Originally Posted by Gordo

They don't.

I've gone through a LOT of gas on TableRock. My grandparents live in Shell Knob on Needles Eye? or Needles point? or something like that.
Anyway, You've seen some exceptional boats suggested here. I've driven a lot of these boats, raced against and in quite a few, so here's my somewhat experienced opinion for what it's worth.
To start I would recommend you re-read post 49 again concerning length. It may help or hurt some makes. One of the most obvious would be the 29 Fountain. They are a beautiful boat, well built, well mannered and very fast, but since they are an actual waterline length of about 26.9 feet, they will NOT compare in rough water handling to the flat transom true length boats such as the 28 Active Thunder, 28 Pantera, 28 Joker or 28 Sabre. In fact, for absolute rough water, (I'm talking Lake Erie/Atlantic ocean rough), these 28's are your top four boats hands down. Of course my heart would be sold on the Active Thunder, but I may be biased.
Next in line would be the custom built Hotboats such as 29 Lavey Craft, the 28 Howard, the 29 Extreme, the 27 Activator, the 27 Kryptonite and the Y2K Superboat. True these are all sitdown boats, HOWEVER you'll find that the custom racing seats are great in rough water, and have become the way to go in the professional racing circuits. These boats are all very fast, very well built, and very stable. The downside to some of these boats would be somewhat limited cabin space and cockpit space, few amenities and a narrow beam.
Next would be the upper end production boats such as the 28 Sunsation, the 27 Donzi, the 29 Fountain, (forget the 27 Fountain), the 28 Nordic, and the 27 Formula.
These are all great boats that will do anything you want to do on TableRock. They all hold their value very well, well built and have respectable speeds with stock power. Of all the boats mentioned above the Sunsation folks are probably hands down THE best in the business for customer satisfaction and support. I don't know about the speeds for the Formula or the Donzi, but the Fountain is a good speed runner, while the Nordic is a great ride. Each boat has its strong points, and some have a few weak points. The fun is finding which applies to your application.
I have a few manufacturers in mind that I would absolutely stay away from. I would rather you e-mail me for that list, or better yet, feel free to call me at your convenience.
Best of luck on your search,
Mike "Gordo" Gordon
(913) 485-3151

Originally Posted by Schweeng

29 Lavey Craft

I have had this boat twice it's so good. If you're looking for something with a proven hull....look at who is racing in the F1 class. Lavey Craft is strong and competitive. I recently put ours up for sale....my family really wants the 38 size again.


Twin 500 efi's for 104k....true length is 30'5"...and this is no "sit down" boat. Spacious cockpit, drop down bolsters, great cabin with sink...Vberth and two lounges.
1999 Powerboat offshore boat of the year
2004 Winner of the Worlds in F1 class
another Powerboat award in 2005

Good luck...and run everything you are looking at.

Chris
323 864 8332

Originally Posted by tblrklakemo

What is the best boat to buy in the 27-29' foot range? Power will be a 525. I like sunsation, donzi, and fountain....I currently own a baja. Dock space, $$$, and single engine power are limiting my options to no more than 29'. What do people like? The more I see these sunsation boats, the more i like.

Originally Posted by Rotorhead

Since we cannot compare quality and performance over the web, we are left with only 'BEST LOOKIN". So how about everyone post two of the best boat images and let the OSO membership call it out.

Originally Posted by Stormrider

Thats a fine looking boat... but this 28 takes the cake.
http://panteraboats.com/boats/28/28_f1-71.jpg

Originally Posted by Stormrider

Also, do you like the look of the modern sport boat or old school look.

Originally Posted by Stormrider

Try to narrow to 3-4 choices and start running them.
Take your time.

Originally Posted by Canada Jeff

The author of this thread needs to decide if he wants an old school look, or something more modern.

That last 28 Pantera no doubt works great, but it could be ten years old ! Cabin is no better. It looks like the inside of my 1994 24V Chalenger I had YEARS ago.

Not trying to bash the boat, just wondering what the author wants?

Originally Posted by thedonz

new school is Lavey Craft, Sunsation; old school is Pantera, Magnum....just rememeber everything always goes back to the roots and classic... :D

mike

Originally Posted by tblrklakemo

b/c of steps, molded swim platforms, and glass windshields?
damn that pantera looks sweet 160-170 grand?

Originally Posted by Cattitude

Mostly "classic" lines, the hull/transom mainly but also can be construed to be the cabin/interior etc.

New school is just plain swoopier everywhere, sometimes with windshields and sometimes without. some look good, some look like a bad hairpiece

Here's ours

Originally Posted by TUFFboat

This is fun, I would say that all the custom guys must be well built or they could not be in business. And I will say that they must be better than the production shops for the same reason. But no one (few) know about the small custom artist. So everyone, lets see all the cool stuff out there, lets see your best pics.

The TUFF 21 is related to the Challenger, The TUFF 28 is completely original and designed specifically to be what it is, and it is different in every dimension than anything else.

Here is my lay-out notice the split foot throttle

Originally Posted by tblrklakemo

Beautiful paint. Sweet boat. What is she powered with, and how fast does she go?

Originally Posted by tblrklakemo

velocity28 vs AT28....same power, andbody have any insight?

Originally Posted by THEJOKER

and mine is less than 100...? Why?