SEABUDDY
ON BOATS

Archive for the ‘Sales and Dealers’ Category

Buy now or wait as more are coming!

Only one of these boats comes with a wood hull and wood deck, this 16’ Runabout is from Maine boat builder, Callinectes Boat Works or www.cboatworks.com . However, most of their customers, after a lot of discussion, go with a wood deck-fiberglass hull boat model. Talk about a classic styled, fun runabout! This boat will knock your socks off!

New 16' water-jet powered Classic Styled Maine-built Runabout

She is not a reproduction, she is an original design by Glen Shivel and Scott Lambert featuring a soft-riding, semi-vee bottom shape. This boat is easy to look at, quick to plane and fun.  She runs around a lake like she is a classic Riva Junior or Chris Craft Riviera. If you go with a fiberglass hull and a wood deck selection, she is a light weight (1,100 LBS) and about a $49,000 modern boat.

Nice lines and curves for a 16' two cockpit boat

She is a water-jet boat, an inboard, as classed by the U.S. Coast Guard. Yamaha jet boats are best sellers in 19, 21, and 24’ sizes. Sea Ray, using the same brand engine and water jet drive as this Callinectes Boat Works model has already introduced one for themselves this year.

SHH! Scarab, Chaparral, Four Winns, and Glastron will have theirs by this coming Xmas, 2013! They will have one or two models each by then. These last boat builders intend to use the “inboard jet propusion system” from BRP. It, like an outboard from the fifties, has the engine, controls, fuel and jet pumps, exhaust, electrical, propulsion, and cooling systems as a package. It is an easy and one-stop shopping experience for a boat builder to install. Note, BRP has spent $15 million and added 137 employees at its Evinrude outboard factory to bring this power package to market.

Seabuddy has inspected this boat (the one I looked at had the fiberglass hull choice, which he prefers for this boat) and hopes to do a sea trial once the weather warms up in Kennebunkport, ME.

Rumors suggest that the engine color will change for boats

Go to the Bay Bridge Boat Show where Yamaha wants you to experience their outboard power on the Chesapeake Bay April 20 and 21. They have single and multiple engines on fishing boats, rigged, and docked pier side for no-obligation demonstrations for show goers. The experience is special to the Boat Show, and it is free. It is one of the best events of the spring boating experiences boaters can enjoy with their admission ticket.

Yamaha believes that its future customers will understand all the power and technology that they pack into their outboard motor product best on the water in a Yamaha powered boat. Get in line, this free event will be popular. Make your visit to this slip-side display your first stop at the show. See what is going on, it is a great opportunity.

To Yamaha, it is about what their product can do for you, not how much they can sell to you. If they demonstrate that they make a superior product that fills your needs, you will buy it when you are ready. It goes back to the days of show and tell…. Not monthly payments. Yes, everyone hopes that you will like what you feel and experience and that like (may I say… LOVE?) will translate into a sale, but here at the Boat show, the like comes before the sale.

Do you need this many Yamaha Outboards? Yup, it is eight outboards shown

This is one of about 134 fiberglass 17 foot Century Resorter examples made for the 1968 model year. Century was still within its transition from wood boats to fiberglass boats. They also made 61 wood hulled examples of this boat model at that time.

bow view, note the added-on wood spray knocker

Resorters are utility-style, walk around, single cockpit boats with a center mounted inboard engine that have a fore deck with a high windshield (most likely an automotive rear window, which was popular at this time) and a small aft deck. Seating was in front of the engine and across the stern. The engine box dominates the cockpit space while the transmission and straight shaft propeller drive with its separate rudder is hidden under the cockpit floor. This boat has a 210 horsepower Chrysler V-8.

engine box and rear seat in this Century Resorter

This is really a wood boat design that was re-tooled into a fiberglass boat. Over the years, Century often made 170-180 wood examples of 17’ Resorters each model year. So, at 61 wood boats for this year, one can see the wood boat sales rate falling off. BTW, Leon Slikkers (of Tiara Yachts and Pursuit Fish boats)  is rumored to have made the tooling for some of the fiberglass Centurys.  These fiberglass ones were only a year or two into production at Century Boats, at the time this boat was made.

