I met with John today, very nice guy, no pressure sales tactics. I think I have the wife going for the 21' Stealth. More newbe questions I thought I would bounce off you guys which are the big concerns.
Motor: 454 with 390 HPo these have EFI or is it carbureted? I guess these will hit 55MPH with a jet drive? The only reason I am thinking Jet is I would take the boat out to the river, Blythe, Needles, but also Havasu and Mohave, Powell. Is the 502 motor a cost effective or worth while option?
Swim steps: I like the 1 piece fiberglass step John has on the Fear Factor boat but it's smooth which concerns me with people slipping. Anyone have suggestions for some kind of non-slip rubber that will look OEM and not peel up? The teak one piece step looks out of place (IMO) on this boat, looks like it should be on a Malibu, not bashing, just my 2cents.
Trailer, is it worth the money to by the swing tongue trailer vs the STD? I will not be storing it in my garage, it will not fit!
Finally, How in the heck did you guys choose colors and graphics?? Do I go flames like many other, it looks great but I remember the checkerboard graphics from the early 90s, will fashy graphics hurt resale?
Too many choices for a new boat.
Anything special I need to do as far as the a contract is concerned? What needs to be in writing and to what level of detail?
I am open ears for any advice on the boat, contract, what to look for etc.
thanks, you all have been very helpful!
John is an up front guy, If he tells you something I would trust him...
A jet would get you 55, but it burns gas..
As far as graphics, what I like, you may not, go with what makes you happy.....
The wood can be just as slippery as the fiberglass.
You mention colors/paint.
I would stay away from green. it is hot right now, but so was hot pink in the 90's... try an unload a hot pink boat today, it aint happening...
give John your colors and tell him to go wild... You wont be disappointed.....
Just buy mine. It will be going up for sale soon.
Oh and YES get the 502 jet , not the 454
I'm not sure about Blythe, but depending on the time of the year, your good at Needles with an I/O. I have a 454 w/ jet. You will burn some gas. I personally don't do ALOT of long distant trips. Have only done AVI to Havasu once. I'll drive to get closer to where I wanna be. That's just me. I have an 1989. I will eventually go to billet swim steps because the teak steps date my boat. As does the tuck and roll. When I update the interior, as well as change out the steps, my boat will pass for a "newer" boat. My boat is also blue w/ white bottom. Kilr was right. If you like what is now. Go with the trend. If you are looking for more of a "timeless" style, go basic colors w/ billet. As for power, I may be wrong, but going with a 502 should give you a better base to start with, should you wanna build up. 4 bolt main, steel crank, etc... I'm no motor expert though. Good luck man. See ya out there.
Just buy mine. It will be going up for sale soon.
NO, buy mine, it's up for sale now !!
I had a 21 ULTRA 454 jet for 12 years. With 390 HP you'll get better than 55. Make sure you place divert that thing. Your gonna love that boat. I have a wacker now and it burns more gas than that squirter did. If your gonna biatch about gas don't buy a boat. No whiners. Made the trip from havi to avi plenty of times. There's gas in Topock or Moabi. Buck up. As far as graphics, I like the old school "hockey sticks" on the closed bow. Good luck with your adventure.
I think if you like the Ultra it is a great product, however depending where you boat most often you may want to consider some of the other builders that offer a jet in a deeper v design, I think Laveycraft makes the 21 xtski in a jet very deep v and I believe Shockwave makes thier step skier in a jet also a deep v, just not sure if Ultra make a deep v in a jet, seems that most jets come on a 18 degree bottom, pretty shallow for havasu and the biger lakes. Not trying to push any one builder but learning from experience try to do it right the first time good luck.
cc322 good advice. That ULTRA was my second boat. didn't do it right the first time. I think that ultra has a 21 degree deadrise.
I met with John today, very nice guy, no pressure sales tactics. I am think at have the wife going for the 21' Stealth. More newbe questions I thought I would bounce off you guys which are the big concerns.
Motor: 454 with 390 HP
Swim steps: I like the 1 piece fiberglass step John has on the Fear Factor boat but it's smooth which concerns me with people slipping. Anyone have suggestions for some kind of non-slip rubber that will look OEM and not peel up? The teak one piece step looks out of place (IMO) on this boat, looks like it should be on a Malibu, not bashing, just my 2cents.
Trailer, is it worth the money to by the swing tongue trailer vs the STD? I will not be storing it in my garage, it will not fit!
Finally, How in the heck did you guys choose colors and graphics?? Do I go flames like many other, it looks great but I remember the checkerboard graphics from the early 90s, will fashy graphics hurt resale?
Too many choices for a new boat.
Anything special I need to do as far as the a contract is concerned? What needs to be in writing and to what level of detail?
I am open ears for any advice on the boat, contract, what to look for etc.
thanks, you all have been very helpful!
I have a 21' Ultra XS model. Here are my opinoins to your questions.
Motor: I had a 454Mag (390 hp) which was a good reliable motor, however I always wanted to go a little faster. I wish I would have gotten the 502 with headers. I was hard pressed to find 55mph with the 390 hp. Maybe with minimal gas and no passengers. Also, I would strongly consider doing a setback jet with a droop snoot and place diverter.
Swin Step: I am not a big fan of the fiberglass swimstep...yes it offers more room, but when it's gets scratched up it's not going to look good. The billet swim steps look good, but are not too functionaly in my opinion. I opted for the teak swim step and have no complaints; it's roomy, easy to make look new again, durable, not slippery, and it was less then the billet swim steps when I bought my boat.
Trailer: I did the break away tongue, mainly as a security feature but also because it saves a little space. I's nice to chain up the tongue when you are storing the boat. Another option you may want to consider if you are doing a lot of towing are the polished stainless fenders.
Graphics: Go with what you want, but if you plan on keeping you boat for a long time and have concerns about it looking dated, keep it simple. I would also consider a different base color besides white, there are a ton of white boats running around. If I was to do it over again, I would have opted for dove grey with grey interior, much easier to keep the interior clean.
Contract: Put everything you want in writing, that's just good common sense and avoids any potential problems down the road. You know for stuff like this, "I thought this boat came with cleats" . . . ."no, those are an option"
Hope this helps, if you want some more feedback or want to pick my brain, shoot me a PM or give me a call.
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