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Random Quote: The path of least resistance makes rivers and men crooked
Before I open my self up for what will undoubtedly be some severe abuse, let me clarify a couple of things. I am going to make lots of references to quality. Any references to quality are always made in reference to the boats price and the price of other boats of comparable quality. Having said that....
Boats I felt offered the best quality for the money.
1. HydraSport- the quality of these boats is exceptional. I have spent much time looking at them and have yet to see so much as a screw that wasn't installed perfectly. These are heavy boats and were it not for the price of fuel, they would be my first choice. They are not cheap, but given the quality they are a good value.(26' 200hpdi's $89000, 28' f225's $99000)
2. SeaVee- I prefer a level floor from front to back, which these boats have. They are almost identical to a Contender. I was so impressed with the boat's layout that I negotiated a sea trial. These boats are very light. The 26' boat I drove felt like a light boat, but not as bad as I expected. The wiring in the console has to be seen to be believed. I took pictures of it and saw others doing the same. The attention to detail in these boats is remarkable. They are not the quality of a Regulator nor are they the price. They have huge amounts of storage and are very much a no nonsense fishing boat. Pending a couple of more phone calls I may place an order for one on Monday. They are sold factory direct so there is no dealer to dealer price negotiation. Before you guys abuse me too badly for \"sort of\" buying a boat at a boat show, let me remind you that my objections to doing so were based on an inablility to shop dealer against dealer which doesn't apply in this case and lack of a sea trial which they went out of their way to make available. If fuel were $1.00 a gallon I would buy something a little heavier. Fuel in the Bahamas is already over $3.00. I will be trailering a great deal and the lighter weight will help with fuel cost there also. I am going to try to get them to add about 500 pounds to the hull. If they won't I will do it once I get the boat. The boat I tested was completely empty with only a little fuel so it had that hollow \"shudder\" to it. A boat purchase is always a compromise and I have chosed to give up a little better ride for better fuel economy. (twin 200 opti's)
3. Sailfish- Much has been said about these boats recently. They are certanly not perfect but I was quoted a price of $59000 with twin 200 hpdi's. I spent alot of time looking at the 266 and the 238. I like the livewell in the tourny boat better and was told I could order a 266 with the 238 livewell system.(60 gallon I believe). I found a couple of screws that were only half way installed and the windshield is attached with screws instead of through bolting but the screws go into the console and could easily be replaced with bolts.(my guide customers had an affinity for grabbing the windshields on my boats and ripping the screws out, thus I have thing about windshield being bolted on.) Saifish did a really nice job on the inside of the console. There is ample compartment space and the boat's weight is about average for that size of boat. If the boat had a level floor rather than raised front compartments I might very well have started shopping for one. Having spent nearly 2 hours looking at the boat, I think for the money this boat is a great value.
4. Parker- I spent some time looking at the 25' sport cabin. Really solid boat. Looking at the hull design I am guessing this boat isn't designed to run 50 mph with twin 200 on the back.(it is rated for it) This boat looks to me like it would be very comfortable running 25-35 with a single f225 on it. That isn't what I am looking for but if it were this boat would definately get the nod. This boat looks and feels much bigger than its' actual size and it too is a no nonsense, good quality boat. I guess having spent so many years working out of a boat, bells and whistles just don't impress me. I will admit to having an attraction to no nonsense boats...(and women)
Boats with which I was very dissapointed.....
1. Contender- I spoke with 3 different people about these boats. One of these people was a salesperson for a Contender dealer. When I inspected the boats I found numerous quality problems. Not the least of which was loose matting under the gunwales, compartment lids that were mounted questionably so on and so forth. I have pictures of some of the problems and when the sales person walked over I questioned him about some of the problems and he admitted that Contender did have some things they needed to address. I spoke with two other people in the industry who were in no way in competition with Contender and they both told me the exact same story.....basically Contender has become very popular, this results in increased demand, which results in increased production, which of course leads to quality control problems. At this point let me clarify, Contender is for the most part a well made boat. My issue isn't with the boat's quality, it is with the price. The 25' model with T200 hpdi's was $96,000. That is absurd for a boat of this quality. If the boat had been $65-75k then the quality would have been comparable to other boats in that price range. Look at the quality of a Hydrasport with exactly the same price (28' Vector). There is day and night difference. Everyone I spoke to was in agreement that since Contender has increased its's production, quality has fallen. The boats aren't underbuilt, just overpriced for the quality they posess.IMHO
2. Bluewater-Part of the problem here is with all the hype I had read on this board about these boats, I expected much more than I found. They are an average quality boat with a very light hull weight. I looked at a 25' model which had a nicely finished console and was very roomy for that size boat. When you compare the quality to other boats of equal size, this boat should cost about $60,000 with T200hpdi's. The one at the show had quite a bit of electronics and the price was $75,000, which would put the price of the boat at around $70,000. This is definately not a $70,000 boat if you compare its quality to other boats. If you can buy it stripped for $60,000-$65,000 then I think that is reasonable given the quality. Please keep in mind that I am not putting the boat down, however I do think a Sailfish is more boat for the money. I also inquired about warranty work since they sell factory direct. I was told that I (me) would need to remove any parts that malfunctioned and return them to whom ever the manufacturer of that particular part was. There was no offer of paying a local dealer to repair anything. (SeaVee's answer to this same question was take the boat to a local dealer and we will reimburse you for whatever has to be done)Again there was nothing wrong with this boat, but there was also nothing exceptional about it either.( I would buy this long before I would buy a contender)
I did not have time to look at the higher end boats other than Regulator and Jupiter, both of which I still like very much. For now these boats are out of my price range and the fuel cost issue really has me concerned so I am going with a lighter boat for now. I did not have time to look at any electronices since the sea trial took up 1/2 of the two days I had. While at Walker's Cay in the Bahamas the next few days I did find out that much of what we have heard about the 2000-2001 era 200-225 FICHTs is true. The fishing manager at the resort told me they are spending $3000 a year keeping a 200 ficht running and have begged the owners to replace the engine. (lower units every year, modules,and one powerhead) Obviously their boats get used alot but everything he told me fell right in line with what we have all heard. If you own one of these engines and have not had problems with it, consider yourself lucky.
