Any Howard owners with perspective re 288 SportDeck as a family performance boat

[iimcv]

Hi All ... thinking about buying a 288 SportDeck with a 565/28p prop. Wondering if there's anyone out there who has one/ridden in one and would offer up their thoughts on the following:

1. How well it handles in the 35-45mph range, as this is where we spend a lot of our time with kids/friends
2. Planing/acceleration and how good/bad it would be at pulling occasional tubers/skiers
3. How windy is it in bow/cockpit area with the bow wind deflector up in the (35 mph - 45 mph range)
4. How well the boat handles 2 ft chop
5. Stability/performance in the 35-55 mph range.
6. Any watch-outs?

Looking for a family performance boat that kids/adults will feel comfortable in, is easy to move about with lots of room/storage and handles lake conditions well.

All thoughts are welcome!

 

[Popeye]

Howdy,
I'm new to the site and the Lake for that matter. Like you, I'm looking for a boat that satisfies my need for speed and the wife's need for family / leisure time with the kids & grand kids. Did you ever hear anything back form your initial question?

 

[HavaToon]

You should ask this in the lounge and you'll get a lot more response.

 

[Kmc89]

DO IT DONT THINK ABOUT IT DO IT

 

[RodnJen]

Rivedave himself did a review of a new 288 for this sight awhile back. You may look in the Boat Test section. You will be hard pressed to find anyone that has anything negative to say about that boat. Good luck and welcome.