Formula 40 PC


N

No Regrets

New member
The Formula 40 PC is currently at the top of my list in my express cruiser search. I will be purchasing on the used market (2001-2003 vintage) and was hoping to hear some feedback from people who own this model or have owned it in the past.

I would be considering one powered by gas 8.1S HO's (~420hp) with V-drives. I understand that diesels would give me more torque, better fuel efficiency, faster cruising speed, etc but on my water way, we have a lack of places for me to fuel up with diesel.

Firstly...

I'm wondering if any of you have had this model with the 8.1S HO's ~420hp/v-drives, and how the boat performed?

How well did it get up on plane?

Cruising speed/rpm?

Does she run level at cruising speed or does she plow thru the water being stern heavy?

Does she have enough torque/thrust with this power plant to maneuver easily at the docks or must you be constantly giving bursts from the throttles?


Secondly...

How do you like the 40 PC?

Any problem areas/issues that are common to this model to be concerned with or that I should keep an eye on when doing my search?

Anything about the boat that you particularly liked about the 40 PC vs going with possibly the 37 PC?


Many thanks to all who are wiling to share their thoughts with me on this model.
No Regrets
 
I have 2004 with Yanmars. I can't speak to the Gas motors, but I'd imagine other than a significantly higher fuel burn, they run just fine. Overall, I'm very pleased with the construction, handling, fit / finish and quality of the boat. A close friend has a 37 with gas big block stern-drives, and the best way to compare is to say the the 37 feels lighter and more nimble and while it rides well and handles very well, it doesn't feel nearly as 'heavy and planted' as my 40. Either way, you can't go wrong, they're both excellent boats.
 
Sooliman said:
I have 2004 with Yanmars. I can't speak to the Gas motors, but I'd imagine other than a significantly higher fuel burn, they run just fine. Overall, I'm very pleased with the construction, handling, fit / finish and quality of the boat. A close friend has a 37 with gas big block stern-drives, and the best way to compare is to say the the 37 feels lighter and more nimble and while it rides well and handles very well, it doesn't feel nearly as 'heavy and planted' as my 40. Either way, you can't go wrong, they're both excellent boats.
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Thank you Sooliman for your reply. When you say "heavy and planted" in regards to the 40, do you feel that way when docking as well, or does the wind like to take her and blow her around quite easily?

Many thanks!
No Regrets
 
Docking is usually pretty straightforward. The boat is affected by wind, no question, especially on a windy day with all the canvas / glass up, but all boats are -all in all she handles very well around the dock. 40PC has a thruster standard, but I rarely have to use it. I will admit to occasionally adding just a bit of RPM (literally a click or two) when turning in tight quarters because even the diesels need a little nudge for torque in reverse in my opinion. 'Heavy and planted' I was referring to the ride - a sterndrive boat rides different than an inboard boat - just a reality. Most prefer the ride of an inboard boat, but I've always owned sterndrive boats prior to the 40PC and never had a single complaint. A sterndrive 37PC is also quicker at cruise typically but requires more input from throttles and steering - whereas a 40PC is a bit more set it and forget it. The longest I've run the boat [on plane!] is 8 hours straight without so much as a throttle adjustment - up the east coast. Let me know if you have any other questions - I'm happy to answer them as best I can.
 
Sooliman said:
Docking is usually pretty straightforward. The boat is affected by wind, no question, especially on a windy day with all the canvas / glass up, but all boats are -all in all she handles very well around the dock. 40PC has a thruster standard, but I rarely have to use it. I will admit to occasionally adding just a bit of RPM (literally a click or two) when turning in tight quarters because even the diesels need a little nudge for torque in reverse in my opinion. 'Heavy and planted' I was referring to the ride - a sterndrive boat rides different than an inboard boat - just a reality. Most prefer the ride of an inboard boat, but I've always owned sterndrive boats prior to the 40PC and never had a single complaint. A sterndrive 37PC is also quicker at cruise typically but requires more input from throttles and steering - whereas a 40PC is a bit more set it and forget it. The longest I've run the boat [on plane!] is 8 hours straight without so much as a throttle adjustment - up the east coast. Let me know if you have any other questions - I'm happy to answer them as best I can.
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Thank you for your replies, I really do appreciate it. I wasn't sure if the added weight of the 40PC would help hold her in place more when docking in windy situations or not. I sold my boat last year, a Cruisers Yachts 3375 which was more similar to the 37PC in size as it was 37.5 ft OAL, roughly 12ft of beam, and had Bravo III duo prop stern drives. This boat was "quick and nimble" with a cruising speed of 34/35mph at 3400 rpm's. At cruise she had a nice level ride and really sliced through the waves. She definitely was affected by the wind while docking, but the duo props gave a lot of thrust and torque and you could feel the "bite" immediately when shifting in and out of forward/reverse.

