Btw I just bought a 7.3 cclb dually 4x4 to replace my nightmare 6.0. It is definitely not as speedy as the 6.0, but I am confident it will tow the boat fantastic. Also since this is not a daily driver anyone I figured why not have the extra stability of a dually. This is only to tow my 31' sonic on an aluminum trailer so it is only 11-12k, but you can't have too much tow rig!

I had a 97 F250 extra cab long box. It really was a great truck. Mine was a 5spd with an aftermarket clutch, TS Performance chip, aftermarket intake, and i just cut the exhaust off before the catalytic converter. It was deffinitely a durable truck. I worked the hell out of that thing. However...

-The F250 front axles suck. They eat ball joints and ride terribly. Also burn up front tires.
-They like fresh fuel filters, i changed mine every 7500 miles or so.
-Change the belt, tensioner, and idler pulleys. The vacum pump that powers the brakes is belt driven. I lost a belt on the highway while loaded, it was almost bad news...
-The lift pump (fuel pump in the engine valley) tends to start puking fuel on high milage trucks. Not very difficult or expensive to replace for the mechanically inclined. Same with the water pump.
-The turbo has butterfly on the exhaust side. Its to aid in engine warm up. The solenoid that controls it failed on my truck and it lost significant power. I disabled mine with a length of safety wire and it was all set.

If the price is right and the truck was maintained, these are very good trucks. They make respectable power and get decent fuel milage.

Are the 97's the OBS?

1999 was the body style change; yes.

7.3 was a great engine, but it wasn't exactly a powerhouse compared to todays diesels. A tuner wakes them up, but then you have to watch the EGTS climbing those hills to LOTO towing a 38FT boat when your foots mashed for a while climbing hills.

For a 38 PQ, which is not only heavy, but its a tall wind catching whale on the trailer, I'd be looking at a dually.

I have considered finding a 96 to 00 Chevy/GMC 1 ton Dually big block (454) for my occasional towing needs. Have seen some clean rust free low mileage units down south.