26 Daytona with open bow
 

Does anyone own a 26 Daytona with the Open Bow?

If so, how do you like it? Can you really sit two people in the "bow area"? Can you water ski behind it? Is the "mid-cabin" useable?

Thanks for the info! :cool:

UncleToys Does, look him up.
 

:)

Clay, what the whipple is not good enough for ya any more ........ LOL.

Nice boat :)

I'm just researching my next boat. The wife loves the look of the Eliminator, but she likes to ride in the bow of our (current) bowrider. So, I'm looking into options.

As far as the Whipple goes... I will never own another boat without one! :D

Clay, How Dare You Look At Another Brand Of Boat.... Is't Crownline Good Enought For You Any More:D :D :D

Jeff 225br

Clay

I have 2001 26 daytona walk thru bowrider & was at Lake Austin from Last Thursday to Sunday. Love the boat, it 's looks, & looks I get. I have a full walk thru. This weekend I had 8 people in boat with no problem. Once had 10 people in it that wanted a ride & had it up to 80 for them. I so not know about sking behind it. I think if I had a smaller prop it would come on plain better. (Running 30" & 1.36 gears now) I can hold 4+ in bowrider but remember I have walk thu. If you have any other questions just email or PM me I & will give you my cell #

As far a ride can not compare to v bowrider. I had 24' baja bowrider & sometime could not ride up there in rough water. Not so with this boat.

The ones with mid cabinet is not a lot of room to do anything. The one I saw had 2 seats but only 2 little kids could sit in them.

Clay

I got your PM. I will give you call latter today when I get on road.

Here is picture I took last night.

Clay – I’ve got five pictures for you showing my 26’ Daytona’s openbow and cockpit. My wife wanted the walkthrough like TJ’s, but knowing we would use the boat 12 months of the year, I wanted it set up so the wind wouldn’t whistle through in the winter time. This also gives me a little area underneath for storage and lying down if someone wants to get out of the sun – or we come out of the club at night a little feisty (ala Cattitude;) ;) ).

You will notice in the first picture that my openbow is different than the picture you posted. The first 26’ Daytona I ever saw had that openbow and I thought the angles they cut to preserve the canopie points made the openbow useless to anyone other than a four-year-old kid. I had them widen it out to the sponsons and put a three-person bench across. This gave it enough space to add the drink holders (which also house speakers) and that cutout opens to storage in the sponsons (both sides). Having that bench means we have to crawl across the top to access it, but that mouse hole is too small for full sized people anyways. Plus, this way I don’t have the wind. I have three 17 year-old teenagers with me all the time and they are perfectly comfortable up front.

This second picture gives you a view from the other angle and shows the cut out I use for the anchor storage. The downside to the openbow is the weight. Eliminator estimated mine added four hundred pounds, but I doubt they know for sure. Probably lost three to five MPH off the top with that much weight in the front.