Help! Should I buy a 1985 F32?

[TickleStick]

Hello, I came across the forum last night looking for info on F32s. I have always been around center consoles and walkaround fishing boats, but came across a beautifully refinished F32 in my area and am considering it. I hope to get a little more insight from those who own them, so...

- I read mpg at cruising speed (18kts) is around 20-22 gph. How about at "no wake" or idle speed?

- Interior, elec, engines have all been redone in the last two years. How much other work should I expect in the near future? Stringers, fuel tanks, etc? Are these usually low or high maintenance?

- After reading about handling I am a little concerned as we often get hit with 3-5s on the ride home from a day of fishing or diving. Is this more of a comfortable ride issue or a true handling issue?

- Anything else I need to know?

Sorry to throw out a bunch of questions on my first post, but I am trying to get as much info as possible asap. I have always liked Trojans and think this one may be a great find, but I want to make sure I know what I could be getting into. Thanks in advance!

[Stripermann2]

I have an '85 F32 and LOVE it!
As with any boat, get a good survey. Yes, some boats have stringer, fuel tank and other problems, some don't. Many boats were well cared for and show it.

There are some issues with following seas and boat control but I am sure there are many other boats with same. I don't know what my GPH is, never really studied it. I cruise at around 18-20 kts. Dependant on which motors you have, GPH will vary. I have the Crusader 270's. Here in the Chesapeake Bay area, seas can get rough but never had any problems, except with my crew!

If you are weary of handling this boat, you may wish to hire a captain to show you boat handling...never hurts to have an experienced hand helping you to get familiar with your boat.

You really can't beat the lines of the F series boats. For the length and beam of this boat, you probably won't find a comparable boat.

I could go on and on.... and I am sure others will give some really good advise here as well.

Good luck in your decision!

Jamie

[JuiceClark]

Electrical stuff redone is a big deal. Very important.

I love my F-36...what a value. If you tell us more about the power, where you live, link a picture or two, etc., maybe we could be of more help.

Tony
Fort Myers, FL

[chumwithabottleofrum]

not that it's any of our business-price. Trojan built a GREAT boat. I think the best way to describe it is "stout". As was suggested-get a survey (after you go through it with a fine tooth comb). I have a "boat evaluation" spread sheet that I put together when I was going through the process a couple of years ago-if you're interested in it-drop me an e-mail-h2oproof@hotmail.com if you'd like me to e-mail it to you.

I AM the chum with a bottle of Rum (Appleton Estates XV)

[TickleStick]

Thank you all for the info so far, I really appreciate the responses. To answer a couple of the questions, I am in SE Florida do most of my boating between Ft Lauderdale and Boca. The boat has 350 Crusaders.

[JuiceClark]

An F-32 will be a great boat for the ICW with all the sloppy water from boat traffic. That's the perfect situation for a hull with a fine entry, pretty flat hull at the transom and a decent sized keel. The fine entry is also nice for slicing through those pesky wave-runners.

If you go offshore a lot...like back and forth to Bimini all the time...I'd say you might want more deadrise at the transom like on a Bertram, Viking, Hatteras, etc. Those deeper V hulls are more expensive to run (need a lot more hp to cruise on plane) but they are best to handle the larger, rolling waves offshore and a following large sea.