From the classifieds: Edencraft 233 Formula

In the same way that motorsport has helped us develop better road cars, so powerboat racing has helped us develop better trailer boats.

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That’s where the Geelong-built Edencraft 233 Formula has its roots.

Much has been written about the history of the 233 Formula hull, so we won’t bore you with a rehash of all the details. However, in summary, its origins date back to the 1960s, where US boat-builder Don Aronow started building racing hulls under the Formula name.

The original hull, named Cigarette after a rum-running boat made infamous during the years of US prohibition, dominated every race it entered.

The tough, commercial-grade 233 Formula hull was initially made in Australia by Haines Hunter, but in the 1980s the moulds were sold and eventually came into the possession of Edencraft.

The Edencraft 233 Formula hulls aren’t cheap, and that’s because the boatmaker says it doesn’t take any shortcuts on the quality of the build. Each boat that comes out of the factory is built to commercial survey standards, meaning if you wanted to use the boat in a business, you could do it with an Edencraft straight out of the factory.

There aren’t many Edencraft 233 Formula boats offered on boatsales.com.au, and there’s probably a good reason for that; once you have one, you don’t want to let it go.

It’s also probably part of the reason why the owner of this 1998 Edencraft 233 Formula listed on boatsales.com.au is asking for around $64,999 – that price is negotiable – for a boat with a few sea miles on it.

This boat is fitted with a single 225hp Mercury and carries a smaller 250-litre fuel tank; more modern versions of the boat carry more fuel and are rated to a maximum 600hp, so this one looks a little undercooked in terms of outright performance.

“I have recently serviced boat and had all new fuel lines fitted,” the seller says.

“I have also had the pod re glassed and strengthened, transom checked (rock solid) and transom/pod repainted.

“The boat comes with Lenco trim tabs which were removed when I did the work to the pod.”

In terms of electronics, in 2018 this Edencraft 233 Formula was fitted with a 9.0-inch Simrad chartplotter and sounder.

More recent Edencraft 233 Formulas hold their resale value quite well; 2017 models fitted with twin 200hp engines sit at around $190,000.

Specifications*
Model: Edencraft 233 Formula
Length overall: 7.7m
Length: 7.1m
Beam: 2.4m
Height on trailer: 2.9m
Draft: 0.4m (hull only)
Weight: 1600kg (dry, hull only)
Deadrise: 24 degrees
Power: 2x150hp (min), 2x300hp (max)
Fuel: 370L
*Later twin-engine models