The LA BOATSHOW 2011

[TPC]

Noticed a few MFG's were introducing 350 HP outboard 4 strokes.

 

[TPC]

I remember my neighbor bought a Trophy Fishing Boat.
Trophy was a cheap-o low-end line made by Bayliner.
Ya want a Mako, but you can only afford a Trophy, so ya lumped it.

They used the hell out of their Trophy for years.
His problems were usually the way-undersized electrical, and the bravo one drive was way undersized for the heavy work that boat did too. And hull cracking.

I learned at the boat show even in this economy dealers are still selling the hell out of the Trophys.
The Sea Ray /Bayliner/Trophy guy that sold us our cruiser sold 4 Trophys at the show while we inked our deal.

This because Trophys are now made by Boston Whaler (the big Bayliners now built by Sea Ray). The hulls weight 5-11 hundred pound more of glass, re-thought engines/drives available, excellent fit and finish, superb rigging,, and the price is still right.

Overall, seems like everyone is building their stuff better was my impression. From fishing boats to pontoons, to WB boats.
Perhaps nothing was cheaper at the boat show, though we got a hell of a deal, but ya got more bang for your buck in most cases.

 

[Paul65k]

I have a Playcraft Extreme that is pristine for sale. 350 merc though.

Sounds exactly like what I'm looking for but have to have O/B (100% sure) as I plan to leave it in the water over the summer (for a variety of reasons) and need one with O/B that can come completely out of the water.

It's a long story but due to my location and travel preferences this is the only way that I will make a change.....too bad because my PartyCat is absolutely perfect but just doesn't work for my mission :grumble:

 

[454Rocket]

This year was a complete 180 no beers and even worse when it came to getting these pathetic excuses for a salesman to help. This year I brought a buddy that is in the market for a boat and getting sales people to talk to him was like pulling teeth.

Last year it seemed this way, but I didn't even get to tour the whole show on Sunday talking and BS'ing with Sepulveda, Leach, Teague, etc etc... guys who were always inaccessible in years past. I was pleasantly surprised at the friendliness in the booths as well... even DCB

Dave... I'm waiting on your take of Hallett's "sticker" boat

 

[RiverDave]

454Rocket, like I said in the beginning this isn't the LA BoatShow report.. so I didn't go to all the mfg's, and look at every boat like I used too..

I more or less, went saw what I saw, hob nobbed, socialized, and drank until I could drink no more.. LOL

Never stopped by Hallett.

RD

 

[HALLETT BOY]

454Rocket, like I said in the beginning this isn't the LA BoatShow report.. so I didn't go to all the mfg's, and look at every boat like I used too..

I more or less, went saw what I saw, hob nobbed, socialized, and drank until I could drink no more.. LOL

NEVER STOPPED BY HALLETT

RD

:mad2:

 

[RiverDave]

:mad2:

Don't get me wrong, I love Hallett's.. like I said though this wasn't a boat show report.. More just a tale of the boatshow.. and I haven't even gotten into the tales yet.

RD

 

[Tom Brown]

A few years ago when I hit the boat show, Hallet had one of the most impressive booths. They seemed to have a bit less bling than almost everybody else, having to make do with boats that reeked of quality craftsmanship and tasteful appointments.

I guess I'm getting old because I loved those Hallets.

Not so long ago, I was looking for HTPC case recommendations over on SilentPCReview. I was inundated with suggestions of cases with clear panels, funky exoskeletons, and LED fans. WTF? I'm old. I want something that looks classy and comfortable sitting underneath my A/V receiver.

I suck at bling.

 

[CornWater]

Nice to see Merc Racing & DCB Racing coming together....

 

[RiverDave]

The 22' Dominator DeckBoat

There was a lot of talk on the forums about this boat, and most the points have been covered in other threads. I didn't get an opportunity to talk to Dory about the boat he was with a customer at the time that I stopped by.

I have never seen a 21-22 deckboat that I like. They are all shallow tunnels, shallow freeboard, kinda spooky looking little things to me. I actually like this one quite a bit. It's got some depth to it, I don't think the passengers up front would fly out if you hit a ripple. I do wonder about rear boarding a bit as discussed in another thread, but overall I think Domin8tor did a very nice job with this thing.

What's with the figure 8 / infinity symbols on all the domin8tors in the billet? Is that their symbol or something?

