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242LS SR-1 Questions???

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jnichols

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Discussion starter · #1 · (Edited)
1986 242LS SR-1 questions - I test drove it but need help!

First time post here, so bare with me. I've been looking for an older performance boat for quite some time now, and as I was previously in a three way partnership in a 1998 Donzi ZX33, I know enough to be dangerous and sort of what I want. The problem is we have very few dealers for new boats like this in our area, but there is a Formula dealer so I visited them. After spending some time with a salesman there going over a new Formula, I sort of got the picture that these really are special boats. As the new boats are way out of my price range, I have found a 1986 242LS SR-1 with twin 350's and what looks to be Alpha drives and through hull exhaust from the pictures (I have posted a side view pic). The problem is the boat is 450 miles from me, and although I have called about it and asked a slew of questions, the dealer that has it doesn't know much about Formula so I'm tentative to make the drive. So maybe you guys can ease my worries a bit...

Is there anything I should be aware of/afraid of on this boat? The dealer doesn't know the exact hours (a little scary I know), but the pictures show a boat that has obviously been cared for and always trailered (not slipped). What can I expect from a performance standpoint with this boat as I live at 4000 feet and will be using the boat at this altitude for the most part? Has anyone tried to ski or tow toys behind one, and if so how did it work? Is there a better year or worse year for this model, or is a different model more desirable? I really like the 242LS size wise, and don't really want to tow a bigger boat than that.

Thanks so much for any help I can get in advance!

Jeff
 

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#2 ·
I.M.O. 1987 is the most desireable year of the 242SR1. This was the only year of the SR1 with a curved windshield and the more 'modern' look, but they are few and FAR between.

Several people on this board have previously owned a 242 SR1 and will likley chime in on performance. I'm not sure there are any known trouble areas specific to the year/model you are looking at but it is a 21 year old boat...

I'd find someone local to look it over before taking the trip, maybe someone on speedwake can help
 
#3 ·
On that size of boat, those twin engines will just suck more gas than they are worth. I think you'd be better off with a single big block - ESPECIALLY if you are going to be using this boat as a ski/tube/ect boat.

Those are alphas - a lot of people will tell you to go straight to bravos. That said, I'm pushing 400+ hp through my alphas with no problems.

I like the trailer on the boat - a triple axle is great for long pulls, and in SLC you'll be pulling it quite a bit.

Overall, it looks good but I'd look for a single engine boat.

Joe Z
 
#6 ·
Hello welcome to SW, the 242ls is a great boat, I had mine for 3 years and at this point I am kicking myself for selling it, mine was a 88 242ls with a 454/365 honest 55mph boat, I did get it to run 59 once long enough to register on the gps, yes I was on my way to the trailer with NO gas and bye MYSELF :bigsmile: anywayz as said above the 242 is a nice all around boat very stable and reliable, Perhaps cuda is lurking or one of the other guys that had a 242 with 350's they can chime in on performance, but I agree with what was said above if your gonna tube ski etc you might want to keep with a single, should you do that I never tried with mine but if I was gonna make a day of sking I would hacve bought a small prop because there not the greatest outta the whole, if you go on BT there is a 87 SR1 with 350's in Laconia NH, it looks nice and everything Ive seen from that are has been nice/mint lotta money up there :laugher: Problem is its on the other side of the country, I personally like the 87-up Formula's they have a much nicwer look with the smooth windshield and in 87 they had alota freshining up in the interior, basically I feel they don't look so dated,

Anyways Good luck, keep us posted and as I said I'm sure 1 of the other guys will chime in shortly that has had first hand expirence with that boat
 
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Discussion starter · #8 · (Edited)
Thanks so much!

Thanks for all the replies so far. I'm still a little confused about the twin engine issues. I just assumed 520+ hp from two small blocks would be that much better than 310-365 hp from a single big block, but maybe that thinking isn't correct? Also someone mentioned the Alphas would be spinning in the same direction. The Bravo drives on my Donzi ZX33 rotated opposite of one another, and I thought that would be the case here. Do the drives spinning in the same direction cause handling quirks or take away from the top end or hole shot?

All I know is that enough of you have questioned the twin small blocks to make really stop and think. Honestly before posting here, I was pretty much set on that being the setup to have. Well hopefully someone can help me better understand the downsides of the twins a little better. Oh yeah, and thanks for posting the pictures of your boats!

