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New Tow Boat


Ndawg12

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Has anyone driven one of the stern drive boats that claim to surf?  Just wondering how well they perform.     Some cool features on this new boat, but I assume it will be pricey just given the size and that retractable top with glass.   

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I wonder if you get as mush bow rise with forward prop stern drive, anyone know?

That powered tower with a hard top is a reeaally cool feature imo, with the cover on top of it to keep the tower and top clean.. well thought

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ahopkins22LSV

Looks very interesting. The forward drives work awesome in big boats and I knew it would just be a matter of time before we started seeing them in smaller boats.

Will be fun to see how this performs on the water!

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My problem with forward drive is the brand it self. Parts are hard to get for Volvo penta and very very expensive. A standard rebuilt Volvo out drive costs me about 4K more than a mercruiser and I have seen more Volvo penta out drives go bad than mercruisers

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I don't know exactly how the relationship is set up but he is some how working with the owner of the WT-1.  I believe the molds are about done and he plans to hit the water June/July.  The original concept was 22' and was priced around ~65k.  So I'm guessing 70ish for this 24 footer.  I've seen some of the costs to build and it's the reason why I'm so disgusted with prices for tow boats approaching 200k.

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With the power losses through the outdrive and the max 300hp Volvo offers the boat is going to be underpowered. The forward drive is also a nightmare to work on. As mentioned VP parts can be hard to get and it will be even harder to get parts for the forward drive.

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ahopkins22LSV
43 minutes ago, Sailvi767 said:

With the power losses through the outdrive and the max 300hp Volvo offers the boat is going to be underpowered. The forward drive is also a nightmare to work on. As mentioned VP parts can be hard to get and it will be even harder to get parts for the forward drive.

The forward drives have actually been more efficient in big cruisers. So don't use our standard of thinking with how we judge how much power we need.

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I read a test report comparing the two. Overall no real difference between a conventional or forward drive boat. If you hit something it's crazy expensive to fix. You have higher drive train power losses also. 

Here is a statement from Volvo. 

Volvo said the Forward Drive will offer speed and economy comparable to a Duoprop sterndrive’s,

Here is a bit more on the negatives of the system.

The drawbacks to this drive system could be substantial. With the propellers located in front of the lower unit instead of behind it they much more at risk to being damaged if they hit anything. Even when you trim the lower unit all the way up the boat propellers are still a good foot below the bottom of the boat so beaching it could be a problem and you will need a special boat trailer for it that positions the boat higher up on the trailer so the propellers will clear the road.

In addition to the above in order to insure safety in a hard impact the drive unit has to be designed to shear off completely unlike a conventional stern drive which can kick up. 

Edited by Sailvi767
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11 minutes ago, Sailvi767 said:

I read a test report comparing the two. Overall no real difference between a conventional or forward drive boat. If you hit something it's crazy expensive to fix. You have higher drive train power losses also. 

I think the advantage of the forward drive is that it allows you to surf.

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Interesting concept.  Think they are not the first boat manufacturer to use design software for hull design and fluid dynamics.   I/O manufacturers have found a way to use the drive on a tow boat moving the prop underneath.  I would have to wait till a real boat is on the water with side by side water test comparisons.  

Like some of the concepts but is it really going to cost <$100k with all the options?    

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They say it's the first ever hard top on a wakeboat. But doesn't centurion have one? 

http://www.onlyinboards.com/2014-Centurion-FX22-for-sale-Sumas-Washington-46000.aspx

servics and engine problems may be a problem for many people not having good service available. But we have the exact opposite problem over here on the west coast of Canada. We have one of the largest Volvo dealers in North America, but only one inboard place and after that it's 6 hours including a ferry.

All of these features are neat, but can it surf? 

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48 minutes ago, Cole2001 said:

They say it's the first ever hard top on a wakeboat. But doesn't centurion have one? 

http://www.onlyinboards.com/2014-Centurion-FX22-for-sale-Sumas-Washington-46000.aspx

Looks like the same top as the Nautiques.

Wonder what throttle is being used on those new I/Os.  They have always such a POS compared to the Morse controls used by so many inboard companies. 

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It's funny to me when people mention the disgust for the prices on these boats. Everything is about money. The demand is there for boats obviously or they wouldn't sell. If the demand is there it has to be met. If the demand isnt met you guys wouldn't be getting your brand new boats every year on time or even that year. Malibu is/will be getting bigger. That cost $. Then you have more employees to pay that's $. Machinery, maintenance, lease on building? Etc. that ALL adds up very quickly. Then they still have to make a profit. The only way you will see the prices go down are A. Economic crisis similar to 08. Or B. demand goes down considerably. I think we're very close to seeing B as boats approach 200k. The market will adjust itself. It always does. 

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I for one am pumped with the prices skyrocketing the way they are.  With a 4-5 month season here in Wisco, I don't think I could justify a $60k new boat let alone a $150k new boat ... so these crazy prices keep my used boat's value nice and high.  My guess is I could sell our 04' LSV for more than I paid right now.

 

 

With that said, this thing looks like it has a lot of potential, I'm excited to see what comes of it once one actually hits the water.

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Innovation and competition is good - even if a person doesn't sign on for it, it'll male Malibu, Master Craft, etc. sit up and improve their products and efficiency.

Some of the R24 features look really nice.  Will be interesting to see how it does in the water - and what they sell for.

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I'm not up on v drive and tranny costs but I don't see why they wouldn't use it. I would think a tranny and vdrive would cost less than one of those out drives. On the other hand I would like to see it in action. I just personally don't see it working out.

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3 hours ago, bamabonners said:

I hate the row of speakers.  reminds me of an epic (which reminds me of a bar of soap).  

Yeah, not a fan of that either, atleast not that many, maybe 4 at the most.  The concept does make sense though.  He's a former engineer for Epic so good call on that :thumbup:

 

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