RD

 

[RiverDave]

As many years as I have gone to the boatshow, I don't believe I ever met the real ShockwaveBob.. Finally got a chance to meet him at this one, and he's a character for sure! Shockwave gets an "A" for fun booth at the boatshow btw.. They were one of 3 to earn that "fun" mark.. Although some others did get creative.

I have always been a fan of their 25 & 29 vees.. They would be on my short list of boats that I would run as a dual purpose river / catalina boat.

Some pics of the booth.

Their Deck

RD

 

[RiverDave]

Their 21 Skier (note the potential customer in the open bow)

Before I conclude with Shockwave, I want to point something out.. I walked in their booth, and was immediately approached.. Everybody was happy go lucky, having a good time, and SELLING BOATS. The vast majority of the booths that I walked into, people were looking at their feet, they didn't want to talk to customers.. I almost felt like asking some of them "why did you even come? Why waste the money?"

I am positive that Shockwave landed 2 or 3 deals at this show, and for nothing more then just actually going there to sell a boat.

The boat I woulda bought at Shockwave if I was in the market.

 

[GRADS2009]

Can you skip to the KMG boats?, they were some of my favorite at the show.

 

[138]

Can you skip to the KMG boats?, they were some of my favorite at the show.

x2

 

[Tom Brown]

As many years as I have gone to the boatshow, I don't believe I ever met the real ShockwaveBob.

I wonder if he gets tired of people calling him Bob.

You can imagine how cheated and deceived I felt to learn his real name is not Bob.

 

[RiverDave]

Now it's time for the infamous Howard.. We've seen the build thread here on the board, and this was the 1st time I've seen the boat in person. I'm going to tell you flat, this thing is sick.. I mean SSSIIIIICCCCKKKKK!!!

There was a couple incidentals (the carpet on the gunnel where the engine hatch lays down etc..), but those are in process of being remedied right now. The boat wasn't being delivered to the customer that way.

That aside, you just aren't going to find a boat that's tooled like a Howard. They have always been masters of fiberglass, not a ripple or a wave to be found on the whole boat.. But this one was mind blowing. The gel was as perfect as I've ever seen. The lines crossing the hatch in the deck were so perfect the hatch was damn near invisible. The rigging was in the 10's.

The story I got was 118 mph cruising (not WOT) with an 18% slip. It's sister ship is currently running a 10% slip, so with some prop dial in and an actual pass they are looking for mid 130's out of this boat. That's god damn impressive for a RELIABLE single engine 28' Cat.. Granted it comes with a 1/4 million dollar price tag done up like this, but it's worth every penny..

Check out the hatch.. unbelievable

Note the fuel /water seperator (ever seen anything like that? I know mine doesn't look like that.. LOL That thing is bad ass)

Sea Strainer and LED lighting for engine bay

Note you can't see any of the fuel lines here on the tank switch

These are directional lights that light up the engine. (nice touch for showing off at the dock

Premier did a bitchen job on this interior..

RD

 

[RiverDave]

I never noticed before how big the swim steps are on their 28 Cat.. This is an actual usable platform. I can see people actually hanging out back here at the sandbar, or sitting there enjoying the day with their feet in the water.

Throttle area (note the directional tweeter)

Helm.. I loved the flat panel with the switches on the dash

Under the bow

to be continued....

RD

 

[RiverDave]

Part 3

Monster cooler = monster party.. I'm not sure if I would've gone that route with this style cooler, in this nice of a boat. I'd be too concerned about the boat getting scratched up or interior damaged by it.

This little notch in the center made it considerably easier for someone with my girlish figure to get in and out of there..

The only 2 things I don't care for.. The style of the sub covers (but that's a too each their own deal).. and I think the owner should consider some sort've flat non glossy material to lay on the dash so it doesn't reflect up onto the windshield.. I'm sure the lights in the convention center didn't help this much.

The piece of material could be held in with a few cockpit cover snaps, and removed if you want to preserve "the look."

Gene tried like hell in the beer dept, but came up short.. Boat gets an A, booth gets a C for fun factor.. LOL (bad ass boats are always fun to look at hence the C)

RD

 

[RiverDave]

Can you skip to the KMG boats?, they were some of my favorite at the show.

x2

You know I went to KMG's booth and talked to Kevin awhile and looked over the new 22 he built for the show pretty close. Kevin Even got an "A" in the fun department. I have no idea why, but I didn't take any pics of the boat / booth? I was so busy talking to him, I just never got the camera out.

