Official 2018 Los Angeles Boat Show Report!

[RiverDave]

Let’s take a quick break from boats and feature one of the RDP advertisers booths that was in the show and a new product they just came out with that’s pretty cool.

Livorsi makes everything for your throttles, steering wheels, gauges and will custom build to your needs!

When you walk through a boat show make it a point to try out everyone’s controls at their booths. If they feel like they are fluid movement, then that’s what ya want!

Their trim tabs, which are the best in the industry, are available in a ton of configurations as well.

 

[brgrcru]

I know for most RDPr's and lots of folks, this is the shit with boats. big boats that make lakes and rivers small. Good for you guys. I get it.

in the real world, the price of these new boats should be unrealistic for most families. but with easy financing and long terms. its all doable. most were all very nice boats.

I guess at 52 and being a lower river junkie with loud boats, hot rods and chrome and small ski boats , my entire life. none of those boats turned me on, as I walked the show. maybe it was just the sticker shock, I had put in my head? maybe it was, not being able to touch the water, with my hand while driving? or maybe it was, God I would hate to dry that SOB off after a day on the water. what ever it was, none of it, made me want to buy one.

congrats to the builders, who can build and sell these boats.
and congrats to the people, who are buying them. may you have years of enjoyment with your friends and families.

 

[RiverDave]

I know for most RDPr's and lots of folks, this is the shit with boats. big boats that make lakes and rivers small. Good for you guys. I get it.

in the real world, the price of these new boats should be unrealistic for most families. but with easy financing and long terms. its all doable. most were all very nice boats.

I guess at 52 and being a lower river junkie with loud boats, hot rods and chrome and small ski boats , my entire life. none of those boats turned me on, as I walked the show. maybe it was just the sticker shock, I had put in my head? maybe it was, not being able to touch the water, with my hand while driving? or maybe it was, God I would hate to dry that SOB off after a day on the water. what ever it was, none of it, made me want to buy one.

congrats to the builders, who can build and sell these boats.
and congrats to the people, who are buying them. may you have years of enjoyment with your friends and families.

You can still buy a nice boat for under 60k! In some cases in the 50’s! We are coming to it.

 

[RiverDave]

Next up Howard Boats!

In the court of public opinion the Howard 288 is regarded to be the top of the hill. Now I'm sure some of the other manufacturers are going to say "Well how the hell can you say that Dave??" It's simple actually.. The boat is 225,000 dollars and there's a line around the block to buy them. I'd have to ask Gene what it is now, but last I heard I think it's a year waiting list now?

The boat is drop dead sexy, and it has all the performance to back it up. (89.8 mph in the RDP Tests..)

From gunnel to keel and bow to stern you will find nothing wrong with this boat. The tooling is glass smooth, the bottom is blue printed, and the hull is balanced. Just like it's counter part in the SDS, you can go with or without the optional windshields, and the boat looks great either way.

Each Howard is custom, where the owner can choose whatever interior they like. This particular boat features a diamond pattern with a double stitch on it.. (I really like how that turned out!) For my own personal tastes, I would've changed somethings about the front seats, and seat backs personally.

What you aren't seeing in this picture is at the bottom there is a white piece of fiberglass. That is actually on an hinge with an electric actuator, and with a flip of a switch it will raise up and help to deflect wind off the front passengers. Having been in 288's at all sorts of speeds, I can tell you it is actually pretty effective! It's still windy in the front, but it cuts it down my a considerable percentage.

You can see that Howard has large fiberglass insets where there is cup holders, speakers, and they also put grab handles in there. They did this to delete the bow rails off the top of the boat to preserve the lines, and still keep the boat legal.

In this photo (terrible pic I'm sorry), we are actually lifting one of the bow seat cushions off and looking down into the sponson storage area. Howard finishes it off with a grey carpet. What you should take note of is you can see two small bulkheads in just this one photo alone. Go walk up and bang on the side of most boats and you will see them flex quite a bit.. Go bang on the side of a Howard and it's just going to go "thud" and your hand is going to hurt. They are incredibly rigid boats.

We are walking back towards the dual helms now.. and the fit and finish of the Howard is already obvious even in these pics. Even though it's a minor thing, I can't help but wonder if they'll ever put internal hinges on those cabinet doors. I just think it would be cleaner overall. With some of the permanent glues out there now, you could probably even do it without having to through bolt it to the door for a completely smooth look except for the latch.

In the one door you have a cooler on sliding rails that can pull out. It's pretty functional, but honestly I think it could be done a lot better. On the rail closest to you you can see a white square with a round metal thing. That's actually the lock for the cooler.. It's a piece of plastic with a bolt through it that you drop in and it holds everything back. Functional yes.. Not exactly blowing my hair back on "bad ass" though. Every year this is the only negative thing I say about this boat, and I'm gonna keep saying it until they do something better in there..

In the other side there is a large storage area that is empty. To the left you can see that is where they stow the stand for the table and the table itself. Pay no attention of the Vessel view cover.. They just put it in the cabinet during the show.

It honestly doesn't get much cleaner than that.. Somehow they always manage to find a perfect balance between classy and sporty. This boat looks amazing with gauges or the vessel view.. For myself I'd take the screen every time!

