POST your THREE favorite boats, in order and WHY they are your fave...

Not intended to "dis" anyone's boat or rank it less than another... BUT tell WHY they are your fave, make/model/specific race boat/your family boat/sentimental ties to a boat... There are so sos ososososo many cool boats I have been around over the years at the races/events/factories... Pontoon, kayak, whatever floats your boat... :)


#1 Wayne's coldfire... A) I like Wayne and his lovely wife, the boat/the tribute to the former boat/builders, the painter of the Ghost, and most importantly watching Davey thrash it to the ragged edge of blowing its stack (which it never does/did that I'm aware of)... Davey, I still think about you when I think "boat racing", R.I.P.... This boat hauls ass, Wayne drives it like a bat out of hell... It's an all time #1 fave for a variety of reasons... Davey B had his hands full that day running up against Tony in the K69...

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^^^ I took this pic with a little Nikon point and click, of all things... Marine Stadium 2009... :)
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#2

THE original Body Snatchers, my favorite hull style/design, performance in BIG wake, speed... THe boat had ALOT of history and I wanted it so bad... I was ready to sell all of my toys to get this thing from Ted... It was like 2009 when it came up for sale and the economy was in the toilet bigtime, I had to keep my cards close to my chest... Rank Daddy Dave drove it alot, saw some INCREDIBLE GN action between the GN 24 and Ben's Plan B and Devines GN47 and Bob's GN7 and many others... It was / is a real fave... IF I had a giant pile of cash, I would buy her from Dirk and put it back the way I remember her, as a tribute to some really fine folks in her former life of racing (Ted/Joey/Dave/Etc)...

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#3

Yep, K69... I have watched this boat get flipped, dipped, skipped, ripped over the years and never thought I would see it come as far as it has... You have to tip your hat to Gordo/Dave/Tony and all the others that have shoe'd that tub...

Hard runs at the K kilo record, championships in the KRR class...

Such a fantastic partnership to watch Dave/Gordy throwing down on this thing and turning it around from the little boat that COULDN't to the terror of the course...

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#1 Donzi 35ZFX
Great all around boat for the ocean and lake. Cruise out to Catalina or Clemente for fishing or In Havasu/Mohave for a good fun weekend trip.

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#2 Advantage 28ft Victory.
With walk through cuddy and open bow. I really like the lay out of this boat and think the inside space is really useful.

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#3 Cobalt Cabin Cruiser.
Just think it is another all around boat that would be great to take to the lake or in the ocean. Has a small Head like the Dozi and room to sleep a couple people comfortably for the overnight trips.

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Guess none of my boats are the go fast boats but I think they would be good all around boats.

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Originally Posted by riverrunner1984

Guess none of my boats are the go fast boats but I think they would be good all around boats.

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I like that Donzi, something like that would be very nice if I lived near big fish like U :)

No right or wrong answer, just your fave/preference whatever the reasons... :)

I'm still :hmmm: on #3 but leaning toward the K69...

good video of the Donzi....Seems like there are a lot more popular on the East Coast.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lh164qCH2rI

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Originally Posted by riverrunner1984

good video of the Donzi....Seems like there are a lot more popular on the East Coast.

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They look very nice for sure... I was able to go on a shark fishing charter in HiltonHead S.C. about 15 yrs ago, we were on a Mako 24ish center console set up for fishing... It was nothing like that Donzi I'm sure but MAN was it nice to wrestle the sharks from a center console like that...

#1 Laveycraft 21 XCS, Closed Bow, 454 MAG MPI, Bravo 1 - because it's my current boat

Planes nice, especially with the trim tabs. Good punch from 30-50 MPH; it really pushes you back in the seat. I've ridden in 350 MAG MPIs and its like comparing apples to oranges. I see a top speed of 72 MPH in ideal conditions - 1/2 tank of gas, light load, down river, smooth water. Full boat it'll cruise at 60 MPH comfortably. The wind at this speed was brutal, so we installed Finney's wind flap and I couldn't be happier. Boat does get a little squirrely at 65+ MPH, though. Would love to see what it's like with external steering, but not worth spending the money. With the family in the boat I'm usually at 40-45 MPH. IMO, it's a great all around boat. It's a perfect size for the river (Needles/Parker), and with the tabs it really does feel and handle like a 24 footer in Havasu's rough water. I'd be side-by-side with my BIL and his 25 Shockwave Tremor. It has a timeless paint job (I'm not a fan of tribal), which still shines for a 15 year old boat.

A couple of down sides are the closed bow and swim step. When it was just my wife and I we loved the closed bow because we didn't have to shuttle a dozen friends and be "those people." But now with kids, I would love to open up the bow for convenience. It would be much easier to get the kids in and out of the boat. Lavey quoted $3,500 for the conversion, which I will likely do this winter. The swim step is my only other complaint. The angle is not conducive to getting out of the water and step on to the hatch cover, or to sit on while beached.

We've considered selling it to upgrade to a 25-28 footer, but it's just not worth the money. I don't gain a whole lot going from a 20K boat to a 40K boat... Maybe 3-6 feet and maybe 5 MPH. No thanks. Not for 20K. After all we end up in the same place.

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#2 Howard 28 SCS Sportcat Open Bow (note: the cat, not deck) with the 600SCi package.

If I had the money tree planted in my backyard, this is what I'd buy. Why? Because it just speaks to me. With the power package it should see 85-90 MPH and that's plenty for me. I prefer the cat over the deck because it has the full rear bench seat as opposed to three seats and the side walk thru area. I never saw a point in that and I think its safer without for the kids. But this boat costs as much as the river house in Needles that I want, and I'd much rather have that house and my Lavey.

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#3 Nor-Tech 392 Super Fish Center Console with quad 400Rs.

If I had two money trees in the backyard and lived in the Florida Keys.

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Originally Posted by RADRVR

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Now this is one hell of a nice fishing boat!!!

This could get dicey and complicated. I need to think about this a little. I definitely have three, but mine is actually one of them LOL.

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Originally Posted by Hotboat

This could get dicey and complicated. I need to think about this a little. I definitely have three, but mine is actually one of them LOL.

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Thats a good thing if the boat you OWN is in your top 3... Thats not the case with me... :(


:bananadance: I made the disclaimer up front, no worries... Anything from a kayak to a Royal Caribbean Cruise ship...

Race boat, pleasure boat, whacker, jet, boats you LIKE but done want to own, boats you wish you did own... Boats you love but dont really want to own... :)

Notice that my SECOND favorite boat is the #1 that I wanna own... Of course if Wayne was feeling generous and wanted to unload the K50 (my 1st favorite) for a song, I would consider it... ;)

Hmmmm, Well, you asked..... For me, First off, the Sanger Jr. drag hydro, just because it's a no-nonsense, "built to do the job" boat with the best lines in the hydro world. Second, Hondo's classic flatbottom, again, proven to be tough to beat, competitively and looks wise. Thirdly, I've got to include the Stevens flatbottom. Overlooked by some, but more families had a Stevens flat at one time than any other make. Good lines and ruggedly built.Attachment 54961Attachment 54962Attachment 54963