2019 Los Angeles Boat Show Report!!

[RiverDave]

This my friends is the "Belle of the Ball." The new 355 Long Deck Nordic.

The boat was tooled by Nordic's GM Thane and is built from scratch. Honestly the boat was more of an experiment and Thane did things that he thought would work that are typically different than the usual trains of thought. Wide Sponsons and a Narrow tunnel? There was a lot of people speculating how it was going to work after the initial photos were released on RDP.

Well The boat ran 117 mph right out of the box and they haven't had a chance to play with more props..

And there it is that big beautiful tunnel.. Needless to say with it being a true tunnel the boat should be good for not only lake but offshore use as well! I'm really looking forward to seeing how this boat runs in rough water.

I wasn't there for the initial water test but Tom (TommyGun) was and he told me the thing was on plane in seconds with zero bow rise and it pulled like a freight train out of the hole. I'm guessing those wide sponsons really paid off in that regard.

The boat was designed with either twin or quad outboard configurations! So you can run twin 400's (or bigger when they are released) or you can run quad 300's!

One of the things I really liked about the boat when I saw it over at the factory was it has a large hang out area right on the transom. The rear is actually setup like a lounger and fits three people across easily. As you can see with the step down getting in and out of the water (or in the boat when it's on the trailer) is incredibly easy! Both of those little amenities are something that is rare to find on one of these ultra high performance cats.

When they build the trailer for this I think I'd skip the ladder on the front.

This is the first boat and as we all saw this thing went from Hull to rigged on the quick to make it to the LA Boat show.

I'm not sure if they were going for a kind of stripped down "race" look where saving weight on everything matters, or rather (more likely) things were in a big hurry to get it done / tested & to the boat show.. But I thought the switches looked kinda plane just stuck in the middle of the center console.

The pattern in the sea deck and the seats is fairly decisive with regard to you are either gonna love it or you are gonna hate it. When I first saw it I had mixed feelings on it, but the more I look at it the more it's growing on me. I will say on this boat in particular at least it stands out and it's different. You can see they put a fiberglass inset with netting for storage as well as glove boxes on each side. I think there's a lot of opportunity in there for cool and different things, and one of the things I like about Nordic is they are a "true custom" builder so they will build it however you want!

Again you can see they put USB power supplies all around the boat.

People have been trying to decide what to do with grab handles for the back seat in performance boats for longer than I have been alive. Back in the day with the first poker run interiors they had the giant billet t handles.. Before that the hardcore guys would actually do interiors that would literally wrap around you so you'd have to squeeze into them.. I really liked the way Nordic did these simple vinyl straps.. They are integrated into the seat, non intrusive, and they work.. It isn't the "bling" solution by any means, but it's simple, and clever so I thought it was cool.

Pay attention to that because there's another boat coming up that I don't feel the same way about.

Unfortunately the hatches were locked and Thane was with a customer so I didn't want to bug him. I'm looking forward to doing a full write up on the boat soon with on board video etc!! At that time we'll take a look under the hatches and see what's in there. Honestly I wouldn't expect much, because all of these twin 400 boats have to be built fairly minimalistic to be light enough to pull the numbers.

If ya want to know why it's the "Belle of the Ball?" It's almost 36' Long.. You can run it in the lake or the ocean (True Tunnel). It ran 117 mph right out of the box (meaning there's more in it) and it costs 350'ish... Compare that to what's out there and you are anywhere from 50-100K cheaper and you are going to have a hard time finding one that is going to pull those numbers!

For some reason I have this picture of Thane up to bat and before the pitch he's pointing off to the bleachers..

A lot of guys have hit home runs. Not too many have changed the game.

RD

 

[HCP3]

Yeah those rocker switches are disappointing. They cheapen the overall look.

I won't comment on the color scheme inside/outside since it's so subjective.

Exciting boat to see for the 'West Coast' industry.

 

[Eliminator Boats]

Yep, those sheets are wrong, not even the website seems completely accurate. I believe the 26 and 27's are 26' 10" and 100" beam, the 28 and 30 are 108" beam, and 28' 6" and 29' 10".

Okay so you are correct, on the msrp sheets something wasn't transferred correctly by the editor. Here are the actual numbers....

25 Speedster:
OVERALL 25'
MAXIMUM BEAM 100"
APPROX. WEIGHT W/ENGINE 4000 LBS
FUEL CAPACITY 70 GAL​

27 Speedster:
OVERALL 26' 10"
MAXIMUM BEAM 100"
APPROX. WEIGHT W/ENGINE 4500 LBS
FUEL CAPACITY 116 GAL

28 Speedster
OVERALL 28' 6"
MAXIMUM BEAM 108"
APPROX. WEIGHT W/ENGINE 6500
FUEL CAPACITY 130

30 Speedster
OVERALL 29’10”
MAXIMUM BEAM 118"

APPROX. WEIGHT W/ENGINE 6800lbs
FUEL CAPACITY 160

36 Speedster
OVERALL 35’10” or 39'8" with bustle
MAXIMUM BEAM 108"
APPROX. WEIGHT W/ENGINE 7800lbs
FUEL CAPACITY 224​

 

[ArizonaKevin]

This my friends is the "Belle of the Ball." The new 355 Long Deck Nordic.

