28 OB vs 32 OB vs 32 IO
 

I know most on this site are anti weed wacker but I'm kinda partial to them for the cost of ownership and maintenance. That said I'm in the market for a new (used) boat and am curious to get the opinions of those that have had these boats.

I'm coming from a 32 Spectre with outboards and don't think I want to step up to a 36 etc due to trailering headaches and other perceived costs. Just don't think they're realistically in the budget even though a 388 is the "dream boat". I had a ton of fun with the Spectre and loved the way it handled "rough" water, I know people will say it won't hold a candle to a Skater but regardless it impressed me and a lot of other people. I'm 95% sure the next boat will be another cat just not sure yet on size, brand, or power, yea I know that leaves a lot of room for discussion but would appreciate your thoughts on the below. I feel like it'll probably be a Skater but who knows when it comes right down to it a deal may be a deal.

28 OB

Pro's

1. Fast
2. Reasonable price especially since I don't mind an older one since you can't seem to hurt them as long as the tanks are good. Anything else to watch out for?
3. Fast
4. Value, it seems that there are always a few for sale and most don't last long on the market so as long as it's taken care of I can always get out of it.
5. Oh yea Fast, not sure what else you can get and reasonably expect 110-115 or so with two outboards.

Con's

1. Size, I'm concerned that it won't be large enough to comfortably (perception of passengers) handle the same water that the Spectre did. I have little doubt it will handle bigger water than I'm comfortable running it in but from running with them in the past they seemed like they flew a lot more than the Spectre and had lower freeboard. I don't doubt the ride would be ok for the front passengers but for people in the back seat it looked like it would require a lot of faith and holding on if you got into rougher water.

Just afraid it may be more of a lake or river rocket than I'm looking for. I don't go out looking for big water but do boat on the Chesapeake Bay quite a bit and it can get nasty quickly, 3-4 foot can pop up pretty quick and the problem is they generally are right on top of each other and are often coming from multiple directions.


32 OB
Would most likely be looking for an "A" hull since they appear to be better suited for outboards

Pro's

1. Should handle "rough water" better than the Spectre
2. Can buy an older one so value is also there
3. Maintenance costs are low as well as operating costs compared to BBC IO's. I can buy an entire new 300XS for the cost of a replacement number 6 let alone rebuilds on blower motors, trans, and number 6's
4. Seem to be bullet proof hulls, I've never heard of anyone hurting them
5. "Cheap" way to get into a 'bigger" Skater
6. Even with two motors mid 90's should be a very reasonable goal and with 2 stroke outboards that don't care as much about running hard that will run with or better than a lot of people who have to be more careful running a BBC hard.
7. With 3 motors 112-118 is probably ball park which is as fast as I care about going on a regular basis
8. Reasonably high speeds with still keeping the sensation of going fast. My understanding is that with some of the 36 and 38 Skaters 115 seems like you're running 45 which is great but the sensation of speed is more of what I'm after ATM rather than trying to run 150+ to get that same sensation. 150 is cool but sh!t starts happening at those speeds and we boat about every weekend in some congested areas so wouldn't really have the ability to run that fast any way.
9. About the biggest boat you can get that will run well with outboards.

Con's

1. Not as fast as the Spectre and nowhere near the speed of the 28 with 2x 300hp
2. Limited market for resale
3. Three motors are really needed to be a 100+ boat so add that to fuel and maintenance.


32 IO

Most of the OB pro's and cons apply here but these are my impressions of the standouts

Pro's

1. Sky's the limit when it comes to speed

Con's

1. A little small for an east coast cat with inboards for resale value. For similar money you can get into 36-40 Skaters, MTI's, etc.
2. Maintenance costs scare the crap out of me. Fuel I really don't care about but the cost of maintaining blower motors and number 6 drives scares me. Granted I haven't had them so maybe it's nowhere near the pit I think but would love to hear honest opinions of what it takes to run a boat like that every weekend. I don't want 1200 HP, I just don't need it or care about running that fast, but from everything I've seen number 6 drives are a must. Just about everyone I've talked to that has a higher power boat or cat period with XR's has to either baby the crap out of them or is constantly blowing them so I've no interest in an XR boat.
3. To get the speed advantage of having IO's it seems like 650 is the minimum power to have a boat that will run reliably in the upper 90's and top out in the 120-130's.
4. It looks like I can buy two outboard boats for the price of a decent 32 with #6's

At some point I hope to be rich and famous and have a 388 with big power to play with at the occasional poker run but in the mean time I'm looking for bang for the buck. Please let me know what you think of my list and let me know if I've got it right or wrong.