Having spent 16 years fishing 150 plus days a year and having owned about 16 boats and worked extensively selling boats, I feel that I am a reasonable judge of a boats quality. The information found in this post is mostly opinion, please take it for what it is. I enjoyed the Miami show very much....having said that, Miami has the worst traffic and drivers I have ever seen. 1 hour 45 minutes to make the 16 mile trip from Ft Lauderdale... unbelievable. I will let you know what happens on the 26' SEAVEE purchase.
P.s. Walker's Cay was wonderful....the employees there make everyone feel like royalty. It is nothing fancy but the food was very good and it is reasonably priced overall. The fishing and diving is excellent. The shark rodeo dive is something to be experienced...the 3 page release form should have been my first clue....Vacation is over and it is time to get back to work and pay for this boat.....
That was a real nice review. I too like the Hydrasports and really had my eye on a 24 but it is heavy booger and my poor 1/2 ton pickup probably would not do very well towing it. Still I love that boat.
Can you expand on your impressions of the Bluewater. I.e. comparisons to the ones you like better on specifics. You seemed to mention that the Bluewater was light as being a negative factor but then the SeaVee is also very light.
Just wondering. I love these kind of knowledgeable reviews.
Hey Boat Guy!
Thankyou for a thoughtful review! Did you happen to checkout Angler? There's 15 pages of
angst here directed at them and I was wondering if they are as bad as is written here?
As far as 26' centerconsoles did you look at Edgewater 26? I saw one here in NY and it appeared well made and very fishable.
Good Luck
Ron
What a bunch of beligerent crap. Heh, somebody had to do it.
Nice review BG. In fact, I agree with most of what you said, but then, who's perfect?
I was at Miami a couple of years ago and came back with almost the same opinions as you. I applaud your observations.
Just food for thought. I rode in a twenty six footer this morning that got 3MPG at a twenty eight mph cruise, and it weighed in at a 3850 hull weight. We had fifty gallons of gas, around fifty gallons in the livewell, and four men on board. It was powered by twin F150 Yamahas and hit a top end of forty nine mph with this load. Fairly impressive fuel economy for a relatively heavy boat.
Can't argue with much of that. But since I do own a 25 Contender I have to remind you, it is 28 overall compared to the 28 Hydrasports same lenght 28 model. The 26 Seavee I saw at the Ft L show did not impress me at all. Low gunnels and no livewell in the transom were the two things I saw that instantly turned me off. I think See Vee needs to do a redesign on the 26 and bring it up to date. It might be high quality, but I'm not so sure about up to date. The few things that irritate me about my 2000 25 Contender are the deck storage lids fit like crap and I actually took a file to a couple of them to get them to open and close without rubbing and a extra hard jerk to get them to open. The deck hatch latches are the older plastic ones and a few have broke. Contender did start using Stainless latches that are super nice on the newer boats. My washdown pumps were the lowest GPM available anywhere on the planet and I couldn't take it any longer and replaced them with good ones for about $150 a piece and a bunch of uneccessary work on my part. My motors needed transom wedges installed to make the boat run correctly. I know someone with a 28 Hydrasports who suprised me when he showed me the exact same wedges, I had installed, they had to install on his boat with 225 4 Strokes. Contender has no support what so ever. If you have a question about props or anything they absolutly suck and noone has a clue. They do have some OK test posted that seem to be true and not stretched. My boat matches the test boats speeds and specs exactly. But trying to get info on these transom wedges was impossible until I found out about them and started asking questions, then all of the sudden everyone knew about them already. I also have to give Contender thumbs up for not doing things like Hydrasports like bolting a set of 225 4 strokes on a 2450 like a few I have seen. That is a huge mismatch on that hull and they shouldn't allow stuff like that out the factory door. I am as happy as I figured I would be with the Contender, but I hear you and you are correct about the hatches especially. Check those gunnels on the 26 SeeVee again real close, it is rediculous in my opinion. That would be the deal killer for me on that boat.
