Lavey 21.. 6.2 or 496?

[cc322]

Went with a friend to Laveycraft yesterday to help him look at Laveys 21. After talking a bit he is unsure of the power choice to get . Anybody have the 6.2 in thier 21 Lavey ? if so are you happy with it, or do you regret not getting the 496? Lavey seems to think that the 6.2 is good enough for that size boat. Also the Lavey is a pretty good size boat for a 21-22.8. Jason fill free to add your 02. With the size of boats nowdays at the river I wonder if he should be looking bigger? But price is a major factor in his decesion. Any help would be great. Also Jeff took us through the whole building process and I must say it sounds like it is a pretty solid boat.

[rivercrazy]

The 6.2 will power it pretty well. But IMO the bigger the better. My guess is the 6.2 would put you in the low to middle 60's and the 496 would put you in the mid to high 60s. Assuming its an walk through open bow. But the hole shot will be better with the 496 for sure.

[LASERRAY]

Your friend will regret the smaller motor if he go's that way. Go with the biggest and baddest that you can and you'll never kick yourself for not doing so.:cool: Go Big!

[77charger]

depends on what he wants.If he is fine with a 60 mph top speed and maybe a top of 55,or just to enjoy a day at the lake and cruise when loaded the 6.2 will do if he wants to save cash.But if top speed is the goal or he wants to go faster when fully loaded a 496 will be needed.

[Dr. Eagle]

If it were me and I had the cash, I'd go for the big block. There is no replacement for displacement...as I have heard somewhere before....

[Faster Daddy]

My choice, no question 496. In fact I step up and get the 496 HO. I'm sure that 21 pulls #'s in the 70's with a 496 and even more with the HO. That is also a VERY solid boat that can handle the HP. I think I saw one in the shop with a 500 :eek:
Which ever he decides I'm sure he will be very happy with the finished product. But thats just my un-biased opinion. :D

[rvrhlic]

I have a 21 walk thru with a 496 HO and wished i went with the 500. I would go with the biggest power your buddy can afford. With the 496 you are looking at about 70 fully loaded in the heat.
rvrhlic

[Sun burners]

Get the 500hp!
Make it a family race boat!

[waterndog]

Personally I wouldn't even think of going with the 6.2 I think he'd regret it , I'd go with atleast the 496. I've got the Lavey 21 XCS and it can definitely handle the extra power. ;)

[shockwavebd]

Originally posted by Sun burners
Get the 500hp!
Make it a family race boat!
I like your thinking:idea:

[waterndog]

Originally posted by shockwavebd
I like your thinking:idea:
Hey whats up Barry When we going to get together for some more Slick track ? cheaters :D

[cc322]

Lavey 21 owners are you guys happy with the overall ride of your boat? Does it handle the havasu chop ok or do you wish you had gone bigger? Like I said the boat looks really big for the size, and it seems as though that it is put together better than most He needs all the information on this boat this week,because he will finalize the deal at the boat show this weekend. Also how is Lavey to deal with after the sale? All opinions requested .

[cc322]

He is also looking for pics of the ones that have the 21 if ant body can post thier boats he would like to see it. Thanks

[CBLavey]

CC...
We picked up our 21XTSki with the 6.2 this past August. Yes, the 496 MAG will be a bit faster. It will also burn alot more fuel and weighs about 200 lbs more... So far the best we have seen is 63 mph but I have not yet confirmed that with a GPS.
I'm using a 22" Bravo 1 and have no problem bumping the rev limiter at 5200 RPM. Hole shot is great, ( the 6.2 comes with 1.65 gears, not 1.47 like the 496 so it may even have a better holeshot). We use the boat for skiing and wakeboarding and are very happy with it. Order the the wakeboard storage and skip the aft facing jump seats. We routinely carry two wakeboards, two slaloms, a set of trainer skis and an EZE-UP and the boat swallows them all up with nothing on deck.
The Lavey is definately the largest and IMO the best riding 21 on the market. I looked at a lot of 21's as well as some 22's and 23's and for us it was the hands down best choice. As far as the Lavey crew goes, Jeff, Shauna and Andy were great and Chris spent more time with me during delivery than I spent on the walkthrough of my last new home.
As far as engine choices go, let your wallet and how you intend to use the boat be your guide. Good luck.

[cc322]

Thanks cb, can you post a pic of your ride.

[phuggit]

CC
I went with a small block in the first boat I bought. The boat served it's purpose, but I wasn't going anywhere fast with a full load of fuel/people/gear.
For our new boat I went to the 496 for two reason's.
1. more hp
2. resale value
As far as fuel goes, I can scoot around Havasu Sat. and Sun. on one tank if I'm cruisin. However, if I stomp on it the fuel gauge moves to the left at the same ratio as the speedo moves to the right.
Good luck.

