcabins started in 2004 for the 32 and I think 2003 for the 288. To me the worst thing about them are the dated paint schemes (too many purple or red/yellow boats).

Not sure exactly. Don't want too small so that it would be difficult to get thru the mid cabin, but don't necessarily want a big 30+ (unless the $ is right). It seems with the hull technology today, a lot of under 30' boats are running single BBC's and getting pretty good performance out of them. If I could find something capable of 60-70mph, I'd be happy.

See, that's what I have been thinking! It seems like the perfect market here for these boats. But, yet, there are hardly any around. I just found a 07 Donzi 28' ZXO. I might step up and make the 2.5 hour drive one way and check it out once and for all.