Resorters came in different sizes, 15’, 16’, 17’, 18’, 19’, and 21’ over the years. Collectors champion among themselves for their favorite size as cockpits, seating comfort, engines,   and handling performance differ. Some mention a “Fun Factor” with certain ones. Others sight the freedom of movement while presenting a high style, one that all Resorter models Century Boats offer.

Windshield and dash of 17' Century Resorter 1968

Century Boats started in Milwaukee in 1926 with a 14 foot outboard wood planked racer runabout with a step in its bottom. Next, a 12 foot outboard and a 17’ footer joined that 14’ model, named, Kid. Century moved its boat building plant to Mansitee in 1929. 1930 saw the first year of inboard powered boats. As far as seabuddy knows, the 15’ Palomino and Roan models of 1961 were the last outboard Century runabouts.

transom of 17' inboard runabout Classic Century Resorter 1968

climate controlled extra inside cabin with roof, back sliding doors, and hard glass sides

It is to be a Sea Ray “SkyFlow Design dissolves the line between indoor and outdoor spaces, allowing natural light into the boat like never before. Galley and salon connect with the enclosed cockpit beneath a long stretch of glass. Interiors are brightly lit and indoor dimensions see noticeable gains” now. Sea Ray Sundancers or sea ray Dancers are to be replaced a model at a time, one by one (for budget reasons) in all practical sizes in 2013, 2014, and 2015. The first size is a WINNER! Named the 510 Skyflow Design Sundancer, she is 50’ 10” with a beam of 14’ 8”. Fuel is 400 gallons of diesel, water is 110 gallons and waste is 60 gallons. Figure on a 22 ton sport yacht boat.

main cabin 51 foot sea ray sundancer sunroom 2013 model it is very airy

She is a 30 knot boat in deep water and with no gear, bedding, and cruising supplies onboard. 510 Sea Ray Sundancer or soon to be known as the 510 Sea Ray Skyflow Sundancer burns a lot of fuel (40 gallon an hour) with her cruising speed (similarly loaded as above) at 22 knots and 2,500 rpm. WOT throttle fuel burn is around 65 GPH at the 30 knots. Why the poor fuel mileage? They are coming down the line mstly as v-drive boats, not Zeus. Zeus pod drives parts and service is still quietly not being talked about since the CMM dissolve.  So order a boat only after you check out all the facts for yourself. Seabuddy does not have the answers and I cannot get hard facts out of my buddies at Sea Ray for you for now.

Why Zeus? Number one is joystick. Also lost on a new boats without Zeus is SKYHOOK, plus total boat control around a marina, etc. Zeus promoted 30% better fuel economy, 15% higher cruising speeds and all the leading edge value of a mega yacht style pod drive system, including a shorter engine room space so the interior owner’s aft cabin could be more generous within this given size hull. Get a in stock Zeus, a ZF pod drive or a Volvo-Penta IPS system if you want this stuff. I love it. There are now (2013) at least a half dozen systems on the market now. Systems are now out ofr outboards as well as inboards today. These systems have the features that Zeus promises.

What size Sea Ray Sundancer will be discontinued for a new Sea Ray Skyflow Sundancer in July as 2014 model? Pure crystal ball, seabuddy is not releasing any insider knowledge on this here. The 340 Sundancer should be next. Look for a 340 Sea Ray Skyflow Sundancer at the Newport R. I. boat show in the late summer-early fall. Then the 410 Sundancer should be expected to be officially dropped for a replacement 410 Skyflow Sundancer in time for the 2013 Ft. Lauderdale Boat Show. Expect the sea ray Skyflow Sundancer name to very slowly replace the sea ray sundancer and that might take several years. After all, the name Sea Ray Sundancer has been around since 1974.

note the aft bak sliding doors that enclose the upper helm station

New product for 2013. It allows for the boater to control or move any tow, three, or four big engine outboard powered boat in any direction via the joystick. It allows for no stress in docking and maneuvering around the marina and in other tight areas, all when it is less than ideal for wind, current, or traffic conditions.

