David's Comments

thanks david
they are still being built in australia...a mate of mine builds them in queensland.. www.edencraft.com.au take a look ..i was up there in his factory in jan this year... the original mould was bought in the 70s by haines hunter where they were built for a while then endecraft bought the rights...

hi dave , this boat goes 96 klms an hour which about 59 mile an hour ..i can put bigger props on and most likely reach another 10 mile an hour but ...how fast do we want to go...notice how this boat sits in the water at rest..this boat needs no effort at all to reach planning speed..i had a guy approach me last year that was running the same engines as mine but was transom mount. he was using 30 percent more fuel because of the fact that this boat needs more buoyancy in the aft ..i have fitted a ballys pod to this craft and he is more than happy with the performance of his boat ..

i am in the process of restoring my 1968 formula 233.
Do you think blueprints can still be found for these boats?

I mean any1 who has done these type of projects from start to finish.
What type of material is best for stringers,transom etc.

Thanks David,
I was very happy to find this page, the 233 certainly deserves it!

Hey ya David , Sailingary out here in Los Angeles Cali . I'm thinking about selling my 67 233 and wondering if you know anyone that might be interested in her . Thanks GAry

hi david
i have noticed there is at least one member with a 24.2 formula on this site . is this site open to 24.2 boat owners as well ,or just 23.3 owners... reason being that ... i have just purchased a 24.2 1986 sportsfish formula from the states...should arrive in 2 weeks .. cost me 20,000 to import it...hope its worth the wait...cheers bally

Hey David!

The boat is from Traverse City, I don´t wich side of lake Michigan it is. Is it close to you?

//Johnny

Cool, it look like it not so long from traverse City you live. I don´t know it was so close to the Canadian territorium.

Is it easy to find spareparts in US for F 233?

David, thanks for the advice, I will definitly contact him. Just found this site 2 day ago and very glad I did

Yes it is. Couldn't ask for a better boat.

thanks Devid. I havn't been to the site yet, but will have a look over the next few days. I have a lot of Australian Modern Boating Magazines with articles on my father's race boat. When I get some time over Xmas, I will try and scan the mags and see if my computer skill, (lack of), can manage to post them on the site. My Dad was also the Sydney dealer for Formula 233's built in those days by John Haines of Haines Hunter boats.

Thanxs! Great site, there should be a link direct from the formula website. Can't take the credit for the mods on my boat, I purchased pretty much as is a few years ago.

Hello David. I just sent some photos to the e-mail address....I hope they got through. I'm no genius on blogs or computers. If they didn't come through the right channels, let me know how to post them so I can try again.

Cheers, John Whitehead.

wanted to know actual weight with engines and a bit of boat history

not too sure how to add pics I have some though. I will be picking up this boat in AZ Friday hope to have it back in WA by Tuesday evening. Decided to take the salt lake city route then up through MT. Hopefully we all arrive safe and sound. Plan to wrap the boat with a lot of protection for the trip and winterize both 350 engines. Any suggestions?

Finally figured out how to add pictures... Let me know what you think.

Do you have 78 233 like my models specs?

Well... took your advice and in fact had trailer wheel bearing and tire challenges. Tested the boat in AZ on a freshwater lake. This boat as far as I can tell was used as a professional race boat. They had used other engines during its racing life and I could not believe the low motor hours but that explained it. Even with malfunctioning trim tabs I was surprised at how much acceleration came from the twin 350's. No smoke, ran just perfect. I do have a few minor problems though. Does mercrusier have a link on how to Trouble shoot or adjust the device that stops the engine for a brief moment during shifting? I also bought a truck in AZ to tow it back with. A 93 Z-71 1500 350 engine. Worked well even thru the mountain passes.
The past owner covered the typical formula portholes and placed a modern formula nameplate on the hull.
Do you have any info on the specs? I contacted formula boats with the HIN and they said it was a formula number but their records did not go back that far.
I also found out that they placed and molded IAW the outside hull contour a big piece of LEAD to keep the boat in the water under high speed conditions. This would explain the heavier than normal boat weight of around 7,000 to 7,500. I took the weight of the trailer and the truck off of the official scale weight and accounted for approx. 90 gallons of gas.
Do you think the the cosmetics detract or spark comments? Just wondering... Well the boat list keeps getting longer but now that I have it in WA I am very pleased with my purchase, and to be a part of this website.

Thanks, I'll let you know as soon as it warms up. Haven't sea trialed it yet.