late 90's 31ss sonic
 

est. speeds with 454mags , 500hp's and 525sc's .

mags....67-68 500's 74-76.....525????????maybe 80-82

454 mag carbs 68.7gps w/4 blades
525's 89 on speedo(faria) so low 80's on gps probably

Broke you know speedo's dont count....then my boat runs like 85!!!!I wish.....you running a 31 with 4 blades? I'd like to try some!

Here is a 31' with big motors that is new to my searches..... looks pretty dammed clean from the pics....... Great price!!!!


http://www.yachtworld.com/broker/br_...oker&mls_true=

Damn thats a great boat!!!looks ultra clean, big power and the price is right!

What is the life expectancy of those 525hp motors compared to say 496's??? Maintenance???

Well there Merc factory power so they should be bullet proof real small blowers low boost life expectency depends on how you run them.

I called about the boat, but I guess they open at noon or something.

Anyway, can anyone tell from the pics if it has shore power and an elect fridge. Can't tell if it's an cooler with the mirrored front.

Right in my price range, so I'm very interested. Sucks that it's Buffalo. Makes it tough to get a sea trial.

Looks just like my fridge...besides if it had only a cooler its the glove box...I would say it has shore power and the fridge. my .02

Thanks Dyno. Just what I wanted to hear. :)

Buy it! I love mine.....my next boat will be a 42...

Don't buy that boat unless you plan to rebuild the motors. It was repoed locally. I knew the owner and he used to keep it in the racks at my old marina. He changed the pulleys on the 525 SC's so they were running a lot more boost than the factory put's them at. That boat was run HARD.

bn what about the rest of the boat? engines are easy.... what condition is the rest of the boat in?

I called Bill's Boat's. It is a repo'd boat. Does have shore power and fridge. Sucks to hear the boat was rode hard.

Can't sea trial until spring anyway.

Forgot to mention. The guy let payments lapse after getting his 2nd DWI.

Did they give you any indication as to the condition of the boat? Options? Looks good from pics, but pics could be deceiving....

ECB, the guy said the boat is in very good conditiion. It's being kept in their showroom over the winter.

I can't get over the price on it..... I'm researching the 31 with 496's so when we're ready to buy, I'll know what is/isn't a good deal. Even 99' models with smaller engines are more expensive than this one at 75K..... If I were looking for one with the BIG motors, I'd be on my way to Buffalo..... Long as the engines run and give you some good hours.... then freshen them up later down the road.... your ahead of the game... That is if you want all that power!!!!

I also know this boat and the owner. This boat was run extemely hard. If i rmemeber correctly he was running the boost at 10 - 11 lbs with no intercooler. for a little 174 blower that is like setting them for kill. Hull wise the boat is in decent shape the ower the 1st year he had it took care of it after that he just beat the crap out of it. i can recall many of days the boat just sat next to the pier by a popular resturant we all go to. If anyone were to buy it you really should go through the blowers and motors right after you buy it. I'm not trying to beat the owner or boat up but i can remember all the days seeing him and all his friends walking all over it with shoes and smoking like chimneys on it. Just my .02

I'm looking at the price sheet on the sonic 358 and those motors cost an arm and a leg more than the 500efi's.... 35k more... that's list price of course.... that's crazy....

I've driven that boat, it was a sweet ride, and even after the treatment it has had recently it is worth every penny of $75K. Its too bad because the first 2 owners took good care of it. The third is the one who abused it and let it be repoed. When new the owner payed around 130K, stickered way above that. Any one know how many hours on it?
It had about every option, shorepower, fridge, cd changerw/remote etc, power bolsters.
Used to have a mooring cover, but now its on my boat!

hey thanks all you sonic owners for the info , i'm staying away from that time bomb!! i'll save my $$ for something that was not abused .

I'm not sure of the condition of the rest of the boat. I've only seen it going in and out of the marina and on the lake. Never rafted up with them. I do know that he didn't keep it at the marina last summer and I saw it at the state dock across from the Waterfront restaurant most of the summer getting the bottom all slimy and green.