Think easy boat handling while being more quiet within the cockpit. It offers better control than bow or stern thrusters. This is proportional steering and throttle control in one fingertip. It includes Smart Craft digital throttle and shift (DTS) with electra – hydraulic steering. This is an all Mercury made system. And it is baked by the full single source Mercury warranty.

With a joy stick equipped boat, a boat owner can move his craft sideways or at any angle. Make the boat rotate on its own axis with a twist of the joy stick.

Speed up the power to fight for perfect control in special conditions, like a windy day. It is proportional control of thrust and speed. It includes an enhanced docking mode. It allows for long low speeds within no-wake harbors. It is packaged with Smart Craft and DTS (digital throttle and shift).

Joystick Piloting for outboards mates to either 250 HP or 300 HP Verado engines by Mercury Marine.

Expect to see boats in the water and ready for a sea trial test ride at the 2013 Miami Boat Show. More info here… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWOuwktmDlI

speedy Hacker Boat Company wood runabout

Why is one boat builder solidly pulling ahead of the others in unit sales growth while increasing its top shelf quantity recognition among knowable boaters?

There is not a simple one-point answer. It is a perhaps too complex to explain in a blog, like www.seabuddyonboats.com. By way of background, I am a published book author. I also used to write a 1,000 words per issue for monthly boating magazines. Now, in about 1/3 of that length of a magazine write-up, I am tackling why a boat builder in upstate NY is realizing hugh sales gains, year over year, for say, the last five years, and shows every indication that this sales trend is on track to continue.

The first thing about any boat for experienced boaters is the boat’s on-the-water performance. One just has to go 100 yards into an afternoon chop in a new Hacker-Craft to know the solid, comfortable feeling of a beefy mahogany wood Hacker design as executed by the Lake George, NY boat builder gives to both the driver and passengers in the open runabout. Then, there is the performance, control, and responsive handling that the design, material choices, and craftsmanship used by the Hacker Boat Co. Plus, folks can experience the innovative solutions the company has used to address odd problems such as a windy home slip, when needed to fit the boat to an owner and his needs. Get more details here…  http://www.hackerboat.com/

Most boaters also know that at the height of the Bayliner story, they were bragging that their boats had 70 hours of labor in each boat. It is plain to everyone that even casually looks at a Hacker runabout; that each Hacker-Craft has (at least) 20 times that amount of hand labor in it. No wonder that most boaters think that the boats are fairly priced for the quality product that is shown to them by the team on the lake.

regal marine bow rider 24

SHOW DATES: January 19–22, 2012

Baltimore Convention Center
1 W Pratt Street (at Charles Street),One block away from the Inner Harbor
Baltimore, MD 21201

Show Hours

Thursday, January 19, 2012
11am–9pm

Friday, January 20, 2012
11am–9pm

Saturday, January 21, 2012
10am–9pm

Sunday, January 22, 2012
10am–5pm

Admission

Adult: $10.00 each
15 and younger: FREE with a paid adult admission

This is a great NMMA boat show that should have good weather this year. I always go and check out the free magazine subscription choice that comes with an admission ticket purchase. Often the magazine offer makes the Boat Show a free event. Look for the magazine booth near the entrance, and do not worry, I do not get bothered by sales pitches from the magazine, as I opt out of that box on the magazine form. If they are offering Yachting Magazine, get that one, it is the best way to enjoy boating right now, in my opinion.

Regal should have some fine bow riders and deck boats to look at from Jackson Marine Sales on display at the Baltimore Boat show for you and your family to inspect. Woody Jackson is a long time local boat dealer and continues to do an outstanding job in his sales, service, and marina businesses at the top of the Chesapeake Bay.

Also, take a look at the Chaparral boats and the power boats from Cobalt boats. Both have some “hot” deals that shook up the boaters at the New York Boat Show, earlier this month. The New York Boat Show charges more money to get in than the Baltimore Boat Show does.

Local United States Yacht Shows, which produce  the oldest in-water boat shows in the United States, has announced  that it will offer  a spring boat show called the Annapolis Spring Sailboat Show, featuring a special Cruisers University.