It would seem I didn't take any pics of the passenger helm which if unfortunate. At the end of the article I'll link up to the actual boat tests and reviews that we have done on the boat which will have not only detailed photos, but videos as well.

Here it is boys!! The Mighty Merc 600, and it loves it's spacious accommodations in the 288. As you can see in this picture the entire back of the boat (including the stairs!) lifts up as one unit. I honestly think the service shops should give you a discount when servicing boats like this. It is so much easier to work on, then a lot of other boats out there. Take note the Fender holders, and a spot to store a tub or cooler on the starboard side of the boat.

Rigging Rigging Rigging ladies and gentlemen.. Again click the pics, zoom in!! My only complaint would be if I was spending Two and a Quarter on a deck, that thing had better come with the double throw down billet tank on the trim pump.. I'm talking the bad ass TCM or GRP one with the sight glass etc. Those plastic tanks are known for getting hair line cracks in them over time.

Everything is high and tight, and perfect! Just a small thought for Mike Willen (even though I'm no boat rigger), ditch the blower vent tube entirely. Replace it with something integrated into the boat itself.. That can be done a million different ways pretty cost effectively.

They located the battery switch in the rear gunnel by the stairs, and then placed an on board charging system right next to it. If you flip up that rubber grommet there will be a 110 plug that will pull out that you can plug into the wall and it will charge all the batteries in the boat.

I'm not sure I'm in love with the location of the battery switch, but a lot of people like it there. Personally I'd hide it and put a set of jumper poles there with a cover (just in case). Speaking of jumper poles.. How would you jump start this thing out on the lake if for some reason you drained the batteries?

Two pics up on the side of the engine bay you will see a black door. If you open that door (which also has a rubber seal around it to keep water out) you will find the main circuit breakers for the boat. Honestly that's pretty damn cool, and a bad ass way of hiding them and still making them easily accessible. I'm going out on a limb and "assuming" neither one of those breakers has any bearing on the hatch rams themselves.

You can see the back of the boat here, with the walk off. Pay attention to the lower left hand corner and you will see the completely hidden and stowed bimini top. You can also see the separation point at the front of the stairs that lifts with the engine hatch! The design of the rear of this boat is really really trick.

In the top right hand corner of this pic you can see another little glove box lid. I'm not sure if that opens and then allows access to those breakers? Or if it's a little glove box towards the back of the boat. I'd have to check with Howard. Looking at the pic as you scan to the left though their gunnel inserts are gorgeous.. It would detract from the look a bit, but some closing compartments for your cell phone / glasses / smokes / wallet etc wouldn't be a bad idea. This boat will run right at 90 mph after all, and whatever you put in that side deal might blow out if it starts sliding around.

The swim step is what made the 288.. Not just the fact that it's huge (covers the drive entirely) and at water level.. The side profile of it, where Mike actually made it look aggressive. On the big cats they would call it a "bustle". You can't see it in this pic, but if you go look at the first pics or the review pics, that over sized swim step really made the "looks" of the boat.

That's where I'm going to call it on the 288, because honestly we have more reviews / photos / videos and even tests on this boat on RDP then probably any other single boat out there.

This is the "Review" of the 288 that I personally wrote. It has photo's, construction, and videos of the performance of the 288. CLICK HERE

The "Official" Boat Test that was handled by the performance test team which has acceleration graphs, and even more information can be found HERE

The Howard 255 VTX was there, but being that we literally just wrote a complete write up on this boat a couple of months ago I only took one pic, and figured I'd link you guys to the write up. It has more information then you could ever want to know!! Including photo's videos etc..

The 255 VTX is the newest Model by Howard Boats, and it is a Vee / Tunnel cross over. It was the "hit" of the Howard booth, and I happened to be there when one RDP member walked up and signed a contract to build one! This boat is really going to be making some BIG impressions in the industry as they build a few and get them out there.

For more information on the 255 VTX CLICK HERE

 

[RiverDave]

I will say it’s pretty cool when you roll up to a Boatshow booth and you see the test that you did on a big plaque, and the articles on the 255 etc. all of the hand outs where of the articles as well and the videos on the screens were the rdp videos. After our boat tests this year I think you will see this in more boat show booths next year.

 

[HBCraig]

RD,
the Howard 288.... is the owners name Ryan by chance?

 

[Roaddawg]

Alright guys we are gonna wrap this up with the Decks. I am combining the 26&29 Decks from Nordic because they are so similar that I don’t think anybody from 20’ (and the larger or smaller size sitting next to it) could visually pinpoint the differences. (Even Thane.. yes they look that similar!).

When you think about it, it’s pretty cool that they were able to maintain the exact same lines while shrinking a boat three feet. This was done by surgically removing some length out of the helms and the front seats if memory serves.

View attachment 614846

Thane is always bugging me to do an article called “The tale of the tape.” What he means by that is the Boats are huge. You could literally put a Howard or a conquest etc inside of one.

I’ve never measured it all but I suspect he’s right because they are substantial, especially when you are in one. As evident by the first pic in the line up you aren’t going to find a wider walkway in a single engine deck. The first time you carry a 70-80lb cooler off a dock onto the front of a deckboat, full of people, to the back you will understand why wider is better.

