"Reginald P. Smithers III" "Reggie is Here wrote in message
. ..
jamesgangnc wrote:
"Wade Carl Henley" wrote in message
...
I am looking to purchase the above mentioned boat, was wondering if
anyone
out there have had any experience with this boat, good,bad or ugly. All
opinions welcome.

Topics of interest for me is over all rating that you guys put to this
boat,
any problems...good points, bad points that sort of thing.

Thanks

Glenn

It has compromises to be a cruiser at that size but if your use is mainly
fair weather boating they are not a big issue.

One of the main things to watch for on just about all the boats is being
under powered. A lot of manufacturers, in order to keep the entry price
low, will sell boats with the smallest engine they can get away with. I
think this one can be had with a 5.0 (305) small block. Once you load it
up with a 5.0 it probably takes forever to get on plane and has to be run
"floored" to get any speed. If you test drive a boat bring a pile of
your friends to act as "load". A 5.7 (350) would be the bare minimum
for me on that boat and a big block would be ideal. Don't let anyone
tell you a smaller engine gets better milage. The difference is not that
significant and the lack of performance will be quite noticeable.



I think the 5.7 is the largest available engine for a boat this size. I
have seen them add the DuolProp or Alpha 3 to improve the ability to get
on plane, but a 7.4 liter engine would take up too much space and encroach
into the space they use for the mid berth.

That's too bad. The size difference is not as much as people think. A few
more inches on the front, sides, and top. I think you mean a bravo 3.
Volvo has a dual prop drive as well. Those will help and in combination
with a 5.7 probably work well on this boat. I'm guessing that adds 6 to 8
grand to the base price though. A 5.0 with an alpha II would suck.