Jeff
 
#9 ·
Jeff,
I'm pushing a lot more power through Alphas that spin the same direction and have run into minimal problems. I do have to use trim tabs at lower speeds to compensate for the list that the torque creates. It seems that at higher speeds this issue goes away though. Economically, you'd be better off with the single for skiing and recreational boating. I use my boat in heavy chop to run to the party cove on the lake. This 242 would be great for that also, but a little heavy for skiing. Expect around 1.8 mpg with twin small blocks and around 2.8-3.0 mpg for a single big block. Those are rough numbers, but you get the idea. Additionally, witht the weight savings, that 242 would likely be quicker with a single fresh big block...
 
Discussion starter · #10 · (Edited)
Thanks for the info Zdek...

So it sounds like a single big block might be the ticket. The dealer who has this boat did say a lake test wasn't a problem, so I guess I could find out easily enough how she runs (except for the drive to the dealer that is).

So with that said, I still haven't been able to find any real speed numbers for this boat with this setup. Any ideas on what it should run with the twins, or with a single big block for that matter? Also, the mileage isn't that big a deal. We are mainly into small lake boating and relaxing. My guess is the boat won't get run enough around my home to even notice the gas mileage. Now if I start making trips to Lake Powell/Mead/Havasu again, 150-200 mile day trips are possible and tend to strain the wallet a bit more. In fact I still vividly remember a $1,200 fuel bill for one weekend aboard the Donzi at Lake Powell... :dead1:

Jeff
 
#12 ·
If you were going out in the ocean I would definately say get twins,,for small lake use like everyone else has said youll be wasting fuel for no good reason.
Two engines/drives means twice the drag and twice the weight so youll be using up alot of the extra hp overcoming that.On the other hand having two engines means twice the chance of getting home if something breaks and a better ride in rough water hence the reason I said I would get it for ocean use..
and even with the drives spinning the same way two engines makes docking a whole lot nicer than a single.

What I havent seen is what they are asking for the boat,at the right price any boat is a good boat..
:)
 
Discussion starter · #13 ·
Zdek, I'm hoping that 55 mph top end you are quoting is for my altitude, and not for sea level. I would have assumed that boat would run at least 65 mph with the twins down where there is a lot of oxygen. And again as far as the gas mileage goes, I'm not really concerned about that. For my purposes I'm sure a single big block would be more efficient, but I like the idea of twins for many other reasons.

Well anyway, I talked to the wife and she thinks it's a good idea to make the drive, so we'll pack up and head down there Sunday night. With any luck, I'll know what I'm up against in short order and will make a decision on Monday. Thanks again for all your help guys!

Jeff
 
#16 ·
I beleive Cuda got 65 from his twin 350s. I know of two people with 242s. Single 454 Mag 55/56 mph. Single 502 Mag /415 hp 61/62 mph. He then replaced the 502 Mag with a warmed over HP500 at 535 hp and now gets 69/70 GPS
 

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Discussion starter · #17 ·
Thanks for the update...

I'm glad someone has heard of one running faster than 60 mph. I know from all I've read and heard, the hulls are solid and while not the fastest, are very stable and smooth riding. Being someone who has owned several smaller production boats that ride very rough and bang themselves to pieces in the choppy stuff, this is a huge factor in my seeking a smaller performance boat like the 242LS.

After spending some time in 3-5' chop at Lake Powell at the helm of the Donzi ZX33, I simply can't go back to a smaller boat with horrible rough water manners. Again thanks guys!

Jeff
 
Discussion starter · #19 ·
Mission accomplished...

First off, sorry for the long post but I figured I'd be complete with my story as I need some more help!

So I made the trip to Nevada this weekend and looked the 242LS over. All in all the pictures of the boat didn't really present it correctly, so I'm glad I had a look. Here are the positive aspects of the boat in my book...

The paint and hull are in pretty good shape considering the boats age and will need only minor repairs and a good buffing. The trailer that looked pretty good in the pictures is actually pretty rough looking in person, although it seemed to be in good mechanical order and had new tires (it also towed nicely but more on that later). The interior on the other hand was in outstanding condition and far overshadowed the exterior. Why the dealer didn't post interior photos of the boat on their website is beyond me? The seats have just been redone in a tasteful and color matching vinyl, and the snap in carpet and cabin carpets were all new. Also the original wood and fabrics in the cabin were in very good condition. Now for the negative aspects...

While the hull and paint were ok, the rubrail and what's left of the graphics are trashed and will need a lot of help. The boat is missing several items that are of concern to me including a bimini top and cockpit cover (even though there are mounts and snaps for both on the boat). The top door that covers the cabin is gone, the toilet is missing, and several of the original gauges have been replaced with non-matching units. Also, a couple of the gauges including the gas gauge don't work, and the VHF radio is missing.

Considering the asking price, I nearly walked away from the lot but the salesman (working on Sunday no less) was easy going and wanting to deal. He couldn't take me for a lake test as he was the only one working (and this would have been a deal breaker for me), but he agreed to let me take it and put it in the water for an hour or so. So with my wifes help, we put in at Las Vegas marina and proceeded to give her a running.

