Mid-cabins ??????
 

OK Folks ..it seems everyone is making a "mid-cabin" version of their 25 - 28 foot sport vees.... has anyone checked any of these out yet , riden in one, had any experience at all with them , or maybe just your opinion (wait ... there aren't many of those here)

Lets hear it ....... (the Nordic and Sunsation look pretty nice???)

JM

Looked at some at the St Louis show. We really like the concept. Sunsation, Nordic, Challenger, Envision and Advantage had models there. I really liked the size of the Advantage cabin and the center mounted bolsters was prettly slick, plus they had a blender mounted in the cabin for cocktails. The Challenger has a deeper freeboard. Sunsation gets the passengers involved with a speedo, clock and depthfinder mounted in the bow area.
Haven't ridden in any of them yet. Time will tell.

With the funds to buy anything, and based soley on appearance and features, I'd vote like this:

1. Advantage
2. Sunsation
3. Challenger
4. Envision
5. Nordic

Just my opinion...

I think it's a good concept, but I think it ruins the whole look of the boat.

Bowriders and OffshoreOnly don't mix :crazy:

A am considering the Sunsation 288 closed bow, but a few of my friends told me they like the mid-cabin better. I like the closed bow better though. Decisions, decisions:rolleyes:

Just trying to decide if it's a possible alternative to the new (not new) center console I can't stop looking for ?????

The problem I see with them is this, who is going to sit up there on a weekend at LOTO? No way in hell I am going to.

Plus, I don't like the looks of them. I am not a open bow guy. Just my opinion though.

Last year I purchased a 2002 Nordic 28' Heat, mid-cab open-bow version. Stepped hull. For my purposes and uses, the o/b configuration is ideal:

Comfort/Practicality
1. I do 95% of my boating in large, Western lakes. Usually meet up with other boater friends. Cruising or drifting or anchored just off the beach, the large open-bow seating area is great.

2. Passenger/Gear loading and unloading is made easier with the open bow.

3. The mid-cabin area is ideal to take a break from mid-day intense sun. Open-bow provides nice air flow-through. Decent cruising seating as well, in smooth conditions.

Style
Purely a matter of personal preference and taste, but with some manufacturer's version of the o/b, I do agree that the lines of the boat suffer slightly and detract versus the hard deck. I don't feel that that way with the Nordic (which has a separate deck mold and dedicated tooling for the open-bow configuration. Not just a hard-deck that's been routed-out).

Performance

1. With the 496 Mag HO, the boat reliably reaches 64-65MPH (GPS). With favorable chop and atmospheric conditions, I've seen (GPS) 68 in fresh water, 71 in salt. I was surprised by these numbers.

2. As far as hard-deck WOT top-end advantage, I've never run side-by-side with a hard-deck Nordic 28 with same power. I'd imagine the hard-deck would have a 1-2 MPH advantage.

However, in a controlled test, I outran a hard-deck Nordic 28 Heat with a 502 MPI. Apx. 1-2 MPH advantage.

3. For offshore fun, a quick install of the snap-in bow cover works fine.



dh

Cool Concept....Now I suddenly are liking our open bow a bit more :D My only thing is....It looks "unclean" pick one or the other...If...now, this is only an idea... (need to patent this before someone steals my idea!) They had a fiberglass cover which gave the appearance of a hard deck...I would be all for them, open bow for a cruise, closed for more sporty look.

Just some more 2cents...
Tommy

Tommy, it's been done before. Check back with the Donzi boys. I believe that Criterion that just sold had the open bow with the hard cover.

I was going to post the same idea but Hyper beat me!
I like the concept, I would buy one for a second boat maybe.

Word on the street here in Michigan that Sunsation is going to make the 32ft Dominator a open bow soon. Twin 525's (yeah i'll ride up front!!:D )
Duane

open bow on a performance boat looks like training wheels on a Harley. I don't like the look at all. I understand it's popular out west, but it seems if your running that in BIG water - what happens if you stuff it???? I guess you keep the bilge pump running all the time. I'll stick with the closed deck and nice lines.
As for gauges up front - what for ?? to scare your non-boating passengers. A new way of "backseat" (front seat) driving??
I could already hear mother-in-laws screaming "too fast, too shallow, are we gonna run out of gas???"
.02 in the coffer for this opinion.
Bouy

Cig 1 is right,

The boat mags have been pushing those a lot with tests...

I think they look plain goofy.

Also I stuffed twice (both time under 40 MPH)in 20 years both times pop back out and kept going, with one of these things I'd still be going down.

Good feedback guys ... thanks !!!

1. This is obviously not a boat designed for rough water (especially with people up front)

2. I am looking at these as a possible family friendly "LAKE" (as in "inland lakes") boat. We do a few trips a year to upstate NY.

3. This would actually be looked at as a third or fourth boat that would really only be used for the above trips ... mostly with lots of kids along as well.

4. Sunsation does the hard cover for the bow.... Does anybody else .... maybe Donzi eh?

5. As far as the look ... yeah some of them look pretty goofy, but that Nordic has a really nice line to it .

6. Thanks again .... Keep 'em comin....

JM

Open Bow - No Problem
 

Can't argue about personal taste. I know this isn't a windshield and open bow crowd, but when we go to LOTO my friends fight over who gets to sit in the front - especially on weekends. I guess you need a boat with a great rough water ride, which is what an Envision offers.

I always thought boating was about being with friends having a good time. In our boat I can seat 12 adults comfortably. We don't have to wait till we get where we're going to party, we party on the way:D

Even on inland lakes you may encounter a large cruiser wake and it could come over the bow and get REAL interesting Real quick!

The sunsation version is the exact same performance specs as the closed bow version except it doesn't have a V-berth. Great configuration for lakes, rivrs, etc. but offshore you could find youself with a big bucket of water up front if the waters get snotty. The other thing is the additional vinyl etc. you've got take care of on top of the cockpit. PLus, unless the water is glassy, it's the worst place to ride on a boat...

I'm a closed deck kind of guy too. I just love the lines of a long deck. But, those new open bow rigs are pretty cool. I had a bow rider when I was Hyper's age, had a friggin blast in it. Did almost 60 mph, used to jump out of the front at WOT!! Fun Fun.

I could be tempted into a nice open bow go-faster. Heck, put a couple of cutie-tooty-fruities up there and the view from the helm gets even better.:D :cool:

Reckless thanks for reminding me about the ride up front in ruff water

I always wanted to jump out at wot....How far do you need to swim to get the boat? The bottom paragraph is all true here :D

My wife absolutely loves the Sunsation 288 midcabin; I'm looking forward to seeing the 32' when it comes out (rumored to be in the next few months). For the kind of boating we do, it makes perfect sense - cabin for the little one to take a nap, provide dry storage, and a place for the head + plenty of room for folks in the cockpit. We used the v-berth in our old boat once in 2 1/2 seasons - it was wasted space.

A mid-cabin is probably not the ticket if you plan to hammer the boat hard in big water, but for running here to there, quickly, with 5 or 6 passengers, it's a pretty good fit.