Fond FAS3Tech Farewell

IIdling in from a morning photo shoot off Sanibel Island in in the early 2000s, Powerboat magazine editor Brett Becker and I took off our PFDs and let the balmy Southwest Florida air wash over us. We had 10 boats to test that day with professional drivers Bob Teague and John Tomlinson, which meant we wouldn’t get off the water until dark. Testing boats isn’t the worst work in the world, but like any job it eventually becomes—a job.

With its multi-purpose recreational powerboat lines thriving, Formula has scuttled its vaunted sportboat brand. Photo courtesy/copyright Pete Boden/Shoot 2 Thrill Pix.

Becker turned to me and grinned.

“A Formula 382 FAS³Tech with Mercury Racing 525 engines,” he said, referring to the boat we were bringing back to the docks. “Why would you want anything else?”

I nodded and laughed. He made a great point. Though it was far from the fastest or sexiest performance boat we would test that day, it was—like all the Formula FAS³Techs we had run before it—reliable, predictable and a whole lot of fun.

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