New ICB 28GTB Advice

[Mikemo_SDS]

There is a brand new blue Howard 288 w/ 600 for sale right now. 89mph cruise at 70 loaded no problem. If your only hang up on the Howard is wait time, this solves it. Also, 18 month lead time won’t actually be that long. Some people won’t be ready to lay down the cash when their number is called, so it would probably be more like 12 months. That was the case for me. Actually I was quoted 6 months but it took 1 month to start my build.

If you are planning on having this boat for 20 years, what’s 6 months for the Howard that you really want?

 

[JFMFG]

Sorry for the delay guys, I was sitting in spam jail over the weekend until Melissa let me back in. Pricing has gotten out of control these days on new builds however I would rather buy something new that could last 20 – 30 years compared to a 20 year old Magic for $100k on the used market. Nothing against a good used deck boat however it makes sense to buy new IMO given the market pricing. ~20+% premium is spot on for a similar decent optioned 565 Howard/Eliminator ($275k-$300k) vs. an ICB ($225k). This includes half cap, level 1 stereo upgrade, 565 merc, extended swim platform, cool touch vinyl custom seats, sea deck, touch screen, billet accessories, underwater lights, triple axle trailer, etc. ICB really seems to build a quality optioned boat at a “reasonable” price level compared to the others. Cobra was in the $250k range and Shockwave $225k range. Both nice boats however I was most impressed with ICB compared to the other options. Howard would likely be my number 1 choice if there wasn’t an 18 month lead time given the quality, ride, resale, etc. however the ICB cost savings allow the possibility for a 600 upgrade and full cap. I am also blown away by ICB’s interior out of the box.

Appreciate the advice and I am glad to hear about the good feedback on ICB. I might be putting the order in this week. The main purpose is a family cruiser deck boat and hell, we might even try to water ski with this thing 5% of the time… I just needed to ask the speed question because there will be a few days a year with minimal people to open her up. The switch from the 565 to 600 will be a game day decision and I might have to choose between the engine upgrade or a full cap.

I need to connect with the owner of the white & green 26’ ICB for sale. That boat has a 600 and Andrew said that owner was putting an order in for a new 28’ with outboards.

Will keep you guys updated.

Thanks,
Tony

I would go with the 600

 

[VuonaTime]

There is a brand new blue Howard 288 w/ 600 for sale right now. 89mph cruise at 70 loaded no problem. If your only hang up on the Howard is wait time, this solves it. Also, 18 month lead time won’t actually be that long. Some people won’t be ready to lay down the cash when their number is called, so it would probably be more like 12 months. That was the case for me. Actually I was quoted 6 months but it took 1 month to start my build.

If you are planning on having this boat for 20 years, what’s 6 months for the Howard that you really want?

That blue Howard is nice but I need to wait until after the November election to consider buying a blue boat. I will call Gene tomorrow to see if there is anyway to jump a few spots in line.

I spoke with the owner of the 26' white & green ICB for sale, Brian, and he had good things to say about that boat and Andrew at ICB. He is building a new ICB deck boat with used 450's and Andrew is expecting 110-120mph... Brian said his 26' ICB with a stock 600 and a max 5 28p prop ran 86 mph on a light load. He said to expect low 80's with the 565 on the 28' due to the higher RPM redline.

 

[DarkHorseRacing]

That blue Howard is nice but I need to wait until after the November election to consider buying a blue boat. I will call Gene tomorrow to see if there is anyway to jump a few spots in line.

I spoke with the owner of the 26' white & green ICB for sale, Brian, and he had good things to say about that boat and Andrew at ICB. He is building a new ICB deck boat with used 450's and Andrew is expecting 110-120mph... Brian said his 26' ICB with a stock 600 and a max 5 28p prop ran 86 mph on a light load. He said to expect low 80's with the 565 on the 28' due to the higher RPM redline.

If you are mulling options like engine upgrade vs full cap, go with the engine upgrade. So much easier to rig the boat properly from the start with the engine you want, rather than “convert” later

Going from half cap to full cap later is so much easier than swapping engines later.

If you go with the 600, at least discuss getting the best gimbal you can now with it so it's less to change later. The gimbal is pretty labor intensive, better to have the right one from the start that permits drive upgrades by just swapping the drive uppers/lowers than having to completely start over.