The years I'm looking at for the 40PC are basically 2000-2001 and I don't believe they came with a thruster standard in that vintage. In regards to the 40PC while on plane, does she have a level ride, or does she tend to squat and plow through the water more stern heavy?

Thanks again for sharing your thoughts and experiences with me on this.

Best wishes,
No Regrets
 
I had a Cruisers Yachts 320 before I purchased the 40PC. My Cruisers undoubtedly ran similar to your 3375, the hull designs are similar. 3375 hull became the 340 hull - which in size is [and in theory] are similar to the 37PC, agreed. A gas 40PC with inboards is not going to run 35mph at 3400 RPM unless you're going down a waterfall. Cruisers Yachts in general run a bit bow high - the Formula is definitely more level. Even with the diesels and the inboards, I would not say my boat either squats or plows, but is definitely more heavy in the stern than the sterndrive. That being said, that heaviness makes for the more planted ride. I do run my boat with about 25% tab down and she'll run around 30MPH at 2900 RPM (diesel) - probably loosely equivalent of 3600 RPM for big blocks. Hope all that helps.
 
PS - I could reply a lot quicker to your responses if I received some sort of e-mail alert - for some reason, I get no notification that my posts are being responded to.
 
Sooliman said:
I had a Cruisers Yachts 320 before I purchased the 40PC. My Cruisers undoubtedly ran similar to your 3375, the hull designs are similar. 3375 hull became the 340 hull - which in size is [and in theory] are similar to the 37PC, agreed. A gas 40PC with inboards is not going to run 35mph at 3400 RPM unless you're going down a waterfall. Cruisers Yachts in general run a bit bow high - the Formula is definitely more level. Even with the diesels and the inboards, I would not say my boat either squats or plows, but is definitely more heavy in the stern than the sterndrive. That being said, that heaviness makes for the more planted ride. I do run my boat with about 25% tab down and she'll run around 30MPH at 2900 RPM (diesel) - probably loosely equivalent of 3600 RPM for big blocks. Hope all that helps.
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You're absolutely right on the speed. My 370ss runs about 33-34 MPH at 3400 RPMs (496 HO), so there's no way a 40 PC would be anywhere close to that with gassers.
 
Sooliman said:
PS - I could reply a lot quicker to your responses if I received some sort of e-mail alert - for some reason, I get no notification that my posts are being responded to.
Click to expand...

you have to either "Go Advanced" with your reply, or subscribe to the thread. just click the button on the bottom right...even if you've started a reply. and then you'll get email notifications.
 
Sooliman said:
I had a Cruisers Yachts 320 before I purchased the 40PC. My Cruisers undoubtedly ran similar to your 3375, the hull designs are similar. 3375 hull became the 340 hull - which in size is [and in theory] are similar to the 37PC, agreed. A gas 40PC with inboards is not going to run 35mph at 3400 RPM unless you're going down a waterfall. Cruisers Yachts in general run a bit bow high - the Formula is definitely more level. Even with the diesels and the inboards, I would not say my boat either squats or plows, but is definitely more heavy in the stern than the sterndrive. That being said, that heaviness makes for the more planted ride. I do run my boat with about 25% tab down and she'll run around 30MPH at 2900 RPM (diesel) - probably loosely equivalent of 3600 RPM for big blocks. Hope all that helps.
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I'm sorry if I gave the impression that I was expecting to get the same cruising speeds from a gas big block v-drive 40pc as I was getting from my 3375 duo prop. I certainly know better than that. Formula customer service had already advised that my cruise speed will only be about 25/26mph at 3500 rpms and would get 30 mph at 4000 rpm at a significant increase in fuel burn.

