2003 Formula 27PC VS 2006 Formula 27PC HELP!!!

[Rboats509]

I am looking at 2 boats and can not decide what is the better choice, almost same price after adding a trailer to the 2006. Any opinions or info would be greatly appreciated. This will be my first cruiser so I any advice is welcome.

http://www.yachtworld.com/boats/2003/Formula-27-PC-2883735/Okanagan/Canada#.VjForX6rSUk
http://www.yachtworld.com/core/list...nits=Feet&access=Public&listing_id=27424&url=

Thanks!

 

[Rboats509]

The links will not copy but both are on Yacht world.

 

[Rboats509]

Both in Canada:
2006 Formula 27pc- Twin 5.0 Mercruiser, 455 hours, no gen set, been in salt water, no trailer. Needs bottom paint. $45,000 U.S.
2003 Fromula 27PC- Twin 350 Mag's, 340 hours. gen set, heat/AC, never had bottom paint, freshwater only. $49,000 U.S.

 

[smokeonthewater]

sooo one has more motor, less hours, gen, heat, a/c and freshwater only.... sounds like a no brainer to me if both are in the same condition.

 

[tpenfield]

Easy choice (for me) the 2003.

I am curious as to what about the 2006 is making it a hard decision?

 

[hosteter]

That is no question.take the newer one.think its better :-D

 

[Slip Away]

Neither. No bottom paint on boats that are slipped is not good. Freshwater or Salt.

 

[alldodge]

I to would go for the 2003, the 27PC is one heavy boat (I know) and you need power to get them going. Twin 5.0 is barely enough motor. As for the no bottom pain, Formula is one of the few manufactures which does real good work to keep the possibilities of blistering way down through their process. That and clear coated with Imron seals it up pretty good. Have it hauled out of the water for a few days and let it dry, if it has blisters they will start to show.

As for the trailer, just put an order a new one for my PC, not a bad price at all. If you want to know who and how much PM me

 

[bobdec]

To me if the vessel conditions are the same 2003 hands down... If you plan on over nights the gen set and heat/AC would be a requirement for me. Make a cup of coffee, recharge the house batteries, crack the microwave, heat up the cabin on chilly mornings. Probably not so much A/C requirement up north. Also as stated previously the 5.0's don't impress me for that boat. Think resale at some point, those items, and more HP bring up the price. I assume up in Canada your in water time is not a full year so you may get away with no bottom paint. Or if you'r planning on dry storage it's a different story.. IMO a slipped boat needs hull and out-drive protection to protect your investment, In certain waters it's not considered optional, check your bottom paint requirements with some local seasoned boaters..

 

[lg260ss]

I to would go for the 2003, the 27PC is one heavy boat (I know) and you need power to get them going. Twin 5.0 is barely enough motor. As for the no bottom pain, Formula is one of the few manufactures which does real good work to keep the possibilities of blistering way down through their process. That and clear coated with Imron seals it up pretty good. Have it hauled out of the water for a few days and let it dry, if it has blisters they will start to show.

As for the trailer, just put an order a new one for my PC, not a bad price at all. If you want to know who and how much PM me

Formula does not clear coat the bottom of their boats. The only imron on a Formula is the colors/graphics and they don't use colors on their hull bottoms. I agree that Formula is a high quality boat and typically don't have issues with blisters. There are a lot of Formulas on Lake George, NY, none have bottom paint that I've seen. I had mine for 6 seasons in the water, no blisters. Three seasons with my Regal, no bottom paint, no blisters. Bottom paint actually lowers the value of a boat on the used market.

I did have a Four Winns blister BADLY after 1 season in the water (2001 model), I was told that if it is going to happen to a hull, it will happen in the first few months that the boat is in the water.

 

[Natesms]

2003 all day. More motor, generator (huge IMO) and already has the trailer.

 

[Rboats509]

Does everyone agree then that the twin 5.0 will be a bit of dog especially out of the hole? I only liked the 2006 a bit more because the finishes and styling, looked a bit higher end. Looks vs function & reliability.... I think function, reliability and resale are my realistic concerns with the two.

Thanks for all the input!!

