Considering a 28 Heat
 

Hello folks,

I am looking for a 28 ft sport boat for my wife and I, but am on the fence as to which boat get. I have been looking at the Donzi 28ZX's for a while, however, have been recently been looking at the Nordic Heats. I don't want to get into a discussion as to which boat is better, but am simply looking for objective information which to base my decision off of.

To further complicate things, with the Heat boats, I like the open bow idea, but don't like how you are actually committed to a truly open boat in the sense that you can't seal off the middle section. I know about the bow cover, but the aft portion seems to always be "open". So, I am still a little unsure of which version to get, if I go with a Nordic.

I have never seen a Nordic, but they are by far the best looking boats that I have been researching. I like their wood free design. Also, are there any years to avoid or any years with significant changes in design either hull or cockpit?

I really appreciate any response that I may get. A little about me....it's just my wife and myself, and our dog. We may have kids in the next few years, but not anytime soon. We live near rivers and lakes in Northern CA and would maybe take the boat to the ocean a couple of times. I know we would definitely take it to Lake Tahoe for a summer. We would like to go with friends, but not too many. This is the reason for the undecidedness on open bow or not. I don't know if we would boat camp or just stay in a hotel. I like the boat camping idea, but is it really that comfortable?

OK....I'll just sit back and let the pros answer some of these questions.

Thanks a lot for the input guys.

-Steve

I had a nice long story about my Nordic all typed in and I went to post it and I got knocked out, I'm really getting sick of this site. Anyway it's a great boat.

The Heat is available with an Electric Cabin door which closes off the cabin from the aft side. It's a nice option and it would give privacy. I've got a closed bow. With the closed bow you can sleep 4. Two in the V-berth and two on the couches that convert to a sleeping area with inserts and 2 cusions. That set-up works well for my wife and I with 2 kids. Also with that version, a porta-potty stores under the V-berth, when the ladies need to tinkle, they go in the cabin and close the door and they have complete privacy and that is something she will appriciate. Not sure of the open bow if it even has storage for a porta-potty. The Heat is a nice boat that handles very well. I've never driven a Donzi, but it is one of the boats I did consider prior to purchasing the Nordic. I've driven a few other boats recently and the more I drive them, the more I like my Nordic. It's fast, handles very well and looks great. Best of luck with your choice. You will not be dissapointed with the Nordic. Go with a Merc 525 or more if your budget allows. Heats can handle it. I'm into my 4th season now and it has been trouble free, Both on Nordics side and on the Merc Side.

:cool-smiley-027:

I was allowed to take a 2007 heat out for a day (thanks to John and Gary @ unlimited marine) at the Nordic jam in lake Cumberland last month and was truly impressed. I think the wood free construction is available on the 2008 and later models. They also added an anchor locker and cleats amidship for 08. The 07 I took out was powered by the 496HO and performed very well. It was rock solid, never chine walked or exhibited any negative handling qualities. But I could tell it could easily stand a lot more power. I would say a 08 model with the 525, external hyd steering and trim tabs would be hard to beat overall. As far as hull design changes or years to stay away from, there are quite a few heat owners on here that could be of more help. I have a 93 model 32 that has a ton of wood in it and looks and feels just as solid as the day it was delivered so I dont think build quality would be an issue no matter what year you look at.

I have a 2002 Heat and love it. They are great boats very soild. I had a 496ho and had to put a Whipple on it to get it to where I wanted it. The Heats love power and lots of it. The boat is good inside and out. I feel that the Nordic is and feels like a pritty big boat for a 28. My last boat was a 272 Baja and the nordic is much bigger inside and out for only beening 1 foot longer. If you get the chance try to drive one. But There is a big differance in how the boat feels with more power. They are very stable boats, just much funner to drive with more power.

I too have been looking at the Heat. I currently have a 23' Stingray open bow 6.2L Merc Bravo I.

Its fun and is ideal, but sometimes it is difficult to get across the lake when it gets pretty choppy. I think something of this size will never stop me from going where I would like to go at descent speed.

The Nordic graphics and design are very eye appealing and stands out better than any other boat I have come across in a 28'. I would have to sell my boat I have now to upgrade, and am not in that big of a hurry. I saw there was a 2005 in the classfieds that seemed to be at a pretty good deal.

Question:

Do the trim tabs make a tremendous difference in ride?

It looks like you are all stuck on the 525. How much of a price differnce is it from the 496?

Thanks for the feedback....btw I'm new to the site, and have enjoyed all of your post!!