Thanks

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Your writeup is like reading the same concerns that are in my mind!

try this one ==> http://www.offshoreonly.com/classifi...o52032-en.html


or this one ==> http://www.predatorpowerboats.com/c30%20catamaran.htm



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I visit the factory from the last one thanks to noli and he set up a test ride in one of the 30 Predator which is more then worth to look at if your serious looking at another boat ,I was very impressed on the build quality and how the boat handled the 3' waves we ride over .
Some day I want a skater ,but not everybody can afford one I think this is a very good option for those people ,at least I m gonna own one pretty soon .:party-smiley-004:

Where are you going to run mainly? A 36 with I/Os in 3's with occasional 5s' is a blast a 90 to 120 mph but is no fun on inland lakes with less than 2' chop IMO. I am stepping up too and will continue to run 2.5s'. I think a 32 Skater with outboards would be great for what you described and they have plenty of freeboard as does my 25' Talon. The 2.5s and 300x are simple by design and easy to rebuild compaired to the 300xs with the air pumps.Less complex and less to fail. A 32 DW is a blast if you boat in the ocean with occasional trips inland,but is boring in anything under 2' chop IMO. With 280s' it will run 105 all day.

If I were looking outboard powered and wanted something fast you can narrow it down to two choices. A 32' with Triples or a 28'. The 30 is a real nice boat but is not as fun to drive as a 28. The 28 will accelerate much quicker and be faster. In rougher water the 30' would do a better job but it depends on how often you run rough water. Back in the days of the 28's when they first came out they were very competive against the 30' foot Motion and Mobil 1 won many a races in rough water against them. I will tell you that if you set it up right it will run through some pretty good stuff. However that set up may not be the best for a all out top end run.

Thanks for the feedback.

Noli and Bor, I'm not really interested in the Predators. I'm sure they're nice boats but I've got no interest in another new boat build After doing so with the Spectre, while I was extremely happy with the boat in the end, was a major PITA and I won't be putting myself through that again ATM. Noli, nice to know I'm not alone with the thought process.

BB, I'll be in the Chesapeake Bay mostly so while not flat water it's normaly not bad but storms due pop up quickly. I'd love to go IO and have that power just nervous about maintenance costs. I agree the 2.5, and X are much easier to work on but other than the original compressor pump failing and beign switched out to the new style, I didn't really have an issue with the xs's, at one point I was thinking of switching for the HP of the X but was esentially talked out of it by just about everyone I talked to. I'd love to find a 32 DW but I just haven't seen them for sale recently, and most still have lids on them which the wife won't go for.

DR, Any idea how a trip 32 would run compared to a 28? Obviously it will take bigger water since it's longer and heavier but how about accel and top end? When you say the 30 isn't as fun to drive as the 28 do you mean it's not as flighty or because of the higher freeboard just feels more secure? How does it compare to the 32? What are honest expectations for speed? I hadn't really been looking at them as much as the other two because it seemed the 28/32 could be had for a much better deal and the 30 still didn't have the windshield. My thinking was that if I got back to that price point I'd probably go to another 32 Spectre and have the speed and windshield. As for the 30 motion or even spectre I figured they would ride about the same as the 28 skater but be about 10mph slower on the top so hadn't really thought much about them.

Am I off base on the maintenance costs for IO's? Just heard to many horror stories of 15K to fix/replace an outdrive and while that may not kill me it would definitely put a damper on the fun.

mlb, what Spectre do/did you have and what are you doing with it?

That was my question as well. The 32 Spectres are awesome boats and given your criteria would be near the top of my short list.

And BTW, I'm not saying $15k drive rebuilds dont happen, but with mild power in a 32' cat, I'd say a set of 6's should last much, much longer (with regular fluid changes) than the lowers on the OB's!

The 28' would be more nimble and have better accelleration than the 30. My boat is not at all flighty. Any boat with bad CG could be flighty. The 32 with triples would be a fast boat that would accellerate well. I would love to have one but would want the 32b. There was a guy on here that posted a video of his 32' with 300x's running 124mph or so. I agree that a windshield is a must. That is why I put one on my boat. A 30' Skater with twin opti's is a 100mph boat on a good day unless you have 300x's. I think a 28 is hard to beat for size/towing/cleaning/bang for the buck and fun factor. Outboards do have some gearcase issues but if you are not lazy on the throttles they hold up just fine. Not to mention the maint and cleaning of the engine compartment boating in saltwater.
Just my 2cents.

I won't ever own an I/O. We have blown 565 dart, mooneyham blown bb on every other run we have done since 2010 in friends 36 Skater. Normally smoke a piston due to heat soak chasing plyburn 10+ miles. Made it to Gilberts in 2011 boom getting back on plane, 2010 made it 10 miles after gilberts boom and this was not flogging it 120 mph max. Finally made it in 2013 without me in the boat.lol Steve ran to Gilberts and stayed overnite then to KW the next day. The cheapest boom has been 6k. Motors are in La. at Mark Boos with 10k in fuel injection and three stage water pumps hopefully already dyno tuned then back to TNT unless they have already been shipped. The 6s' on the 36 have been super reliable setup by Matt at TNT. My diamond marine promaxes have had zero maintenance, not even a plug change going on third season. I have one 260 powerhead and think I will pickup another for the need for speed. Only drawback with 260s is they like fuel. I have Brucato ACUs that I have had reflashed for the 225s and 260s and they sip fuel if you stay under 4k or 60 mph on the 225s. I would rather run 100 everyday than 180 then boom. Steve usually runs 10 miles then stops. I'm just getting settled in a 10 miles. I guess it depends on how much you want to use your boat and how deep your pockets are. I am no Baller $$$$ but my pal is. I have considered 3 trip 90s' model 32' Skaters as they seem to be plentiful ,but wouldn't run trips. The 32 with twin 300x out west or the one in Canada look great! An older 30 Skater with 300xs would be a nice package. I look forward to hearing what you buy. Best of luck!

