I've been a Michigan inland lake boater my whole life. I always wanted to own a Great Lakes boat. As a mechanical engineer I understand good design and attention to detail; therefore, Formula was at the top of my list. My wife and I purchased an immaculate used Formula 271 five years ago. We named it "Lot's O' Knots" and started exploring the big lakes.

As a ritual we would take time out of our boating vacation and visit Dry Harbour Marine in Charlevoix to "window shop" new Formulas. We fell in love with the 280 SS and for three years agreed that was the boat for us. During our visit in July of 2006 a new 280 SS with Flagship Elite graphics was more than we could resist! We traded our 271 and spent the last seven days of our vacation on the 280 SS "Lot's O' Knots II." The Elite graphic was the hit of the marina!

We custom ordered a new trailer for the boat but it wouldn't be complete until after our vacation. No problem---the guys from Dry Harbour Marine would launch, retrieve and store our boat until the trailer was complete (these guys know customer service)! On Sunday we ended our vacation and tied our new boat in the slip.

The next evening I received a call from our dealer asking if there was anything my wife didn't like about our new Formula. I replied, "We love the boat!" He responded, "Great, I'm going to get you another one just like it." There was an accident and the boat ended up upside down off the trailer along US-31. Thankfully, no one was hurt.

Not ones to dwell on the negative, we decided, "Great, we now get to custom order another Formula!" Once we had a new hull number, I scheduled a factory tour and really appreciated the time Daryl and the Formula team spent with us. Our new boat and trailer are now complete, but unfortunately Michigan's winter is upon us. We can't wait to get "Lot's O' Knots III" out on the water next spring.

Steve & Jennifer Lee