Take Care,

Paul

I looked at a lot of boats in the same size range before settling on the Heat.
I looked at 27' Warlock, a 29' Fountain, a 28' Sunsation, and few others.
They all had some good qualities, and I probably would have been OK with all of them except the Warlock (I just didn't like their old school boxy lines). The boat was fast.
The Heat unquestionably was the sleekest, coolest looking boat. It also has some unique features I like (smooth ride, good performance per HP, huge cabin, electric cabin door and stern light) and also has a few that I have openly "commented" about (on the earlier models, all since resolved on the '08 at the East Coast Regatta).
Quality is well above average. The 2000+ models have the newer single step hulls, and deck updates.
As noted above, buy as much power as you can afford. I wouldn't buy anything less than a 500EFI. The blue Merc performance models come with heavier duty mounts, trim tabs, and hydraulic steering. They also cost more, but the resale is there too. The blue motors also look great, and are a good foundation for future modifications with forged internals. They are nice boats with stock power, but they are much more fun to drive with some horsepower, and they handle very well, even with big power.
As far as the open bow VS hard deck, that's an easy one. If you are overnighting, get the hard deck.
If you're a day boater with a lot of buddies, I guess the open bow makes sense.
Regards,
Steve

I like the look of the closed bow and the actual functionality of the cabin area. I remember as a kid that we would rarely sit in the bow because we stuffed it full of crap when we went to the lake. I think we would do the overnight a bit. What I don't like about the cabin is the heat inside and how it prevents people from utilizing it during the day other than a storage area.

Any possibility of putting some sort of ventilation system in there?

I appreciate all of the input. It looks like a solid boat and they seem to retain their value more than others on the market. I'm lucky that my wife loves boating also as long as she can bring her friends along!

I was looking at some boats with the hydraulic steering and trim tabs already installed. I think that is the way to go with this boat.

We'll see what happens. I have to make it home from my deployment first!

Steve,
Sounds like you are in the service? If so, thanks for your service to our country. The cabin on all of these boats can be stuffy in summer heat (no pun intended). I have 2 oscillating fans in mine, and along with the hatch and door openings make it pretty good for day use or overnighting. Several of the guys with 35 Flames have AC, which I think requires shore power or a generator. There is a new mini AC unit that works off 12V, that was recently installed on a boat here. I saw several other 12V AC units demonstrated at the Las Vegas show recently.
Steve

Power choice is totally a personal thing. The boat performs very well with the 496HO, but obviously better with more power. The hull handles well at any speed. There are a few Heats that run near 100 that I know of with no handling issues. I consider trim tabs a must if you get an open bow. Reason bing is people are constantly moving around because of the open design and you need to adjust the tabs to keep the boat level.

Thanks again for the information. I'm sure the cabin will be stuffy, no matter what brand boat you have. I really like the closed bow boat and am leaning more towards that the more I think about what we will be doing with the boat.

My wife likes the sunpad on the engine cover. Oh yeah, all of these boats seem to have the same problem with access to the bow anchor. How do you guys get to the anchor?

I would love to order a new boat, but it's really cost prohibitive with my wife. I don't want to have a 20 year note on a boat, either. I'm thinking in the 50-60K range. Another thing I like about the Nordic is that it is almost 2 thousand pounds lighter than the Donzi I'm looking at.

I've got some time while I'm deployed to do more research. I don't want to be pressured into buying a boat when I return, so I figure I might as well do some of the research here.

How are the insurance rates on these boats? I'm sure it is more reasonable than the quote I received on the Donzi.

Again, thanks for the help.

You can definitely put in a 12V ac unit and run it off of two batteries--Velocity offers this on their 290SC. Or maybe add an opening window on each bow side for cross-ventilation :drink:

Now that would be something to look into. I wonder if a separate battery were installed for this application would help? I would have to do some more research on this topic. I do like the idea, however.

-Steve

Hey 47 ...... where are you located in US ?

Had a 2001 open bow. LOVED the boat. Great family boat. TONS of room in the mid-cabin. Best 28' Vee on the market, still! IMO.

I'm currently in a small country bordered by Pakistan and Iran, but live on the west coast. Looks too far from NY!

About the open bow, I still like the idea, just not that it is always open in the middle. Unless I am mistaken, it looks like the cockpit area is pretty much wide open.

I'm in the same balk park on pricing as you. I am also interested in knowing the difference in insurance between the 496 and upgraded power packages. A friend told me that insurance goes pretty high once you get the 525 EFI. True or False

Also, whats up with the anchor talk?

