h2owarrior
01-27-2002, 01:41 PM
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h2owarrior
h2owarrior,
I'm still waiting for my CD. How do you compare the 386 ride with the 37' in bigger waters? When will Thunder Enlightening go into production? I can’t wait to checkout your graphics choice. I think the 500EFI's will be a great choice. It gives you the option of adding Whipples latter. Are you going with extension boxes or the ITS or are they even beneficial on the 37?
If we buy an Active Thunder there will be a naming issue. We haven't been able to decide on a name for all of are previous boats. I guess Pat and Steve could use "NO-NAME".
I already have number$$ on that 38'Sonic. Their dealer is 15 miles from me.
Pat or Steve,
Have you guys ever thought of branching out to a few dealers? I'd love to see Riverview in Illinois become your Midwest connection. It makes it easy when you don't have to worry about selling your current ride.
Thanks,
Dan
I'm still waiting for my CD. How do you compare the 386 ride with the 37' in bigger waters? When will Thunder Enlightening go into production? I can’t wait to checkout your graphics choice. I think the 500EFI's will be a great choice. It gives you the option of adding Whipples latter. Are you going with extension boxes or the ITS or are they even beneficial on the 37?
If we buy an Active Thunder there will be a naming issue. We haven't been able to decide on a name for all of are previous boats. I guess Pat and Steve could use "NO-NAME".
I already have number$$ on that 38'Sonic. Their dealer is 15 miles from me.
Pat or Steve,
Have you guys ever thought of branching out to a few dealers? I'd love to see Riverview in Illinois become your Midwest connection. It makes it easy when you don't have to worry about selling your current ride.
Thanks,
Dan
01-28-2002, 12:37 PM
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Dealers? Not interested. Building a custom boat the way we do requires that we work with the customer directly, and if anything is needed after the sale, we are only a Fedex away...Factory Direct works well with us and our customers. I distninctly remember sending out your package, if you don't have it today, i'll get one out first thing in the am!
01-28-2002, 06:40 PM
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Candyman35 Sorry it has taken soooooo long to post a reply.
Overall we felt the AT handled the big water better than the 386. The 386 felt very heavy and required a lot of throttle and tabs to keep the boat running flat. It never hit hard. No matter what we did I never felt the 386 pound on the waves. It did however make a noticeable sound upon landing. Not a creak or rattle, its difficult to explain, but it did repeatedly make a definite sound upon landing. This was a brand new boat with 500HP EFI's in 4' to 6' waves. The boat feels very heavy and requires a lot of throttle when compared to the AT. We also noticed a lot of little things on the boat that bothered us. One thing to look at is the fit and finish in the cabin. Look at the seam between the cabin headliner and the cabin side. They use caulk on the vinyl to fill in the gap
Looks good if you do not look close, but I question its durability. There are other things I can tell you about we can discuss off line if your interested.
The AT was much more impressive in the same size water. It always flew flat and landed in a compfortable attitude. Tbikini was much more comfortable in the AT and we were going 15 to 20 mph faster than the Sonic Several times it did land harder than the Sonic, not pounding but harder. But the boat was rock solid, not a sound. I was very impressed. The boat may have seemed to hit harder due to the higher speeds, but bottom line is the Sonic did tend to land softer.
Another thing to consider is the efficiency of the hull. The AT was running 70+ in the ocean at 4000 RPM with 500 HP EFI's. Thats close to the top speed on the 386. The boat also goes on plane with very little (basically none) bow rise with no tabes. To do the same thing the Sonic requires a lot of tab. We ran the boat around 35-40 mph on one motor in the AT. You cannot even get on plane in a Sonic on one motor. If you buy this kind of boat you probably have a lot of money, but the fuel savings alone can be substantial due the AT's hull effiency.
What clinched the deal on the AT was the new cabin. We use the boat like an RV and this new cabin combined with the boats excellent manners, we could not buy anything else.
Don't get me wrong, we really like the 386, the cabin room, acces to the motors, the amenities, are top notch. But the combination of the new cabin, the hull efficiency, the ability to totally customize the boat and working with Pat and Steve were just more than we could refuse. And man it took me forever to make that decision.
The boat should be next in line after RadioActive and we are going with the 500 HP EFI's. The graphics need some work, so give us a little time. We are not using the ITS. We are going with Marine Machine Steering (Pat thinks they are good and who am I to disagree with Pat) without boxes. According to Pat there is very little benefit versus the cost. Maybe Pat should answer that question.
I do not know what GSC quoted you, but the show price on the 386 at the Chicago show was $20,000 less than we got quoted last year And the higher price we got quoted did not include a trailer
Sorry to go on and on, But Tbikini and I are really excited about the boat . We have been looking for about 18 months
If I can answer any other questions or you just want to talk boats let me know.
