Re: Powerboat industry wrong direction?
 

I agree with you on 90% of Mid-Cabin boats but if the lines of the boat are the same as the closed bow version then I like the Mid-Cabins.

I bought 32 Sunsation specifically because of the MCOB. i was shopping a 35 Executioner and the 32 Sunsation. These were the only two boats in contention for my needs/budget. In FL the no wake zones can be plentiful and I will never overnight on a boat unless it has A/C so a v-berth would be a total waste of time for my uses. The open bow gives more seating for the kids at idle and creates a killer breeze through the cabin when they are hanging out down there in the shade. I never even heard of Sunsation until a guy passed me in one and it was the nice lines of the boat and the open bow that caught my eye. Six weeks after seeing my first Sunsation MCOB I bought mine. If I didn't have kids I would probably not own one but makes the boat more user friendly for us.

http://www.flpowerboat.com/new/photo.../05-11-087.cfm

Re: Powerboat industry wrong direction?
 

The 32 Sunsation mid cabin does have great lines. If I'm not mistaken (and I could be), that model has its own mid cabin deck tooling rather than being a closed deck boat with a hole cut out up front. It looks finished and proportional.

Another mid cabin looker, or at least offered in a mid cabin, is the 28 Donzi. Great lines there, too.

Re: Powerboat industry wrong direction?
 

The real problem is with the POWER PACKAGES pushing the prices thru the roof.(hello Mercury :rolleyes: )

The builders have become more efficient, and the hulls are much faster, but the engine/drive combos are pushing the prices out of reach. Like Merc. finally building a drive worth owning(NXT1) and only offering it with the 700's as a package....... :mad:

Add the fact that they won't warranty a drive if it's hooked to another engine and you have the root of all problems.

Just my .02

Re: Powerboat industry wrong direction?
 

pulse drive way cool :cool: How do you like it? not many out there I have alwats wondered about them.

Re: Powerboat industry wrong direction?
 

CB,

Are you going to Sarasota this weekend for the PR?
You seem to travel the PR circuit in FL.

Re: Powerboat industry wrong direction?
 

I would like to see somone do a 30 to 32 ft old school style single. something with free board and cabin space that would run at least 70mph and give you a nice easy 55 to 60 mph range with out beating the motor to death. also INS. shouldn't be bad if you could do it with one Ilmor or a 525 hp. not one of the sit down boats eather. But I agree that speeds are getting outa controll with to many people with the money and not the experince. just my 2cts :rolleyes:

Re: Powerboat industry wrong direction?
 

Yes, twin rudders in the middle for steering. The entire drive platform trims up and down. Makes a great swim platform. At rest, the top of the platform is level with the surface of the water when it's trimmed all the way up.

Re: Powerboat industry wrong direction?
 

I will not be attending. I've done my share of Sarasota runs, and I'm probably headed for Lake Cumberland next week.

I will definitely be at the FPC Land-N-Sea and KW pr's though.

Re: Powerboat industry wrong direction?
 

I went with the Pulsedrive out of necessity. It was the only way to get twin engines in the boat and still have U shaped seating in the cockpit. The trimmable platform is great for watersports and the Huber-modified ZF trannies shift smooth and are darn near bulletproof. It handles around the docks like a dream. I am still working on prop selection though. I have too much prop slip right now. Larger diameter props are on the way.

Re: Powerboat industry wrong direction?
 

Cash Bar,

I hear you on the price of engines--they do seem outrageous, and not just from Mercury. It's easy to have $200,000 worth of power in $200,000 worth of hull.

But on the drive thing, I have to ask you: What possible incentive could there be for Mercury to warranty its drives for another builders engines? Mercury is hardly a charitable concern. They're part of a huge public company, and as a public company their largest responsibility is profitability. Stock brokers out there, feel free to chime in at anytime.

Mercury wants to sell engine and drive packages. They have no reason to offer drive warranties with other builders' engines. A little harsh maybe, but there it is.

You could call it greed, I guess, unless you happened to be a shareholder. In that case it would just be ... good business.