Advantage_Rob

Too late, now it's wrote in it's proper meaning, I wrote that just as I was out the door yesterday, and didn't proof read it, just submitted reply and left for the evening. I really want to get a 40' soon, but modify it a bit to get the rear seat made like the 32's, and everything but the motors and drives. Undecided on the drives still, the 40 is a light hull, but a bravo's are out of the question for the HP I want. One of my friends builds marine motors, he's worked many years at a few of the high end marine race engine shops and has been putting together motors for marine use longer than he cares to remember and everything he's done that I see every weekend for many years now has got a great track record in my eyes. lot's of minor buildups, but when I see the 1000's he put together and maintains running perfectly with only minor maintenence for 4 season now, that impresses me. He's currently building another set of 540's pretty close to the same as the 1000's minus the blowers. Seeing them go from bare merlins to near dyno ready has got me geeked up about a set of them for myself for a 40. He's thinking 800hp naturally asperated, but the dyno sheets will tell all soon. They are going in an 1987 35' cigarette cafe racer that is owned by one of my best friends, we've hung out together since jr high and were both pretty excited to finally see this thing running strong, that's why I need to get my props labbed before I hit the water. He pulled the 540's to rebuild them last spring and dropped a set of old tired out 454/330horse motors he picked up used for $1000. The cig barely could get on plane with them, and topped out at 55, but they lasted the whole season, and amazingly, trouble free!! I spent so much time passing him, and running in circles around him (literally), he's really got a score to settle with me. I just hope the weight of that cigarette keeps it from going faster than my boat, or I get that treatment this year!! LOL!!! Maybee I pointed and laughed too much, I dont know?? here's a link to pictures of my other friends 40 hustler with the 1000's, the last pic is of just the motors and these things ROCK!!! I dont need quite the detail work, but man I'd like it if I could.

http://www.ofoto.com/BrowsePhotos.js...Um=26048753303

gjockey

Rob,


What's with the fascination for the 40? I have to be honest... the 40 is something I don't get from Advantage. Looks to be slow and kind of cumbersome. you got some 6'10" BBall playing friends that need more legroom inbetween the bolsters? --- John

jb

Thanks for the info on these to boats guys. Will strongly look at them both when I sell the Scarab. I do remember one thing when I was looking 2 years ago before I bought the Scarab. Advantage had no problem selling me a boat less motors/drives. I also was getting the two bolster set up with the sink/fridge combo in the cockpit. The 32 was on the floor and ready to go, pricing was perfect and deal was done... then my motor deal fell through. Must not have been meant to be. But I will always remember the blue/yellow paintwork on the boat. I have always known Advantage to have some of the best paintwork in the industry. I was buying site unseen but my dealer was at the factory for me. I know the 32 is one fast ride. I wish there were more in the east. Always concerned about re-sale... I guess for now I will have to settly for the Advantage site here on OSO!!!!
I have also seen the 40 several times in person at poker runs. Cool boat and all, but I just dont get it. It did not seem to live up to the speed reputation the other models have. I have some great shots running with a big tail from a Poker Run.