The boat was tooled by Nordic's GM Thane and is built from scratch. Honestly the boat was more of an experiment and Thane did things that he thought would work that are typically different than the usual trains of thought. Wide Sponsons and a Narrow tunnel? There was a lot of people speculating how it was going to work after the initial photos were released on RDP.

Well The boat ran 118 mph right out of the box and they haven't had a chance to play with more props..

View attachment 719477

And there it is that big beautiful tunnel.. Needless to say with it being a true tunnel the boat should be good for not only lake but offshore use as well! I'm really looking forward to seeing how this boat runs in rough water.
View attachment 719478

I wasn't there for the initial water test but Tom (TommyGun) was and he told me the thing was on plane in seconds with zero bow rise and it pulled like a freight train out of the hole. I'm guessing those wide sponsons really paid off in that regard.

View attachment 719476

The boat was designed with either twin or quad outboard configurations! So you can run twin 400's (or bigger when they are released) or you can run quad 300's!

View attachment 719475

One of the things I really liked about the boat when I saw it over at the factory was it has a large hang out area right on the transom. The rear is actually setup like a lounger and fits three people across easily. As you can see with the step down getting in and out of the water (or in the boat when it's on the trailer) is incredibly easy! Both of those little amenities are something that is rare to find on one of these ultra high performance cats.

When they build the trailer for this I think I'd skip the ladder on the front.
View attachment 719466

This is the first boat and as we all saw this thing went from Hull to rigged on the quick to make it to the LA Boat show.

View attachment 719467

I'm not sure if they were going for a kind of stripped down "race" look where saving weight on everything matters, or rather (more likely) things were in a big hurry to get it done / tested & to the boat show.. But I thought the switches looked kinda plane just stuck in the middle of the center console.
View attachment 719474

The pattern in the sea deck and the seats is fairly decisive with regard to you are either gonna love it or you are gonna hate it. When I first saw it I had mixed feelings on it, but the more I look at it the more it's growing on me. I will say on this boat in particular at least it stands out and it's different. You can see they put a fiberglass inset with netting for storage as well as glove boxes on each side. I think there's a lot of opportunity in there for cool and different things, and one of the things I like about Nordic is they are a "true custom" builder so they will build it however you want!

View attachment 719468

Again you can see they put USB power supplies all around the boat.

View attachment 719469

People have been trying to decide what to do with grab handles for the back seat in performance boats for longer than I have been alive. Back in the day with the first poker run interiors they had the giant billet t handles.. Before that the hardcore guys would actually do interiors that would literally wrap around you so you'd have to squeeze into them.. I really liked the way Nordic did these simple vinyl straps.. They are integrated into the seat, non intrusive, and they work.. It isn't the "bling" solution by any means, but it's simple, and clever so I thought it was cool.

Pay attention to that because there's another boat coming up that I don't feel the same way about.
View attachment 719471
View attachment 719470

Unfortunately the hatches were locked and Thane was with a customer so I didn't want to bug him. I'm looking forward to doing a full write up on the boat soon with on board video etc!! At that time we'll take a look under the hatches and see what's in there. Honestly I wouldn't expect much, because all of these twin 400 boats have to be built fairly minimalistic to be light enough to pull the numbers.

If ya want to know why it's the "Belle of the Ball?" It's almost 36' Long.. You can run it in the lake or the ocean (True Tunnel). It ran 117 mph right out of the box (meaning there's more in it) and it costs 350'ish... Compare that to what's out there and you are anywhere from 50-100K cheaper and you are going to have a hard time finding one that is going to pull those numbers!

For some reason I have this picture of Thane up to bat and before the pitch he's pointing off to the bleachers..

A lot of guys have hit home runs. Not too many have changed the game.

RD

Boat looks amazing, the only think that makes me scratch my head a bit is the 3 wide seating across the back. Don't most competitors to this boat have 4 wide seating?

 

[RiverDave]

The all new Hallett 275!

If you guys haven't seen this in person yet it's sexy! This was the first one built and was debuted at the Hallett's in Havasu late last year.

What it is at it's core is a 28 Heat Bottom mated to a Hallett 270 Deck and if you ask me they took the best from both boats.

I have some aerial pics of this boat and the lines of it are amazing.. Kind of hard to tell with the big stair case in the way though.

This particular one was built with the oversized swim platform, and as you are going to see in a minute the "theme" of it is a performance "family" boat. The upside to the swim platform is (obviously) it covers the entire drive / safety for the kids. If I had one I'd probably try to skip that option, but would likely get backhanded from the wife.

Nordic / Hallett will build their boats with hidden internal hinges, or externals.. These are the heavy duty "offshore" style stainless hinges and they kind of set a more performance orientated theme.

Needless to say you can have a dance party between the back seat and the fronts. The interior in this boat is massive, and you won't find anything comparable in this size range (in an I/O) You could have them build a more traditional style interior (squared off) and do jump seats behind the fronts, but at some point you have to ask yourself how many people do you really need to take with you?

In order to get those low profile sleek lines the boat loses a little freeboard to it's brother the 270. The main difference you would notice between the two is the 270's usually come with a sit or stand seating for the driver and navigator, where the 275 is sit only.

Taking things up a few notches though are the gel'd fiberglass inserts in the gunnels along with recessed lighting (factory) as well as charging ports for everyone. Like most Nordic Vee's you can see they made excellent use of gunnel storage below as well which is a great place to put towels or bags etc..

