I Need some help
 

I am looking to purchase a boat this spring. I will be runing it on a lake for 80% of the time and the bay down at the jersey shore 20%. I have always herd great things about cats and I have the need for speed but I am woried about the ride and comfort. My wife says she does not care either way so I got aproval from the boss. I am looking at a 32 fountain with twin 502mpi's boat is a 2000 fresh water boat with 66 hours a perfect 10. Then I found a 1999 28 daytona twin hp 500 carbs, mint as well. They are priced the same. I just dont know about a sit down boat vs a full stand up boat. I know the cat will be much faster. I am told a solid 100+ boat vs 78+ so speed is a no brainer but the feel and ride is what I am woried about. Also my wife wants to be lay out in the sun & the fountain has a big sun pad the daytona looks like the engine hatch is not real for laying on. Any way Can you guys help me make up my Mind. Thanks

NJ Dave
I went through the same thing a few years back only on a smaller scale.To make a long story short we purchased a 25 Daytona. The ride is very good,smooth.We only boat on inland lakes been on Lake Erie acouple times. We will only ever have a cat .But thats us . You deffinately have to ride in both in conditions that you will use it in.

Thanks for your input. I am going to see the Eliminator next week end & the owner is taking my wife & I for a 100+ MPH ride so I will have a good Idea of what the boat feels like. I can say that as of now I am leaning in the direction of the Eliminator for the speed, looks, and soon to see the ride. I will post my experience after my ride. Thanks

I have a 25 daytona as well and love it. The engine hatch is not flat so the women throw a towel on the bow and lay up there,they seem to be happy.I like the bigger cabin in the 28 your looking at. Good luck. If you are in phoenix and want a ride in a 25 pm me, I would be happy to take you out.

I have a 28 Daytona and the sun pad is pretty big if it doesn't have the scoops. I have scoops so we lay out front to back or put our heads and feet on the scoops very gently.

The tall deck 28, which I think is all they made in 99 will run solid 95 - 97 with 500s.

Thanks guys for all feed back. It is a tall deck with the scoops on the engine hatch but my wife is tiny 5'2 and 95 lbs. so she should have no problem lying on the sun pad in between the scoops. Do you guys have any suggestions of what to look for on this boat that would be something out of the ordinary for eliminator Daytona’s? Some thing besides the obvious. Do you know of any inherent problems with this specific model and year I should look for? Any help would be greatly appreciated. I am getting pretty excited to see the boat and as each day goes by I think my mind is made up to go with this boat. I will bring a digital camcorder to take a video and pics.

I forgot to mention thay I called Eliminator boats and spoke to a factory sales rep. He said that a 28 tall deck with twin 500hps should run a solid 103-105 with 2 people and 1/2 tank of fuel. Any one know from experience if he is correct ?

Mine (00 28' TD) ran a best of 98 last season with me and 2/3 fuel on 85 degree day, choppy lake. 500EFI's. 28's need a lot of trim to make them fly so slip goes to 15% on mine. Putting on boxes in a few weeks so that should help a lot. Eliminator puts their drives in everywhere, from a height and seperation standpoint so there can be a few mph variance between them from that alone. My drives are even with the bottom of the boat. 103-105 is a stretch IMO without boxes, (unless set-up perfect and cool day) but it should run high 90's every day.

Thanks JD. I do not know if this boat has extension boxes but I will find out next week end. It has 500hp carbs also so I don’t know if they are weaker than the EFI versions. The owner told me it has 1:36 gears in the drives and it is swinging 30" bravo 4 blades & it bumps the rev limiter. I don’t know if that equates to any specific speed but I will find out next week end & post my experience & hopefully be the proud new owner.
Thanks again

Don't know where the limiters are on 500HP's. But mine are 5300 with 1.36 gear and 30 bravos it runs 95...and all over the limiters. I ran 98 with labbed 33 bravos, which are too much prop.

GO CAT, you will never look back unless you want a RV on the water :) I love the ride of my Daytona in the sloppy water. It runs over 3 foot chop like rumble strips on the highway :)

I think the 28 is wider than 102" So if you are go to be pulling it all over the place you might think about that. I have a 25' Elimintor that Iam happy with. Have fun

Ok I am back from California and I bought the boat. This boat is amazing. There is some very cool history to this boat. It was purchased by a couple who the wife is the daughter of the owners of Power Boat Magazine her Grandfather is Bob Nordskog. She works for the magazine doing boat tests and for Bob Teague at Teague custom marine. He was the one who found this boat for her and her husband. Bob Teague who I met this weekend when we water tested the boat had done all the work on it. The drives have been upgraded & the gimble housings up graded . The engines have all been worked on by them as well. This boat is a perfect 10. We went out on a lake on Sunday and the boat runs a solid 104 on GPS with 4 people and 1/2 tanks of fuel and 85 degrees. It rides like nothing I have experienced before. I am so excited to get this boat back to NJ for the summer. I am glad to now be part of the Eliminator Cat family.

congrats on the new family member!i cant wait to hear your experiences.there was a thread a few years ago on how to drive a cat in this section.do a search and even if you learn one new thing itll be great!

Congratulations!! Lets see some pic's now of the new toy

Thanks Guys. Here are the Pics of the boat

More Pics

Pics

Here's a pic of my first elim (28 tall deck) now belonging to Corey (jdnca1) It too has twin 500's and is a very nice ride. Next is my new ride, a new 36 Daytona with 500's. Eliminator's are a great boat with some very nice people running the show out in calif. Spent some time with Bob Leach a few weeks ago when I was in Calif checking on my boat. They build first class stuff!!

new 36 daytona

Check out the new 28 with canopys and with Twin Viper power.

The Viper's

Thanks Fountain38. What is your real name? It is crazy to see the Viper V 10s in that boat. I just sold my 1999 vyper RT10 and did that to buy this boat. The car was fun but nothing like the thrill of high performance boating. I just bought a Ford F350 crew cab with the Powerstroke Diesel. Is that what you are using to tow your rig? By the way your boat is sweet!!!!!! I can only amagine the ride in a 36. It must be smothe as silk. How fast is it with the 500's? Nice to chat with you

99 vyper

I had vyper on the plate. Was pretty cool.

Re: I Need some help
 

Any flat tires on boat trailer going from California to New Jersey? If not, you lucked out. Wow, that must have been a haul! I have a triple axle under my 28 and I've all ready had two flats in only a 700 mile round trip. (SW IA to LOTO) Bummer... Anyway, looks like a very nice boat. I've only had mine since Feb. and I love it, everything about it, looks, handling, performance. Eliminator rocks!

Re: I Need some help
 

No flat tires and the haul went great. I had a guy tow it who was out there already so I only paid $2000.00 to go 3000 miles. That is .66 cents a mile. Any way I love the boat. Do you have hp 500's in your 28. What top speed are you getting. What props are you running? are you turning them in or out? Let me know.