25' Nordic vs Hallett vs Howard

[bocco]

A friend is seriously considering all 3 boats in the subject line with 425HO for power. Nordic is claiming 80mph with their 25 which is about 10mph faster than Hallett and Howard. The only possible reason seems to be the step bottom. I think Nordic is stretching it a little.
Looking for opinions and input.
Thanks
Gary

[little rowe boat]

Ask GT. He is the expert when it comes to Howard performance.

[TPI]

All three of those boats will run over 70 mph with a 496HO, a couple of them will run closer to 75 at WOT(give or take 1+mph) I have driven all of them with 496's, so this is factual information. You could probably get more speed out of all of them if you propped them for top speed, but the bottom end and mid range would be horrible at best, but you would have a "fast" boat.
There are other factors to consider:
Handling
Storage
Hull warranty
Design
Interior layout
Options
layup and rigging quality
trailer
PRICE and RESALE
Just to name a few. I would rank them OVERALL as follows
Howard 25 Bullet
Hallet 255
Nordic 25
Don't get me wrong, with a 496HO that Nordic is pretty fast, (IF NOT THE FASTEST),but I think there are other things that outweigh the speed of it, in comparison to the other boats listed. But if your friend see's Speed and Price as his priorities,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,BUY THE NORDIC:D

[duner21]

I just got a new 25ft nordic. It is a very nice boat. This is my first boat so i cannot compare it to any others. I really dont think any of these makes would be a bad choice.

[HatenWinter]

All three of those boats will run over 70 mph with a 496HO, a couple of them will run closer to 75 at WOT(give or take 1+mph) I have driven all of them with 496's, so this is factual information. You could probably get more speed out of all of them if you propped them for top speed, but the bottom end and mid range would be horrible at best, but you would have a "fast" boat.
There are other factors to consider:
Handling
Storage
Hull warranty
Design
Interior layout
Options
layup and rigging quality
trailer
PRICE and RESALE
Just to name a few. I would rank them OVERALL as follows
Howard 25 Bullet
Hallet 255
Nordic 25
Don't get me wrong, with a 496HO that Nordic is pretty fast, (IF NOT THE FASTEST),but I think there are other things that outweigh the speed of it, in comparison to the other boats listed. But if your friend see's Speed and Price as his priorities,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,BUY THE NORDIC:D
I agree with Gary 100%. I have a 25' Nordic and I love it. But I have also seen alot of Howard and Hallett 25's. I would rank them in the same order. Either way all great boats!

[bocco]

So after looking at all three at the boat show my preference is the Hallett. And I could easily be swayed to the Howard. But I can't afford any of them.
We are just trying to sort out weather the Nordic will really run 80mph with stock 425hp. And if so why.

[djunkie]

So after looking at all three at the boat show my preference is the Hallett. And I could easily be swayed to the Howard. But I can't afford any of them.
We are just trying to sort out weather the Nordic will really run 80mph with stock 425hp. And if so why.
If I was betting man I would say 75mph at its best. They run good but not 80mph good. And that 75mph would be optimum conditions.

[dicudmore]

So after looking at all three at the boat show my preference is the Hallett. And I could easily be swayed to the Howard. But I can't afford any of them.
We are just trying to sort out weather the Nordic will really run 80mph with stock 425hp. And if so why.
No it won't...not even close...the speedo might read 80 but its a tad optimistic :wink: All I have to say is bring your GPS...
It is a flexy-flyer in comparison to the others that are built like sherman tanks, not a knock at Nordic at all but it would explain a 1-2 MPH advantage.
They are all nice boats, and I agree with GT in the order--any of them will bring you good times on the water :D

[HatenWinter]

Best I have done in my Nordic with a stock 496HO (425hp) on GPS was 70. That's with a 24P prop, full tanks and two adults. You could maybe get close to 75 with a different prop, less fuel, ideal water, etc. but I think 80 is quite a stretch! BTW, that was with a hand held GPS my regular speedo said almost 75 so there is a big difference.

[nextel4u]

Friend of mine here here at Lake Mead has an 05 Nordic 25 Open Bow with a stock 496 HO. Last time we were out he had 7 adults in that boat and he was running right along side me.
I have a Hallett 30 with 500 efi's, I don't have a GPS speedo but I was showing 80 mph. So I figure we were doing about 74 or 75
That Nordic is a very fast boat!

[TPI]

I would bet if I took a Nordic 25 to lake Havasu TODAY with a 26 lab, 15 gallons of gas and 1' chop, I could hit 80 mph!:D :D Serously
I don't think I would be focusing so much on the speed, when there are so many other important factors. Remember, the above conditions are "testing" conditions. I still would love it if the mags would do a "real world" test, with 4 adults, 50 gallons of gas, and all of your gear in the 110 degree Summer heat. Now that would be cool for the consumer! Although I think the manufacturers would hate the results. A classic example is my own boat(Howard 28 Bullet) It would easily hit 110+ on a day like today with a 31 lab prop, and 40+ gallons of gas and two adults, but in the Summer, it wont pull the 31 lab and I have to run a 30 lab, with a top speed of 104-105 at best in the middle of the day. It will only run 100 mph full of people and fuel in the Summer, which is over a 10 mph difference. That's huge IMO.