View attachment 614847

What is amazing about that is even with the wide isle (through the helms etc) they didn’t Short the passengers on seat cushion length. Remember that as we go forward in our boat Show report! Also pay attention to the depth of the seats. The Nordic truly is a deeper and bigger boat then the others. (Not sure it’s totally fair to compare the 29 to most the others when the 26 would be closer to apples to apples)

Please note the wrinkled carpet is a carpet sitting on top of the factory snap in carpet for the boatshow. You’d think you wouldn’t have to disclaim that, but with social media now there are idiots among us.

View attachment 614848

Here are your front two sponson coolers. Both of these are Monster coolers and if it was me I’d actually shallow them up a bit.

The only reason why is because my friends that own these boats will full tilt load these things and then wonder why their boat goes ten miles an hour slower than it should.

It honestly never occurs to them that they just put 160 plus pounds of ice and beer in the very tips of the sponsons, of a boat with knife edge sponsons that are designed for rough water. (I can answer questions on that later if needed). They always just respond with “Well that’s where your supposed to put it!”, the whole matter of convenience and just because you could doesn’t mean you should program is lost on them.

View attachment 614849 View attachment 614850

To keep in theme with the size matters program you most likely aren’t going to find more storage under the front seats than a Nordic either. Most everyone else puts a bulkhead under the seat or in some cases will put flat floor inserts in there. Nordic finished it out with carpet and leaves it open and it is nothing short of cavernous. (Manufacturers tip! Consider putting some small LED lights in here so you can see what your looking for.. if nothing else we could turn them on to show the size of the storage when we take pics at next years boatshow so it doesn’t just look like a black hole.)


View attachment 614851

Take note of the double hinges at the tops of the photos. Also take note of the L shaped bracket.

Almost every manufacturer uses Velcro and you literally have to tear the seat off the base and then do something with the cushion while you are digging around in there. With the Nordic it is slide it towards the middle and lift up which is a little more refined.

(Downside is when someone boards the boat over the side the seats will sometimes slide forward and open making for an awkward moment..).
View attachment 614852

There is the prototypical sink that is on most decks. To date I personally have never seen someone use one. I’d ditch it and have them do a flip up cooler here if it was me. (Upside of Nordic is they will do custom things like that!).

View attachment 614853

This is a shot of the cabinet under the sink. I have never seen one of those bladders before.. I’m guessing it’s removable so you can clean it? I hope it isn’t that you have to fill it up and then load it in the boat? I’d have to get with John about that.. (I’d bet it’s just removable for cleaning though)
View attachment 614854

The other cabinet where you can see they put the boat cover and Bimini cover in while it was at the show.
View attachment 614855

I don’t care who you are this dash is what the French call “Leejayy.” Or what we in America call legit!

Interesting side fact : Nordic is the only manufacturer to my knowledge that will rig a boat all gauges or with a vessel view and not charge you an up charge! They figure the labor in doing the wiring correctly on the gauges actually offsets the costs of the vessel view so it’s a wash.

View attachment 614856

Passenger helm witha kicker head unit.

View attachment 614857

I have hit on it ten times at least in this thread already.. rigging rigging rigging! Click the pics, zoom in my friends!
View attachment 614858

Where do you put the fenders and ropes and anchor? Well I’m glad you asked!
View attachment 614859


This is Nordic ladies and gentlemen, and more importantly it’s going to be the new Hallett.

I’m addressing those snarky types that are concerned with where hat brand is going. There isn’t a Hallett built on the planet rigged by the old factory that remotely compares to this.
View attachment 614860

Zoom in and bask in what is nothing short of bad ass rigging.. By rigging I don’t just mean the wiring either, I’m referring to rigging as a whole! Every time you peel a layer back on a Noddic you find something cool.

View attachment 614861

The other boats that were also in the Booth. Can you tell me which ones was the 26?

View attachment 614876 View attachment 614878 View attachment 614879

I’m pretty sure it was the last two pics if you are wondering.



For more information on the 26' Deckboat from Nordic including performance #'s please click HERE!

Any idea what the 26 deck is going for?

 

[RiverDave]

What motor?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[FlyByWire]

Any idea what the 26 deck is going for?

147 w/520 and first stereo upgrade. That particular boat is for sale.

 

[Roaddawg]

147 w/520 and first stereo upgrade. That particular boat is for sale.

Was that for the 26 or 29?

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

 

[Roaddawg]

What motor?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

520

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

 

[FlyByWire]

Was that for the 26 or 29?

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

26.

29s are in the 170s with a 565.

 

[Roaddawg]

26.

29s are in the 170s with a 565.

Got it Thanks

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

 

[RiverDave]

520

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

26 with a 520 is 139,900.

 

[Roaddawg]

26 with a 520 is 139,900.

Thanks Dave

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

 

[RiverDave]

RD,
the Howard 288.... is the owners name Ryan by chance?

Sorry didn’t see this until right now.. I’m not sure who owns the boat.

 

[Tank]

Thanks Dave for the coverage. Good stuff as usual.

