Good to hear that. We are looking at an 05 model. It has 250 Verado 4 strokes. Owner says he gets "about 1mpg". We have heard higher from others as well as yourself. I think he may be running too fast. I love the layout of the cabin. We do some overnight trips to the oil rigs and it should serve us well. My friend has the 34' model but with the inboards loses space and the bunk layout is tighter. We are working through the deal now. The surveyor found where some tabbing attaching the cabin to the hull had pulled loose and needs fixing. We are waiting on owner to fix or credit us and have engines serviced. If all checks out we hope to own a 296 soon. If your ever in Louisiana give me a shout and lets shoot some fish.
2003 model,It's a little bouncier than I thought a Cat should be, but we keep all gear and tanks at the rear and Cat's are from what I hear should be driven level but it's far better than a V-hull,we have a 29 proline also so I know the difference, gas mileage is exact 2 mpg, with 2010 Honda 225's, it runs top speed at 42 mph but I usually only run 23-26 mph, I wouldn't trade the boat, EVER, its just pefect ...