For me it's not about the speed any more, but the creature comforts and roominess. However, I'm hoping the gas v-drive at 25 mph isn't sitting stern heavy and plowing through the water looking to hit bottom.

Does the 40pc seem considerably more roomy than the 37pc?

Thanks again
No Regrets
 
I don't have the 40PC but DO have the 41 PC with the twin 8.2 gassers and LOVE the boat. I will tell you to get your wallet ready because it does burn a LOT of gas. I love it for the bay and if I need to go a bit faster, I can lay the hammer down and the faster I go, the better she rides --- love love love the formula ride. She is not a rocket ... I typically cruise around 3000-3200rpm for a cruise speed of between 20-23mph (according to my GPS) for a fuel burn rate right around 30GPH (according to my floscan gauges). Overall, I love the boat and the ride is amazing. Fit and finish , even more amazing. HOpe this helps.

Tim
 
I have a 40PC with Yanmars and I would rather dock this boat over my old 280SS with stern drives. The automatic transmissions keep things from happening as fast as they did in the 280. I also think the boat tends to sit in one spot while you are switching gears, my 280 was ALWAYS moving so you had to work fast and one little mistake could make a big difference.

My ride may be different but I wouldn't think it is a lot different. I don't think the boat plows at all. I get up on plane with no problems and I run with the water breaking around the helm. We only get wet when we are running in heavy seas and I am not working to keep us dry. If seas are 4' I just go in the direction I want to, I don't zig zag to try to smooth out the ride as it runs right thru them with very few issues.
 
40PC seems pretty similar to the 37PC terms of size, although the 40PC definitely is bigger.....albeit not by much.
 
I doubt you would get 8 hours on plane with a stern drive, unless you had a refueling Heli come help. The PC is definitely more nimble and quicker to react around the dock with sterns and probably because the weight is more spread out. If your in a bay like me though on south shore LI you can bring up the drives where the inboards are stuck in place. There is a lot of water out here that is 4-5 ft on a good day. Great South Bay = big bathtub. My 1.5 cents. Under Obama, he gets 1/2 cent for any ideas. It's the new "Though Tax".
 
clueless said:
I doubt you would get 8 hours on plane with a stern drive, unless you had a refueling Heli come help. The PC is definitely more nimble and quicker to react around the dock with sterns and probably because the weight is more spread out. If your in a bay like me though on south shore LI you can bring up the drives where the inboards are stuck in place. There is a lot of water out here that is 4-5 ft on a good day. Great South Bay = big bathtub. My 1.5 cents. Under Obama, he gets 1/2 cent for any ideas. It's the new "Though Tax".
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Luckily the 40PC drafts a hair under 3ft - but as a fellow South Shore boater - I'd only be lying if I told you that in my lengthy boating-ownership career I never touched the bottom, lol....
 
The newer ones with the pods are really scary to drive around here. There's a couple of people on this forum that have had issues coming and going in and out of the marinas by me. You know things aren't good when you come In With the jetskis and kick up black dirt. I'm going back and forth with selling my boat now for a bigger one and I know I can't get one of those pod drives without issues because of water depth. It sucks. I've been looking at 48 fountains with arenson surface drives. Just don't tell my wife!!
 
I have 2013 40PC. This is my 3rd season.
Bottom line I wouldn't recommend it not any other Formula boat the main reason is Formula outrages service. They ignore my calls and emails, once they do answer is usually something like we can;t find anyone in your area. (I'm 2 miles from NYC).

I purchased it new boat and I had so many problems to list a few:
1. Fresh water Pump was not working
2. Problem with Corrosion module - I was told it's a software issue, But I still get alerts (From day one of the boat)
3. Alternator problem
4. Refrigerator not working
5. IPS leak

many other small issues.

I did like 200 hours, and I do use the boat often during the summer but I wouldn't expect so many problems from a new boat, and so disrespectful service from Formula.
 
Free Spirit,
I just cannot believe that you cannot get good service from Formula. One thing we all know is that Formula goes over and above to make sure their customers are happy.
Are you sure you are calling the right people? Technical assistance group is there to help you. Please call them at 260-724-1412.
 
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