One big thing to note about not only the new 275 but pretty much all, even the old models, the boats they build is they offer them with a full inner liner. What that means is nit more wood floors! No rotting wood, or replacing permanent carpet etc.. You can literally hose this boat out like you would a deck boat or a fish boat and the water goes down the drain, to the bilge and either out from the pumps or the drain plug.

The second thing you should note is Hallett (now under Nordic's flag) is a completely woodless construction! No more wood rot, or problems associated with that.

Hallett (Nordic) always kills it with their dashes and drivers layout. Everything is always perfect and right on par with the style of the times. I like the Livorsi controls a little more than the stock Merc DTS controls, but that's preference.

I think I would've kept the big dash flat with a lip at the end if it was me, but apparently they tooled the radio right into the build. My only complaint about this (especially after having a 22) is I would've probably put the speakers behind the footwell with a mesh so you can't see them. That could be done after the fact by a stereo shop and just skip the factory install. I will say for Nordic as a manufacturer to put a stereo this big in a stock boat is pretty impressive and more so than any manufacturer that I can think of off the top of my head. This boat is ready to party from the get go.

The speaker in question above.

The 240 Hallett's (and now 255's) have massive open bows that are wide and comfortable.. That said they look a little like bath tubs if we are being honest. The big Hallett's get pretty narrow like the Lavey's and are more sport than party. This one is kind of in between where you can stack some people in there if you need too and everyone is going to be comfortable. It just doesn't have the width of the 255 Open bow. That said for traditional family usage (the theme of this boat) I'd say it's about perfect and is easy on the eyes as far as an open bow goes. I love the pockets up front with the mesh to keep items contained.

The cupholders and power options are mimicked throughout the boat.

So something you usually only find in deck boats and not in see bottoms in giant amounts of storage for coolers / fenders / day bags / inflatables you name it. The 275 brings all of that as you can see by the big cabinets on either side.

The same as the rest of the Vee line up from Nordic & Hallett you are going to find a huge amount of storage under the seats. With the double hinge that they run on their boats you don't have to worry about pulling a cushion off and setting it somewhere else either.

Under the center cushion there's yet another storage option that has a smaller opening but could store quite a few things if needed.

This is the "anchor locker" that nobody ever puts an anchor in.. (You don't want too either). In typical Hallett fashion it's huge and you could put a small Danforth anchor in there pretty easily. That said it's in the very front of the boat which is not where you want to put an anchor. For me it's just another fairly large storage cabinet that I'd make use of for my own needs. You can see a nice blend of Hallet & Nordic here where they put the traditional Nordic spring in that holds the hatch up when in the straight position.

Again it's a very large space that you can put whatever you want in it. For myself I'd put the orange lifejackets under the seats and use this as a day cabinet.. Towels and things of that nature would get tossed in here for easy access on the beach or in the boat.

Now it's time to look in the giant side cabinets that are usually only reserved for deck boats!

These cabinets are massive.. This is looking back towards the drivers seat where you can see a closable / water proof panel that Nordic put in to be able to access the rigging of the dash etc. They are one of the only (if not the only?) performance mfg that puts this in their boats.

Nordic's wiring when you look behind the scenes is always perfect.. The only "gripe" that I have with anything on this boat is the subwoofers are basically in a free air environment. Free air subs are junk.. and normal subs in a free air environment are basically worthless. You gotta put them in boxes if you want them to pound.. Better yet let the stereo guys be stereo guys, and let the boat builders be boat builders.

Passenger side cubby you can see a giant JL Amp mounted and another access panel.

The seats themselves are on a pretty stylish pedestal that I believe are "Euro's" from Dana? Possibly someone else. If you look above the polished bling though you can see there's a black level and sliders. Both the drivers seat and passenger seat are completely adjustable. You push that paddle and the seats slide forward or back.

Under the back seat is a split cooler / storage configuration. I like this quiet a bit because there is no need for a cooler across the entire back seat.. On the left they have storage and access to the battery switches, and on the right they have an insulated cooler that drains to the bilge.

Easy access to the battery terminals. You can see another hatch to access other rigging if needed.
r.

This is a normal priced family vee bottom run about. In case anybody in the industry is wondering what an engine bay should look like? There it is! The only thing I'd mess with if it was mine is ditching the weird risers on the exhaust and trying to go with a header setup. Everything in this engine bay though is freaking as clean as it gets.

 

[RodnJen]

The 275 looks like the perfect bridge between a 28’ Bullet and a 270. The interior space is a game changer in my book.

 

[Runs2rch]

The 275 looks like the perfect bridge between a 28’ Bullet and a 270. The interior space is a game changer in my book.

Being the prototype Thane let us know many things could be modified. The main interest I have is to make the back seat wider and move it forward. Gain storage for a couple wakeboards.

 

[hallett21]

Being the prototype Thane let us know many things could be modified. The main interest I have is to make the back seat wider and move it forward. Gain storage for a couple wakeboards.

18” would gain storage and keep the open cockpit feel. 24” would be better but that might cramp the cockpit.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Done-it-again]

18” would gain storage and keep the open cockpit feel. 24” would be better but that might cramp the cockpit.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I had the chance to ride in it during HH and that cockpit is massive. I don't think you would miss 24".

