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Miami Boat Show 2015

Discussion in 'Boat Shows & Yacht Watching' started by Danvilletim, Feb 12, 2015.

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  1. Fishtigua

    Fishtigua Senior Member

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    Maybe we should move to JAX, all we do is big Mercs and Cummins/Zeus. :D
  2. Capt Ralph

    Capt Ralph Senior Member

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    My friend, Please do. It would be great to have a reliable Merc product shop in this town.

    Oh, 25F this morning, 7osF tomorrow mid day. Sunday near 80sF. Weather for everybody.
    look up NOAA 32210. PM me to hear about real poor weather forecasting in the Jax Fl area also.
    Can you forecast weather, maybe a better job for your crew here also.
    Last edited: Feb 20, 2015
  3. Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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    I was paying that at the dealer on 225hp Verado's add in a supercharger here, a power steering pump there...... X 4 or 5 motors......OUCH.
  4. Kafue

    Kafue Senior Member

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    WTF...
    You can buy a real boat for the kind of money being spent on these "wonders"!
    If it was cheaper, better etc it would make sense. This makes no sense. Huge fuel consumption, 3 or 4 engines to maintain, a singular usage factor, no real facilities except for speed and fishability...
    I would rather buy an Aston Martin or Ferrari to extend my er ...
    WTF!
  5. Blue Ghost

    Blue Ghost Member

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    I'm curious, what is the advantage of having four monster engines on the backside of a fishing boat? I'm not knocking it, I'm just honestly curious. Do you get to secret fishing spots faster or something?
  6. Kafue

    Kafue Senior Member

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    Haha, I'll pay that one. Good question!
  7. PacBlue

    PacBlue Senior Member

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    I just don't think that this type of buyer has the perspective you are talking about. It is not a trailer situation and they most likely would not be interested in a dry stack/storage situation. There are as many buyers out there who have dockside docks/lifts or 60' slips in their marina of choice.

    Its about speed, certainly some showmanship (ego) and the guy who can plunk down $1M plus for one of these can certainly afford any Marina style accommodations, so why should they care about staterooms? It is a different way of boating and the smart manufacturers are on top of it and hitting the selling point. These guys are probably fishing hard/fast and can be back in port to have some fun/nightlife the same day, it becomes very workable with their lifestyle.

    As far as the Mercury Verado goes, the 400hp rating is a race style motor only and does not have a warranty like you would expect. You have to get the 350hp version to get a typical recreational type warranty, but if you really have to have 400hp, and can deal with the fact that service /repairs are on the level of the go fast crowd, they will "let" you install them on your CC. These models are both supercharged.

    https://www.mercurymarine.com/en/us/news/verado-400r---serious-performance-outboard/

    By they way, know a few guys who displayed along Collins avenue, and they strongly felt that the attendance was significantly down from last year - maybe the weather/flight issues where a factor?
  8. Fishtigua

    Fishtigua Senior Member

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    As PB says, a very different lifestyle for these type of owners. We sell the Stingher range of RIBs, thinking that the action-packed younger crowd would buy them. Nope, mostly middle-aged, professional types (bankers, lawyers,doctors) have gone for them, quite a few women too. They don't want the messing around of an old fashioned boat when you can have a simple, fast and single-handed craft with no smelly diesel to worry about,

    I was very suprised by the market.
    Last edited: Feb 21, 2015
  9. Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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    The trend here is fast center consoles. You can run and fish 100NM easily for a day. Also, they tend to run to the Bahamas and just rent a house or accomodations. Which makes more sense for the wife and kids, because they're not going fishing at 7am like a SF which is also their accomodations. So it has all changed. The center consoles are very versatile for fishing, diving, or just cruising with a bunch of people.
  10. Fishtigua

    Fishtigua Senior Member

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    J, as you know, I used to run a Blackfin and loved it. But today I'd fish a big CC any day. So much more flexability as a day boat.
  11. NEO56

    NEO56 Member

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    Well, I'm going to go back to a thread many moons ago, these boats qualify as high performance offshore boats. Carl and a few others here know that blowing through seas at 60 mph+ comes with it's own set of perils. These guys who buy these boats don't have any idea of how to drive them. Plunk down a million dollars plus, and they hand you a fistful of keys. A light weight 53' deep vee hull with 2,238 hp strapped to the back and a novice at the wheel spells nothing but disaster. I would dare say (much to my sadness) that by then end of this year, we'll read about a few of these boats get killed, along with their passengers. There used to be a driving school in Florida that would teach people how to drive at high speeds. I want to say it was Scarab, but I really don't remember. As a matter of fact one of you Entrepreneur types might want to buy a half dozen go fast boats, and start a school....and you wouldn't even have to advertise, just go to every Insurance company and pitch your school to them. They would make it mandatory to take the course prior to writing a policy on that type of boat! Sometimes I'm so smart I scare myself. And if you'd like to pay me a commission I wouldn't turn it down.
  12. Blue Ghost

    Blue Ghost Member

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    So it's strictly a speed thrill? Interesting.
  13. PacBlue

    PacBlue Senior Member

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    A combination of speed andrange, ride quality, seakeeping ability, open deck space, functionality as a fishing/entertaining platform, and construction quality.
  14. Fishtigua

    Fishtigua Senior Member

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    Huh, that's not right. You sound like you're talking normal. That'll never do for YF. :mad:
  15. Perlmudder

    Perlmudder Member

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    This already exists. It is called Tres Martin Performance Boat school. Many insurance companies do require classes, and some manufacturers even sign you up for the course when you buy a boat.

