New here looking for advice..

[Dieselmadness]

Hey everyone,
New here..looking at a boat (my second) and wondering if anyone can tell me more about Formula boats. This particular one is apparently a 78’ Formula Thunderbird 24’ with a Chevy 350/ Alpha 1 or 2 drive. Being an auto mechanic I know my way around the small block but not too familiar with the rest of the boat. I’ve always seen and heard about Formulas and know it’s a pretty big name in the boat world but how is their build quality, this vintage in particular (1978). From what I understand they have wood stringers and have been told this is not necessarily a bad thing provided the boat has been cared for. Assuming no soft spots and the transom looks good are these good quality boats? I don’t have the serial number yet but from the pics, can anyone identify it? Are they heavy? Fast? Handle well? I don’t know much about these old formulas but any info will help. Thanks again, figured I’d ask the guys that are way more versed on this.

 

[FunInDuhSun]

First, welcome to Iboats, lots of smart people here who are willing to help.
Formulas have an excellent reputation, but back then all boats were made with wood decks, encapsulated stringers and transoms. That Formula weighs around 4000 pounds and with a stock 260 HP Mercruiser will top out around 40 MPH. The hull is made for rough water so it should ride well in a chop. I had a similar boat (1985 Wellcraft 23 Nova) and, with time, the wood got wet and rotted. It was a very big job to make it right again.
That said, if this Formula was kept covered and dry its whole life, it could be a nice ride. The best way to check is to hire a marine surveyor who can take moisture readings using a meter. Another option is to ‘sound’ the hull, stringers, and transom by tapping on the fiberglass. This takes practice to differentiate the difference between wet and dry. As I recall, moisture readings of more than 17% means it‘s wet.
Bottom line- know what you’re buying BEFORE you make an expensive mistake. Good luck!

 

[tpenfield]

the Formula website has 'vintage' brochures that you can download . . . Here is one from 1978.

https://www.formulaboats.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/1978-Formula_Signa-Brochure.pdf

A 1978 boat, being over 40 years old will need some inspection to determine if it is solid, or possibly has been restored.

Overall, it in its day, was a very good boat. Really good in the chop. I owned the 1991 version of the boat, and had to do some restoration work on it.

 

[Scott Danforth]

build quality on the boat only mattered back in 1978 when the boat was new. everything else after that comes down to car, condition, maintenance, condition, condition , condition, condition

the issue with all vintage fiberglass boats is as some point, you will be doing fiberglass repair.

generally boats are designed to last 15 years and be discarded and replaced or restored to reset the life clock. that 78 is going on 46 years old. so the hull, motor, drive, etc. is all on borrowed time.

24' boat is borderline needing something bigger than a stock small block

it will be heavy, however not bad. the boat has a great deadrise, so it will handle chop very well.