Skater, MTI or Nor-Tech which would you buy?
 

I'm looking to buy either a Skater, MTI or Nor-Tech around 36-40 feet with about 1000hp each (years from 2003-2006). My question to everyone is which boat rides better, hold their value, faster (using the same hp), handles better, etc?

Any information or suggestions are helpful. Thank you.

skater.. old faithful
MTI.. new kid on the block
nor-tech.. nice and right on the money

i like Nor-tech

Ha, I find it hard to believe you will base your opinion on what anyone says through an online forum! :drink:

Owners of any of these boats will swear by their decision, and should. If you're a serious player, the factory/dealers that carry any of these brands, will be happy to give you the opportunity to ride in one.

In many cases with the internet, you will get PLENTY of opinions based on what someone has "heard" or "assumed" based on hearsay. You can expect some other completely irrelevant thoughts originated by someone who's never seen any of the 3 in person, much less ridden in one as well. :argue:

My choice? I went with a Skater. I chose Skater because I liked the full custom aspect of their boats. They are a no frills, custom sized, raceboat, that offer a pleasure configuration based on their raceboats. I have a home on the lake, so I was personally not interested in anything but strength, performance, and completely unique styling EVEN when compared to their own boats. They are ALL business, so don't expect toilets, beds, sinks, etc, unless you build a new one and request these features. Their decks are 100% hand made (no molds). and their hulls can be designed to fit whatever style of boating you anticipate.

I think the MTI's have fantastic custom aspects, plus VERY well executed styling, that in my opinion, exceed the buyers standards from what I've seen. I think MTI owners probably are likely to find a Skaters look to be boring, as far as having the "car show" look, and overall "concept" look. The 6 seater is the one to have in "MY" opinion, but they can be configured however the buyer wants.

I think Nortechs to this day have the best "looking" dash design I've seen. They do a great job building an overall usable boat for nearly any occasion. They probably have the most amenities of the 3 boats, and they run well. I think their 36 is the best of their cat lineup, however I have no experience with their recent "Roadster" design.

Make sure to RIDE in each one before writing your check, Everyone has different tastes. The ones I've listed are just a few of my own. Good luck shopping, and once you go cat, you never go back! :daz:
:ernaehrung004:

+2.. Exactly what Blee Said.

You got to feel each one to see what will suit your needs and wants.


Good luck and post what you buy!!

Sorta like your girlfriends...
You have to many friends...

You’re not going to make a mistake with any of those.
Find the best deal that suits your application and make sure you try all three brands. You find they all ride and perform pretty well.

Once you choose a brand and buy, then.... THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT for a true cat experience;

- Become a blind endorser/follower from the brand and send to hell anyone that says different without thoughts or concern.

- If anyone is faster than you or any other brother that owns your brand. Immiately find a fitting, a pump or a belt that let go thus explaining instantly why the rig was not the “Pamela Anderson with 18 pounds of boost” of the moment.

-Get seven sets of engines for all applications and waters to match your 11 sets of props surpassing the pair of shoes your wife has in her closet…

In the end remember… It’s a Skater Nation mired in MTI new technology and Nortech styling…. This will work for you until you decide to buy a Mystic.


Glad to help,
GL

http://www.offshoreonly.com/forums/a...pic-mtidoi.jpg

That GLH guy is tooooo funny!!:Score-101010:

M Y S T I C :evilb::drink:

oh ya

Yep,
You can either be like the rest , or you can BEAT the rest of the cats out there!!!!!:drink:
Dean

If I were to offer an opinion I would be one of these guys so I won't add anything to this thread other than - HOLY CRAP, a member since 2002 and 9 posts. That has to be a record on any forum anywhere about anything.

Good Luck in your purchase.

That's some hard core lurking for sure! :party-smiley-004:

I have no dog in this hunt, but I would go with a Skater if I had the choice.
They just trip my trigger, especially the newer models with the wider tunnel & bustle.

Yep, congrats on Top Gun Dave!! :cool-smiley-026:

I guess since his 36 Skater ran 202mph.... being like "the rest" is still pretty cool? :drink:

Skater Proven and No design controversy.

MTI/Skater/Nortech
 

Having owned a 36 Nortech, currently own a 44 MTI and have spent considerable time in Skaters, I would echo some of the previous advice as well as add a few comments.

The 36 Nortech with 1,000's is a great package, runs strong, performs well and has great features. I cannot comment on the new Roadsters since I have not driven one yet.

The MTI has a proven race history as does Skater. However, when looking for used MTI's or Skaters, I believe you will find the used Skaters to be dated in design. MTI has ( in my opinion ) a far more updated design and layout over the last 5 years.

All three run great and you need to drive all three with the power package that you are looking for. There is a huge difference in perfromance and handling between an 850, 900, 1,000, 1075 and 1150 depending upon which manufacturer you are look at and which size cat.

For re-sale value, I would urge you to purchase a 5 or 6 seat model versus some of the older 4 seat designs.

As a buyer you will find some great deals out there right now that are well equiped. Good Luck

B,
No doubt, that his 36 Skater was a beast, BUT it just wasn't a Mystic!:drink:
Dean

By what i see you have a 41 Apache which normally means you like BIG water. If so go with Skater. Yes MTI and nortech also run well in the rough but at the end of the day it doesn't run like a Skater. I have ridden in all 3 plenty of time and in my opinion theres nothing like a skater from their style, layout, speed, craftmanship, stricktly biz.....and rough water 2 to none


Jr

That's a quote of brilyunce rit ther:kiss:

Mti

What about the 2 new Motions? How are they in the rough and what is the quality of construction like?