    I would also say that there are not many people with no powerboat experience dropping a mil on a new nor-tech. A center console is the least of the high speed worries. It would be much more dangerous for a beginner to get into a 28 cat with twin 300's that goes over 100.
  16. jsschieff

    jsschieff Senior Member

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    As a long-time owner of small center consoles, I completely understand the appeal of new larger versions. I went for a demo ride at the Miami show in a Boston Whaler 370 outrage with triple Verado 350's and I thought the package was fantastic.

    First, the 370 was equipped with a joystick and skyhook positioning system. Docking in any situation is a breeze. With wide, safe walkaround decks, even someone like me who is not as spry as I once was can engage the skyhook and leisurely walk around to tie up. Everything is on one level -- these big center consoles are great for geezers.

    Second, with outboards hanging off the transom, all the noise, heat and vibration is behind you. No huge diesel pistons clanking and banging under your feet. The new four-strokes are reasonably quiet, very smooth and quite reliable..

    Third, outboards provide really good control in almost any sea conditions. I've owned a couple of downeast-style single diesel cruising boats and I find outboard-powered center consoles handle much better in quartering seas. Of course, speed is wonderful -- buzzing along at 30 - 40 knots in a boat that feels agile and fun is like driving a motorcycle. And the speed allows you to get where you're going sooner. Center consoles provide a great command station -- big bucket seats that also fold up so you can drive standing with a soft leaning post. The helm is pretty far aft so the ride is amazing soft in most of the bigger center consoles.

    These big center consoles are so versatile. Obviously for fishermen thay can get you to offshore fishing grounds quickly and in comfort. You can take out a gang to watch the start of the Bermuda race up north, with ample seating, a head, and safe walk around space. You can zip out to Nantucket, the Vineyard or even head downeast quickly and safely from most northeast ports. And in Florida the Bahams are easy to reach and you can slide into even the most shallow bays. I did not have a chance to see the new Boston Whaler 420 center console, but I think it offers a lot of great boating and fishing possibilities.
  17. NEO56

    NEO56 Member

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    PacBlue, Really? Range, how far are you going to go with 4 or 5 outboards, running WOT? I won't argue ride quality, but seakeeping ability is another thing. I've owned quite a few of CC's and with their deep V in a beam sea will throw you all over the place. Even Grady White's which are probably the heaviest CC built, will rock and roll. I guess if you fished the Kingfish Tournament circuit and run and gun, it would be an ideal boat. But maneuvering a fish around 4 or 5 outboards is not my idea of fun. But they do have their place, I wouldn't have owned so many of them if I didn't like the design.
    I am curious as to wonder if the Manufacturer is incorporating a aluminum plate in their layup schedule. That's a lot of weight and torque to put on a transom. To quote Danny Glover "I'm gettin' to old for this s**t" My kidneys and back prefer a softer, gentler ride.
  18. captholli

    captholli Senior Member

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    Pure and simple these are "Statement Boats" nothing more and nothing less. Its the adage of "I can afford it" and I'm going to cruise the ICW or go to restaurants maybe blast over to Atlantis and have all eyes on me. These vessels are to heavy to compete with the Skaters or any type of offshore speedsters in poker runs and really wouldn't make sense as a C.C. on the Red fish tournament .It's all about perception and not justification because no matter how hard you try to convince yourself that your driving a 45 - 52 ft open C.C. with 1,600 or 2,00 HP hanging over the transom for the utilitarian purpose of the boat (fishing or cruising) its still just an exercise in the Yep, I can afford the excess so look at me but please don't ask me to justify it! My rule of thumb always was if I cant sleep on it, Shower on it and cook a great meal on it & enjoy a cigar or cocktail in air conditioned comfort and entertain half a dozen friends , then I don't want it.
  19. PacBlue

    PacBlue Senior Member

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    Yes, really. Like I said before, just because it doesn't strike your chord doesn't mean that it won't appeal / sell to their target customer. Obviously, you are not their target customer. You don't get it, you don't have to get it, the concept/execution is not your cup of tea, and that's ok.

    As far as range - who cares what any vessels range at WOT is - this is not and never has been a key discriminator. But a range of 493 mph at Cruise is not too shabby: http://www.hydrasports.com/4200sf.aspx
    Rivals that of traditional diesel powered sport fishers. How much more range do you need for a 1 /2 /3 day trip anyways? This is just one example and maybe not even best in class, but certainly they have carved out their own considerable market share. Some people, myself included, like to sleep on boats, but their are plenty of paying customers that would not be so inclined.

    A Grady White is not even a factor in this arena. Most of these boats have better hull designs, are usually stepped and afford the operator a softer drier ride. I agree, it may be a young persons toy more so the over 55 crowd.
  20. Blue Ghost

    Blue Ghost Member

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    ROFL :D

    That's cool. I was given a red hot sports' car for graduation, and to be honest, it really wasn't what I wanted, but it was an eye turner.

    Right now I'm just looking to get a junker so I can grab the odd burrito or Big Mac :)

    Having said that, I'm all for people showing off status symbols since it makes them feel cool :) And to be honest, it's kind of cool to see a boat roaring down the bay with four massive engines on the stern!
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