That a crap excuse. It always looks like rain in fla to you foreigners. I'm pretty sure it says A storm is possible. A STORM means at least one cloud may blow over.

Oh, now that you explain it like that, I'll see you after 6pm!

Boat looks gorgeous!! Great job Michael!

Dean & Dykstra- I appreciate the positive feedback

She's a beauty NASCAT. It was great to catch up. I'm sure Yvonne will have plenty of cool shots up later this week.

JAX Poker Run
 

Stretching BTA's legs on the St. John's last weekend. Headed to Charleston this weekend.
Great seeing everyone in JAX, thanks to all who took & forwarded me pics, they are greatly appreciated.

Top Speed
 

Long Overdue is an update on the BTA's performance.

The boat runs an honest 75mph regardless of fuel & load. I've seen 79mph a few times but have been holding out for 80. The problem being I wasn't smart enough to find the Trip page on my Garmin, it was hidden behind the Info Page. Living proof you must be smarter than the piece you are working with. My only disclaimer being that my Garmin didn't come w/ an owners manual.

I broke the 80mph barrier just last weekend, 90 gals of fuel & 2 on board in a slight chop. I'm still 150-200 rpm shy of the 6400 max redline w/ the stock Mercury Rev 4, 25P props. A well respected authority on Nor-Tech CC's has provided me a with a few basic tips as to how to get the remaining 200 rpm. Lake levels are quite low currently due to the lack of rain. Hope to get back out there to see if the adjustments made result in any performance gains.

To be continued.....

You have 1155 miles on that boat already or am I not looking at the Odometer correctly? Did you leave the Garmin on while it was on the trailer?

I'm not sure thats 100% correct b/c 1155 miles divided by 56hrs = a 21mph avg.
Also when I finally found the TRIP page my max speed was like 305mph (which I really wanted to post) so I was wondering if it was on in the plane too, LOL.

I boated 3x in Fort Myers before I brought it home, been to Jacksonville PR, Lanier PR & the NC Coast 1x + my local lake boating.
The 56hrs seems reasonable the miles I'm not sure. Ron from Electronics Unlimited saw the 300mph max speed & didn't have an explanation.


With that said please delete your post, I'll delete mine & then I can roll back my odometer.:party-smiley-004:

PS- if you look closer the trip odometer reads 1383 which is higher than the actual odometer.
Not sure how the Garmin operates but in a car, Odometer= All Miles & trip exactly that a portion of the total miles. Only way they match is if you never reset the trip. In this case I'm not sure how the trip could exceed the odometer.

The other boat you were considering before this one never would of come close to 80...I mean, 300 MPH. BTA continues to impress!

56 hours on such a new boat means you are a very lucky man to have such a beautiful boat and be able to use it! I would have posted the 305mph too! LOL! A friend of mine from Houston picked up his new 340 Sport last month as well. He hasn't let on the speed yet, his has trip 350s as well... Boat on!

Thanks CH, as you know I made the transition from Go Fast to the CC & it definitely has been the right decision for me at this time for many reasons. Headed to Destin next week & hope to make KW later this year. This will probably taper off next year to include less PR's & more coastal exploring but for now I'm making the most of it & have planned my vacation around all this boating. BAHAMAS is VERY HIGH on my list for 2016.
My GF has already asked me if we are ever going to do anything else besides boating?? Rut Row!

I think you are speak of Mark L. He and I spoke at length before he pulled the trigger & throughout his build. I want to believe Trond or the factory saw 80-81 w/ his boat as they did the very 1st triple 350 340 Sport. I believe mine is slightly heavier than those 2 if that's a legit reason for our speed differential. I have 12v A/C (2 massive batteries, 6 total), the bow bench seating, & the bow bench filler to name a few. And don't forget all the thread required for the quilted stitching.

I also am not the guy who prop tests w/ 10 gals on board & a Tour D' France rider at the helm. I try to do all testing & tuning w/ 90-120 gals of fuel (135gals = 1/2) & my water tank full (30 gals) w/ at least 2 people on board b/c thats how I boat normally give or take a few headcount.

Yup, that's Marc! He has already said we are planning on Bahamas next year! I'm a little apprehensive since my little 32 Victory is not quite the ocean boat you guys have! The videos he has sent me of the keys and surrounding waters is very inticing though. I know the feeling about the GF, mine want a party barge!!!! I told her as soon as I get my walker, we'll start looking!

I've been searching for a better ride quality / towing performance from my trailer. I have spent a good amount of time experimenting w/ the ball height & tongue weight .In the end it appears that the Goodyear Marathon tires although rated for the capacity of my boat / trailer combo are the weak link. I experienced lots of sidewall crush & flex w/ the Marathons but since upgrading to Goodyear GS614 RST's I don't think I'll own another trailer without them. They aren't LT tires but purpose built trailer tires. Ride quality is superior as is the quality & construction of the tire. 14ply trailer tire that closely resembles you'd find on an 18 wheeler trailer. Zero sidewall crush & the tires don't look like they are about to dismount when I make a u-turn in my storage facility lot. 110 psi!!

Unless you damage the sidewall of one of these tires I don't believe you'll live or own the boat long enough to see them replaced from wear.

Many thanks to Rod & Paul at Evolution Trailers for helping me work thru the swap out & providing me tires at their cost so as to make the upgrade as painless as possible. They even provided me w/ an avenue to sell off my 2000 mile Marathon take offs.