[92562]

I'll start by saying that I'm biased toward the Howard for obvious reasons, but did consider the Hallett. I have driven both (255 Hallett & 25 Bullet) with stock HO power and the Hallett is a great boat. It has more of a Cadillac feel while the Howard has a "tighter" feel like a Mercedes due to the step and other design features (add the Whipple and it's an AMG!) Also, the Howard at 80 feels very stable (if that's how fast you want to go). I have never driven the Nordic but do believe that 80 is possible as long as it is still on the trailer!:D

[TPI]

but do believe that 80 is possible as long as it is still on the trailer!:D
What are you saying Rob? You don't think I could drive that boat 80 mph in the Arctic freeze with a light set up? LOL:D
OK, maybe 78.9 mph today

[HatenWinter]

Gary, I'll offer mine up for your test, then I can tell people I have an 80 MPH Boat!:D

[TPI]

:D :D :D :idea:

[2forcefull]

I would bet if I took a Nordic 25 to lake Havasu TODAY with a 26 lab, 15 gallons of gas and 1' chop, I could hit 80 mph!:D :D Serously
I don't think I would be focusing so much on the speed, when there are so many other important factors. Remember, the above conditions are "testing" conditions. I still would love it if the mags would do a "real world" test, with 4 adults, 50 gallons of gas, and all of your gear in the 110 degree Summer heat. Now that would be cool for the consumer! Although I think the manufacturers would hate the results. A classic example is my own boat(Howard 28 Bullet) It would easily hit 110+ on a day like today with a 31 lab prop, and 40+ gallons of gas and two adults, but in the Summer, it wont pull the 31 lab and I have to run a 30 lab, with a top speed of 104-105 at best in the middle of the day. It will only run 100 mph full of people and fuel in the Summer, which is over a 10 mph difference. That's huge IMO.
bet you won't, I had two of them in the last years time, bitch'n boats, an honest 75 was there but no more on gps, try'd about twenty props 3-4- and 5 blade, it didn't realy like the 26, did the best with a RON HILL 25P 5 BLADE
I beat a guy gon'n over 110 with my force, gps said i was going 92.

[dicudmore]

bet you won't, I had two of them in the last years time, bitch'n boats, an honest 75 was there but no more on gps, try'd about twenty props 3-4- and 5 blade, it didn't realy like the 26, did the best with a RON HILL 25P 5 BLADE
I beat a guy gon'n over 110 with my force, gps said i was going 92.
fockin' GPS :D

[92562]

What are you saying Rob? You don't think I could drive that boat 80 mph in the Arctic freeze with a light set up?
No, 'cuz not even you go fishing when it's that cold out! :D
http://www.***boat.com/image_center/data/520/383Lake08_012m.jpg
:cool: :cool: :cool:

[dicudmore]

No, 'cuz not even you go fishing when it's that cold out! :D
http://www.***boat.com/image_center/data/520/383Lake08_012m.jpg
:cool: :cool: :cool:
that was the nicest bass boat I ever saw :D :D :D

[TPI]

That's messed up Rob! LOL, It's going to be hard enough to get me out in that red/blue Howard 28 with the quad, in a week or sooooo,,,,,,,,,,,BRrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!
Sorry for the thread hijacking sir,
FYI, have you seen that Cole 250S brand new in the spam section? Just a thought, if you buy that boat for $65K or whatever it is, you might want to check it out. It's a 4000lb boat, and it's not the fastest, but it might do the trick for you.

[Fast Freddy]

the best i ever got out of my 25' nordic back when it was bone stock with the 496 HO (425HP) was 71 mph on GPS with a 24P prop. this was like on a 80 degree day. my speedo is off by 5 mph. it reads optimistic. the howard is a faster more stable boat. but i like the styling of the nordic better so i bought it. i have been very satisfied with my boat.

[TPI]

I am telling you guys,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,the Nordic is the fastest of the three with a 496.:D and IMHO, I think I could get real close to 80 mph with it, in a "testing" scenario. But the Howard is the ONLY one I would drive over 85 mph and feel comfortable.
HatenWinter:
We might need to head up to Lake casitas for a few hours this week and test this theory! I will buy gas and lunch!:D
In the mean time, TAKE THIS!
http://www.***boat.com/image_center/data/500/laketrip063_033m.jpg

[HatenWinter]

It's in Havasu right now or I'd be there. BTW, you don't know who this is do you? :) Sent you a PM

[duner21]

bet you won't, I had two of them in the last years time, bitch'n boats, an honest 75 was there but no more on gps, try'd about twenty props 3-4- and 5 blade, it didn't realy like the 26, did the best with a RON HILL 25P 5 BLADE
I beat a guy gon'n over 110 with my force, gps said i was going 92.
My boat came with a 26 on it. Being new to baoting what does the 25p 5 blade do for it and where would i look into getting one? Any info is much appreciated!