That happened twice.. At KMG and at Nordic.. Which sux, because KMG / Nordc / Shockwave were the 3 mfg's that got A+'s in boatshow fun..

If I can dig up some pics online I can go over the highlights of the boat. It's basically rigged to the 10's, gelled to the 12's, and priced to move.

RD

 

[BarryMac]

You know I went to KMG's booth and talked to Kevin awhile and looked over the new 22 he built for the show pretty close. Kevin Even got an "A" in the fun department. I have no idea why, but I didn't take any pics of the boat / booth? I was so busy talking to him, I just never got the camera out.

That happened twice.. At KMG and at Nordic.. Which sux, because KMG / Nordc / Shockwave were the 3 mfg's that got A+'s in boatshow fun..

If I can dig up some pics online I can go over the highlights of the boat. It's basically rigged to the 10's, gelled to the 12's, and priced to move.

RD

That red, black and white 22 is for sale on line for $69,900 I think. Seems to be pretty pimped out too. I saw it on Craigslist today...

 

[Outlaw]

I like those DCB guys work:thumbsup

 

[STV_Keith]

What I do know if you guys have a problem internally with whom ever is doing the "SALES" (keyword there) for the LA Boat Show booths.
RD

Well, being our first year exhibiting, I have to say it felt a bit disorganized compared to the other shows we go to. PRI, SEMA, etc are all booked and floor-planned, setup, etc months in advance. The LA show didn't have a floorplan or registered vendors list until late February...less than a month before the show.

I will say it was probably the easiest and fastest show to setup and teardown, and the lady on the entrance ramp during move in handing out the packets - that was awesome. Usually, you have to walk all over the place to find the "will call" for your badges, etc.

This auto tune EFI piggy back was developed by Dynojet, and tested by some of our very own board members! I didn't get the sales pitch, but from what I understand it can increase fuel mileage on your boat by up to 25%? (correct me if I'm wrong on that Keith)

They also had a motor from B&D Marine in their booth.. (We never do hear from Brian or Dane on here anymore.. ) It looked to be equipped with the 02 sensor, indicating that it had the Dynojet system on it.

RD

Well, every motor is different, but Rivermobsters friend Steve's boat (22 Stoker) with a 502/500HP did pick up 28% fuel economy at 2750rpm by simply leaning it out a little from Merc's absurdly rich tune.

Brians' motor was injected, and that's what I needed to show. That motor is setup with an Accel DFI setup, but I think you'll see B&D start using the CMD Marine units in the near future, where they don't need a full stand-alone setup. We mocked up the O2 sensor to show that we could read one, but Brian didn't have the tailpipes at the show (where the O2 sensors actually go). We had them just sitting in the water outlet from the headers. Only a few people noticed.

 

[Riverbound]

Well, being our first year exhibiting, I have to say it felt a bit disorganized compared to the other shows we go to. PRI, SEMA, etc are all booked and floor-planned, setup, etc months in advance. The LA show didn't have a floorplan or registered vendors list until late February...less than a month before the show.

I will say it was probably the easiest and fastest show to setup and teardown, and the lady on the entrance ramp during move in handing out the packets - that was awesome. Usually, you have to walk all over the place to find the "will call" for your badges, etc.



Well, every motor is different, but Rivermobsters friend Steve's boat (22 Stoker) with a 502/500HP did pick up 28% fuel economy at 2750rpm by simply leaning it out a little from Merc's absurdly rich tune.

Brians' motor was injected, and that's what I needed to show. That motor is setup with an Accel DFI setup, but I think you'll see B&D start using the CMD Marine units in the near future, where they don't need a full stand-alone setup. We mocked up the O2 sensor to show that we could read one, but Brian didn't have the tailpipes at the show (where the O2 sensors actually go). We had them just sitting in the water outlet from the headers. Only a few people noticed.

Keith, I forgot to talk to you about it at the show but was wondering about this on our Stoker with a 500HP. Do you guys offer somethign for it. Im hoping some propper tuning would help get rid of the transom soot problem.

 

[ONE-A-DAY]

Well, being our first year exhibiting, I have to say it felt a bit disorganized compared to the other shows we go to. PRI, SEMA, etc are all booked and floor-planned, setup, etc months in advance. The LA show didn't have a floorplan or registered vendors list until late February...less than a month before the show.