By the way, I "like" Nordic but they've never really blown my skirt up so to speak but that green 288 is by far my favorite boat of the whole show and that's over the 40 (and you know I'm a big boat guy). That thing is just simply beautiful

 

[Stayin'ontop]

Next 3 sport decks are getting a TCM 1050. I think the first is already being rigged......can't wait

 

[HavaToon]

Wrapping up RPM

His was their latest hull and it is Carbon Kevlar / Vacuum bagged and I’d bet it doesn’t weigh more than 1200/1300 lbs total! This boat is going to get a set of 400’s on the back and if I had to put my money on it, is going to be the one to try and beat in the 400 wars.. especially if they leave the cabin empty and keep with the light weight theme.

View attachment 615067
On a side note since Archer marine is rigging the RPM’s that also give Joe access to the infamous 26 Larry Smith Scarab! If you want to talk about a fun hot rod that you can smash around in big water this is it! They flat haul ass too.. I’m going off memory here because it’s been years but I want to say they can run like 90mph with just over 600 hp?

View attachment 615064 View attachment 615065 View attachment 615066

That scarab would be cool with 1 or 2 400’s.

 

[Taboma]

That scarab would be cool with 1 or 2 400’s.

I'm with you, that's seriously old school cool right there and would be a real hoot in the ocean. I see that one's got a stepped hull design, I know the original LS design didn't. Not having followed the evolution of this hull, not sure of the pros and cons etc. and how well the steps work other than a bit more on top.

 

[FROGMAN524]

Dave I commented on your review of the 288 that you did some time ago. You said with a Mercury 600 the way that boat it was equipped it went for $160,000. In this thread you say it's $225,000 correct? Did their price go up that much in that short amount of time?

 

[Cole Trickle]

Dave I commented on your review of the 288 that you did some time ago. You said with a Mercury 600 the way that boat it was equipped it went for $160,000. In this thread you say it's $225,000 correct? Did their price go up that much in that short amount of time?

yes....lol

 

[Scott E]

$225k is with a Teague 825. The boat at the show, as presented, was $212k. Base price with Mercury 600 SCI, including half capped bow and stern, is $199k including all of the options except windshield, diamond stitch interior upgrade, JL Audio upgrade and Mercury 703 vessel view. Sitting on a triple axle Extreme.

Call Gene for availability 661-257-9275

Next up Howard Boats!

In the court of public opinion the Howard 288 is regarded to be the top of the hill. Now I'm sure some of the other manufacturers are going to say "Well how the hell can you say that Dave??" It's simple actually.. The boat is 225,000 dollars and there's a line around the block to buy them.

 

[FROGMAN524]

$225k is with a Teague 825. The boat at the show, as presented, was $212k. Base price with Mercury 600 SCI, including half capped bow and stern, is $199k including all of the options except windshield, diamond stitch interior upgrade, JL Audio upgrade and Mercury 703 vessel view. Sitting on a triple axle Extreme.

Call Gene for availability 661-257-9275

That gives some clarity thanks Scott E.

 

[RiverDave]

Thanks Dave for the coverage. Good stuff as usual.

By the way, I "like" Nordic but they've never really blown my skirt up so to speak but that green 288 is by far my favorite boat of the whole show and that's over the 40 (and you know I'm a big boat guy). That thing is just simply beautiful

I’m not even a quarter of the way done with the Performance hall.. I am just feeling a little under the weather so I stayed in bed this am.

 

[Tank]

I’m not even a quarter of the way done with the Performance hall.. I am just feeling a little under the weather so I stayed in bed this am.

Bottle flu??

I guess I should've said, "favorite, so far". It's really a nice looking boat. I'd love to see it with twin I/O.

 

[boatnam2]

I told my girlfriend i loved the green Nordic, she just didn't get it! Her comment what are those 2 things hanging off the back, is it a fishing boat.

 

[RiverDave]

Dave I commented on your review of the 288 that you did some time ago. You said with a Mercury 600 the way that boat it was equipped it went for $160,000. In this thread you say it's $225,000 correct? Did their price go up that much in that short amount of time?

I don’t recall them being 160 (not saying they weren’t just saying I can’t remember). I remember them being 175.. but too answer your question, yes they did. Supply and demand.

 

[RiverDave]

Alright guys next up is Interceptor! I’m going to let you guys decide who’s up after that!

DCB
Eliminator
Shockwave
Adrenaline
Off the top of my head are left.

I am uploading the pics of the 26 koolkat now in another window!

 

[RCDave]

Shockwave!

 

[RiverDave]

I think it’s only right to start with their newest model the 26 KoolKat! If nothing else Chris has a great eye for styling and making his products stand out. They look like they cost a million bucks but are generally 20+ thousand cheaper than the next guy. There is a ton of value in these boats, and if you just want to get out on the water and have fun then this is a brand that is certainly worth considering!

To Chris’s credit he was the first mfg in the Performance segment that was using seadeck/gator step on the floors! He’s not afraid to try new things which is something I really like.

There seems to be a lot of debate over where this bottom came from. I don’t have an answer for that as I never asked Chris personally. All I can tell you is it’s a triple step, and other than that, I know there is about five guys eagerly awaiting to see how it runs. If it runs good then he will already have quite a few sales in the bank.