 

[HB2LHC]

Lets get that Nordic 355 out in the pacific and run it to catalina!!

 

[RiverDave]

Lets get that Nordic 355 out in the pacific and run it to catalina!!

This one is sold already, but the next one??

 

[575cat]

So how much does this one go for ??

 

[RiverDave]

The Hallett 255! This is the boat that replaced the original 240 Hallett. It has the same proven bottom that the 240 had, but they changed the styling on the deck quite a bit. Should be noted this was done before Nordic purchased Hallett. I know several people with these boats and they all seem to love them. Little known fact is I had actually pulled the trigger on one of these before I got my 270. The owner had mis represented the boat and had paperwork issues or one would be sitting in my garage right now (closed bow).

On the integrated swim step you will see two hatches. The one on the left in the picture below is actually a cooler! The one on the right is a flip out ladder. The cooler concept in the swim step is pretty damn cool as most Vee bottoms don't have coolers that are accessible from the outside of the boat.

Again the name of the game in these boats is interior room. These boats are the suburbans of the water (which is why the 240's were and still are so incredibly popular), they can haul 10-12 people no problem. They are great riding boats in normal lake conditions and holiday weekends aren't a problem. You will notice that this boat doesn't have the side storage bings like the 275. When I had my 22.6 we would just stick the coolers in the middle of the isle way. In this boat you could stick them behind the driver / passenger seat if you wanted as their is a ton of room in it.

The styling of the dash is very typical "Nordic" which is nice as it really modernizes the look of the helm. Hallett's have been running breakers in boats since the dawn of time, but I like the little stainless plate they did down by the drivers feet. That little pocket down below is also extremely handy for keeping your registration and small items that you don't need to use often.

Again we find some more modern touches that Nordic has added with the fiberglass gunnel inserts. I'm pretty sure they are using the same inserts across a couple of their different boat models. This will have indirect lighting (at night) and just like the 275 has a USB port for charging. Similar to the 275 they also added gunnel storage down below which is extremely functional for towels, beach bags etc to not be laying all over the boat.

In the 275 review we talked about a balance between aesthetics and functionality. The front of the 240 & 255 are HUGE! In most boats you the passengers have to sit facing forward, that isn't the case here.. The passengers can sit forward, or sideways and it ups the capacity for people quite a bit.

Nordic added the two large storage boxes on either side of the motor which will prove to be extremely handy. I love the finished bilge as well as bottom of the engine hatch lid. I don't know if there's any lighting in the engine bay or not, but I'd spec that if I was building one.

On the front of those big storage boxes they put fender holders which is again extremely handy. With a boat as open in the cockpit as this one is, there isn't really any good place to put them and you would fill up the storage areas underneath the seats pretty quick if you were to put them there. One suggestion that I might make is to add drainage to the storage and the area where the fenders go. Really wouldn't cost anything and the future buyers will thank you for it.

Under the back seat you will find the main breaker and the battery switch.

This is a picture of the storage under the front seats (side).

The 255 shares a very similar (if not the same?) oversized anchor locker in the front of the boat. You can see they added a locking mechanism to it and rubber on the mating surface. This will get rid of any rattles etc. As said with the 275 I wouldn't put an anchor in here but rather somewhere else.

So we've been through the whole boat and there's something missing that most haven't even realized yet. Where the hell did the ski lockers go? I'm assuming that they are running a big belly tank so you aren't going to be able to have one midships, but I still think you need one up in the open bow area. The added storage in the engine bay is going to help quite a bit, and make up for that loss of space, but I still don't see a reason why you couldn't put one in there.

Overall though the 255 is A PERFECT FAMILY BOAT that won't break the bank. (comparatively speaking). If you haven't been in a 240 or a 255 you owe it to yourself to try one out they are great running boats. With a Bravo 3 on the back they literally handle like slot cars as well!

 

[Runs2rch]

I'm guessing they ditched the front ski locker to make the floor more rigid?

 

[RiverDave]

Let’s take a second to talk to Thane about the new 355!

 

[Andy01]

This my friends is the "Belle of the Ball." The new 355 Long Deck Nordic.

The boat was tooled by Nordic's GM Thane and is built from scratch. Honestly the boat was more of an experiment and Thane did things that he thought would work that are typically different than the usual trains of thought. Wide Sponsons and a Narrow tunnel? There was a lot of people speculating how it was going to work after the initial photos were released on RDP.

Well The boat ran 118 mph right out of the box and they haven't had a chance to play with more props..

View attachment 719477

And there it is that big beautiful tunnel.. Needless to say with it being a true tunnel the boat should be good for not only lake but offshore use as well! I'm really looking forward to seeing how this boat runs in rough water.
View attachment 719478

I wasn't there for the initial water test but Tom (TommyGun) was and he told me the thing was on plane in seconds with zero bow rise and it pulled like a freight train out of the hole. I'm guessing those wide sponsons really paid off in that regard.

View attachment 719476

The boat was designed with either twin or quad outboard configurations! So you can run twin 400's (or bigger when they are released) or you can run quad 300's!

View attachment 719475

One of the things I really liked about the boat when I saw it over at the factory was it has a large hang out area right on the transom. The rear is actually setup like a lounger and fits three people across easily. As you can see with the step down getting in and out of the water (or in the boat when it's on the trailer) is incredibly easy! Both of those little amenities are something that is rare to find on one of these ultra high performance cats.