+1 :drink:
.

Ahhh, I don'ts no nothing about brilyunce, or anythings like that there, but I just do no's how much Dave like's his Mystic.:drink:

what about the new 396 SS Outerlimits cat:grinser010:

Get the one that fits your mission.

I would also have to put OL into the mix but out of the boats listed Nortech would be my pick for one huge reason CUSTOMER SERVICE, both NT and OL have great customer service. I don't think I have ever read anything about how MTI or Skater bent over backwards to help somebody get back in the water. I am not saying they dont have good customer service and they build great boats but it seems at least once a month you hear or read something about how much they (NT & OL ) did to help somebody.

I think there is a nice Nortec for sale here in OK.

OU need to look into it

Customer service from OL? Maybe that is why a NFL player and 3 time OL owner has been buying MTI's lately.......:evilb:


Customer service from OL 3-5 years ago yes but lately haven't seen the 18 wheeler around or the guys that used to run it....

Not having owned or anticipating owning anything in that category for a number of years, I can only forward positives Ive heard about each company. I cant speak for hull designs, speed, handling, etc because Im never the driver, just the cameraman/boatwasher/truckdriver so its all from a backseat perspective. In looking for my own skater, I can tell you first hand that the customer service behind Skater is pretty top notch. Peter can tell you practically anything about any Skater ever made, who owned it last, what upgrades have been done and NEED to be done. Even just in shopping, they dont have any problem answering questions or helping to steer you towards (or away from) certain boats. They seem to get customers and KEEP them.

Skaters tend to be a little more utilitarian in their setups (paint, carpet, dash and bezels is about as flashy as Ive seen) but because of that, theres nothing to rattle around, come loose, etc. But Like B said, they are a raceboat fancied up for pleasure use. Make sure your center passenger in the backseat has a good set of goggles and can appreciate being laughed at. Im going to go out on a limb here and throw my uneducated opinion out, but the Skater seemed to have the best ride to me out of all 3. But without doing back-to-back scenarios of all 3 brands, it'd be tough to say one had a ride quality that was glaringly different than the other..

MTI's have some really awesome layouts in their cockpits. They dont hold back at ALL when designing the spaceship interiors, windsheilds, bussels and engine hatches. They really do go all out and have quite a bit of wow factor. Seen some wild audio/video systems that have fit and finish flawlessly. If I were to have one built, Id add in a few inches of height to the rear seats to allow the passengers to see thru the windshield also. One definitve aspect of owning an MTI is the pounding from the wind, in almost any seat on there, you get away from being beat up by the wind in 100+mph rides, butthe only view you get is out the smaller side window or behind you watching the roostertail (no complaints on THAT!)

Nortechs always look so much bigger on the water to me than what they really are. OU Want Some??!! looks like its 20' wide when parked next to some of the other cats. It has my favorite windscreen out of any of them. Its very aggressive and works great. Ive only been in it a handful of times and only ONE of them so I cant really speak to their build quality but I loved the rides I did get to take! The visibility and wind protection on the Nortech seemed to be pretty high, but the outboard seats in the back could be a little brutal, but you could see in front of you!

Good luck in your search, theres a LOT available right now for good prices. I think in the end, it just comes down to personal opinion of the look of a certain boat.

If it were me and I was shopping in that range, Id be all over a 40ss Skater.. But thats my ignorant opinion, i just think theyre purty. ;-)

No offense but I just have to chuckle how you always have to throw in the Mystic into any mix. The original post referenced a 36-40 cat that was between the years of 2003-2006 with about 1000 hp. Didn't know mystic had anything close to this size and year. BTW, when you get your new Mystic put about 1000hp in it and call me because I would love to see it keep up with my 44MTI with barely 1000hp. I absolutely love the Mystics as well as the Skaters and Nor-Techs. They are all great boats. I appreciate great boats and craftsmanship.
You have a great point, I need my lift back someday:drink:

On pure looks alone I am in love with the new Nor-tech 40 Roadster. I'm sure it wouldn't be as fast as the others, but I don't care.

+1 on that!

[QUOTE=Spine Tingler;2946452]No offense but I just have to chuckle how you always have to throw in the Mystic into any mix. The original post referenced a 36-40 cat that was between the years of 2003-2006 with about 1000 hp. Didn't know mystic had anything close to this size and year. BTW, when you get your new Mystic put about 1000hp in it and call me because I would love to see it keep up with my 44MTI with barely 1000hp. I absolutely love the Mystics as well as the Skaters and Nor-Techs. They are all great boats. I appreciate great boats and craftsmanship.



Doc,
No offense taken, besides I wasn't the 1st one to throw the Mystic name into this thread, Mr. Scott was. And didn't Dave sell you one of his old race boats? I thought I read that somewhere, I could be wrong.
And yes the c5000 is not in the 36-40 ft/1000 Hp class of cats, but John Cosker @ Mystic can design and build you anything you can dream up. The new 48 pleasure version will be out soon, so maybe you'll get your wish soon and see how it runs against your MTI. They are all great boats, it just depends what kind of boating you do. To each his own......
Have a good holiday
Dean

When are they actually going to build one of the pleasure models they came up with a couple of years ago???

there is one heading to the midwest soon...

Things that make you go hmmmm

48 MTI R/P.........Yeow!

hay phill is that you i built the 6 foot model of your race boat in michigan get a skater im on my third one love em call me if you have qoestions jim 248 909 0240 know of xome for sqale

Best deal I could find in classifieds
 

Now that is SWEEEET!

Awesome paint and design. Looks like big 1550hp Sterlings too.