He kept the same general look as the 28 koolkat, but there are some
Subtle differences. You can see in this photo right at the front of the deck it ramps up. On the 28 the front of the deck is thinner and that little ramp up section is right before you enter the bow. (Check the pics of the 28 vs this). The 28 also has some styling cues in the tops of the sponsons that we’re deleted on the 26.

Chris’s interior guy puts out some amazing designs.. That is a little feather you are going to want to keep in your hat! Even if you own another brand of boat and want to update he interior they can do that for you.

Take note of the fiberglass inserts in the gunnels, and Chris’s proprietary billet handles in them. Generally new manufacturers stick to store bought, and I have to I’ve Chris credit for stepping outside of the box on this and other parts.

The seat cushions themselves lift out to gain access to the front storage in the sponsons. I pointed out earlier in the boat show report that I prefer hinges, but there’s nothing wrong with this method and many high end manufacturers do the same.

Chris was finishing out the bottoms of the ski locker doors which is time consuming and costly. He switched to this gloss black finish, which still looks very nice and as he put it “virtually nobody cared.” I tend to agree with him on that statement.. Most manufacturers will put that thin shitty carpet in the bottom of them etc.. I think this looks better. Me being the boat snob that I am would have him finish and incorporate the graphics of the boat in there as well.

They had the cabinets taped shut for the show (and I don’t blame them), the reason is people will lift them up and drop them etc.. Chris opened up the drivers side for us. The drivers side is the typical large storage area ahead of the helm. I liked the fact that he used some pretty real deal hinges on the top.

I thought it was really cool that they actually incorporated some styling on the back panel.. Thst was really a nice touch and I don’t believe I have seen anyone else do it before!

The passenger side is a pretty good sized “tub” that is made so you can put a soft sided cooler in it. It’s the same as on the 28 and We peeled the tape on the 28 and opened it so that pic is coming. That tub isn’t draining and Chris pointed out he’d rather have a soft side in there as it isn’t insulated. If I was building one of these I’d have him put a drain in it anyways which is no problem.. I would also ask if it’s possible to make that tub a little deeper. Insulated or not I just go out for day trips and would use it as a cooler.. I can buy more ice tomorrow.

Moving back to the driver and passenger seats. These are as comfortable as anything on the market. They show extremely well and honestly is where Interceptor shines best. There are a couple of guys that are a level above this, but there’s an awful lot of guys that are below it.

The dash is first class and looks every bit of it. This boat was built with the SIMRAD and speedo and tach. They also incorporated the new push button switches that virtually all the high end boats in the show are using now. (Side note an rdp member helped developed those and is the sales rep for the company that makes them. First boat manufacturer to use them was... Shockwave! I know you guys are loving my useless trivia facts)

This particular boat wasn’t finished, but I think I would have just got some cheap speakers and double sided taped them in the holes. Second problem is those holes aren’t exactly round.. (I’ll get to that later)

Doesn’t get much better aesthetically than this.

This is a really nice touch. The dash matters reduce glare and add a little class to the program. This I’m sure is an option, but I doubt he will gouge you on it. There are some upper end guys that charge thousands of dollars for this by the way.

Passenger side helm was also equipped with giant head unit with a screen from Rockford Fosgate.

Backseat is a poker run style interior, which looks really nice.. As with every poker run interior it’s great when you are haulin the mail, but they are terrible when you are just hanging out for a day on the lake. That’s a matter of styling and preference to the customer though. (I wouldn’t do it in a deckboat)

So now we get to the second downside of a poker run interior. you pull each seat cushion individually and the hole for storage is tiny (Everything is a trade off). The center seat and port seat will have these small cubbies. The starboard seat won't have anything underneath it.

Which take us to the back walk off.

This is a nice wide walkway and the steps are real people sized so no worries there.

I like the fact that they incorporated a glove box on the rear funnel insert. That’s going to be handy for the rear passengers.

Stay tuned for part 2


Apparently I uploaded some of those pics twice... but they aren't bothering me, so if they aren't bothering anyone else, I'll just leave them. Remember guys I'm doing this entire report on my cell phone of all things!

 

[Tank]

That thing is clean...The profile of it looks like a mini MTI with the flared back near the engine hatch.

 

[RiverDave]

$225k is with a Teague 825. The boat at the show, as presented, was $212k. Base price with Mercury 600 SCI, including half capped bow and stern, is $199k including all of the options except windshield, diamond stitch interior upgrade, JL Audio upgrade and Mercury 703 vessel view. Sitting on a triple axle Extreme.

Call Gene for availability 661-257-9275

I will edit that, and get it corrected. Thx Scott!

RD

 

[RiverDave]

Part II of the 26 Koolkat!

We aren’t going to be judging Chris on the rigging of this boat because it’s not nearly complete and it wouldn’t be fair to comment on a unfinished product. The only reason I bring it up is to say it looks like they are starting to put more effort into this boat then he boats I have seen in the past. From what they have so far at least.

The rear vent plates looks similar to the ones he has done in the past but they are slightly taller. You can see the little spoiler detail they put in the center of the boat in this pic.

Chris and I have a little disagreement on how well this ski tow is going to work. I believe the rope is going to rub on that edge detail and screw up the gel over time. Chris believes the angle of the boat on plane it will clear. In his defense he brought up a valid point of “How often are you really gonna use that.” This could be easily solved with just a different ski tow for future builds.

