ttuton

The cabin of a 31’ Sonic is hard to beat!

Lakeglider

I'm seeing a couple of velocities that look good. What's the build quality like? Any known problems? Anything to look for?

Lakeglider

Yes, this is info that I need. I've been looking at the 32 fever in particular. I plan on having a survey done before I buy something, I want to make sure there's no rot anywhere. I don't like those kinds of surprises.

Lakeglider

Hey Brad, I'm in Austin Texas. I plan on boating almost exclusively on lake Travis, although I may travel around to some of the local lakes for a weekend trip.

Lakeglider

A sonic 358 just popped up in my area and it seems really nice. I feel like that's a little too much boat for my needs honestly. What's the build quality like on those? Any known problems?

The more I look the more I'm feeling bougie in my old age. I'm leaning toward boats with a nice 2 berth, couches (settes I guess), fridge, microwave, a/c and a comfortable ride over lighter boats made for all out speed. I plan on spending a lot of Saturday nights sleeping on the boat so comfort has jumped to the top of the list. I'd still like to pin 75+ but I'm seeing boats that top out under 70 and I'm not taking them off the list.

Wildman_grafix

If cabin space is needed I am surprised no one has said DONZI 33ZX, wide beam and lots of room. Like others have said SONICS have large cabins as well.

As for rot and issues. Let's face it, 50K and what you are looking for means ALL these brands are old, and all can and will rot.

I bet there are a tons of boats out there with wood rot and people never know because they have not taken them apart yet.

Brad Christy

Lakeglider,

I'm not a huge fan of the PQ 290 Enticer. I kind of feel it was one of their rare misfires. It's just barely big enough to warrant twins, but it doesn't perform like a twin. With twice the fuel consumption, it falls well short of the performance of the 280, and with damned little more amenity space. My recommendation would be a 280 if you're wanting to stick with a single, or a 330 if you're up for twins.

My dad had a SeaRay 260cc that slept pretty comfortably for such a "small" boat, and it ran pretty well for such a "large" boat. If performance is not on your "must haves", the 290 Sundancer probably can't be beat, as far as amenities and build quality.

As for overnight comfort level, it all depends on how you gage comfort. If you're looking for lodging, performance is probably gonna have to be scratched from your list of priorities. If you're up for camping on a boat, most boats of any real size can accommodate two adults well enough. My wife and I used to stay on our Rinker 236 Sport Cuddy overnight on Saturday night for the PokerRun on Cumberland every year. Our PQ 280 is considerably more comfortable, but still nothing like a real bed.

Everything about a boat is a trade-off. Space for something "here" is lost space for something else "there". We specifically looked for a boat WITHOUT a fridge because we didn't want to sacrifice that space, but we don't overnight much. We are primarily day boaters.

Thanks. Brad.
(937)545-8991

caseyh

the platform sits in the water and tend to leak at the run rail.

Knot 4 Me

To add to the list:

303 Formula SR-1.
311 Formula FASTech.

Hoodoo 2.0

34 Superboat would be on my shortlist but I don’t know anything about the cabin.