I will say it was probably the easiest and fastest show to setup and teardown, and the lady on the entrance ramp during move in handing out the packets - that was awesome. Usually, you have to walk all over the place to find the "will call" for your badges, etc.



Well, every motor is different, but Rivermobsters friend Steve's boat (22 Stoker) with a 502/500HP did pick up 28% fuel economy at 2750rpm by simply leaning it out a little from Merc's absurdly rich tune.

Brians' motor was injected, and that's what I needed to show. That motor is setup with an Accel DFI setup, but I think you'll see B&D start using the CMD Marine units in the near future, where they don't need a full stand-alone setup. We mocked up the O2 sensor to show that we could read one, but Brian didn't have the tailpipes at the show (where the O2 sensors actually go). We had them just sitting in the water outlet from the headers. Only a few people noticed.

I heard at the LA show that you cant bring your boats in yourself, you have to pay the union crew to bring in your stuff?

 

[TPC]

This was the most sober boat show I have ever experienced:thumbsdown I remember the last year I went, every booth I walked into someone was shoving a beer down my throat and happy to show all the new cool shit they had going on, even though I wasnt buying. This year was a complete 180 no beers and even worse when it came to getting these pathetic excuses for a salesman to help. This year I brought a buddy that is in the market for a boat and getting sales people to talk to him was like pulling teeth.

If my wife and her girlfriends spotted you Bildoe they'da had you present your junk so they could check out your 3 ball sac.

 

[STV_Keith]

Keith, I forgot to talk to you about it at the show but was wondering about this on our Stoker with a 500HP. Do you guys offer somethign for it. Im hoping some propper tuning would help get rid of the transom soot problem.

Your boat is basically a clone to Steve's, which was our test boat. 22 Stoker, 502/500hp. Steve's motor was all stock. Above 3200rpm, the fuel curve was good. Below it, it was quite rich. We leaned it out to a conservative 13.0:1 and picked up 12-28% fuel economy below 3000rpm. It was idling at 11.6:1...very rich.

As soon as the software changes are in place, the unit that will fit your engine is the CMD-5011, which will fit all spreadport style BB chevy motors. If you're interested in moving forward with a tuning solution, the first thing you need is to start getting ready to read the air/fuel ratio. You will need to have an oxygen sensor bung installed in your exhaust. Steve sent his tailpipe to CMI, and they welded one in for $150. Did a nice job too.

See the picture.

I heard at the LA show that you cant bring your boats in yourself, you have to pay the union crew to bring in your stuff?

We didn't have boat at the show, but all the boats that came in on trailers were towed by small Kobota tractors...union guys. This is common in the trade show industry. Our booth was small and hand-transportable...we brought it in ourselves. We did have to have them fork the engine out of the back of the truck, about 1 minute of work for $150.

 

[Gelcoater]

I wonder if he gets tired of people calling him Bob.

You can imagine how cheated and deceived I felt to learn his real name is not Bob.

It's not? Maybe ShockwaveBob here on the boards isn't the same Bob? The guy who used to sign my checks when I worked at Shockwave is Bob,.......Bob Anderson. Maybe Anderson changed his name?Either that or he was F-ing with you Tom.

 

[DAB]

It's not? Maybe ShockwaveBob here on the boards isn't the same Bob? The guy who used to sign my checks when I worked at Shockwave is Bob,.......Bob Anderson. Maybe Anderson changed his name?Either that or he was F-ing with you Tom.

ShockwaveBob is not Bob Anderson from Shockwave...

 

[Gelcoater]

ShockwaveBob is not Bob Anderson from Shockwave...

That must explain why Tom was miffed I figured as much,Anderson doesn't seem the internet forum type

 

[goldy]

Sigus, I am intersted in your Playcraft Extreme pontoon for sale please send me all the info you can.
thanks Hal

 

[Scott E]

I heard at the LA show that you cant bring your boats in yourself, you have to pay the union crew to bring in your stuff?

Yes and no.

I tow a boat down for Howard each year. All the boats are bought in to the convention center by Mike, Gene, myself and a couple of other customers. We drive right into the convention center and then the trailers are unhitched. The union forklift drivers take them over to the booth, not a far dive as we pull up right next to the booth location anyway, where the cranes proceed to take them off the trailers with the assistance of the crew at Howard.

 

[goldy]

Anyone know how to get a hold of the poster selling a playcraft?

 

[JB in so cal]

Anyone know how to get a hold of the poster selling a playcraft?

post a few more times then you can send him a private message.