 

[Javajoe]

A guy I know had a ICB 28’ deck built with a 565 a couple years ago. If you PM me I can give you his contact and you can ask how he likes the power, boat etc. They built it fast.

 

[Mikemo_SDS]

That blue Howard is nice but I need to wait until after the November election to consider buying a blue boat. I will call Gene tomorrow to see if there is anyway to jump a few spots in line.

I spoke with the owner of the 26' white & green ICB for sale, Brian, and he had good things to say about that boat and Andrew at ICB. He is building a new ICB deck boat with used 450's and Andrew is expecting 110-120mph... Brian said his 26' ICB with a stock 600 and a max 5 28p prop ran 86 mph on a light load. He said to expect low 80's with the 565 on the 28' due to the higher RPM redline.

I don’t like blue either.

Might have trouble getting ahold of Gene. Besides, that’s insider information I gave you.

 

[Rayson1971]

Any pics of this ICB everyone's talking about.?

 

[VuonaTime]

I don’t like blue either.

Might have trouble getting ahold of Gene. Besides, that’s insider information I gave you.

My bad, I was speaking with Hamlet.

 

[VuonaTime]

Any pics of this ICB everyone's talking about.?

Here is the 26' ICB Brian is selling on facebook marketplace. I will likely be placing the new 28' order this week.

 

[DarkHorseRacing]

Another plus for the Merc 600 is it runs on 87 so if you're concerned about having to run 91, you don't.

 

[Good Stuff]

Sorry for the delay guys, I was sitting in spam jail over the weekend until Melissa let me back in. Pricing has gotten out of control these days on new builds however I would rather buy something new that could last 20 – 30 years compared to a 20 year old Magic for $100k on the used market. Nothing against a good used deck boat however it makes sense to buy new IMO given the market pricing. ~20+% premium is spot on for a similar decent optioned 565 Howard/Eliminator ($275k-$300k) vs. an ICB ($225k). This includes half cap, level 1 stereo upgrade, 565 merc, extended swim platform, cool touch vinyl custom seats, sea deck, touch screen, billet accessories, underwater lights, triple axle trailer, etc. ICB really seems to build a quality optioned boat at a “reasonable” price level compared to the others. Cobra was in the $250k range and Shockwave $225k range. Both nice boats however I was most impressed with ICB compared to the other options. Howard would likely be my number 1 choice if there wasn’t an 18 month lead time given the quality, ride, resale, etc. however the ICB cost savings allow the possibility for a 600 upgrade and full cap. I am also blown away by ICB’s interior out of the box.

Appreciate the advice and I am glad to hear about the good feedback on ICB. I might be putting the order in this week. The main purpose is a family cruiser deck boat and hell, we might even try to water ski with this thing 5% of the time… I just needed to ask the speed question because there will be a few days a year with minimal people to open her up. The switch from the 565 to 600 will be a game day decision and I might have to choose between the engine upgrade or a full cap.

I need to connect with the owner of the white & green 26’ ICB for sale. That boat has a 600 and Andrew said that owner was putting an order in for a new 28’ with outboards.

Will keep you guys updated.

Thanks,
Tony

I was just going to mention that one. I have a Domn8er 26 and from what I have read and heard a few owners ago ICB splashed the bottom to create the ICB 26. I do have the dual stairs off the back that work like tabs when coming on plane so I’m not sure how the ICB planes. Mine rides really well and always gets compliments from passengers who own other cats and cat decks from 22 Shockwaves up to the 29 Nordic. I have more than 850hp so power isn’t comparable but it really likes a 5 blade prop. I run a stock 28 Maximus long tube with an SC drive and have 5 busy seasons on it (2 with the Maximus). I would personally go with a 600 minimum. Being able to cruise at 32-3500 rpm at 55mph saves fuel. Below that speed a cat just isn’t efficient and over 4k rpm you really start to eat fuel. Gives you freedom to get around the inevitable idiots zigzagging blindly along in front of you without ever checking over their shoulder and enjoy clean stretches of the lake and river. The triple stepped/vented sponsons keep it nice and light at lower speeds. I would take their 26 over their 28 if I was building one and the sides seem to look smoother capped on the 26 as well if you look down the boat from either end. Not sure what causes the flat spots on the capped 28s.