Originally posted by mydonzi:
I checked out the Sunsation site, very pretty boat, very nice, and I can honestly say I have never been in one, they do sound impressive. What kind of prices are they talking for mid size range boats with the bad to the bone high out put big blocks?
Dan
Hey Dan thanks for the reply. Yes one is a Stingray 230SX 502MAG loaded. The other is a 88 Sunbird EuroSport 23' 460 King Cobra. Needless to say, the drive is a little full right now. Mama says I gotta unload at least one so I thought why not both and start fresh.
I know the guy on the Eastern shore if it's a 22-ZX. His service response with the Z-care has nothing short of amazing. I do really like the looks of the Donzi and have given consideration to a 28' single or twin 350's but haven't gotten any quotes yet. I'm lookin' at a single application (read op costs) that will give me performance (70-72) but won't freak me out at the gas pump. I'm looking for one with the new 496MAG-HO 425hp package. Sunsation's package "MSRP" for the 288 Intimidator is 71K. That equates to 55-65K after negotiations and winter desperation sales. I like the lines of the boat and the fact that for a 26 price and stats, such as 4500lbs, I get a boat that's just shy of 29 feet at 28'8". Granted, it's a little lite but the xtra inches make up for it. ***boat-mag clocked it at 68.7 (Stalker radar) with a 454MAG 385hp so with 425, 72 should be easy and economical. You say yours is 78-80 so you must either have a single HP500 series or twins. Where do you run? I'm mostly S. ChesBay and Broad Bay...
Stingray, I have to tell you how much we were impressed with the 28 Sunsation we saw at the Phoenix Boat Show. It was awesome! The interior and luxuries were really nice, the boat looked awesome, and at 71k, seemed to be reasonably priced. This dealer in Phoenix just strated selling them and we had never seen one before. When we upgrade, we will be sure to give SERIOUS thought to the Sunsation.
Jealous in AZ!!
Brad
Stingray,
No question, those Sunsation's look pretty awesome; however, they appear really low profile. I suspect that's one way they shed the weight relative to the competition. In fact, it appears from the photos on their website that the driver is sitting halfway outside the boat. The wind factor might be pretty significant. Well, you have to sacrifice something in order to shed weight, e.g. shorter beam, lower profile, etc.
Stingray, it truely sounds as if your doing your reasearch, good on you. I think I would drive one before I ever considered buying. Factory/dealers like to extend (or shorten) numbers to suit the customer. I haven't read vey many posts from owners. And no I am not a Donzi dealer! LOL
There are quite a few impressive boats made for the bay/ocean, cigarette, fountain. I think I nice step hull, lots of HP and some weight/length will make the perfect ride.
Sunsation is comprimising somewhere on weight, I mean look around! Compare all the 28/29 footers and their weight.... why are they so less?
Who knows.... Well I guess we will if you sell two and buy one!
Good luck.
Dan
Advantage/Donzi
Understood. I know something is given in order to get. My buds keep reminding me of that. I'm trying to use a realistic approach at my "normal" operating conditions/circumstances meaning what I'm most likely to operate in. "Normally" if the bay/ocean is sloppy most of us Southside boaters (Va Beach), including the big hammers, are tucked inside Broad Bay usually up on the Narrows beach admiring each other's rig and speculating on the next. Good rough water ride usually plays going to or returning from a far away gathering place, harbor event or poker run. So what affects me the most often? Roominess of the rig (read comfy with the norm 4-6 bodies) for cocktail hours; operate the boat the way I want without dipping into the kids college accounts; have enough ponies to actually call myself "performance" and yes have a decent ride. Of course style and good looks are a big part of the formula as well (think Corvette/Viper). I'm trying to think of this particular rig as a compromise that renders a little bit of each, until I hit the lotto and really special order the rig I want. Alas, it still depends on the quick sale of my trusty little flame -thrower 230SX...If anyone's interested I can email pictures......
Hey Donzi, I stumbled across your Cumberland entry in the Donzi talk site. The Eastern shore Donzi 22ZX is rallying myself and a couple of other buds to go out there for a week. So happens my mother owns a cabin 1.5 miles up the road from Buck Creek Marina on the eastern end near Burnside. Jamestown is like 40 minutes from there. If you're serious about going (and if we are for that matter) maybe we should coordinate and either convoy it out there or plan on hookin' up on the pond. E.Shore Donzi's new email is donzi22zx@aol.com and goes by Bryan.
I spoke to Brian, he said they were moving and may only go for a couple days, on the other hand he said he may be there a week, god willing and his wife blesses it. His plan is an early week arrival, I will coordinate with him and keep you posted.
He said your 230SX is a hot ride! He also said he thinks you really want an "all purpose boat" due to the fact that the bay does get rough and that is where he and a friend who is also looking will want to play,,, oh and a wellcraft guy,,, etc.
He is looking forward to the trip to KY, I will say that, on and on and on and on! LOL
I was impressed with what Donzi did for him and his boat! Wow!!! That is SERVICE with a capital S!