When they build the trailer for this I think I'd skip the ladder on the front.
View attachment 719466

This is the first boat and as we all saw this thing went from Hull to rigged on the quick to make it to the LA Boat show.

View attachment 719467

I'm not sure if they were going for a kind of stripped down "race" look where saving weight on everything matters, or rather (more likely) things were in a big hurry to get it done / tested & to the boat show.. But I thought the switches looked kinda plane just stuck in the middle of the center console.
View attachment 719474

The pattern in the sea deck and the seats is fairly decisive with regard to you are either gonna love it or you are gonna hate it. When I first saw it I had mixed feelings on it, but the more I look at it the more it's growing on me. I will say on this boat in particular at least it stands out and it's different. You can see they put a fiberglass inset with netting for storage as well as glove boxes on each side. I think there's a lot of opportunity in there for cool and different things, and one of the things I like about Nordic is they are a "true custom" builder so they will build it however you want!

View attachment 719468

Again you can see they put USB power supplies all around the boat.

View attachment 719469

People have been trying to decide what to do with grab handles for the back seat in performance boats for longer than I have been alive. Back in the day with the first poker run interiors they had the giant billet t handles.. Before that the hardcore guys would actually do interiors that would literally wrap around you so you'd have to squeeze into them.. I really liked the way Nordic did these simple vinyl straps.. They are integrated into the seat, non intrusive, and they work.. It isn't the "bling" solution by any means, but it's simple, and clever so I thought it was cool.

Pay attention to that because there's another boat coming up that I don't feel the same way about.
View attachment 719471
View attachment 719470

Unfortunately the hatches were locked and Thane was with a customer so I didn't want to bug him. I'm looking forward to doing a full write up on the boat soon with on board video etc!! At that time we'll take a look under the hatches and see what's in there. Honestly I wouldn't expect much, because all of these twin 400 boats have to be built fairly minimalistic to be light enough to pull the numbers.

If ya want to know why it's the "Belle of the Ball?" It's almost 36' Long.. You can run it in the lake or the ocean (True Tunnel). It ran 117 mph right out of the box (meaning there's more in it) and it costs 350'ish... Compare that to what's out there and you are anywhere from 50-100K cheaper and you are going to have a hard time finding one that is going to pull those numbers!

For some reason I have this picture of Thane up to bat and before the pitch he's pointing off to the bleachers..

A lot of guys have hit home runs. Not too many have changed the game.

RD

Isn't that a version of this? I know I know, no way.
https://www.offshoreonly.com/forums...29-new-nordic-34-performance-cat-pics-la.html It reminded me because it looked like it was sitting on the same trailer as the 34 Nordic cat from 10 years ago.

 

[RiverDave]

Isn't that a version of this? I know I know, no way.
https://www.offshoreonly.com/forums...29-new-nordic-34-performance-cat-pics-la.html It reminded me because it looked like it was sitting on the same trailer as the 34 Nordic cat from 10 years ago.

Well I'd be happy to take ya down to Nordic and we can measure the bottoms of both if ya like? I think you are gonna find out the only similarities is that they are both true tunnels. The 355 has wide sponsons and a narrow tunnel. The old 34 had a wide tunnel and more traditional sponsons.

RD

 

[RiverDave]

The 26 & 29 Nordic deck boats are almost indistinguishable visually.

The 29 came first and they pulled a little bit out of the front, and a little out of the midships cabinets to make the 26. They did it in such a fashion though that unless you are a Nordic expert you aren't going to be able to tell (hell it's even hard when they are side by side). It used to be the 29 had the Big Nordic on the deck area and the 26 didn't.. (Could be vice versa I can't remember now). They added the Nordic emblems to both decks so that's out..

Then the 29 had a notched transom and the 26 didn't, but I believe they both are the same now as well.

Now that I've made all the excuses, I'm gonna go out on a limb with a 50 / 50 shot and say this is a 26 and it was ready for power. If I'm wrong I'm sure Bob will call me in the morning and let me know.

Both the 26 & the 29 come with oversized coolers on each of the sponsons in the front. The picture doesn't give you the whole story but these coolers are HUGE. My advice is to not use them, or if you are going to use them load them light and don't stick 50+ lbs of drinks and ice in either. If you do you are going to knock 10 mph off the top end immediately. I'd throw the kids sand toys in here and towels, things of that nature that are light and don't weigh much.

The Nordics are big boats.. and when I say big you can take most of the 28' Decks and stick them inside of the 26 Nordic let alone the 29. If you look at the width between the driver and passenger it's considerably wider than anything else in this size range. Thane's big joke is you could roll a wheel chair down the middle of it if you had too. I'm not sure if you can or can't as I've never tried, but the point he's making is about the overall dimensions of the boat.

As you can again see the seats also have wider base cushions and higher back rests than anything else out there (to my knowledge) in this size deck.

As you can see below the sponson storage is huge. You can order it without the center support as well and stick wake boards down there with no issues.

With the top cabinets you have the option of ordering it with a self draining cooler, or you can do the sink with a fresh water holding tank. Nobody ever uses the sink so I'd be inclined to stick with this configuration.