Overall my initial impressions during the ride were pretty positve. First off, the boat sounds REALLY good. I know it only has small blocks, but the exhaust noises were sweet and not to loud. Also while somewhat ugly on the trailer, the boat really looked really nice in the water, and in fact several people in the marina stopped and asked me about it! It started and idled good, and it came on plane very quickly. It also didn't seem to need a lot of trim to run fast, but the fun soon ended and this is where I might need some help (in fact I posted this question on the tech forum).

While underway I proceeded to run the boat through curves and tried to find the roughest water I could which didn't turn out to be hard as there was a good 20 mph wind and a lot of boat chop. The boat rides nicely and pretty quietly considering it's age, but after running it up to about 45 mph and then shutting down the throttles I got a shock. The boat literally lurched what felt like two feet to the left and nearly threw my wife on the floor! Thinking maybe I hit a wave and just didn't notice it, I ran the boat back to about 40 mph and again cut the throttles. Again the damn thing felt like it jumped out of the water in a very loose manner. After that I decided to run it up to 40 mph or so and play with the trim a bit. I found out quickly that using even a little trim was a disaster and caused the boat to lurch and buck pretty violently and the movement always seemed to be concentrated in the rear.

Now keep in mind I've had some pretty loose running boats, but this seemed downright unsafe! At this point my wife was freaked and was ready for solid ground again, so I drove back to the marina at a slow pace and trailered it. Upon inspecting the drives while on the trailer, I grabbed one and wiggled it looking for steering slop. What I found was that the port motor was pretty sloppy, and the starboard motor was horribly sloppy. Also, I could move the two drive away from one another almost six full inches! This seems like entirely too much free play to me. Keep in mind the drives do not have an external tie bar (a mistake on a boat this fast in my opinion), but the steering linkage inside didn't feel terribly worn out either.

So my question is, how much play should there be and is this causing the crazy higher speed behavior I noticed? Any information I could get about this would be great. My picking up the boat is dependent upon me figuring this out as I will not try to run the boat the way it is. Honestly after dickering, the price is really fair and if the drives are an easy fix (and that fixes the stability problem), I'm going to pick the boat up this weekend.

Again thanks for all your guys help and please let me know if you have any ideas for me!

Jeff
 
#20 ·
Jeff,
I'm glad you went to see the boat! It sounds like it would be a great boat to start tinkering with - I wouldn't let the missing cover, hatch, or bimini scare me off. Look at the bright side that you won't have to deal with an interior that needs replacing! I've replaced my hatch, bought an Anchor Shade to replace my bimini, and am making a cover - none of this is a big investment.

Here's the deal with our drives -
First, they are alphas and rotate the same direction. Coming on and off of plane, the boat will list to the left significantly. I have to keep my port trim tab down somewhat until 45mph+ because of this list. It's caused by the props both turning to the right (as you can see in the picture). I've noticed that if I shut the boat down quickly, I get similar behavior as well. I believe that this is also a result of the non-counterrotating drives. The slop that you speak of is going to be relatively normal. There is an internal steering link between your engines - only one engine has the power steering and it steers the slave drive. This internal setup is hardly adequate and needs AT LEAST the external crossbar. I wouldn't be too concerned about the slop, because you will have to buy the external crossbar anyway - just add that to the price of the boat, in my opinion.

Here's how to deal with this issue:
First, get that crossbar on there! It'll make a huge difference, especially with those damn alphas that don't counter rotate. I've had my boat for two months and have put some serious hours on her - I'm just now getting used to it. I sold Scarabs for 5 years and never ran across a boat that handles like these. With these alphas (and the power I'm putting out), it is possible to blow them out - or push them too hard to cause them to cavitate - while coming on to plane. I go easy on them both coming onto and off of plane, and stay trimmed up somewhat coming off. I've found that stuffing the nose with the drives all the way down causes some of the behavior you were talking about as well. Our boats will also get a little shaky when coming out of the water off of a large wave - I've done it several times and haven't been alarmed at all, but I thought I'd mention it. Basically, don't jump the boat and take it easy coming on and off of plane and keep it trimmed up a little when slowing down.

For more information about a similar setup (mine), read this thread.
http://www.speedwake.com/upload/showthread.php?s=&forumid=32&threadid=47685

The verdict:
Be more weary of the mechanical condition of the boat than the handling (at least at this point). Check the drive oil for water (milky) and listen for play in the gimbal bearings. Go out and have fun!

Best of luck! I want pictures!

Joe Z
 

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zdek
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