I agree with Tank in the fact that I love this very “industrial” looking side profile. It has the same look as some of the east coast offshore builds. The detail in the center is a nice touch as well. That if the swim step is a little smaller than what most are heading too now. Especially when you see a lot of people bolting in those giant three footers. It looks bitchen though!

The ghosted Interceptor logo was a nice touch. I didn’t even notice it the first time I walked by the boat.

This boat also features something I haven’t seen before (although I did know it exists). These are Dana Marine’s “air cleats.” There’s a little air compressor on the boat and when you push a button the cleats raise up!

Only reason I knew about these was in another life time my old man actually designed a set of air cleats for me as well. The ones we designed worked exactly backwards than this though.. the air pressure would hold them down and when you pushed a button the piston would release and hey would raise up. Thst way if you ever had a system failure you could still use the cleats. Dana (RIP) and I got into a bit of a debate about who owned the rights on that back in the day.. lol. I actually have the patents for it, but I don’t ever see myself getting back into that industry again so it is of little concern to me anymore.

Overall on the 26koolkat I think it made an impressive showing at the Los Angeles Boatshow and depending on how it runs and how hey finish building it, he could have a winner in his hands.

The 28koolkat and 25XS (250 Cole) are next.

 

[SoCalDave]

Nice write-ups Dave, really enjoying the details even though I attended the show.
Oh, and it was good to finally meet you a Tom. Wish I would have had more time to chat but the family was moving on.

 

[DrunkenSailor]

I like the full transom across the rear entry on the 26' It bugs me when they leave the back open. Not sure if water would ever come in the boat from the back on an open one but I like the security to know that there isn't a low point. That and it helps me think that the smaller or drunker members of the crew are more secure in the boat. Interceptor did a great job on the interiors on both boats.

 

[wsuwrhr]

From a machinists standpoint, I really dig the rear vent, very cool.

"Air cleat" sounds trick rd. Your old man was a cool cat, no doubt.

 

[rvrrun]

Dave, you probably didn't notice since you are doing this on the phone, but the passenger helm on the Koolkat has the stereo, not Vesselview.

 

[RiverDave]

The 28KoolKat from Interceptor.

Most online will mistakenly say it’s the 28’ Fundeck. It is true that Chris purchased the original fundeck mold, and he built some boats with minor changes out of it. This 28’ Kooldeck has actually been retooled into a dual helm and if I was Chris I’d call it the 2.0 or something to designate the fact that it is different then his original 28. Who knows, maybe he did and I’m not aware of it, but it seems every time it comes up in conversation someone tries to claim it’s the fundeck which it isn’t.

First up take note of thenrecessed details on the tops of the sponsons. I’m pretty sure the plan originally was to incorporate docking lights in there, I’m not sure whatever happened with that.

Second take note of that small rise at the entrance to the bow.

This was changed on the 26 as noted earlier.

This little billet drive shower was pretty truck and a lot nicer than the old plastic ones. I saw this on a few of the other decks at the show as well.

Here has been the subject of some debate online.. Some people love the interior color and some people hated it. Personally I loved it and thought it looked very rich. I also like the fact that they integrated some
Patterns in it and made it look nice. One difference you can see from “then” until now (which is also customer preference) is side support on the verticals if the front seat backs.

I’m not sure why they only put one cup holder here. No grab handle(s) and no bow rail on this one.. I’m not an expert on the laws but I don’t believe technically that this boat is 100% legal if you don’t have one or the other.

This top hatch is the same recessed tub that is on the 26. (You can see the tape to prevent people from opening it in the picture)

Here is a picture of that tooled in tub on that side.

On the other side is the large storage cabinet that is typical on most decks. Here is what is inside the other cabinet

*Update - Interceptor has contacted me and said the stereo shop laid this wiring not them.

I’m not sure if the stereo shop did this rigging or interceptor, but it’s a Boatshow boat and this is a boat show report so I’d make the comment that it would be better in a loom.

Heading back to the cabin it once again looks bad ass!

Passenger side

Drivers side which has a very nice look to it!

Zooming in on the stereo subs a bit and you can see this is a really cool install that looks “factory!.” Love the metal grills over the port & the shape of the facia around the speaker!

We will continue back to the rear. Love the singular back seat. I didn’t open it so I can’t tell you what’s under it but I’d wager it’s typical storage..

Again I love the fact they put a glove box in the rear funnel. What is that hole?

Chris said he had to add a vent for the bilge and didn’t want to put them on the engine side because you could hear the engine noise. A large hole with a weird kinda tube sticking out of it is a bizarre way to do that to say the least.. I imagine drunks shoving beer cans in there as a joke, or kids shoving wrappers and cans in there. In short there was better ways to do this.

Which brings us to the engine bay. Looks pretty good in the first pic.

*Update This motor lost a harmonic balancer and was pulled by a warranty center local to the area. interceptor is a dealer not a warranty center. They have said they did not rig it this way and will be rectifying all issues before it leaves the shop back to the customers hands.

————-
Uh...

Well I know it all works because I have seen the boat out and about in Havasu, but Jesus..