Advantage_Rob

I've been on a 40 hardtop, and absolutely loved it, but I didn't want the enclosed canopy, and now there's an open cockpit available, and from the pic's I've seen its got my name all over it. The hull design is very similar to the 32 and from the ride I had, it has the same nimble feel like the 32 has. The tests they keep doing on them are with big power, and I'm not looking for 1000's, just some 540's, fairly mild, with more punch than the HP500 EFI's, 6-700 horse not a big deal for a 540. The factory keeps sending them out for testing, fresh off the assembly floor, without full set-up, testing and tuning of the drive hieghts, props, ect. They seem to be shooting themselves in the foot by finishing up the boat being built the same day the test is scheduled, but I know the magazines are quite strict on time slots for thier testing, but tightening the final bolts, and washing it up, and turning it over to be tested by a magazine without fine tuning everything before hand, is not good for publicity. Just like the 32 they tested with 575's, and it ran 89mph, I can run 80-81 with 3/4 fuel any day, so I have to belive theres alot to be gained with proper set-up of the boat which they just dont do at the fatory before the test. For example, when I bought my boat new. It came with 26 bravo props, I tried alot of different props, and ending up seeing the best results with bravo's, but I sent back the 26's for 28's and have since bought 30's. A big performance killer was Merc, they shipped the motors to advantage with the timing off 8 degrees on one motor, and 12 on the other, from what merc recommends on the sticker they put on my valve cover, which is where I set mine to and picked up several mph in that alone. I wouldn't expect advantage would check it, but I would think merc would follow thier own recomendations. I also adjusted the tow of the drives, from a straight, zero tow condition, to a 1/2" tow out, which helped raise the bow while on plane and pick up speed, and it handled better. The result of this adjustments were as follows: When I picked the boat up new, it ran 76, I've done nothing but adjust the set-up, and I'm up to a best of 83.7, and any day 81-82. Now get a magazine to test mine fresh off the floor at 76, or tune the set-up and test it running in the 82-83 range. Which would be better for brand image?? I would say give me a day or two and the resources the factory has with that 32 w/575's, and I'd say 93-94 would be possible if not more. The hull is great for speed, I know that from mine. I belive these low numbers they keep letting get out there for these tests are a letdown to the brand image, because it is a fast hull, I dont see any brand all stock with my motors that does similar speeeds. They should be more hands on at the factory, that's a big part of what they lost when they lost Harry in my opinion, he was a master of set-up and fine tuning. They need to hire someone with his passion for that "best as possible" mentallity, where no boat leaves till they are satisfied with the numbers it's putting up, and the handling. Same story on the 40 I'd have to say with it being a fairly new hull, they, by now, should know the best placement of drive hieght and so on. The hardtop they tested at 109 was the first one built, and the open roof they did was the first with b-max's, both of them were tested fresh off the floor. I'd like to see a 40 with hp500's, and bravo's, all fine tuned, from what they've learned over the last few years of 40 production, tested after they fine tune it, and see it's best performance, then turn it over to the media for testing. It would turn numbers as good as the best in class, and I firmly belive that!!

Advantage_Rob

What no one wants to argue with me!~ just kidding...

gjockey

4 blade 30's ? Did you try them yet?

1/2" tow out... is that a difficult adjustment to make?

--- John



BTW, if you want a nice performing 40, take your boat and add an 8 foot swim step

SHAKEN Not Stirred

My Baby !!!

LakeRacer

I'm not going to argue about how Advantage approaches their "speed" marketing. I mean, take a look at the latest Powerboat Magazine ad. Their 40 fitted with twin 1000hp engines is only getting 101mph. The Outerlimits 42 is getting 110mph or something like that with the same engines. I would really like to see what that 40 can do. I hope that it could do better with the right set up if that's what it really needs. Otherwise, I can't see how Advantage would be selling very many. They need to get a handle on this.

Another thing. Why in the world would Advantage redesign the deck of the 40 with a smoke windshield??? Pain in the butt to crawl over, got to worry about it breaking or crazing in the sun, and everyone else in the industry is going to what Advantage pioneered...that simulated windscreen look of the sloped deck. I just don't get. Not only that, but they could get a little more headroom in the cabin too.

Oh well, I'm just a customer and not a designer. But what that means is I'm not even thinking Advantage 40 if I decide to move up. I love my 34 for all the reasons I've stated before. But I'm not touching the 40 unless there are some major changes.

Sorry for rambling...just my .02 cents worth.

Advantage_Rob

gjockey, I knew you'd ask me about the tow out. It is a matter of adjusting the tie bar spacing, I cant remember if I did 1/2 out or 3/8. When I was at the factory a few years ago with my uncle we were talking with Harry about how the race boat was set up, This is how I derived my x-dimention for mine, I saw what the race boat had, and I went 1" lower then that to play it safe. The race boat ending up adding a 1" spacer and getting better results, so I totally lucked out by thinking I was playing it safe with a 1" drop from the race boat. Additionally we talked about the tow of the drives, at the time there were a few 32 race boats running the pacific offshore and Harry was very involved with all of them. They were running 3/4" tow out, and were breaking propshafts with that tow out, I kept mine straight, and kept in touch with them and when that had said 1/2 was working good with no problems, I think I went to 3/8", again playing it safe.

LakeRacer, You, like I, see how good the boats are, I just think thier marketing is shoddy all around, they've got a great product, that's for sure, but they let the speed's show like they do, and then in thier ad's they have these cheeseball 70's looking graphics, instead of boats like Chris Gibbons boat. I mean come on, who's the color blind fool picking out what ad's go in the mag's. Image is everything in this business, get with it.

diveboy

Hey Rob,

Very sweet looking boat!! If I'm not mistaken, I think I've seen it on the trailer off of M-29 (you don't see many Advantages). I looked at the 32 this past year before buying my Sunsation (32 Dominator w/ 500 efis) really liked the Advantage, just got the Sunsation at a price I couldn't pass up. I want to thankyou for posting that picture recently of lastyears Jobbie Nooner, it brought back some great memories!!! Look out June 21st.......

Take it easy,

Jon-