1st Class Operation.


http://www.goodyeartrucktires.com/ti...rodline=160007

NASCAT, Thanks for the tire info! You might want to look at "AirSafe" trailer hitches. It is the best thing that I ever added for towing quality.

I've been down the same road with the Marathon's and I will never pull with anything but the G614's on a 16" wheel.
Marathon = 35 pounds G614 = 57 pounds.

When they arrived & I loaded them in my truck & unloaded them at the tire mounting facility they were noticeably heavier, my guess was 20lbs. The sidewalls so stiff they feel like they'd almost resemble a runflat tire if they lost pressure.

Nascat, what a great thread! I am getting ready to take delivery of my new 340 #61 in 2 weeks and have really enjoyed seeing all the production photos.

Congrats, feel free to reach to me if I can be of any assistance. Your going to enjoy your Nor-Tech

I read that you were looking into changing props, did you ever consider the Enertia Eco? I have seen some good reviews on them. I am considering buying a spare set as we will be taking the boat from Fort Myers to the Keys for 2 weeks and I thought it might be a good idea.

The answer to your question is No.
At the time the new Merc 350's and 400's were introduced there was an immediate need for bigger props. Nor-Techs like Merc Rev 4 props even though the new engines can spin Bravo 1's unfortunately they don't handle as well as the Rev 4's. Then Merc debuted the new Rev 4 XP which is the prop I hope to test later this year.

I tried them on my boat, they are good for .2 mpg increase which is about 10% in my case. I bought a set of 23" and they run about the same as my 26 Bravos. Speeds are similar but I am spinning more RPM to get the same mph with the ECO's. My Bravos have had a lot of cup added though they are probably closer to 27". I like the ECO's but they do vibrate more and are noisier than the Bravos. I just got them on so until I run them for a while I won't be sure if they are better all around, but MPG wise they are better all around.

What boat and engine combo do you have?

Spectre CC w/ Diesels last I knew and as listed below his screenname.

Yes 37 Spectre with Yanmar 6LP (315hp) and Bravo X drives.

Needed a little more space. New phase of Hyde Park III due to be complete in June. Have to wait until after the close to build the loft and bathroom as none of those items were on the original plans.

Current unit is 20 x 55', this one 20' x 60' but b/c it's beside the corner unit it's actually 28' wide at the rear wall. The extra space will allow truck and trailer to be backed in together + more room for a vehicle parked beside the boat.

Added more lighting and plan to have a HVAC supply trunk built fore / aft to better distribute the heating and cooling.

First there was 34-58 and soon there will be 34-98, exactly 50 builds apart. I was really hoping for 34-100 but no such luck. :(

New boat storage beginning to take shape as well.

What did you do with your old storage? Can't imagine it getting much better than that.

It's for sale. New unit is located at Hyde Park III, it's a few hundred sq ft larger and located in a corner w/ much easier ability to enter and exit. The 60' depth should allow me to back entire truck and trailer inside.

Wait you are buying another of the exact same thing???? If so why?

Exact same, NO!
Similar Yes!

Several reasons...........
First and foremost would be opportunity. SportBoats Marine knew that there were a few things I wished I did differently and so when approached by an interested party seeking a 340 w/ Triple 350's not wanting to build new or the wait associated w/ new a brokered sale was born.

NT has introduced a few design changes for 2017 which I'll benefit from
I get to add / delete options and or change colors
I end up w/ a 2017 in 2016 as opposed to a 2015 mid 2015 and erase the 80hrs of use

The same goes for the Evo trailer, opportunity to do it differently.

I really enjoyed the transition from Perf Boating to the CC. I like the style and performance of the NT and there simply wasn't anything else I rather have at the time that I could afford and that was easily towable.
Once the 2015 sold I searched high and low, new & used like any boating enthusiast w/ $$$ sizzling in his pocket but at the end of the day I new I wanted to stay CC and O/B's!

I hope to make KW this year, then Bahamas & maybe Cuba next year in addition to Coastal Carolina boating.
That has been my intent all along once I decided to go CC. I made several typical PR Events in 2015 but I really want to explore beyond the typical circuit.

DOWNSIDE to this transaction is I'm boatless this summer awaiting a Sept delivery BUT I have friends w/ boats so not a total loss.

Good luck with your new 2017, My 2017 is in final paint at Mitcher T . here in Michigan cant wait to get her to Boyne Thunder in a few weeks. My hull went from hull 17, 2011 to hull 110. 2017.

Thanks Bill!

You definitely got good use out of your boat and I'm sure the 2017 will be spectacular.
I see nothing wrong w/ being a repeat customer!

Does your boat return to NT for final assembly or is it complete & Mitcher T paints it and returns directly to you?

Boat is done at Nor-tech they painted inside and we already sea trialed last month, Mitch is painting the sides, motors and part of the T-top and she will be done. It will be back in Ft Myers in the fall. It should be the most complex paint on a CC Nortech to date, at least I think. lol

Sounds COOL! :cool-smiley-027:
I prefer to keep my paint simple and clean for touch up and resale purposes.
I think this was a BIG+ in selling Black Tie Affair, white and black are pretty timeless.

Looking forward to seeing Bill63 / Mitcher T masterpiece!

Guys post some pics of both builds, should be very nice.

Before paint

Ah I didn't realize that was your boat Bill. Michael Knoblock posted some pics of it and the scheme on FB a month or so ago. I even took a few pics of features you had I'd never seen before while visiting Nor-Tech in early May.

I got no pics to post other than what posted last night. All the pics of the 2015 can be seen on previous pages.