So we can meet soon, from the way Brian talked, if you have a new boat it will be on the lake with the rest of us, I am sure whatever you pick will be what you want, can afford and also (most importantly) brag about!!!!! We are men!!!!
Bottom line is one hell of a good time and lots of cold ones when the time is right!
Dan
Stingray,
Forget I mentioned anything at all about Advantage. I almost made a huge mistake. Upon doing some research, I discovered the 27' Victory is slower than molasses in December in Minnesota. Of course, the salesmen would let you believe otherwise. In fact, this boat is nothing like their Factory II 32' Victory racer. Albeit the hull of the 27' Victory is stepped, it will only hit 64-66 mph with the 496 HO engine. Pretty weak performance, ey? This hull is nothing like that of the 32' Victory (94.7 mph with twin 500 EFI's). According to some articles, this boat needs a ton of HP to push it above 70 mph. Perhaps Sunsation is a viable option.
Originally posted by Advantage:
Stingray,
Forget I mentioned anything at all about Advantage. I almost made a huge mistake........Perhaps Sunsation is a viable option.
What a tragedy that would be to buy a boat only to find out you'd been duped performance wise. RIDE IT BEFORE YOU BUY IT! I have heard similar stories for example; 29 SCARAB where the dealer hyped it up but when hull hit water on the test drive, 415 animals could only chug it to 62mph (speedometer). Of course that boat weighs 5500lbs (6100lbs with a full bag) and no doubt gives a solid ride, but it probably eats the petro across the TACH range pushing that big barge around. It's definately a design that needs mega-pony power (mega-dollar) to really rip it.
That being said, I take it you are NOT currently an Advantage owner but was seriously contemplating, hence the username? I'd say get a hold of as many ***boat and PowerBoat mags as you can and catch the trial reports (Stalker Radar) on different boats. Speedvision on cable/DTV Sunday mornings 10am EST does an hour of boat trials/tips that could help as well. Hell, just scroll up this topic and look at the insights I've gotten from guys like you.
I tell ya another nice boat to consider. This weekend I attended the Mid-Atlantic boat show here in Va. Beach and a VIP dealer from Yorktown had two Vindicators on display, a 24 and 21 footer. The 24'3" was sweet looking with tons of cockpit room and style plus it had the 496HO to boot for $49900. The 27' is even sweeter but! It's heavy (5000lbs) for a boat that small, in my mind. Velocity's another that's sweet. I tell ya, it makes my head spin the number of great boats out there. But I think the approach to take, in my humble opinion, is if there's a particular boat that has caught your attention somewhere somehow and has stuck in your gut, that's the one you should go after (assuming it's in a certain price range) and find reasons "not" to get it or other similar makes that can defeat it in 6 out of 10 areas (stock that is). Along the way you learn tons about other boats like PowerQuest, Donzi, Sunsation, Velocity, Vindicator, Advantage, etc. etc. which only increases your trash talkin' capability while rafted up or on the beach. http://free.***boat.net/ubb/biggrin.gif
Stay in touch and keep us abreast on your progress. It's always interesting to learn from others research and experiences. It eventually helps us all.....
Originally posted by mydonzi:
He said your 230SX is a hot ride!...looking forward to the trip to KY....we can meet soon....hell of a good time and lots of cold ones when the time is right!
Donzi, he's right. This Stingray is a Corvette on water...As I mentionwed in an earlier post, Stingray unfortunately stops at 23' on the performance boats so I must move along.
As far as the "Awakening" trip to KY, our discussions have centered around length of stay to attain maximum gratification to justify the 10-12 hour run with 4 in-water days being the bar. I of course have the incentive of partying with brothers etc. at my family's cabin 1.5 miles from the lake/Buck Creek Marina where we would stay. So the drive is not so hard for me. Yes, he's moving which I suspect timing wise, could get complicated after all, it's his Donzi'ism that's generating the interest to go. Us "other" drivers just wanna be the pesty antagonizers on the fringes http://free.***boat.net/ubb/tongue.gif.
I checked your profile and it doesn't say where you're from. I assume it's here in VA and probably more to the North since I haven't seen you steaming around here. If by chance the KY run doesn't pan out maybe there's a chance we'll see ya on the Bay, poker run, or if you're a camper, at Kerr Reservoir. Good luck with the new blower/s and I'll see ya either in my new rig (current quote is now $62450) or still in the trusty 230SX Vette out and about...
I can't believe you mentioned a Vindicator!! I have one and only have heard from a few owners. We have a 2000 24' w/ a 502 and are really happy with it. 102" beam, a lot of room, but it is pretty heavy. We are close to 5000 lbs. which is heavier than the 28's that our friends are running. Best is 66.6 on gps so far, but it handles the rough stuff real well.
Just had to add something after seeing a rare post talking about a Vindicator! http://free.***boat.net/ubb/biggrin.gif
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