Anchor talk
 

I brought this up in the Donzi forum, also. I think it's funny to have a bow anchor when you can't really access the bow (unless open, of course). I am curious as to how people get to this crucial part of the boat. That's all.

-Steve

Anchor talk
 

I brought this up in the Donzi forum, also. I think it's funny to have a bow anchor when you can't really access the bow (unless open, of course). I am curious as to how people get to this crucial part of the boat. That's all.

-Steve

There are steps that allow you to climb over the windshield out to the deck. Accessing the anchor locker is not the only time you will be out on the deck. You have to climb out there alot whether it is rafting up with other boats or mooring to a dock.

You can climb from the passenger seat to the dash over the windshield. Not the easiest way forward. I usually use the deck hatch. Once I'm up there I get someone to hand the anchor up, or you can just anchor off the transom.
The 2007/2008 boats have an anchor locker in the bow, and an improved cleat arrangement.
Steve

And don't short yourself with the 496.... Do yourself a favor and throw some ponies in it. You won't like looking at the dollars when your doing it but you'll love it when your running down the lake..

See, I learned something about the newer models. And someone was giving me crap for asking this question! I am talking with my wife about spending a little extra $$$ on a newer boat. It seem that unless I order one, most of the models available are the 496's. I have a little while before I leave, so no rush on my part.

Thanks for all of the input guys...

Unlimited Marine has this one which is a 2004 model with low hours and a 500EFI for a good deal. It was at the Regatta a few weeks ago and is in excellent shape. I agree with the comments on going for the upgraded motor. Thats why I think this is a good buy. Call John if interested.
Good Luck in your search

That is a nice boat... Funny how the push is always for more power. My wife laughs when I'm around my friends that are also pilots. She says we all have the same personality, trying to go faster, do better, etc...

Thanks for the information. I'll shoot them an email. My issue is that I'm going to be deployed for a little more and don't want my wife to buy a boat without me.

My X brother in law was a pilot. He flew the F15's. You definately need more power. Getting it now leaves the wife plenty of time to wax & get the boat stocked so you can hit the throttles when you get back. Be safe!

Some of the big name insurance companies, as apposed to specialized boat insurance companies, will only insure boats with standard engines. In their minds any boat with a Mercruiser Racing Engine is not insurable. They tend to consider the 496HO as far as they want to go. Others also have in the policy that any engine performance mods will void the policy.

Well that kind of sucks huh? What do you think the difference is per year between the 496 and 525?

Here is is on the TN river. Awesome looking boat.

Thanks for the insurance information. I'll have to check with my insurer. If that is the case, it explains why so many 496's are on the market. I'm sure it's not impossible to insure anything more than a 496, but if the rates are significantly higher, then a 496 it is for me. Sure I love my speed and adrenaline rush, but I also don't like getting raped every year. My annual flight physicals are bad enough!

OK....as i do more and more research, I discover that these boats retain their value pretty well. I'm on the fence right now between a new boat and one that is just a few years old. It looks like there were significant changes for the 2008 models, so that is definitely something to consider.

Steve,
Re the insurance. I pay $725 a year full coverage with a 575.
I have a good driving/boating record and I took the Power Squadron safety course.
Get the horsepower you want. Again, I would not go below a 500EFI. Don't be hatin' my 496/502Mag brothers, JMHO. Some things I never hear: This boat is too fast, her t-ts are too big, this Crown Royal sucks :rolleyes::drink::cool:
Regards,
Steve

LOL

Funny line there Steve.

Ray

We love ours and we have the 525hp. We were looking at the Donzi but we like the head room in the cuddy and the lines.Ours is 90 hours old and we would do it agian .

CnT Smith

We have this brand new 2008 available if you want to go new.

http://www.offshoreonlyclassifieds.c...o24552-en.html

With the price being $0, I will take it. All I need is gas & beer.

JK, Good looking boat

I've driven both a Nordic 28 and a Donzi 28. I really doubt
that many people have done that.

Actually several Nordic 28's with 502Mag, 496, 525, and 600SCi power.

The Donzi had twin 350Mags.

Since I'm a Nordic owner I won't express my preference
because I would readily be accused of being biased. Even
more those who know me would quickly point out that I
don't know squat since I tested them on inland lakes in the
southwest US. Can't really argue that point.

But I'll put it this way, if you got in either boat without knowing what the other was like, you'd be happy with either one.

Pesky Varmint

""Actually several Nordic 28's with 502Mag, 496, 525, and 600SCi power.""


I wasn't aware of very many 600sci boats out there.... Or
502 boats for that matter.

How did the 600's run?

Grunningers Stl Heats 72k