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Deck Boat Info needed

hd100ci

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Hoping for some feedback on deck boats. I have a 25' Shockwave Tremor and considering moving up to a 28' Magic Deck Boat. I love the look and openness of the DB's. I have two teenage kids that enjoy tubing, knee boarding, and are just getting into wake boarding. No way am I switching to a wake board boat (no offense to wake board boat owners). I have plenty of friends with WB boats they can get towed behind. My question is will tubing and knee boarding be a problem behind a Magic DB. I have had V hull boats all my life, never a cat type hull. Thank you for any assistance and information.
 

throttle

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My first bit of advise would be to stay away from any of the Magic’s that were sold/rigged after closure or thru LByaughtSales. There have been problems with getting some of those boats up on plane and some claim to not be getting top end speeds in the rpm ranges.


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throttle

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Secondly, I think you could enjoy the open deck with your family. I loved my v bottom but it can get crowded fast when you have several people all standing up and trying to get from the back of the boat to the front of the boat or reaching for something in the cuddly at the same time. Your kids will start bringing friends and you have a full boat fast. I really find the deck boats offer more comfort and room for you.


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Runs2rch

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Hoping for some feedback on deck boats. I have a 25' Shockwave Tremor and considering moving up to a 28' Magic Deck Boat. I love the look and openness of the DB's. I have two teenage kids that enjoy tubing, knee boarding, and are just getting into wake boarding. No way am I switching to a wake board boat (no offense to wake board boat owners). I have plenty of friends with WB boats they can get towed behind. My question is will tubing and knee boarding be a problem behind a Magic DB. I have had V hull boats all my life, never a cat type hull. Thank you for any assistance and information.

Wakeboarding behind any deck will get boring fast when you start progressing. I would get a walk through open bow v bottom. 24-28ft.

A 240 or 255 Hallett for example. Tons of room and can do pretty much everything.

Take a quick look through this thread.

https://www.riverdavesplace.com/forums/threads/the-first-hallett-255-built-by-nordic.180369/
 

Maw

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My first bit of advise would be to stay away from any of the Magic’s that were sold/rigged after closure or thru LByaughtSales. There have been problems with getting some of those boats up on plane and some claim to not be getting top end speeds in the rpm ranges.
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Like all boats it depends upon the installed drivetrain and who did the rigging. Mine came from LBYS and went directly to Pfaff's shop in Huntington Beach. At that time there were an additional 4-5 Magic deck boats there being set up. I can guaranty there's no problem getting on plane nor making a good top speed. Starting with a $34k new hull allowed me to spend a goodly chunk on engine (Whippled 540), drive (Imco), and rigging (Pfaff's crew).
 

nowski

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The one thing overlooked with a deckboat and water sports is holding a steady speed. While boarding behind a Deckboat your typical (sweet spot) speed will be right before the boat wants to get up on plane. Once the boat gets on plane it wants to take off and it's hold on for the rider till you can slow the boat back down. Boarding takes a lot of throttle manipulation but it can be done. I went from a Ski Centurion to a Deckboat and have no desire to go back...
 

DWC

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I went from a Nautiique to a Magic. You can tube behind them but it’s not the most agile boat ever made. It’ll take a little longer to flip around when you lose a rider. If you go with a 496 jt’ll be even tougher. Can you do it, absolutely. Will it be a driver friendly experience, not so much.
I really liked our Magic. Great overall boat. Made trips from Needles to Havasu a blast. The 496 was great on fuel and maintenance. As Throttle said, get ready for more people and even more stuff. We went bigger to get more room. Ended up carrying around a F’g kayak and paddle board. Looking back i probably would have waited a couple more years to make the switch. The kids still had some more water sports in them. It wasn’t the same experience with the deck boat. Especially on a crowded upper river.
 

FreeBird236

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You probably already have a better watersports boat, but I understand desire for a deck, just make sure you get more power than a standard 496, they are minimal for getting a 28 Magic on plane early or late model, even when your not pulling skiers, boarders, ect.
 

throttle

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Like all boats it depends upon the installed drivetrain and who did the rigging. Mine came from LBYS and went directly to Pfaff's shop in Huntington Beach. At that time there were an additional 4-5 Magic deck boats there being set up. I can guaranty there's no problem getting on plane nor making a good top speed. Starting with a $34k new hull allowed me to spend a goodly chunk on engine (Whippled 540), drive (Imco), and rigging (Pfaff's crew).

This worked well for you as I would guess maybe about 15-20% of those boats that were sold went to Paul’s shop.
Please don’t miss the part that I stated “some of those boats”. I am not knocking the boat at all. It’s very functional, brings lots of value for the customer and they were built very well, outlasting and holding its name respectfully.