[CrazyHippy]

You never hear some one bitch about getting too big a motor.
BJH

[Outnumbered]

How much more $ is the 496?
Here are some stats from HB speed tests:
Manufacturer Length Model Name Engine/ Drive HP X engines 0-30 0-40 0-50 0-60 Top MPH Test Date
LAVEY CRAFT 27'6" 2750 NuEra Sport HP500EFI/Bravo One N/A 10.37 13.21 16.53 20.71 75.40 2003
Lavey Craft 25' 26' Nuera Mercruiser HP500EFI 470 X 1 6.87 9.30 12.29 16.13 72.30 2001
Lavey Craft 25' 26' Nuera Mercruiser HP500EFI 470 X 1 6.96 9.13 11.81 15.66 71.10 2000
Lavey Craft 29' 29’ NuEra Offshore MC 500HP/Bravo 1 N/A 9.47 11.96 14.97 18.58 80.50 1999
Lavey Craft 21'8'' 21 XCS Mercruiser 496 Magnum/Bravo One 375 X 1 9.92 11.80 14.21 17.37 70.40 2001 70.40 MPH

[Uplink]

Originally posted by cc322
Lavey seems to think that the 6.2 is good enough for that size boat. Also the Lavey is a pretty good size boat for a 21-22.8. With the size of boats nowdays at the river I wonder if he should be looking bigger? But price is a major factor in his decesion. and I must say it sounds like it is a pretty solid boat.
If price is a factor for him, he should also consider the costs of more fuel consumption, and higher insurance. I have the 454EFI and to me its a gas hog. Also the first thing an insurance agent will ask you is "whats the top speed, and what the horsepower?" I think a 21' is a perfect all-around size, I wouldn't want to deal with parking and trailer/manuvering, mooring anything bigger. Also consider how often you or your family will need to go faster than 60 on the water?
The Lavey is heaviest and longest of the 21's and will absorb the chop better, although it tends to ride nose high at low speeds. The Lavey's have great lines and is built like a tank IMHO. He will love it.
Have fun, Mark :)

[Sun burners]

Does anybody know anyone with the 377 Scorpion?
Also how does it do?
Thanks Mike

[waterndog]

There's always going to be times when your out on the water and you think damn I'd like a bigger boat, but all in all I'm pretty damn happy with how well my 21 handles the chop, I got what I could afford. Lavey's been great to deal with but I'm sure as with all manufacturers there some people that have had there problems with them, but they've always treated me very good.
Is he going with an open bow, closed or open cuddy ?

[Steamin' Rice]

Resale will probably be better with the 496 compared to the 6.2.. Most likely your buddy will be looking to upsize in a few years so if it is in the budget I would go with the 496 for sure.....

[rvrhlic]

I have the 496HO in my 21 Lavey and i have to say, the boat rides great handles the chop on busy havasu weekends with no problems.
Lavey has been great. They delivered my boat when promised and have addressed any issues/quesitons I have had since I took delivery. I would highly recomend them. The boats the build are built extremely tough. I went from an Ultra to a Lavey and can tell you when you have a wake in the Ultra, the whole boat shimmies, with the lavey it hits and feels solid (please no flames - Ultra builds a nice boat too, just MHO).
rvrhlic

[HighRoller]

If price is a factor obviously the $17000 upgrade to the 500EFI isn't gonna be a choice. Choosing the 496 mag over the Scorpion wouldn't do much good because the Scorpion performs almost as well. Ultra swapped a 454 MAG out of a jetboat and put a Scorpion in and got the same numbers. If he wants the big block he should definitely get the Mag HO, it's really not that much more dollar wise. The uses of the boat have to be considered too. If he's going to be wakeboarding with 8 people and a lot of junk in the boat he'll appreciate the extra torque and planing ability of the big block. If he's just gonna cruise or take long trips with little or no skiing or boarding I'd get the Scorpion. Of course it goes without saying...TEST DRIVE all of the different engine/drive packages first!

[Dr. Eagle]

If your friend can afford the 496HO by all means he should GET IT. Gas mileage is just as good when running at the same speeds as the small block. You are not in the throttle as much with the big block as with the small block.
People are amazed to hear that most people that have the 8.1L in their GMC/Chevy trucks (like me) actually get better mileage than those with the 6.0L. It is because you don't need to be in the throttle as much, the engine has so much torque.
Also the gearing setup is DESIGNED for the engine. So the gears on the 6.2 are a lower ratio because it doesn't have anywhere near as much torque as the 496.
You do have the power to run faster, and when you do...gas mileage is going to suffer.
It is your friends choice, it is his money, no one here should be trying to spend it for him. I am certainly not trying to do any such thing, but let me put it this way, if I had it to do for me there would be no question that if I could afford it, I'd opt for the big block.

[rivercrazy]

I totally agree with Dr. E on this. You really won't see that much of a drop in MPG with big block. You will swing a bigger prop at lower rpms. I'm still amazed with the MPG I'm getting with a 496HO and a deep V full sized 25'er. If I stay in the 3200-3600 rpm range, I get damn near 3.5mpg (maybe even close to 4). Or maybe I'm just still surprised coming out of a big block jet boat that got 2.5 tops and usually around 2 at best.
But overall, since your not daily driving a boat, the gas cost really isnt all that important in most instances anyway. Go with the bigger motor. You will not be disapointed.

[boatnam2]

more motor,less wide open runs more crusing.or just put a extra 30 bucks in the tank.

[cc322]

Thank for all the replies. This is a very hard decision,and he is very confused . I quess its all about how much you got to spend and how fast you want to go. So far the one thing we have learned is that Lavey is a Great company.

[CBLavey]

Originally posted by cc322
Thanks cb, can you post a pic of your ride.
Sorry I don't have a digital camera, Midnight Blue and Dark Grey Flames with silver pins...