Toying With Making a Big Change

copb8tx said:
No offense meant but are you sure the two bugs were just resting in the breeze there?
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They might have been spiders that crawled out from under the windshield wipers to get some sun:).... ...not sure.. my wife just said there were two bugs on the windshield after she cleaned them before we left
 
I think when we get closer to retirement in a few years I want a big boat again that we can spend weeks at a time cruising the area. I'm really not locked into a specific future. Kinda take it one year at a time and see what lights our fires.
 
Tacoma290 said:
The MV Freedom content is great!
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They're a good part of why my wife is getting "on board" with the idea of selling all of the things and moving onto a boat in 10-12 years.
 
Formulas are nice boats but they have narrow beams. Working in that bilge will be no fun.
 
copb8tx said:
That 350CBR is a beautiful boat! I've always heard Formula quality was very good. Why did you get rid of it so soon?

I have looked into both the 330 and 350 CBR's. There are things a like about the open bow but I think with as big as the cockpits and the swim platform areas are I'd prefer that space to be a more usable cabin.
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I had two solid seasons with the 350CBR, and then the desire to travel more around the Great Lakes became a reality. While the Formula was great for darting to harbors that were 80-100 miles away and having accommodations for 2 for a weekend, it wasn't ideal for 2-week trips (both the accommodations, and lack of diesel power).

Nevertheless, it was a fantastic boat and I do miss a lot of its features. I considered a 40PC for the replacement, but that boat is a bit outdated with its eisenglass connectors between windshield frame and hardtop, totally closed hardtop, and very little natural light in the cabin.

Performance in rough chop was remarkable given the boat's size and displacement. There's a Captain Steve video where he comments that with Formula's deeper vee, you actually can speed up a bit in rough seas and it slices the water more comfortably. I now know what he meant.
 
I take delivery of a Formula 350CBR next week. The cabin is very small but the boat is fast and gets on plane very quickly. The bowrider part of the hybrid is great for us since we are mostly dayboaters. Our boat is in Longboat Key on a lift. I can't stress enough that you should not get I/Os. My DA330 has been nothing but problems and has had a lot of rust/corrosion issues even on a lift with meticulous care. Just the salt air can be an issue. I would look for a boat with outboards as suggested above. As for racking a boat I think it is fine. I racked a 28 ft Chaparal in the past and had no issues. I racked my DA330 For 6 months while we built our house also with no issues.

As you can see you do lose most of the functionality of the swim platform


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I'm very interested in hearing a few more details about the issues you had with your outdrive boat.

I love the idea of outboards but formula only more recently came out with them on the 310SS and 350SS. Between being so new and the cost of the upgrade it really puts those boats out of the budget of what I wanted to spend.

My understanding was that more modern sterndrive boats are better protected against the salt environment.

As we all know all too well, everything about boating is what compromises you have to make to get the closest thing to what you want.
 
I just came across another cool boat that somewhat meets my requirements but probably not my budget. It's a Sea Ray (YAY!) 320 Sundancer Outboard.

It's a very cool hybrid design with bowrider capability but with a nice cabin area. It's not as sexy, fast or efficient as the Formula for sure, but it brings a lot of other benefits the Formula lacks.

Sea Ray Site: https://www.searay.com/us/en/models/sundancer-series/sundancer-320-outboard.html

Video:

Biggest problem is that it's such a new design that there aren't any used ones out there. I'd prefer to buy a 3-5 year old boat so that some of you rich guys have already taken the depreciation ding. :)
 
Snazzy boat ...doesn’t remind me of a Sundancer at all ,she draws almost 4 feet that’s a lot for a 32 footer. She probably can use a bigger fuel tank than 150 gallons
 
joeyleggz said:
Snazzy boat ...doesn’t remind me of a Sundancer at all ,she draws almost 4 feet that’s a lot for a 32 footer. She probably can use a bigger fuel tank than 150 gallons
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Is that the draft with the motors up?
 
blaster said:
Is that the draft with the motors up?
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No, that’s engines down. Couldn’t really tell, based on diagrams, but I have seen 320OBs in some super skinny water, so would not be surprised if it were 2.5’. Middle engine is further down, if it weren’t there, draft would be lower. Twin 425 or 400 should be plenty...
 
Todd320 said:
No, that’s engines down. Couldn’t really tell, based on diagrams, but I have seen 320OBs in some super skinny water, so would not be surprised if it were 2.5’. Middle engine is further down, if it weren’t there, draft would be lower. Twin 425 or 400 should be plenty...
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I think I'd much prefer a twin, vs triple, setup anyway. Cost and maintenance would me much more desirable. Reducing draft by several inches would also be a great benefit.
 
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