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Mike K

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my experience ... yes u can do it behind a deck boat ... but like the earlier post ... the boat is gonna be plowing through the water with hardly any visibility trying like crazy to get on plane so you go back and forth with the throttle trying to keep it steady ... lots of effort ... tubing ... no problem ... so imho ... big Dana 500 tabs on the back for sure and maybe a tower ... I saw a Magic with a tower on it ... it looked cool ... one advantage of decks is u can carry a lot of peeps ... but u can do the same with a WB boat ... cuz u have teenagers I’d go WB boat then when they grow up on their own sell them ur WB boat and u buy a brand new Nordic 29 ... problem solved
 
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jbird

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When I had my Magic Deck I always dreaded when the kids said they wanted to tube. It is not the boat for it. Can you do it? Yes but manuvering, turning and whipping the tubers around like you would do in a smaller boat just doesn’t work very well in a 28’ cat. Then getting back around to pick up fallen riders is another story.
I always had issues with the prop blowing out at lower speeds and had a tough time keeping it on plane.
There are some pretty decent crossover deck style boats. Something like the Monterey M6. Not a custom boat but definitely roomy and designed for water sports.
Not a wakeboard boat fan either but loved our Malibu 23LSV for water sports. This had just as much usable space/seating as a magic deck boat. The ride and top speed when not using it for towing just sucked ass.
 

mjc

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If you get a Magic first thing to change is the prop to a 22. Talked to guys at Teague and was told most of them have to big a prop on the 496's. changed mine and pulls good now.
 

HCP3

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You need at least 450hp. If you want a do-all 26'+ deck.
 

riverbrian

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Look for one with a bravo3 XR Drive

I love the way I can plane such a large heavy boat. My Laveycraft is solid as a rock, only other boat I would look at would be a Nordic with a 520 and a bravo 3 XR
 

hd100ci

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Thank you for all the replies. Great info. I really appreciate it!
 

Shrub Lurker

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get a Perfect Pass unit.
also referred to as a marraige saver.
Perfect Pass' market is now pre can system (Smartcraft), older boats.
They will sell direct to the public and have kits to fit most engine configurations .
Think of it as boat cruise control that will hold just about any speed.
 

NicPaus

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Keep what you have. It will work better doing most all water activities than a deck boat. My boat is similar and going to a deck boat the only gain is it being a little more open space. No gains any where else I can see.
 

DrunkenSailor

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Advantage xflight or howard 255 vtx were both designed to be the sport model deck. All of the space advantages of a deck while maintaining the ability to ski, wake board and tube with ease.

29-Mid_cabin-XFlight-002a.jpg


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Sunset

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Yes, for water sports after owning one with a 525 I would get trim tabs or Max Marine Whale fin for water sports . The tremor has about the same room and is better for water sports .
 

Xtreme1

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Any deck boat with decent power is going the be a drive killer.. lets face it they are not lite to begin with, loaded down with people, operating in a rpm that produces high torque , then the additional load behind the boat. Stick with whatcha got...
 

lavey jr

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The Lavey Craft 28 Party Prowler is probably going to be one of the biggest deckboats you will find and the only two decks I'd say are bigger is the Nordic 29 and 34.

Despite its size it actually works VERY WELL as a tow rig when you set it up with lower power and a Mercury Bravo 3 outdrive along with a tower. I've had the pleasure to drive one and get towed behind one that had the Merc 8.2L HO and Bravo 3, top speed was high 50's fully loaded up with fuel, 12 people, plus all the gear to support everyone and it had zero issues getting on plane and holding a sub 20mph plane speed for wake boarding and then low 20's for skiing.

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hallett21

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That new Howard is hard to beat on a true all around boat.


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Groper

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If you get a Magic first thing to change is the prop to a 22. Talked to guys at Teague and was told most of them have to big a prop on the 496's. changed mine and pulls good now.
This is exactly what I did with my 28 Magic w/496ho years ago and it worked better but would fall off plane easily.
I now have a 29 Nordic w/565 and it struggles bit getting out of the hole and falls off plane at slow speeds and I know it's a matter of time before the drive goes so I'm swapping out my XR for a Bravo 3 24p for water sports sure I'll lose some top end but I usually cruise @35-40mph anyway and might top out at 65mph yeah whoo whoo :rolleyes:
The one issue with smaller deck boats is the lack of storage for all the toys check them out pretty closely before you pull the trigger.
 

Long Way Home

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You probably already have a better watersports boat, but I understand desire for a deck, just make sure you get more power than a standard 496, they are minimal for getting a 28 Magic on plane early or late model, even when your not pulling skiers, boarders, ect.

I agree, you will have a bunch of very happy kids, I would look to a Malibu, Nautique , Mastercraft, Tige etc..
 
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