 

[lg260ss]

I like the styling of the 2006. The forward facing arch is much more pleasing to the eye. The cabinets and solid surface counters are a big difference too. The 2003 is very dated looking. The twin 5.0 should be adequate. These boats came with single big blocks for a time until Formula discontinued the single engine option.
Of these 2 boats, I do prefer a fresh water boat with no bottom paint, and generator though.
Tough choice.

 

[tpenfield]

The 350 mag engines are what you will want. That may outweigh the fancier trim of the newer model. Keep in mind that the actual condition of the boat as determined by first hand inspection and a marine survey should be your ultimate factor.

 

[alldodge]

Have to agree with you lg, Formula only uses Imron to cover decals and paint, not over gel (email Scott at Formula). Was told that years ago but someone I thought knew what they were talking about

As for the 5.0, no way no how, there is not enough HP there. The 5.7 mag would be the best, but 5.7 regular would be the least. I have 530HP and when I had 415HP it work ok, but not great.

 

[JoLin]

Does everyone agree then that the twin 5.0 will be a bit of dog especially out of the hole?

I don't agree. Unless you plan to use a 27 ft cruiser to pull skiers out of the water, the 5.0's will be plenty of power. Geez, I hit 39 mph on GPS in my boat 2 months ago. It weighs about 9500 lbs. 'wet' and has a heckuva lot more sail area than an express. My previous boat (27 Four Winns 278 Vista) also ran in the high 30's with a pair of V-6's.

That said, I'd be all over the 2003. Better equipped, lower hours, fresh water use. Fuel consumption about the same. Maintenance labor and parts costs identical. What's not to like?

My .02

 

[lg260ss]

Yeah, I still think the 5.0l are adequate. If the pictures I saw are correct, these are MPI 5.0l which are 260hp each, each swinging a Bravo3 drive. The standard engines that year were twin 4.3l I believe. The boat also has the Imron hull sides and the extended swim platform.

That being said, the other boat looks real clean, and has options that the OP has to decide whether or not he needs.

 

[tpenfield]

Definitely a 'what is adequate' versus 'what is preferred' type of decision as far as the engine choice goes. My perspective may be biased because I have twin 7.4L's on my Formula.

One aspect of an engine/option decision to think about when buying a boat is that at some point you will be selling the boat, and prospective buyers will be asking the same questions about engine choice. Bigger is an easier sell in most cases, and as JoLin indicated fuel consumption differences are not a significant factor.

 

[lg260ss]

I get the more power is better argument. My boat has the biggest engine the manufacturer would put in it.

These are the numbers from Boattest.com for a 27PC with twin 4.3l. Not too shabby for a cruiser. I imagine twin 5.0l would be in the upper 40's and cruising in the low to mid 30's. This didn't copy the way I expected but you get the idea.

RPM MPH Knots GPH MPG NMPG

650	4.1	3.6	1.8	2.3	2.0	219	191	352	6.60	6.81	0.97	0
1000	6.3	5.4	2.4	2.6	2.3	251	218	404	10.10	9.08	1.11	0
1500	8.8	7.6	4.6	1.9	1.7	183	159	295	14.20	17.41	0.81	0
2000	9.9	8.6	7.4	1.3	1.2	128	111	206	15.90	28.01	0.57	0
2500	12.1	10.5	12.0	1.0	0.9	97	84	156	19.50	45.42	0.43	0
3000	25.6	22.3	13.8	1.9	1.6	179	155	288	41.20	52.24	0.79	0
3500	33.9	29.5	20.0	1.7	1.5	163	142	262	54.60	75.71	0.72	0
4000	40.1	34.9	24.4	1.6	1.4	158	138	254	64.50	92.36	0.70	0
4400	44.0	38.3	30.8	1.4	1.2	138	120	222	70.80	116.59	0.61	0

 

[smokeonthewater]

You might be surprised how little improvement in top speed you would see going from 4.3 to 5.0

Also keep in mind those numbers are lightly loaded, little fuel, etc with a clean bottom.... Fill a cruiser with fuel, water, people, gear, food, clothes, etc and they get REAL power hungry.