The new event will be held at the Annapolis Town Dock, plus Ego Alley, the surrounding city lots, the Annapolis Marriott Waterfront Hotel, the Annapolis Recreation Center, and a local Park.  The show is said to feature on  more than  80 sailboats, both mono-hull hull shapesl and multi-hull.

Admission is $10 for adults, $4 for youth 7-12, and free for children 6 and under for the Boat Show. 

For the Cruisers University, a separate tuition schedule will cover all classes, meals, demos, on-board instruction, and social activities. 

Additionally, a special Cruising Destinations Series will be available to all show attendees on Saturday and Sunday.

The new show is planned for late April, after the Bay Bridge Boat Show, which is about 30 years old which is also hosted by the same organization. United States Yacht Shows are every well respected by the boating public and each of their shows bring folks to Annapolis from up and down the East Coast.

By the way, Cruisers University is a four-day educational program designed to introduce people to life aboard a cruising boat.  Billed as “The Ultimate Aid to Navigation,” Cruisers University provides expert instruction in a wide range of subjects pertinent to long-range cruising, such as on-board technical systems, cruising destinations, insuring and outfitting your boat, as well as mastery level two-day courses on Diesel Maintenance, Navigation and Chart Plotting, and Electrical Systems Design.

Michael Aronow wrote this book about his Dad, Don Aronow, and Don’s involvement in boating. Don was a boat racer, a boat building businessman, a world champion, a founding leader of deep vee boat building and offshore racing. He started and owned Donzi Marine, Formula, Magnum Marine, Cigarette Racing Team, Squadron XII, and USA Racing Team and almost all of 188^th Street.

This is the book for a Christmas present to a boater.

John Crouse, Dick Genth, Yachting magazine, Jim Wynne, Mike Gordon, the Beatles, Chubby Brown, Walt Walters, the Donzi sweet 16, Bobby Moore, Knocky House, the models, some of the tricks, the Wyn-Mill II, the Banana  boat, outboards, inboards, I/O, Mercury Marine, Magnum Missile, Molinari, Carl Kiekhaefer, Aeromarine, Roger Penske, Betty Cook, and Mark Donohue are all in the book.

It is a who’s who of power boating and power boat racing offshore. A real history of the racing scene.

Don Aronow made the offshore power boat racing scene very early on and made it into the force it is today. He left New Jersey for south Florida while still a young man and built an empire of race wins, trophies, championships, boat building companies, showmanship, and hard work.

It is only really available on the collector book market. The ISBN number is 0945903227.

Get a nice one and have a good look all at the photos and a good read from the material that Michael shares about a rare man in the boating business in this boating book.

No discussion about this yacht should happen without a mention about its yacht designer, Tom Fexas. He used some extra ordinary design skills, grand style, and technical acumen to create a special yacht in the Midnight Lace boats. He first used his thoughts about fast power cruising using modest power in his 44’ Midnight Lace model. I have driven an example of one of those cruisers in the Pacific Ocean. A very nice boat, but somewhat under powered as that one had twin small Renault engines under its cockpit. The Renaults also were smoky engines on that 44’ boat cruise and that was a fairly big issue to me at that time.Tom Fexas made a fast yacht in the Midnight Lace 52 by watching the hull weight and its balance along with a easy to push, narrow beam hull shape.

He has said that the design was “inspired…by the slippery old hulls…of the rumrunners” and the yacht designs of Consolidated and Elco boats.

She is a 52’ yacht with less than 10 tons in displacement! Her 13’ beam makes her narrow compared to other boats of this length. Yet the boat has a double berth master with its own head (with a short bath tub). Plus, a private guest stateroom that has two single berths and there is also a fully found second head.

Cheoy Lee built this yacht in 1983 using the latest fiberglass construction with coring for a light weight composite hull. They constructed a glorious interior to match her exterior design. She has since been updated and her equipment has been generously replaced as needed by an attentive yacht owner.

Oh yah, I saved the best for last…a Midnight Lace is a bow rider.

The photos are from Yachtworld.com that has this yacht currently for sale.