[rivercrazy]

There are many very nice 25-26 foot V's out there these days. From my experience they all run about 3-4 mph of each other (68-72mph with a stock 496HO). IMHO you decision should be based on what layout, quality, rigging, and price etc best suits you needs.
My favorites in that size range are the Shockwave 25 Tremor, Lavey 26. They are both very high quality boats that have more room than most other boats there size and ride like a much larger boat.

[Havasu_Dreamin]

I'm biased but you can't beat the construction of the Howard 25, second to none in terms of quality of construction IMHO.....the devil is in the details as they say.....

[TPI]

I will say this about the shockwave 25 Tremor:
Last year I was running my boat up from the Sandbar to needles and I was doing close to 70 mph or so. I was passed by one of those Shockwave 25's, so I snuck up on him slowly to see how fast he was going. When I pulled along side of him, my GPS said 87 mph approx:idea: now granted, I had to let him know how much more was left on my end, but the fact was,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,that thing was running well, and doing so for a very long period of time. I was impressed to say the least. I think it was a blue/white boat. The dude driving it was definately a nut:D and he had some power under the hatch!:eek:

[rivercrazy]

I will say this about the shockwave 25 Tremor:
Last year I was running my boat up from the Sandbar to needles and I was doing close to 70 mph or so. I was passed by one of those Shockwave 25's, so I snuck up on him slowly to see how fast he was going. When I pulled along side of him, my GPS said 87 mph approx:idea: now granted, I had to let him know how much more was left on my end, but the fact was,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,that thing was running well, and doing so for a very long period of time. I was impressed to say the least. I think it was a blue/white boat. The dude driving it was definately a nut:D and he had some power under the hatch!:eek:
87 in a 25 Tremor is definately scootin. Best I've heard for top end in that hull is in the mid-90's.
Most stock 25 Tremors with 496HO power are running in the 68-73mph range depending on deck configuration, weight of additional accessories, mufflers, etc. My personal 25 closed bow tremor with lots of stereo gear has seen a best of 72mph. But now with mufflers and lots of stereo, she runs in the 68-71mph range. Not bad for a 102" beam, 24 degree bottom, and the fact its a full 25' runnning length boat. They ride like cadillac compared to most 25's.
Love those Howards though. One of the fastest 25's out there.

[SBullet]

They are all nice Boats (Nordic, Howard, & Hallet) and it all come down preference and budget. I love my 25 Nordic and the best I have seen low on gas, lab 26 prop in the winter (perfect day) on GPS is 74.

[Sundance]

All three run well. After shopping last year it's what you can get for your money. My family ended up with the Nordic. The boat they got had more options than the others came equiped with. Things that were extra on the others were already on their boat.
listen there all good boats, anyone who has any of them should be proud to cruise the channel. For enjoying the speed I go to Mohave. People with to many steroids in their tanks run Havasu. Just a personal opinion. And we all know what opinions are like. Some Bigger than others.

[bocco]

All, thanks for all of the good input. When we were at the boat show we had the impression that all three were in the same price range. IT turns out after talking numbers more seriously that the Nordic comes in about $10K cheaper than the Hallett which gives it a definet advantage when he's trying to talk his wife into the new boat. But the Hallett still has my vote as the nicest boat and the Howard is as nice it's just an opinion.

[Member: 7673]

sp:

[THOR]

I am with Rivercrazy. Through Shockwave into the mix. They will handle the chop great and the ride a tad higher than other 25'ers.

[bob briley]

look for a lavey 26:)

[TCHB]

Howard nice but small or its size
Shockwave nice and large for its size
I had a Howard and it was nice but I would take a close look at the Shockwave because of the quality look and size.

[River918]

:rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:
:D
http://***boat.com/forums/showthread.php?t=144752

[beaverretriever]

Somthing that really has not been mentioned in this thread is; are you only concerned about top speed? You may want to consider all this talk is about about WOT speed. If you truely want to run 70 most of the time you will want to jump up to more power like a 525 or larger.
You should look at what boat has the best cruising speed due to the fact that is where you will be doing most of your boating.
Its nice to hit 75-80, but if you feel that is where you want the boat to run all the time, your 496HO will probably only last you a half of a season.
Im a Howard fan so that would be my choice.
The Halletts are built well but tend to look very out of date to me.
I don' think the Nordic is up to standard of the other two from what I have seen.