CObarry

My first post....

We own a house on Lake of the Ozarks, and we've decided it's time to buy something a little more comfortable and safe when the water gets rough. For those who haven't been there, Saturday afternoons and evenings can get pretty intense. She wants something that can accommodate 10 people, but I say let the rest get their own boat, so let's get something that will be fun and fast. We both drive Corvettes, so I just can't see us in a Sea Ray Sundancer.

I've been looking for something in the 30' range....started out thinking a Baja 302 was a good choice, then I found a Formula 303 that I really liked. I've always admired the Formula SR-1's in any length, and as I'm sure many here will attest they are built to last. The only problem was that the owner told me they were upgrading to a 382 because they wanted to be more comfortable in rough water. Not a great sales tactic on her part. So I'm thinking I don't want to get 3 footitis in a year and regret not buying something bigger.

After reading some of the posts here and on other forums, I'm really settling in to the 336. The lines of the boat are just perfect, IMO. The 33' length provides a big enough cockpit that we could probably carry 8 for short distances in comfort. I've talked to the Formula dealer at LOTO and they agree that the 336 is a great boat for the conditions there, so I'm just about sold that this is the right boat for us (still have to convince her, though).

I've done some looking, and have found a few that I'm interested in, but the one I like best has relatively high hours of 750. Does anyone have opinions on engine life of the 502's? Is 1000 hours a reasonable number to expect before rebuild? Thanks in advance....

powerguy

CObarry - Last year I went from a 27 Fountain to a 93 336 Formula. Night and day difference in ride quality and usable space. The 336 handles the rough water ( as well as or maybe better that the 353) and has a lot of space in the cockpit, cabin and even the engine room. What I like about the 336 is when I feel the need for a larger boat the next logical step is into a 383 because the 336 is nearly identical to the 353 in everything except a non-stepped hull. The 383 offers some additional room and sone conveniences like A/C, heat and a TV.

I boat on Lake Champlain which is a lot like where you are. One nice advantage of the 336 is you are on a lake with a lot of smaller restaurants and marina's is that it is still short enough to get into a lot of those places. Where we are sometines there are no slips available for longer boats.

If the 502's have that many hours I would be looking at and prepared for a refresh of the motors and be prepared to some work on the drives. A compression and leakdown test will tell you a lot about what the condition of the motors is.

I was lucky in finding a low hour fresh water 336 where I live. Good luck in your search.

cuda

How many years did they make the 336? You don't see that many of them. 303's either for that matter.

jaybird

The 336 is a nice boat. Not too big, not too small. You are looking at seating 4 comfortably, 5 ok, 6, well, they better be skinny in the back seat!

750 hours - things could be questionable. I'd try to "buy it right" i.e. good price. It really depends on how it was run and maintained. Could be ok, or not. If I really liked the boat, as mentioned I'd have a leak down test performed and sea trial. Price would still need to be decent as things are going to go sooner or later.

CObarry

Both were made from '92-'96 only....

CObarry

Powerguy, nice boat. I don't think the lines on these boats will ever go out of style!

CAFormula1

CObarry, Friend has super nice 336 for sale..95, 525 sc's low hrs, the same graphics as pictured above (I Believe) give him a call..Bud Frye (702) 521-5074

KL

masi242

I meet Powerguy up at Lake Champlian this summer an what a beautiful 336 I would love to be next in line for that boat

mark

Bill272

We went from a 272 to a 95 336 and the difference was substantial. It just seems to be a well balanced boat and is easy to drive. The 272 with 454's needed some work to drive it like adjusting tabs and trim. I didn't realize how much I had to do that until I got the 336. The cockpit is decent sized, you get an enclosed head and the couches fill in to make a big bed. That was important for us because we overnight quite a bit with 2 kids. You also get good engine room access.

With the non-stepped bottom, you won't be the fastest on the lake. We've seen a best of 74 GPS with HP500's, 71 anytime. We've had ours for 2 years now and I'm not looking at anything else for a while. Next would probably be a 382. I did look at a 353 at the boat show this fall and was suprised by how it felt smaller than the 336. My 10 year-old son couldn't stand up in the cabin where he can in the 336, plus the couches were smaller. Go figure...

dukenrock

I've got a 2001 382 for sale. Will be dealer trading next month if goes as plans. Not sure if you wanted to spring for that or not. Listed on classifieds.