And now we take dissapointed and turn it into Failure.. The most flammable thing in the engine bay is the blower hose..

If you have never tried it take a heat gun or a lighter and put it on one for a second.. They go up like a Christmas tree.

They have the blower hose smashed into the exhaust on this boat.. Which is all fine and dandy until about ten seconds after you lose an impeller. This isn’t a matter of if you are going to have a fire it’s when. That whole program is 30 seconds or less away from total disaster, and god help them if there is fuel vapors in the engine bay. If they are present it will blow the engine lid right off the boat and anybody next to it is going to the hospital for burns or worse.

I honestly wouldn’t let the customer have this boat back until I fixed that. That isn’t shitty rigging it’s straight negligent and dangerous.


————

*Update This motor lost a harmonic balancer and was pulled by a warranty center local to the area. interceptor is a dealer not a warranty center. They have said they did not rig it this way and will be rectifying all issues before it leaves the shop back to the customers hands.

On a lighter note the interior mood lighting and indirect lighting was bitchen!

 

[RiverDave]

Dave, you probably didn't notice since you are doing this on the phone, but the passenger helm on the Koolkat has the stereo, not Vesselview.

And now I’m getting my glasses out.. lol. You are correct! Looked like a VV7 on my little tiny screen.

 

[Q4mtxUS]

Hey Dave, I appreciate the “trivia facts” you inject to the articles. It helps me with my fading memory. Thanks for your commentary and photos.
Now.....I’m no doctor but,,,the only remedy for feeling a bit “under the weather” is booze....not beers....booze...in moderation of course
Rob

 

[MooreMoney]

Dave I feel like I went to the show reading your reviews. I have been glued to my phone waiting for the next update.

You have pointed out some great things most people might look over but later regret they didn’t change during the build. I can’t wait for the next review.

 

[FlyByWire]

Currious to hear your thoughts on the Shockwave deck this year.

 

[RiverDave]

Dave I feel like I went to the show reading your reviews. I have been glued to my phone waiting for the next update.

You have pointed out some great things most people might look over but later regret they didn’t change during the build. I can’t wait for the next review.

We are about 3/8ths the way through this years boat show report. When it is done we will have covered every single boat in the Performance hall, and anything I thought was interesting in the other halls.

 

[RiverDave]

Currious to hear your thoughts on the Shockwave deck this year.

One more review from a Interceptor and we are going to do something that I thought was a great value for the show, then Shockwave. They brought a ton of boats so it’s gojng to take two days just to do them!

 

[Outdrive1]

Nice work Dave


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[funkcity]

<<< On a side note since Archer marine is rigging the RPM’s that also give Joe access to the infamous 26 Larry Smith Scarab! If you want to talk about a fun hot rod that you can smash around in big water this is it! They flat haul ass too.. I’m going off memory here because it’s been years but I want to say they can run like 90mph with just over 600 hp? >>

I spoke with Joe. The Speedster is a way cool boat and it can be had for a very reasonable price!!
Years ago I was at Eddie Morenz's shop in Costa Mesa. I saw the plug they built for this exact boat.
This flat deck is the race deck. Wellcraft built their own raised Scarab deck for it.
Great boat. Greta value. I think there is also a center console fishing version using this hull also.

 

[Tommy Gun Images]

Nice write-ups Dave, really enjoying the details even though I attended the show.
Oh, and it was good to finally meet you a Tom. Wish I would have had more time to chat but the family was moving on.

Great meeting you as well!

 

[RiverDave]

Note the 28Koolkat review has been updated.

The Interceptor 25XS (Cole 250 mold)

As you guys saw in the video above you can actually own a 250 (or now the 25XS) for 59,900! Granted that's with a 6.2, but that would still be a low to mid 60 mph boat! This hull has always been one of my favorite hulls, and I can still remember the ads in Hotboat back in the day that said 98.6 mph with a 502MPI / Procharger stage III.. Whatever the heck stage III meant.. I didn't care I just loved the fact that without a ton of HP the boat would run almost a 100, which was crazy (and still is) crazy fast for a smaller Vee Bottom. I wish I could've gotten better pics of it overall, because the lines of this boat are timeless, and I still think it's very relevant to today's market.

Take not that they did a front cap on this boat, which is a really cool feature. Not too often you see that direct from a mfg (let alone on a stock boat). This pic also gives you a good idea of the width of the open bow.

If you are going to cap the front, you might as well cap the back! Again I have always loved the sleek lines on this boat.. If you follow the gunnel lines it gives you that new school, but still touch of old school heritage. You can barely see it in the pic, but these fenders are powder coated a gun metal grey and it had some kinda "pearl" or something in it that was pretty cool in person.

Just a quick over view shot as I was getting ready to climb in the boat. This boat has a giant entrance to the cuddy, and exit into the open bow. Very easy for a larger (or a bit "portly") guy to get through here. You don't have to get on your hands and knees like most boats in this size range.

Chris elected to put the gauges kind of around the steering wheel, I think I would've put a couple more up top. Again that's customers choice and they'll do them however you want.

I'm not sure if the fiberglass seat backs are standard or not? They looked pretty legit in the boat though. The side panels in the recess ahead of the back seat were bad ass! Very "rich" looking.

