After doing Boyne Thunder last week, the poker run bug has bitten me and I want more speed to hang in the faster classes. Currently I have an Active Thunder 37 with 525's. It's a great boat, but instead of dropping 50k to make it faster, I'd rather do the smart thing, and buy a boat that goes the speed I want. So with that said, a 42 Legacy is what I think I would like to move up too. It seems that the Legacy was laid up in either Vinylester or Epoxy. I understand that the epoxy is lighter and more ridged, but how does the ride quality compare between the two? Will the epoxy boat ride better as the waves increase?

As to engines, it seems the 700, 800 and 1075's were the popular options, with the NXT typically being paired with the 700. What is the best overall package for this boat? What are the typical speeds with each of these combos. Last what is the typical engine rebuild schedule for each of these engines?

Thanks for any advise!

buy a 42 Epoxy with 1075's.. great ride and run about 125.

can you really see a ride difference if the boat was made of epoxy instead of vynilester resin?

wow ! I would not think I could see a diference !

but Legacy are really great looking boats whatever the engine package!

but a 1075 would scare me on rebuild close to what? 100 hours?

Not sure when OL switched over to epoxy hulls on the Legacy, but I think it was after the first year or 2 of production.
Epoxy boats are lighter. They hull also sounds totally different. They don't sound as solid, but of course they are and probably stronger.
I had two friends that owned Legacy's. I know one was a regular layup with 1000hp's and one was epoxy with 700sci's. Never road in either.
The friend with the 700sci/epoxy boat said (at the time) it was the best riding boat he had owned and the hull would essentially correct itself if you landed a little off.

Mike,
Do you know Tom Derhammer? I think his new boat is a 42' OL, and they still have their 37' AT. He'd be a good one to get input from.

Correct Brian. Talked to Tom and Rhonda about it for a while Friday night. I believe he said his is carbon fiber? Has 700's. The 1075 Legacy listed for $219k seem like a pretty good deal.

Yes I do have Tom's number, I forgot that he has a 42 OL and a 37 AT, There isn't a better person to talk to, on how the two boats compare. I was talking to Steve at Boyne, who had a 37 AT and moved up to a 47 OL. He mentioned that Tom still had both boats. Good call on calling Tom!

Man I feel your pain and have been thinking the same thing for about two yrs. My biggest dilemma is we just don't get to use the boat enough to justify the difference in cost.

My biggest issue is I don't have the time to work on my boat like I used to, and I don't want to rent a work shop in Chicago again. I know the way these things go, they never go as planned, then I will be killing myself to make it work. I've been going down that road for two decades. Three other guys talked some sense into me, and all were saying the same thing. Enjoy Stealin' Thunder as is, then move up to a faster boat.

Finding a boat with all the amenities that you get in an Active Thunder is very hard, especially in a boat that is very well built. IMO the only two options are the 43 Nor-Tech and the 42 Legacy. I'm in no hurry to get something else, but when the right boat comes along, I want to know I'm making the right choice. What I find funny, is now that I've had a boat with the side by side seat, I no longer have any desire for the split bolsters. Having the optional 3ed man, slide in bolster is a great option. I can have 6 people in my boat very comfortably. So that leaves one boat as an alternative. The OL.