Down in the drivers side compartment I opened up the rigging hatch just to take a look in there. I really dislike free air subs (as mentioned before).. I've heard they've come a long ways from back in the day, but honestly I just can't see how. While this particular boat isn't bad per say, it didn't have that usual "wow" factor that they usually do when you look at them. I talked to John about it after the show and he said he was going to look into it and clean it up.

Because this boat didn't have power in it there wasn't much point in continuing on.. Since I was down in the hatch anyways though I figured I'd "demonstrate" exactly how big these boats actually are because it's hard to tell in photos. Most of these boats are hard to get coolers in and out of these storage lockers.. I literally just walked in there and sat down. You aren't going to be able to do this on most of the 28 Decks with the Talon bottom.. Let alone have extra head room if you do manage to get in there!

 

[RiverDave]

I actually shot the Hallett 285 next and I usually put them up in the order I shot them, but since the 26 / 29 are similar we are gonna buzz through the 29 real quick.

This is a 29 Nordic (I know that for a fact because I know the owner of this one.. LOL). If you look at the pics above of the 26, and then compare them to this 29 you can see how similar they are aesthetically. This particular boat belongs to the same guy that has the big 43 with the 1350's that we featured a little while back.

Again you can see how big these boats actually are.. You can put just about any other "28" deck boat on the market inside a 29 Nordic.

I turned on the interior lights and was trying to show the LED strip that is hidden up in the top of the gunnel. This is pretty factory for all Nordics to have the LED's to match the primary colors of the boat. They will also install "RGB" LED's if you want color changing etc.

While the Merc 600 instantly grabs your attention, something you should note is that this boat doesn't have a "walk off" to the transom. Nordic offers a full bench in the back as an option. It's a little more "sporty" than the traditional walk off on the back and you pick up some storage (not that it's needed in this boat) and another seat in the back.

When you open the engine hatch of any Modern Nordic you are going to be impressed. I don't think anybody is putting out the amount of boats they are, at this level, let alone at their price points. The boats are surprisingly competitive when you compare them to what's out there.

A lot of guys talk about "rigging" and assume that it's zip ties and 90 degree wiring. Rigging is so much more than that. You see that little plate down there at the outside of the stringer? You can see that it connects to two aluminum L's on the inside of the stringer.

Here's a little better picture of those L brackets. Those L Brackets go to a custom billet cradle that the engine sits on. This is one of the things that Nordic does that honestly I don't think anybody else does? Everyone else actually removes the offshore mounts and install the adjustable pedestal mounts from Mercury. By the way this isn't something "custom" that was done for this boat, this is done on every Nordic with a Merc Racing package that I have seen. Don't quote me on it but I think they might even do it on the HO's as well?

Full rear bench with no walk off and a giant sun pad for the girls to lay out on.

There's some weird things going on in the back rest of those seats.. I don't know if it's just the picture or if there's actually something going on there. I didn't notice in person, so it might be shadows or something? I'll let ya know when I go out with Mike and drink beers on it. LOL.

Nordic always kills it with their ergonomics and layouts.. Love the Subs down and out of the way. I'm gonna assume there free airs which I'd change depending on how easy it is to get access back there.

Overall this is another typical Nordic build where the boat is "LOADED" with everything you could ever want, and it's all standard in the build. The only real options on this boat is changing that back seat, a stereo upgrade and the Merc 600.

 

[ONE-A-DAY]

Yep, those sheets are wrong, not even the website seems completely accurate. I believe the 26 and 27's are 26' 10" and 100" beam, the 28 and 30 are 108" beam, and 28' 6" and 29' 10".

Correct Daytona 26's and 27's are the same bottom half, both are 26'10", the only difference is the style of the deck, 27's have more "pregnant" humps in front of the canopies compared to the 26.

 

[Cole Trickle]

Annnnnnnd now this is a callout thread.

For the uneducated, can someone fill in the blanks for me on pricing. I'm hard pressed to believe any of the other manufactures are near Nordic's price point (then again I'm an old roll bar / jet boat guy).

Nordic $359,000
DCB M33R $(X),XXX,XXX
MTI 340 $(X),XXX,XXX
Doug Wright 32 $(X),XXX,XXX

The reason I ask is while I agree that you get what you pay for when there is a substantial price point difference you are no longer comparing apples to apples.

The DCB M33 was listed as 399K at the boat show

 

[King295]

The DCB M33 was listed as 399K at the boat show

That is helpful. So from a price point they are relatively comparable but the Nordic is three feet longer?

 

[HCP3]

I want to add to this shit. Anyone heard of a DCB running in the ocean? Serious question. Key West. Miami. Catalina. Long Beach to Newport. Etc. Curious. Great looking boats that do 125+ MPH on calm water from what I've seen.

 

[GRADS]

This is the "anchor locker" that nobody ever puts an anchor in.. (You don't want too either). In typical Hallett fashion it's huge and you could put a small Danforth anchor in there pretty easily. That said it's in the very front of the boat which is not where you want to put an anchor. For me it's just another fairly large storage cabinet that I'd make use of for my own needs. You can see a nice blend of Hallet & Nordic here where they put the traditional Nordic spring in that holds the hatch up when in the straight position.

I'm confused why you would say this. Why would you not want the anchor in the front of the boat???