Still, at that price its worth fixing up. NADA lists it at $81K with smaller (4-500hp) power, NOT counting trailer, worth about 4K.

If you're driving to Buffalo stop in Syracuse and check out BN's 1995 35SS with '99 454 mag MPI's ( installed by a very talented and handsome mechanic:p ;) ) Its in that price range and in good shape. 67mph gps if I remember right, fast for its size and power. This boat is MUCH bigger than a 31.
And if you buy it I can probably get BN to buy me beer all summer!:D

Its on www.powerboatusa.com

well here's my .02 the condition of the hull is what counts you can rebuild motors and blowers no big deal! For me I would take the blowers off anyway bulid some N/A 496's and run it. Bn's 35 looks like a good deal too, Bigger is always better unless its on the trailer.
Don

I trailer and that's one thing keeping me away from the 358... I love that boat.... but it's 42.5' long on a trailer.... just to much.... and the insurance goes way up as well.... a

nyone tow a 358 around town, it must be difficult or am I wrong.....

I agree, if the boat hull is good, interior salvagable, the engines can be pulled and redone.... check the gimbles.... there could be hidden costs there.... half the fun for me is taking a boat like that, putting it in the garage and tearing it down and putting it back together.... something about when you get it all done, it feels good and you know what you got....

its got external steering right? the gimbals should be fine...

Just took a look at the pics.... and yes it does have hydraulic steering.... so there shouldn't be any issues.... never hurts to check, if there are any issues, I know it isn't cheap.....

If your really interested get a survey its worth the money !

East Coast B - what do you mean about the insurance going up? My insurance looks at the length vs. hp ratio and determines insurance based on how fast it goes and how much you want to insure it for. I'm no expert, but it doesn't make sense that
insurance would be higher just because it's a bigger boat.

Also, my boat is a 35 SS, not a 358. It tows awsome, I think mainly because of the incredible trailer under it.

I'm not sure what Allstate uses in all it's calculations, but one difference with the 358 was a much higher insured value which I'm sure pushed the insurance cost up......

As for towing, my concern I guess with the 358 was turning corners in small towns and places we tow. Even some of the parking lots didn't look big enough to launch at the ramp.

I love the 358, maybe I just need to work my way up little by little to assure myself and feel confident about towing it. If I lived just a short way from the shore or big water, I don't think I would have any issues with the 358. I boat with other people that have smaller boats and we do some of the inland lakes which aren't that big... so I need to keep that in the equation.....

ECB. If you get the 358 I would recommend getting the goose neck trailer setup. Yes, it's more expensive, but man it makes it easier to do turns.

We've been up and down the 358, we just can't do it..... so the 31 will have to suit us... I'm comfortable with towing that length, it'll fit around the side of my house to where I'm going to put the garage for it and it's much less money.....

a goose neck is cooooooooool and I agree a great way to go... maybe when I get to that size, I'll check it out..... by then, I hope to have a dock in the back yard in living down South somewhere.....

Big difference between a 31 and a 358 as far as overall size. Where you boat will influence that decision significantly. Trailering either one is not a big problem so I wouldn't get hung up on that other than the size of the tow vehicle itself. For insurance it comes down to "insured value" you might want to try companies that specialize in performance boats. On a side note you see more 31's in inland water ways. Good luck and happy hunting.

Oh, by the way, the boat does not have shore power.

I trailer my 42 on occassion, it can be a pain in the ass ! I dont have a problem doing it. Just the other drivers out there don't consider your turn radius, & stopping etc. And parking somewhere is a pain. Total rig length, boat/tow vehicle make it as long if not longer than an 18 wheeler ! Otherwise no problem with towing it around.

What do you tow that 42' with? Ever pull any hills anywhere? I'm in PA. and it's hills.... I know when I go up them, the boat pulls back.... it's called GRAVITY!!!! I have a 26' which was fun with my 99' Yukon.... Now with my 02 Ford diesel, it's no issue and I know a 31 will be no issue..... Flat land, I'd not be concerned with pulling any weight.....