BB

Why the B my unnderstanding is it is a bit wider which is nice but thought they were more suited for inboard applications.

As far as gearcase issues, I ran the boat pretty hard and only had an issue after the drives were rebuilt as a procation by someone that didn't know what they were doing (realised that to late) Had them redone properly and were great. My opinion is as long as you pay attention to whats going on with the throttles you won't have problems.

MLB if you are interested in a DW I think I could locate 2, possibly 4 that you could cut the lid off of.

In a few years the 32 DW will be my next boat. With 300xs's they will run 110+ and a great rough water boat. To me it is the perfect boat.

32B with 525's will go 120 MPH with Bravo's. In my case reliability has been perfect.
Steve

the DW poker run edition was here for the tickfaw 200... never got my skater up close or side by side to it... looked pretty small compared to my 30 even though its 32... but will runs in the teens with 300xs's LOL. I have heard it hit 116mph now?

I have heard the same thing from Skater Jim when he saw the boat at LOTO. He wanted to run with him but never got the chance. There is no doubt they are fast and light. In my opinion if Peter would would rework the 28' and widen the tunnel, extend the bottom to a 32' it would be every bit as fast a 32' DW. Would love to have one. Maybe if we all order one he would build it!!! LOL Who's in.

I never ran your 30DW Don ,but, did run the 32DW sister and she was impressive to say the least. We were going to drop my powerheads on your 30DW and play with it as it just sat there in Sparkys yard for long time. Let me know when your ready to sell Don. I would have bought your 30 Motion, but , she was gone in a flash.

Your spot on DR. I have hated watching Ryan get beat all those years buy the DWs' with all the effort and passion he has put into racing. Glad he is in a DW now. Personally I don't like the pleasure version. Order one Sam! lol.

Where are these DW's located. any pics of these DW's ?

is the 338 a candidate for outboards? is it a reworked/tweaked 30? wouldn't it be a more viable option for a true 32 to compete with the DW performance?

I talked to Ryan when I picked up the 308. I asked about DW's and he told me about the difference in size and a few other things, which is why I would have loved to been able to get mine next to the poker run DW when it was here.

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I'd like to see a previously owned Victory powerboats converted to pleasure. I believe they hit 120MPH with twin 280's

http://i1238.photobucket.com/albums/...13Raf_0363.jpg

you beat me too it Noli... I was looking for shots form the 200 LOL. these are the two I found, think it was from the same day.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]524479[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]524480[/ATTACH]

Looks great!!!

I'd love to get some info on the DW's. I'm not really looking for a project like that but who knows if the deal is right you never know. I'd also really like to see a victory cut open, that's a project I'd like to take on. Nothing against any of the other boats but the lines on those victories are just amazing to me.

the victory cats do have some nice lines...that can all change when the lid is gone though LOL. but throw a wrap around windshield on it and I think it'd be easy on the eyes.

thanks for the compliment on the 308 david... I think it came out great too. the wife helped out on a lot with that along with the Denny at Geaux Signs.

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http://www.xcatracing.com









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http://www.xcatracing.com/xcat-for-sal/





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Nice shot right there!

http://i314.photobucket.com/albums/l...ideo049/84.jpg

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The DW tunnel is massive.




http://i314.photobucket.com/albums/l...deo049/441.jpg

You can tell how low the deck/freeboard is based on how high above a pretty tall windshield their heads are. If I spent that kind of money I would want to make sure I am below the windshield. If that windshield was on the 30 skater you would below the top of it.
No doubt it is a fast boat though.

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The next generation of DW32 has your heads below the windshield. Call DW directly for the scoop on this :)




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The windshield on that DW32 Poker Run was specifically ordered chopped down and raked back like that by the owner that had the boat built (John "Kap" Caparell). I agree, it's excessively low.

Setup for speed with cutdown windshield.

the DW does move along pretty d@mn good... it's basically a flat deck... but look at the size difference in both height and width of the sponsons compared to the skater... that would account for much of the speed right there...now as far as ride, I don't know but I'd put money on my 308 in the rough over the 32 PR DW. :party-smiley-004:

the windshield is low...I'm a tad over 6'. I met Kap this year at the 200, kinda remember him being shorter than me and I know the other guy who is shorter than 6', so you can compare the couple picks in the thread and see the size difference. to me, looks like the 32 height wise would be more like a 28 skater...maybe even sponsons too with the exception of length.