Matthew Scogin

I have been shopping around for a mid-cabin boat for a while. Several of you on here provided some good feedback in my quest which has really helped. When I officially started my search, I had pretty much narrowed it down to a Nordic 28 Heat, Nordic 35 flame, or a Sunsation 36.

The start of the journey:

I visited the Nordic factory in early June and was really impressed by their attention to detail and customer service. They had a few boats around the yard of some interest. The 28 Heat were nice and the 29 deck boat really caught my eye. They did not have any 35 flames on hand, but I did get to look at two slightly used ones. While in this area of the country, I also looked at several used Heats and Flames.

I also checked out the Sunsation 36 when I was in Destin, FL and liked the overall look, but I could tell the boat was a little smaller (8' vs 8'6" beam). The overall style was very nice though.

Collection of my thoughts:

The Nordic 28 Heat just did not have enough cockpit room. I am a larger guy and fitting between the bolster and the steering wheel was a little tight. In addition, the backseat did not have much legroom in front of your knees. I also did not like that the wood in the pre-2008 models was so visible. Still a nice boat, just not enough to fill my hunger.

The Nordic 35 Flame was definitely a nice step up from the Heat. The cockpit had a lot more room and the cabin was good sized even with the open bow cutout. The overall size of the boat seemed very manageable as well. One of the boats that I looked at was priced a little higher than I was willing to go at the time. I did make an offer, but the seller was not ready to dip that low yet. I was also very interested in the second one I looked at, but was concerned about the power in it. The motors looked very nice and the boat was clean. However, I know enough from reading on this site that 825 horsepower and Bravo XRs are a recipe for disaster!

The Sunsation 36 was nice, but I really wanted an all composite boat and wider beam. If the Sunsation was all composite and 8’6” beam, I would have been very confused!

So where did I end up?

As I said above, I did make an offer on one of the 35 Flames. My thought process was basically I will buy this one for that price or just build a new one over the winter. In the mean time, Thane at Nordic got in a 42 Inferno that was a demo boat for IMCO. This boat was much bigger than I was looking, but I was intrigued by it as it had almost new IMCO SCX4 drives and no power. Basically I would be able to put together pretty close to a new boat for a fair price.
I flew up to LHC, took a look, and gave him a deposit. I guess you can never go too big, right? Nordic is working on a delivery late this year or in January. I ended up going with Teague Custom Marine 825 engines, BAM transmissions, and the SCX4 drives that are already on the boat. The boat will end up being a mid-cabin along with a few other options I threw in (stereo, extended swim platform, generator, maybe even a TV and a playstation).

I am pretty excited and can’t wait to get it. I guess I am going to have to upgrade my Super Duty to an F-650 now!

FYI, my old baby is for sale. She is a classic and has served my family and I well. I almost hate to get rid of her as we have had many a good time together. However, the wife says I have a two boat maximum limit (one bass, one pleasure) and it has to go before the Inferno gets here.

http://houston.craigslist.org/boa/4013278305.html

CigaretteSam

Congrats! I am no towing expert but what does your new boat weigh and whats the max towing capacity for your Super Duty? Your truck might be able to pull it.

Nate5.0

Quite the jump in size but I like

Congrats and be sure and post up pics when you get her.

92nsx

Super duty pulls the 43' kitty (scarab) with trips, just fine. A lighter and smaller boat should be no problem unless it has a gas 6 cylinder engine in it........

J.B. Marshall

Wow! Congrats on the new boat. You made a big jump, welcome to high performance boating as you will have a boat that will run with the best of them. Can't wait to see the pics

TCBoss302

iTrader: (3)

Congrats on the new boat! I always liked the West coast sleek look of a Nordic and would have a Flame right now if I could have sold my Baja sooner (this was a few years ago).

Question though - My SCX's and all of the ones I'm aware of don't require a transmission. Do you have to use a transmission on SCX -4's? Just curious. Good luck with the new ride!

Marginmn

iTrader: (1)

That is going to be one awesome mid-cabin bow rider. Can't wait to see the pics.

Jolley

iTrader: (2)

Can't wait to see it. Congratulations !!!!!!!!!

SS930

Congrats, post some pics when you can!

Matthew Scogin

The boat will weight about 12,500 lbs. My F-250 will tow it as long as I upgrade my receiver hitch. It is a 2013 model which has the 6.7 L diesel (much better than my previous 6.4). For some reason the factory hitch in only rated for 800 lbs tongue weight without a weight distributing hitch. Basically I either have to put a weight distributing hitch on the boat trailer or put a new receiver hitch on the truck. I think the upgraded receiver hitch is the way to go.