Where in NY do you boat?
What kind of boating do you do?
You want a sitdown or stand up boat?
How fast do you want to go?

 

Mostly lake ontario and the the St. Lawrence..

After driving my buddy's baja last week I was doing allot of sitting and standing.. 2-4 footers, i was standing, calm 1-2 was sitting.. Its a 232 with a 454.

I mean i am not looking for the baddest fast boat ever made, just something thats got some get up and go.

70's is plenty fast, i think i am more worried about the price tags...

Any experiences with Kachina's?

 

No in water experience but have seen them at the LA Boat Show when I lived in CA. Wasn't impressed with the build quality. IMO there are much better west coast boat builders out there; Cobra, Lavey, Howard, Daves, Hallett, Nordic, Essex to name a few. I visited nearly every boat builder in So Cal and AZ before I bought my boat.

If $$ were not an option, there would be a Dave's 28 Extreme in my boat slip. I do not believe there is a better 28-29 footer built. Totally custom approach, simply amazing build quality and a great ride (smooth and fast).

Either Hotboat or Powerboat recently did a review on the Kachina 34' Drone. I'll see if I can dig it out tonight.

 

Powerboat did the article.. They had allot of good things to say about them..

I haven't ruled any manufacture out.. I just liked the idea of being able to have everything custom....

Daves 28 extreme? got a link?

This is what i am posting for, to get some opinions and other options, thanks for the replies....

-Craig

 

I found it, thanks I do like that boat, but doesn't really say much about it on the site..

www.dcbracing.com

 

dcbracing dot com

They have a beautiful 2004 28 Extreme with a 525 in the used section.

IIRC Kachina paints their boat's. Most of the other west coast builders do the graphics in the gel.

How are you going to get it back to NY? 3000 miles at 1.5 to 1.75 per mile will put a dent in the budget.

 

To the best of my knolwedge and listening to owners of Kachina, they do not attend the LA boat show. If you want info on Kachina, go to hotboat.net. You will get mixed reactions, but good information none the less.

 

May 2006 issue of Powerboat has a review. Its on their website.

 

To the best of my knolwedge and listening to owners of Kachina, they do not attend the LA boat show. If you want info on Kachina, go to hotboat.net. You will get mixed reactions, but good information none the less.

True, hotboat is a good place for info.

 

How are you going to get it back to NY? 3000 miles at 1.5 to 1.75 per mile will put a dent in the budget.

When I looked for transporation in may the going rate was 2.25-2.50/mile

 

I'd be driving down.. if i bought a kachina, make it a two week trip with the wife..

A con of buying a boat from the west coast, also why the Baja and Donzi dealer around my area are looking better..

I'll check out hotboat and read some reviews..

 

If Nordic is an option for you there is a dealer in St James, NY called Tri-State Marine. I don't know anything about them. http://www.t-spm.com/index.html

 

Like stated, hotboat is a good resource to find out about Kachina and other west coast boats. However, it is also a bad resource as there seems to be alot of joking with each other over Kachina, aka kajunkas to some. They can be totally customized, but so can many others, but with better quality and only slightly more pricey. If you like west coast boats, look at Ultra, Shockwave, Cobra, Eliminator, Howard, etc. Also, DCB's are the top of the West Coast, and you pay accordingly. I recommend checking out Superboat, they are built custom, are affordable, fast, and handle rough stuff great. Best, they are located in NY. They lack some of the west coast "bling", but you can add that later.

What size of boat are you looking for, and what general range and what use, rough water, etc? That could help narrow this down some.

 

Oh, I forgot abut Laveycraft, they are great and with a racing pedigree. I'm not trying to hijack your thread with other companies, but Donzi and Baja are more production boats, which aren't bad, but these others are custom like you seem to be looking for.

 

yeah i am more interested in not a having the same boat as everyone else on the lake..

I won't be in the oceans, mostly lake and river riding, looking at 24min to 32 max... I would like something in the 28 foot range..

Also want a nice stabbin cabin..

 

Well, if you are in NY with a West Coast boat, or even Superboat you won't see others. Are you looking new or used. I'd say a new 28 with a 525 should be around 125k give or take. With a new one from any of these companies you can help design your graphics and everything. I'd look at Laveycraft 2750, Ultra Stealth 28, Shockwave Magnatude 29, DCB Extreme 28, Howard 28 Bullet, Cobra 27 Razor. All of these companies have decent websites that can get you started on research.

 

If you're doing mostly lakes and rivers , don't look any further . Get a Howard 28 Bullet . One of the fastest with a single , and a quality build .Bet you won't see many on the right coast either If you choose an east coast boat , I'd go with a 26 28 Donzi Daytona .

here's a 1976 Howard 21' friend had same time I had my 21 spectra and I know how they're built ,[ like a brick :laugher: ] tackle rough water like no other in its size.

These are not new but good deals .

http://www.hotboat.com/classifieds/detail.php?siteid=1216
http://www.hotboat.com/classifieds/detail.php?siteid=1131
http://www.hotboat.com/classifieds/detail.php?siteid=993
I know the guys who built Cougar boats [sold recently] here in Salmon Arm bc ,and they built quality . This boat would be the king of any lake

If money is no object ,this would be my pick :winker:
http://www.hotboat.com/classifieds/detail.php?siteid=1124

 

I don't really know anything about Kachina. But, when you get tired of it and want to get rid of it, it might be tough on the east coast.

There's a lot of great boats made right there in NY. Superboat, Kryptonite, Activator, Progression, Hustler. Those boats don't have the "bling" of some of the west coast stuff but they are performers.

 

thanks for all the tips guys..

You have listed so many options i haven't even been able to check them all out yet..

But Nordic and Howards have really caught my eye.. Hopefully will be able to check the rest out tonight..

Thanks again
--craig

 

Keep us posted on what you're finding or any other questions. I have been looking for these boats for 6 months now so I know it can be overwhelming.

 

Trust me if you are going to be on the St. Lawrence or Lake Ontario you are going to want decent rough water hull. I also agree with looking at any of the Long Island builders. Trust me if are going to get a Superboat there are only 3 (24's) on the entire St. Lawrence (there is a Y2K around but I think that is only around the poker runs)....which is about 114 miles of river....So it isn't like you will see a lot of them around. Most people have no idea what kind of boat it is when they see it up close. That was one of the many reasons that I bought a Superboat. Not to mention you will get a great and fast ride with mild power. Nordic is also one of the few west coast boat that I would consider out here in the east mostly because of the resale and brand recognition as a solid performance offshore...also not too many around up that way.

 

Originally posted by ph1ngering

But Nordic and Howards have really caught my eye.. Hopefully will be able to check the rest out tonight..

Thanks again
--craig

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Now that you've mentioned , Nordic has a little pocket rocket ,the 25 that's affordable and an awesome rough water boat for its size . We have one [ Hall'n ***" ] in our poker run group that does 80 and keeps up with the usual Fountain Baja Donzi Velocity group no problem . Their 28 is a good size boat for the blue too .

 

If the water is rough than I would look at Laveycraft 2750 or the Y2K, for their size they are supposed to handle bad water well.

 

like anything, first thing you have to do is set abudget, that will dicate what direction to go. new/used?

I wanted a big single engine boat that got as close as possbile to 70 with stock power, I also didint want to spend over 50K, I have a 28' Powerquest, my beam is 8'6" the extra room comes in handy when I am lounging around or have 4-5 people on board. I am real happy with my boat so far. Sometimes the room comes in handy :winker:

 

notice the lonely guy in the Baja in the background, bet he wishes he bought a PQ.