I'm currently in the market for a 28-30' mid cabin open bow and would like some info from ACTUAL OWNERS OR PREVIOUS OWNERS. I've been looking hard at Nordic Heats but have considered a few other brands as well. I have looked at Cobra, Laveycraft, Kachina, Sleekcraft, Howard, Hallett, Sunsation, Shockwave and Magic. I looked at a Sunsation 288 and to be honest I was turned off by the lack of quality, very tight space, and the pad that starts at the front of the hull. I would like to know how well you liked them and your likes and dislikes. I have found a Nordic Heat that I really like and a Shockwave Magnitude 29 also. I will be doing my boating on Dale Hollow, Cumberland and the Ohio River so I am interested in handling as well. Also, if you know of any for sale please let me know as well I live in Cincinnati but I'm no afraid to drive. Thanks in advance!

I had a 32 MCOB Sunsation for 5 years. Boat did trips from FL to the Bahamas, lots of FPC poker runs and it was great. I never used the "deck pad" on top of the midcabin and the door in the front of the cabin was a joke. I would delete both of those items. The wind blowing through any midcabin will certainly wear out the headliner (material pulls away from the foam).

http://www.flpowerboat.com/gallery/d...lbum=11&pos=23

I have noticed that every sunsation I look at has the sagging headliner. Very nice looking boat Jupiter!!

I wanted a closed deck, wife wanted an open bow, and we ended up going with MCOB. After looking at Sunsation, Nordic, etc... we ended up with a Baja 292 Islander for one big reason. You have to CRAWL through the front door to get to the open bow. My parents (in their 60's) go boating with us quite a bit and love to ride up front with our 4yo son. There is no way they'd be able to get to the front at their age in a typical MCOB layout. The open bow is nice for docking at LOTO and the big cabin is great for everyone to be able to take a nap in or get out of the sun.

Be sure to look at the real size of the boats and the interior space. You could put a 288 Sunsation inside my boat it is so small. I've had 8 people all stretched out comfortably in mine all day and it never felt cramped.

I have an 2003 288 MCOB and love the boat its currently for sale because I want to move up to a 32. As for the MCOB layout in general its a great set up at the time I purchased mine I had two teenagers and usually a family member or two that would tag along for the day, the extra space up front is a must if you have more than 3/4 people on the boat...just my opinion. The pads on the top deck are great its like having a second sun pad for people to lay on but I will admit it took me a while to get used to the look of them but mine are white so they blend into the top deck well. As for handling I have no complaints I boat on a large lake in Western KY and have done several poker runs with the boat and the only time we got beat up was during the Cumberland Run in June when I missed my start and we left in the back of the pack. Never had any quality issues not even a rattle and the headliner in mine is still intact, I think age and how the boat is stored may have more to due with the condition of the headliner. The 2005 32 closed bow I am hoping to purchase has a few bad spots in the head liner so I don't think wind is a factor. I will agree with Jupiter Sunsation the door to the open bow could benefit from a better design.

The headliner issue was related to the glue from what I was told. 2004-2006 models seemed to get the brunt of the sagging. Prior boats still had tight headliners despite being older (and non-mcob, no wind blowing through there). My boat was one of the first 32 MCOB's built. The headliner was an expensive fix ($1,000+) and nobody wants the job. At the factory it is done when the deck is still separated from the hull so it is a much easier job.

My boat is now in Galveston, TX area, haven't talked to Bret in awhile. I would love to see an old style 32 MCOB with a pair of OB's......it would be a great package!

Just bought our new Cobra 260 last year .Mid cabin . We had a 230 walk thru before .Wife didn't think she would like a mid cabin due to the fact you need
to go under to get to the front.
Well it turned out she really loves it .
The Cobra has a lot of head room so it not a issue at all. has a lot of room down there.

I'm a little curious why you thought the 288 was cramped compared to the other makes? As well as the lack of quality?

I love my 32 MCOB Sunsation. So I'm definitely biased. The extra space on the bow is nice if you want to get some get away from other people on the boat. Girls LOVE the pads on the middle for tanning and dancing.

Ok for clarification the "pad" I was referring to was the running pad on the bottom of the hull. Most boats start at the back 1/3 or 1/4. The Sunsation's I looked at started as soon as the "V" came down to the bottom and was about 1" wide. By the middle of the boat it was 12-16" and by the back it was 24-30" wide which I would relate to the rougher ride that the owners have told me about. I was strictly looking at 288's and they were 2003 and 2004. The lack of quality I was talking about is just the normal fit and finish. The dash just looks like a piece of plastic with some gauges that is drywall screwed to the fiberglass. Then the "step" isn't a true step, it just runs in a foot or two and stops. Then there was the sagging headliner issue. It really let me down because I have always loved Sunsations! I think the more expensive higher end models are better quality. Bigredbaja, I have looked at your Sunsation for sale and it looks like a really nice boat and I even had it on my list (even though I wasn't crazy about the 496) until I looked at these other 288's. I felt it was very cramped in the cockpit area which I relate to how narrow the 288 is compared to other boats I've owned and looked at.

I owned a 2003 Donzi 28 ZXO for a few years. I loved most everything about the boat. It was a bit hard to get from the cock pit to the bow in a hurry (docking ) and there was a limited amount of storage. Most things I had to put under the seats in the bow area. Sunsation was on top of my list when I was shopping, but the Donzi felt like a bigger boat on the inside. One thing I did like that some of the boats you listed did not offer was doors that closed off the mid cabin. Even though we had them open 99% of the time, it was nice to be able to close them when going to dinner or chilly nights. Good luck in you search.
There is a Baja 292 listed at Performance Boat Center at LOTO for sale. I think it belongs to plow townmissile, I do not know him, but the guys on Midwest Boat Party talk very highly of that particular boat when big open bows are talked about.