 

[RCDave]

Weight in the bow of most boats is typically bad for handling and performance. Plus all the pounding

 

[GRADS]

Weight in the bow of most boats is typically bad for handling and performance. Plus all the pounding

Yeah, I don't know how much 25 lbs. in the bow is really going to affect it.

 

[Gasnsuntanlotion]

I'm confused why you would say this. Why would you not want the anchor in the front of the boat???

I tried keeping the anchor in the front of my 27 Fountain for a bit and it beat the fuck out of my anchor locker. Tried putting rubber mating ect.. but I pulled it out. Just kept the rope up there.

 

[WhatExit?]

It ain’t the 6 o’ clock news.

I trust RD more than I trust the 6:00 news (or 7:00 news) and I mean no disrespect to RD because I think the TV news sucks ass and has zero credibility.

Meanwhile, back to the callout...

 

[ToMorrow44]

I want to add to this shit. Anyone heard of a DCB running in the ocean? Serious question. Key West. Miami. Catalina. Long Beach to Newport. Etc. Curious. Great looking boats that do 125+ MPH on calm water from what I've seen.

DCB 28R running in the Fort Myers Offshore Run a few weeks ago. There’s been several in the FPC runs thru the years.

Personal opinion is that it’s not a matter of IF you could run a DCB to Key West, but most owners don’t have a desire to. Saltwater is an extremely harsh environment, the thought of spending $500k on a work of art DCB and putting it in saltwater makes me cringe.

 

[Shrub Lurker]

and now for something totally different :
ever wonder what the grapevine looks like when you are headed home from the boat show, and cal trans closes it AND YOU ARE ON IT?
Well, this was us 1.5 miles South of Gorman, number three lane at noon Monday.
13 hour ride home to Sanger yeah!

 

[adam909]

what a great thread for the peps like my self that weren't able to make it the boat show.. I think the debates should be its own thread.. Great write up and great pictures. Keep em coming!!

 

[YoPengo]

I feel like someone pissed in my cheerios. Let’s get back to the boats.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[DrunkenSailor]

This has been a great thread keep the updates coming dave.

 

[HCP3]

DCB 28R running in the Fort Myers Offshore Run a few weeks ago. There’s been several in the FPC runs thru the years.
View attachment 720312

Personal opinion is that it’s not a matter of IF you could run a DCB to Key West, but most owners don’t have a desire to. Saltwater is an extremely harsh environment, the thought of spending $500k on a work of art DCB and putting it in saltwater makes me cringe.

For sure. Just trying to wrap my brain around a buying a high dollar DCB over a Skater, DW, MTI, etc.

 

[HCP3]

Looking forward to the Barron report. Great work so far, RD!

 

[HCP3]

I can't get over the molded bow platform/deck (?) up front on the Nordic deckboats. Takes away from the sporty tunnel/sponson look. I know all the decks have some sort of similar iteration, but this is like a spatula or spork lol... Too much.

 

[RVR SWPR]

NOTE:RD Is not wearing "Black Socks". In Fact Rd is not wearing any socks.Excellent representation of all the performance builders.Stay above all the bullshit Dave and finish up a damn good effort to represent the industry.This just a warm up to the LHC Boat Show.Thanks,well Done.

 

[RiverDave]

Tons more boats and reviews coming guys. My brother came into town and I have been running all over town getting parts for my ranger etc..

 

[Long Way Home]

Just out of curiosity, did Howard boats make the show this year?

 

[DWC]

Yes, they had a few boats out including this one.

Just out of curiosity, did Howard boats make the show this year?

 

[OldSchoolBoats]

Just out of curiosity, did Howard boats make the show this year?

Yes, they had a few boats out including this one.

View attachment 720424

Gene had a 28 SDS with a Teague 1050, 25 VTX and 288 Sport Deck.

Sent from my Pixel using Tapatalk

 

[DrunkenSailor]

I can't get over the molded bow platform/deck (?) up front on the Nordic deckboats. Takes away from the sporty tunnel/sponson look. I know all the decks have some sort of similar iteration, but this is like a spatula or spork lol... Too much.

I like that the part of the boat that could possibly dig in on a swell is as high as possible. Love or hate the look i like that the open part of the boat is waist high. I know it's gotta be hard to get into it when you're beached though. That said not sure I would wanna beach a 150k boat though...

 

[OldSchoolBoats]

I like that the part of the boat that could possibly dig in on a swell is as high as possible. Love or hate the look i like that the open part of the boat is waist high. I know it's gotta be hard to get into it when you're beached though. That said not sure I would wanna beach a 150k boat though...

Actually not hard to get into at all. My kids have gone in and out of Ziggy's with no problem.

Sent from my Pixel using Tapatalk

 

[Bullhead bully]

Yesterday I ran my 32DW and the new 355 Nordic. Both awesome boats but VERY different boats. I agree with you Dave, the Nordic is a game changer ! A boat that big that handles and turns so well. Wow is all I can say ! Thane and team really went “ Way out of the box “with the bottom design.....and it works. Really really good. No it’s awesome ! ( and it’s definitely got more top end in it ! )
Sure there are faster 400 boats out there ( my Nordic 28SS ) but the top end number once reached isn’t important after the number as been checked off the list. Overall comfort and drive ability are. For me anyway I run my boats lots of hours and miles. I can see the 355 with a 400+ mile range at 93 mph cruising speed ( the sweet spot 2.3-2.7 mpg . BTW Same as my much smaller 28SS ) being a ton of fun.
400 mile range!!!....LOL THATS AWESOME

Am I going to get one ? ..we’ll see. But it’s definitely on my mind.