[ 01-28-2002: Message edited by: h2owarrior ]
[ 01-28-2002: Message edited by: h2owarrior ]
Overall we felt the AT handled the big water better than the 386. The 386 felt very heavy and required a lot of throttle and tabs to keep the boat running flat. It never hit hard. No matter what we did I never felt the 386 pound on the waves. It did however make a noticeable sound upon landing. Not a creak or rattle, its difficult to explain, but it did repeatedly make a definite sound upon landing. This was a brand new boat with 500HP EFI's in 4' to 6' waves. The boat feels very heavy and requires a lot of throttle when compared to the AT. We also noticed a lot of little things on the boat that bothered us. One thing to look at is the fit and finish in the cabin. Look at the seam between the cabin headliner and the cabin side. They use caulk on the vinyl to fill in the gap
Looks good if you do not look close, but I question its durability. There are other things I can tell you about we can discuss off line if your interested.The AT was much more impressive in the same size water. It always flew flat and landed in a compfortable attitude. Tbikini was much more comfortable in the AT and we were going 15 to 20 mph faster than the Sonic
Several times it did land harder than the Sonic, not pounding but harder. But the boat was rock solid, not a sound. I was very impressed. The boat may have seemed to hit harder due to the higher speeds, but bottom line is the Sonic did tend to land softer.Another thing to consider is the efficiency of the hull. The AT was running 70+ in the ocean at 4000 RPM with 500 HP EFI's. Thats close to the top speed on the 386. The boat also goes on plane with very little (basically none) bow rise with no tabes. To do the same thing the Sonic requires a lot of tab. We ran the boat around 35-40 mph on one motor in the AT. You cannot even get on plane in a Sonic on one motor. If you buy this kind of boat you probably have a lot of money, but the fuel savings alone can be substantial due the AT's hull effiency.
What clinched the deal on the AT was the new cabin. We use the boat like an RV and this new cabin combined with the boats excellent manners, we could not buy anything else.
Don't get me wrong, we really like the 386, the cabin room, acces to the motors, the amenities, are top notch. But the combination of the new cabin, the hull efficiency, the ability to totally customize the boat and working with Pat and Steve were just more than we could refuse. And man it took me forever to make that decision.
The boat should be next in line after RadioActive and we are going with the 500 HP EFI's. The graphics need some work, so give us a little time. We are not using the ITS. We are going with Marine Machine Steering (Pat thinks they are good and who am I to disagree with Pat) without boxes. According to Pat there is very little benefit versus the cost. Maybe Pat should answer that question.
I do not know what GSC quoted you, but the show price on the 386 at the Chicago show was $20,000 less than we got quoted last year
And the higher price we got quoted did not include a trailer Sorry to go on and on, But Tbikini and I are really excited about the boat
. We have been looking for about 18 months If I can answer any other questions or you just want to talk boats let me know.
[ 01-28-2002: Message edited by: h2owarrior ]
[ 01-28-2002: Message edited by: h2owarrior ]
01-28-2002, 11:09 PM
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h2owarrior,
Thanks so much for the information. It sounds like you’re in good hands with Pat and Steve. I have seen what the 32' can do and was very impressed. If Bob, with Running Hot, couldn't break the boat nobody can. AT builds a very strong boat.
What intrigued me about the 37 was the hull design. I want to go as fast as possible with the least amount of HP. I don't have the time or the money to be the fastest. I want a turnkey boat that can handle Lake Michigan. My 35 Fountain does a great job but we would like a lot more cabin space.
I hope to run down to the factory in March for a water test. My wife is the final judge on what feels safe to her.
Good luck on your boat. I know how hard it is to finalize decisions.
Thanks again,
Dan
Btw I got the CD in the mail today. Someone used the wrong Zip code.
Thanks so much for the information. It sounds like you’re in good hands with Pat and Steve. I have seen what the 32' can do and was very impressed. If Bob, with Running Hot, couldn't break the boat nobody can. AT builds a very strong boat.
What intrigued me about the 37 was the hull design. I want to go as fast as possible with the least amount of HP. I don't have the time or the money to be the fastest. I want a turnkey boat that can handle Lake Michigan. My 35 Fountain does a great job but we would like a lot more cabin space.
I hope to run down to the factory in March for a water test. My wife is the final judge on what feels safe to her.
Good luck on your boat. I know how hard it is to finalize decisions.
Thanks again,
Dan
Btw I got the CD in the mail today. Someone used the wrong Zip code.
01-29-2002, 08:43 AM
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Hey Candyman35, We moved from Racine, WI and had a 34 Powerquest Vyper named Ta Ta's, Im familiar with Lake Michigan. When you go out to the factory you are welcome to take a ride on my boat RADIO ACTIVE if that helps you make a decision, or possibly A.T. Dans boat might still be there, call me anytime if you have Q's 228-255-3400
01-29-2002, 12:10 PM
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candyman,
Hey, that Runnin Hot boat, was that the one I heard rumor/story on. Somebody told me a story on one of the boats that the guy stuff a wave, submerged the whole boat and came out of it. Was that the same boat? I remember seeing it, but what ever happened to that, I think Kaama told me once. His 32' is nice. And sounds kick ass.
I'd love to have a 37, but I think we're not ready yet. I'd have to go with v-6's for now to get the price where we would be comfy with right now. Maybe in a year or two
Mark
Hey, that Runnin Hot boat, was that the one I heard rumor/story on. Somebody told me a story on one of the boats that the guy stuff a wave, submerged the whole boat and came out of it. Was that the same boat? I remember seeing it, but what ever happened to that, I think Kaama told me once. His 32' is nice. And sounds kick ass.
I'd love to have a 37, but I think we're not ready yet. I'd have to go with v-6's for now to get the price where we would be comfy with right now. Maybe in a year or two
Mark
