Shopping for a mid cuddy open bow need some input
 

I have a few ideas in mind but there isn't much info on a few models that are appealing. I really like the Nordic Rage but they seem to be pretty hard to find. Eliminators are my top choice but they are just too damn expensive. Kachina, Commander, and Magic seem to be the best all around combo of price, style, and power options. I read the post on here a while back about the guy getting used ****ty parts put on his brand new Kachina so im iffy about that one. What do you guys know about Commanders? There are two for sale one in Dallas and one is Havasu that are right in my price range both have 496 HO motors with low hours. I would like to get into a 500 EFI but they are just as rare as the Nordic's.

I like the Lavey Craft 2750 Mid Cabin and also the Shockwave Tremor. I think I have also seen a 29' Shockwave Magnitude Mid Cabin.

WHERE AE YOU LOCATED? A buddy of mine has his 28 nordic for sale in SF craigs list. I think there are two of them his is yellow with flames, motor with low hrs.

I bought a 32 Advantage MCOB with Ho's and really like it.. It has 4 bolsters and a back seat .. Lots of room handles great ..

I also like the advantage line. I owned a 27 victory which is very roomy and has a great ride and now currently own a 32 victory open handles great and very spacious. I am a lake Ozark boater which gets very rough. I have also been in nordic 28 heat similar ride as 27 advantage but not as roomy
Good luck on your search

QUOTE=Scarab29;3985922]I bought a 32 Advantage MCOB with Ho's and really like it.. It has 4 bolsters and a back seat .. Lots of room handles great ..[/QUOTE]

I have looked at the Magic and Kachina brands. Both appear to be low quality builds. I am on my 2nd Advantage MCOB and would buy another.

I was in the same spot as you, I was looking at Nordic Rages, Heats and then other brands but I felt the same way about Kachina etc. I ended up getting a Sunsation Dominator. I was originally looking for a 288 but found one where the price was close enough I could jump to the 32 with twins.

I thought Sunsation had the best in quality of build, interior materials and of course exterior styling. Definitely all subjective opinion :)

Advantage makes a nice boat! I would have checked in to them more if I could have found any nice ones when I was looking.

The green 09 rage with 525 is for sale. Very rare options. I would have jumped on that if I didn't already have mine.

I have a buddy with a Rage 496HO with Whipple that is for sale. He has nor really advertised it but I know he wants to get a wakeboard boat. The Rage is here in Utah.

Looking into the Advantage they seem to have nice stuff. Jaime I checked SF only one Nordic for sale it has red flames with yellow tint is that the one?

You might also want to look at Ultra. 26 Shadow Cat & the Stealth if you're wanting a V.

Here's a few pics.

Was the blue and white one at the Thunder Run this year? I know one of your boats was but can't recall which one it was. Whichever, it was a pretty slick ride!

I have a Donzi ZXO mid cabin open bow for sale, it listed here.

http://www.offshoreonly.com/classifi...o53017-en.html

Its listed through a dealer but Ill answer any questions you may have

That Donzi is one cool ride!

Thank You Sir! The Thunder Run was great. There were a few running around, but we had the 27' Shadow Cat closed bow there.

No, thank you! You had scenery onboard. I pulled up next to you near wolf creek when you had your hatch up to make sure all was good!

Take a good look at Sunsation. They build a very nice mcob! I drove a 2007 32 Ss this summer and was surprised how it tracked and how well it ran. They really build a nice boat...

[/QUOTE]

WHAT do you call ruff? 2 to 3's of cross chop?

I recently did a lot of looking at mid-cabin boats. In Texas where I live, there are not a lot to choose from so I traveled to several places to scope things out. The Nordic and Sunsation were definitely at the top of my list. The Nordic 25 Rage is a nice looking boat, but I would seriously look into the Heat if you go that route. Just like the person above who decided to go to a Sunsation 32 over a 288, you will never regret going bigger!

The Sunsation boats were very nice too. The interior styling was what I liked most. One deciding factor for me was the smaller beam (8' on Sunsation vs 8'6" on the Nordic). I also did not want any wood in the boat. (Note that Nordics prior to 2008 have wood in them as well.)

Good luck with your shopping. There are a lot of boats starting to show up on the market now so the cards should be stacked in your favor.

Need more info:
Where do you boat?
What is your price range?
What size are you looking for?

Are you on lake that is 1ft chop or less all the time or the opposite? Salt water?

From experience the best handling MCOB is Lavey Craft 2750 or 29' the 29s are hard to find. So if you're in a lake or bay where it is going to get rough, the Lavey is awesome. IMO Sunsation makes the best looking boat but are more on the expensive side. I would go with either of these two brands if you boat in big water.

Nordic Heat is a nice lake boat, good pricing too. Just expect to get beat up a little if it gets rough. I've never rode in an Ultra, so I can't comment on those. Advantage makes a decent boat and they are a fast hull with the right power, although the ones I've been in, the fit and finish is not at the same level as the Lavey or Sunny. Kachina is a hit or miss, there's a 34' that boats on Lake Ray Roberts in TX that is squared away, but I've seen another on Lake Texoma that had some warping issues, lots of complaints on quality issues. If you get a good one, your set, but if you don't, it will be a nightmare.

Good Luck!

Utra how much does the blue one with ghost flames go for what kind of power does it have?

I am on the Gulf Coast of Mississippi. My price range is 35 to 45K and I am looking in the 25-28 foot range. I prefer single engine MCOB possibly a cat and power either a 496 HO or the 500 EFI.

It all depends on options. The 28' starts in the 90s and varies from there just depending on what you want. If you're looking for used there's a few in the OSO classifieds that would be perfect in the 40k-50k range. The payment on new isn't much more than used considering up to 20 years on new vs. 7-10 years on used according to most of the banks we've been dealing with lately.

I would get a Lavey Craft 2750, it's going to be the largest boat in that range, and it will perform very well there. It will be hard to find a 288 Sunsation in that price range. Good Luck

Note, I saw the Ultra in person and they're a great looking vessel. As for a Sunny, take a kook at my Sig and that ends my search.

I spent three years looking. I'll be moving up in two years and it will be a Sunny again. I have great things to say about other brands but this fits the needs of my family. I also have great respect for the dedication of the mfg. Says a lot when the owners answer the phone when you call the factory.

Define your needs, understand your water type, and take a look at the reccomdendations provided.

Thanks for all the input guys I struck out on my two Ultras already neither have returned my calls in over a week I left two messages. Found a few others all over 1500 miles away, damn it sucks being so far from the action!

I just found this one has everything I want in it but the price looks a little steep.

http://www.boattrader.com/listing/20...ra-2750-364652

I don't know that the price is out of range but you would be facing a few grand in a couple years on that engine i would think. 80 mph with just a single 525? Wow

Yea I read a post about the blue motors the 525 with the header issue and the 500 needs valves at 200 hours whats the deal with that Mercury doesn't back up its products?. First off I wouldn't touch A dealer within a 100 mile radius of where im at in Gulfport Mississippi nothing but John boats and center consol outboards here maybe I should stick to a 496 HO.