In your opinion how much of the quality that you observed could be contributed to the boat being a showroom model on display at a big time boat show?
The reason I ask this question is I have read numerous post stating that some one seen this or that wrong with a boat, while the before mentioned boat was on display at a boat show. I have never witnessed first hand these quality issues at a boat show. Mostly because I figure the dealer, the builder, the salesman all know that that particular boat will be on display for a million eyes to see. One proplem and well you can see where it can lead.
I have always taken observed quality (the things you can see) with a grain of salt while at a boat show. It is the unobserved quality that stumps most people stuff like, wood/ no wood, gecoat, was a chopper gun used.
What are your observations concerning that type of stuff. Any body can run straight wires on a one of a kind boat, however it is the every day production model that you usually buy.
Nice review good thing I have my wife working to pay the gas bill for my new hs 2800 wa.I had the pre- bankrupt omc hydrasport with 2000 evinrude 200hp before. Lower unit went then computer on engine then blew a piston. Enough of getting towed that is why I went for the new hs and twin yamaha 225 four stroke.
Great post. Even better decision going with the 26 seavee. I was concerned by the light weight when i bought mine but let me tell you it rides like a much heavier boat. It has lead me to believe that an overlooked factor in determining the ride of a boat is the hull design, not only weight.It seems like there is a misconception that just because a boat is heavy means that it will ride softer than a light boat.After owning my seavee I can tell you that weight is only part of the equation. My previous boat was a "heavy boat" and I had to pack it full of gas, ice and fishing stuff to keep it in the water. My seavee rides great regardless of how much gas, ice, fishing stuff etc.Getting bait out of the well is a PITA but not a deal breaker. Unless the livewell is in the leaning post they all pretty much stink anyway.
I really dont think the gunnels are to low. They are lower than some but much higher than an older mako my friend owns. With 3 piece construction you just dont need exta tall gunnels(and extra weight). There is plenty of room to get your feet under the cap and wedge your knees on the bolsters. I have a picture of a friend fighting a grouper with his knees up against the gunnels. I can email pictures if anyone is interested in seeing how much room there is when actually fighting a fish. In my opinion its not an issue. Good luck with your decision. You can email me at cbranco@ec.rr.com
I appreciate the kind responses and I did try to be as objective as possible. Keep in mind one other thing, I am just another guy like all of you who loves boats....some blow my skirt up, others do not. One of the problems with Bluewater was the people with the boats who seemed very agitated that people were climbing in there boats and getting them dirty. (this was a boat show wasn't it?) Not very friendly to say the least. There was nothing wrong with the boats, median quality, median price. The boats light weight didn't offend me at all.
Polar-this is one brand I took pictures of. When your finishing up a boat buying guide you only take pictures of a boat for one of two reasons,to demonstrate quality or the lack there of. I have several pictures of the Polar, one is of the plastic wing nuts used to hold the windshield on, another is of a compartment lid that sticks up 3/8' above the deck on one side of the hinge(it was warped or mounted crooked or both). These boats show some very innovative design ideas but the quality overall was very poor. Polar was one of the few boats where I could see quality issues without even getting in the boat. They are priced at the lower end of the scale and quality is still a little low for the price. Overall Polar has some good ideas and a little attention to detail could take them along way....
Angler-I actually intended to go by and ask the sales people if they were wearing bullet proof vests and tell them in no uncertain terms what a bad reputation there boats are getting thanks to informative sites like hulltruth.com but I had a very limited amount of time and that was cut short by the sea trial so I spent all my time looking at boats I was considering purchasing or boats I had never seen.
SEAVEE- I too was taken back when I looked under the gunwales of the seavee. It is bonded and through bolted but it ain't much to look at. I went to the lamination shop before the sea trial and watched them laminating a deck to a hull. It isn't flawless but few are. Do I think SEAVEE is the perfect boat? NO! I think for the price it is a very good value. I to was concerned about the hull/deck joint issue. When I was at Walker's Cay I looked at a center console boat of unknown origins that was 10 years old and had about a million hours on it. The construction was identical to a SEAVEE. Like I said, if gas was a buck I would save another year and buy a 28 Vector,(even though I really wanted a level floor). I would buy a Contender if it was the same price as SEAVEE but it is built almost exactly the same and is $30,000 higher.
Any questions I had about SEAVEE were answered during the tour of the factory. That allows you to see what is really going into the boat. I am sending SEAVEE a check on Monday for the deposit. Thus far they have been an absolute pleasure to deal with......we'll see how it goes from here.
Yellowfin-I took just a minute to look at the 23' boat. These boats are a high priced but very, very nice. Obviously high quality...
The Hull Truth girls.....very nice.....
Since I had no time to look at marine electronics I will be counting on you guys to help me out on a good package for the boat. Thanks again for your kind responses....
Boat Guy.
The boat you saw at Walkers with a million hours on it was a Whitewater.
SeaVee and WW were the same company a long long time ago.
Good luck on your new purchase.
TheBoatGuy's take on things in Miami..... 
