New BT's @ FT Lauderdale

[Boomer 880]

How about you lose the bed and add some bean bag chairs, a few lava lamps, and some orange shag carpet as new options

The interior on #8 looks much better... I guess someone agreed with me on one point See, one little change can do a lot

Enjoy your new ride!!!!

[SteveDavid]

Boomer,

Lava Lamps and bean bag chairs ? Man you're welcome in our club anytime

Steve

[axapowell]

I was also at the Ft Lauderdale Show and spoke directly with Bob Jenkins. Nice people and beautiful boats. I think a company that builds only 18 boats a year has an advantage over the larger manufacture's. Quality is as good as, if not better, then most all production boats.

Dave

[Ms PatriYacht]

Tommy beautiful boat, Steve it does look like he has a little shag going on with those pillows

Actually I think it is a good idea to be able to customize when you are buying new, lets face it not everyone has the same taste. I remember long ago when we almost bought new Terry told us he had a customer that had some type of meat locker added to the cabin Even though I LOVE our Black Thunder when I can't sleep at night I think of the things that I would add if we could buy new

For what it is worth here's my ideas:
I would make the cockpit longer and the cabin a few feet shorter. We had a bit more room in the cockpit of our raised deck 40' Scarab and it was nice. We also had a flip down seat behind the double driver seat and that was great, I see they now have that option in the new 43"V Nortech. The extended cab is not for me, Ian already said we would have the one with the big engine compartment. Also school bus type seating is not for us, we are into socializing in the cockpit (when not underway of course )

I would also design the interior couches so they could be slept on a little easier. Not as pretty of a design, but flat couches without the raised roll at the edge, and a straight line make the benches more practical if you have to have an extra guest overnight.

The thing I would most want to change would be the easiest, is the way the back bench in the cockpit has to be slid forward before you can flip it up, and then you flip it up from the back towards you, this is VERY ackward Each time we have to get something that has been stored in there, the cooler and all the passengers have to move forward before you can open it.

Some of my ideas might have already happened, our's is older and I have not seen that many new ones to compare ours to. However even with the few things I would change I LOVE our Black Thunder, like Steve said it is very solid and takes the big water very well, we have been out is some stuff that most other offshores would not attempt. We are also sleep aboard people so the queen size bed, storage lockers and stand up head is a real bonus. I have seen a few cabins in the newer cigs and can't believe how most only have half a cabin.

Tommy where do you run your boat, you should add your location to your profile.
Donna

[THLWL]

Donna,

Thanks for the comments. We live on Clear Lake near Houston, Texas and our boat "hangs" behind our house unless were traveling with it. We love the area because of the diversity. We can run around Clear Lake to restaurants and clubs, run up the San Jacinto river for cruising, run to Galveston or Lake Charles, Louisiana to play, or hit the big Gulf of Mexico for big water. This last weekend was our 1st anniversary with boat. Maiden voyage was from Miami to Key West and back with the BT gang (great way to get to know your boat). Also of note is that we are the only BT in Texas. We're trying hard to change that though.

Tommy

[Ms PatriYacht]

Thank's for the photo of the outside, that paint job is beautiful. Did you spend the night on the boat when you took it to Key West, we walked the docks last year and saw most of the BT's, it seemed like everyone had taken rooms. I must be weird because I really like spending the night in the marinas. It must be nice to have a longer boating season, here in MI it is just to darn short

[Ms PatriYacht]

Tommy can you get to those places in LA without taking your boat out of the water, that must be nice. I have always loved Texas years ago it was part of my sales territory. Lately I have been seening a lot of Texas's lake feataured on HGTV and it sure looks beautiful.

[THLWL]

We go to all the places I listed in the water. Haven't been with this boat yet, but we trailer to Florida locations and a central Texas lake called Lake Travis.

Since it was our maiden voyage, we did not stay on the boat. We do stay on it a lot. One location is an island and we run the gen & a/c all night (really roughing it).

Our boating season down here is 365 days a year. We have a Christmas boat parade in mid-December. We were out running the lake New Year's Day this year. A "hard" freeze is 32 degrees. We may have 1 or 2 of those a year. Some performance boaters don't even have trailers because boats are in lifts year round. We do pay the price in August though.

At Key West last year is where PowerBoat Magazine used my boat for the Black Thunder annual performance trials (printed in May, 2006). I got up real early, drove my moped across Key West, and then drove my boat around Key West to meet the PowerBoat team at 7 a.m.!!! I show up and there is Reggie Fountain and John Tomlison preparing the red 47 Fountain that ran 117 that day; Bob Teague, Gregg Mansfield (editor), and the Test Team. Being a powerboater, it didn't get any better than that early morning event.

Tommy

[Ms PatriYacht]

Sounds like you have the life I would hate not to have a trailer, to many place to visit.

I will have to dig out the may issue, I am sure I read it but after a while all this boat stuff runs together.

When they tested your boat did you ride with them, it seems like from the photos it is just Teague and one other person. Ian laughed when I remarked one time that I would not just want to hand over the keys to them.

[THLWL]

Donna,

The boat had 7 hours on it when PowerBoat tested it. 2 hours we ran it on Lake Mark Twain when boat was finished and 5 hours from Miami to Key West. I showed up in the boat and had to toss the keys to Teague (not allowed to ride with them)! They ran it in rough water and got 72.8 mph. I've hit 75 twice. Teague was pulling in to the dock in a cross wind. When he got close, he reached down and used the bow thruster to ease right in. I looked at him and he was grinning from ear to ear. Everyone says they are for sissy's, but then they see me operate it, and their minds change.

My boat is also the 460 EC used on the BT website. Those pics are from Key West run.

Have a good day - Tommy