 

[Bullhead bully]

What a great time to be into outboards. The group of friends I run with have been string pullers for decades . Now everyone else want to be a string puller What a great world we live in.

Thanks to the all of the unsociable unfriendly fishermen out there. It wouldn’t be possible without them.

 

[n2otoofast4u]

Yesterday I ran my 32DW and the new 355 Nordic. Both awesome boats but VERY different boats. I agree with you Dave, the Nordic is a game changer ! A boat that big that handles and turns so well. Wow is all I can say ! Thane and team really went “ Way out of the box “with the bottom design.....and it works. Really really good. No it’s awesome ! ( and it’s definitely got more top end in it ! )
Sure there are faster 400 boats out there ( my Nordic 28SS ) but the top end number once reached isn’t important after the number as been checked off the list. Overall comfort and drive ability are. For me anyway I run my boats lots of hours and miles. I can see the 355 with a 400+ mile range at 93 mph cruising speed ( the sweet spot 2.3-2.7 mpg . BTW Same as my much smaller 28SS ) being a ton of fun.
400 mile range!!!....LOL THATS AWESOME

Am I going to get one ? ..we’ll see. But it’s definitely on my mind.

I'm asking you this because you have piloted a pile of them, and will give honest feedback.

At what size do you lose the "sporty" boat feel, and enter the "it's big and boring" category? I feel like you're 28 is fast, nimble, and "fun"........ I look at the DW and assume that it's so big, it would be somewhat boring (that's not the right word, but you know what I mean) to drive. Is there a point that the size crosses over and it's just a different purpose of a boat? I know you didn't keep the Talon long, but it had to have been more of a "drivers" boat than the others.

 

[Bullhead bully]

I'm asking you this because you have piloted a pile of them, and will give honest feedback.

At what size do you lose the "sporty" boat feel, and enter the "it's big and boring" category? I feel like you're 28 is fast, nimble, and "fun"........ I look at the DW and assume that it's so big, it would be somewhat boring (that's not the right word, but you know what I mean) to drive. Is there a point that the size crosses over and it's just a different purpose of a boat? I know you didn't keep the Talon long, but it had to have been more of a "drivers" boat than the others.

It all comes down to weight and the amount of air going through the bottom of the boat. My 28 Daytona is probably the most mellow of all my boats ( but very predictable and fun ) except the pontoon of course LOL. The talon just wasn’t my thing I’m a twin engine guy when I go fast.

The 28 Nordic is definitely a drivers boat. So is the 32 Doug Wright. The DW is actually 500 pounds lighter than a Nordic with no fuel. (being too light is not always good. A couple fat friends can always help with that. )

The 355 Nordic I believe weighs the same as my 28 SS. So it is also a very fun drivers boat. Again that’s when you keep the Boats light once you weigh them down and put 115° air through the tunnel and engine losing all the air density. They’re ALL going to feel different.

So to answer your question I haven’t found the boredom point. Including the 355 Nordic. A Very fun drivers boat ! Some tunnels run super flat glued to the water. That’s never been my thing. I need to feel air underneath the driver seat and run flat. But not glued to the water.
When the boat is glued to the water the only way to make it fun is to go 150+ mph with a shit ton of unreliable expensive power. ( I’ve gone down that path never again ) I have no desire to do that on the water anymore.
I’ll jump in a plane for that.

I hope I answered your question.

 

[n2otoofast4u]

All makes sense. Thanks for taking the time to respond. I am once again considering a new boat, it will be a twin OB cat. There are SOOOOO many options now, it good to get some feedback from guys like you who have way more experience than most. Thank you!

 

[Xtrmwakeboarder]

It all comes down to weight and the amount of air going through the bottom of the boat. My 28 Daytona is probably the most mellow of all my boats ( but very predictable and fun ) except the pontoon of course LOL. The talon just wasn’t my thing I’m a twin engine guy when I go fast.

The 28 Nordic is definitely a drivers boat. So is the 32 Doug Wright. The DW is actually 500 pounds lighter than a Nordic with no fuel. (being too light is not always good. A couple fat friends can always help with that. )

The 355 Nordic I believe weighs the same as my 28 SS. So it is also a very fun drivers boat. Again that’s when you keep the Boats light once you weigh them down and put 115° air through the tunnel and engine losing all the air density. They’re ALL going to feel different.

So to answer your question I haven’t found the boredom point. Including the 355 Nordic. A Very fun drivers boat ! Some tunnels run super flat glued to the water. That’s never been my thing. I need to feel air underneath the driver seat and run flat. But not glued to the water.
When the boat is glued to the water the only way to make it fun is to go 150+ mph with a shit ton of unreliable expensive power. ( I’ve gone down that path never again ) I have no desire to do that on the water anymore.
I’ll jump in a plane for that.

I hope I answered your question.

Wait, you dumped the Talon? That thing was bitchen...

Dave, are you going to do a review on the Pavati? I missed that at the show.

 

[riverroyal]

Yes, they had a few boats out including this one.

View attachment 720424

My personal fav of the show. Thats my 'if i only had $$$" boat