The cuddy cabin is huge in this boat. You could easily put 4+ people down here without a problem. Most don't want to ride below, but it's an option in a pinch. Something else you could do is ditch one of the seats and put cabinets and a counter on one side if you were going to get custom with it. (Disregard the water in the pic, it had rained on the boat right before they brought it into the hall.)

I liked that Chris didn't go completely "new school" with the interior. His interior guy did it where it's modern, but it wasn't "overdone" and kept it somewhat in check or period correct.

Quick shot of the open bow to show the size of it. This again is a pretty good sized open bow, so putting 4+ people in here isn't going to be a huge issue.

Now it's time to open the hatch.. This is more inline with what Interceptor's rigging should look like. It's not going to be Nordic / Howard level, but it's nice and you won't have any problems with it. It does make me inclined to believe that the 28KoolKat review isn't totally fair to them because someone else pulled that motor. In my own defense though, it's the boat show report, and I write what was brought to the boat show.

As far as this goes though, it's not DCB or Nordic, but it's nice enough and it's gonna get the job done and you won't have any problems with it.

I'm being picky, but probably could've run that hatch ram wire behind the trim pump, or behind the interior panel.

This is one of those boats that you can actually throw a blower motor in it and go run a 100 without having the ridiculous handling quirks that come with a lot of hulls in this size range. I'm really happy that Chris picked up this mold, and is producing hulls out of it.

I happen to know that even though this boat has the half caps, and the 8.2 liter in it, he'd let this one go for a song. I hope I get a chance to review it before it sells, because I don't imagine this will be in his inventory long.


That wraps up Interceptor at the Los Angeles Boat show! For more information you can call Chris or check out the website at www.icbboats.com

RD

 

[RiverDave]

Alright guys let’s step out of the Performance boat zone for one second and take a look at what I thought was a pretty good value at the show!

I give you the Twin Rig Manitou X-Plod XT SRS SHP. I'm not entirely sure what all of those acronyms mean, but it was on the price tag so I felt I should include it.

Now somehow someway, I didn't get an overall picture of the boat, so I'm going to steal three of these off the internet just so you can see what the model looks like.

Notice the first picture in particular the two passengers in the back of the boat.

Now see this is the exact same boat, but notice the reverse facing lounges. The center sections lift up to make to forward facing seats. I'll get into that more in a minute.

Most people on the West Coast don't know Manitou as a Pontoon manufacturer. What they are known for is the pontoon that corners like a Vee Bottom. They made the lower toon lower than the outer toons, and when you turn it leans to the inside. You can pretty clearly see it displayed in the pic below.

This is the boat that was brought to the boat show by Inland Boat Center.

You can see they have a pretty sporty looking arch on this boat. That said I don't believe this arch is designed for towing, and I think the factories biminis that come off of it are going to be fairly small. That's something that you can fix by just ditching the factory ones and having them custom built if you want.

The interior is pretty nice, and certainly stylish. The did most of their patterns with a heat press instead of stitching, but that's not uncommon in the pontoon world.

Moving back towards the drivers seat and passenger seat. Take note of the transom where they have one seat pulled up to seat two people, and the other seat set as a reverse facing lounger.

There was no gauges in this boat, as it was an all glass dash. I have zero clue what this little box to the left of the steering wheel did, but I look forward to finding out!

Here were the other two screens. The yamaha screen in the middle and again I'm not entirely sure what the screen on the right does. (Batteries were turned off or I would've made an attempt to find out)

Even below that to the right you can see a JL audio head unit for controlling the music.

This is a better shot of the rear where you can pick the seating layout. If you look closely you can see that the back of the seat that is up is held by one pretty large stainless arm. That stainless arm is being carried by some serious bearings as it doesn't flex at all.

When I say that I mean this thing is extremely solid. Not just solid in an upright or down position, but in movement as well. The whole thing felt very "quality". I could write an entire story line on that alone, but I'll say that one feature and how well it worked and felt pretty much sold me on the quality of the boat. There are other pontoon manufacturers that are using a flip seat back on a bench with two anchor points, and they don't work or feel half as nice as this. (arrgghhem... Bennington)

So we get to the point. Twin Yami 300's.. This boat is going to run upper 60's all day long, maybe faster. (I haven't tested it)

The rear loungers typically take up the entire transom of the boat, which is why they are losing some popularity among the "bench seat" wrap around boats. This is a true rear lounger boat, that converts a 2 seat rear end into a four seat rear end in seconds. I thought that part alone was genius, as it works in both situations. I don't care for the wrap around seats in the back, but I also don't want to lose all the room on a rear facing lounger Toon.

Granted we have buzzed through this thing pretty quick, but I wanted you to know the rear seats are in fact adjustable (electric)! That's a pretty cool option, and generally a pretty steep upgrade, or if offered at all.

A typical Pontoon boat with twins that is fairly gangster is going to run you 140-180 grand. This particular boat MSRP'd at 178 (which is high IMO). Boat show special is 132! Which I think for a 60+ mph deal that is of this quality seemed like a pretty aggressive deal to me.

This boat is at Inland Boat Center.. If you call them ask for Gino and tell him ole RiverDave sent ya for a test drive.

RD