River Cruiser Wanted

[MILKMAN351]

I'm new to this forum and to boats in general. I grew up around boats when I was younger, (jets and i/o's), and now I'm looking for my family. I've got about 13K to spend and I've been trying to find a decent river cruiser. All the ones I've seen in person are over priced and beat to sh*t. I originally wanted to find one with a jet but it's so hard to find any in decent shape that I've been looking at v-drives too. If anyone could give me info about available hulls (will take one with or without motor), the differences between the hulls (Schiada, Howard, Spectra, Continental, etc.), and any opinions between v-drive and jet drive on these types of hulls I would greatly appreciate it. I've never been in or around a v-drive and always thought jets were a safer more bullet-proof way to go (will be mostly boating Havasu), but do like the classic look of the v-drive. I also realize jets are not nearly as efficient as v-drive or i/o but I worry about the kids having seen so many prop related accidents when I was younger. I don't have a whole lot of money and don't know what kind of costs maintaining a v-drive will run. Any info anyone can give me about any of the above would be cool.
thanks, Jerry

[Nucking futs]

Where about in orange are you?
Tim

[cruser]

I have a 23' Sleekcraft jet for sale. There is a picture of it in my signature. If interested send me a PM.

[deltarat]

http://www2.***boat.com/forums/showthread.php?t=75119

[MILKMAN351]

Where about in orange are you?
Tim
off of Cambridge a couple blocks south of Katella

[MILKMAN351]

http://www2.***boat.com/forums/showthread.php?t=75119
Its a really nice boat. I'm not a big fan of the double step bow or the doghouse seating, but it is the colors I was hoping to find and the price is good. I've just started looking and was originally looking for more of a spectra or schiada but the longer I look the less picky I get. I'll keep it in mind.
Is it a 23'?

[Nucking futs]

off of Cambridge a couple blocks south of Katella
Im at main and Chapman, you should stop by clm for a frosty one some time.

[Hallett19]

20 ft Hallett, I'll make you a great deal on it ;)
http://www2.***boat.com/image_center/data/500/128Picture_084.jpg
http://www2.***boat.com/image_center/data/510/128DSC00891-med.jpg

[Hallett19]

She needs a little work, but its mechanically awesome and done real well from front to back. A very safe and versatile family boat too !

[Brian Ray]

Its a really nice boat. I'm not a big fan of the double step bow or the doghouse seating, but it is the colors I was hoping to find and the price is good. I've just started looking and was originally looking for more of a spectra or schiada but the longer I look the less picky I get. I'll keep it in mind.
Is it a 23'?
It's a 21'.....I'm the owner. I have an extra interior that consists of two bucket seats and a bench in the back. I'm throwing that in with the price. If you have any questions PM me. It's the smoothest boat I've ever been in....handles chop very well. Good solid hull....Just had it out this weekend. Hadn't started it in about two months....fired on the first try.

[cole13]

Its a really nice boat. I'm not a big fan of the double step bow or the doghouse seating, but it is the colors I was hoping to find and the price is good. I've just started looking and was originally looking for more of a spectra or schiada but the longer I look the less picky I get. I'll keep it in mind.
Is it a 23'?
Patience is a Virture. You will find exactly what you are looking for and at the right price. If I were you I would narrow it down to a couple of Hulls (years, makes, power plant, etc...) then start looking for those only. If you take the shot gun apporach you are going to get discouraged. I have a buddy who just bought an incredible Hallett Jet boat for the price you are looking at. His boat would eat up any chop Havasu threw at it, and it carrys 8 people, and the gel coat is amazing. IMHO, I would go with a Hallett or COLE ( but I am biased), there are a lot of nice hulls out there. Like I said pick the ones you like and then go from there. The amount of money you have to buy one really opens a lot of doors.
Ok I am getting carried away, but I have seen people just buy a boat and not have thier intended use in mind. If you are going to be wakeboarding, skiing mostly then you want a boat to fit that need. If you want to just look cool and go fast, then that is a different type boat.
Just my opinion!!

[Jetdriver]

How about a 1990 21' Proboat.
http://www2.***boat.com/image_center/data/520/79P1010109.jpg
Pm me if interested!
Shawn

[MILKMAN351]

Patience is a Virture. You will find exactly what you are looking for and at the right price. If I were you I would narrow it down to a couple of Hulls (years, makes, power plant, etc...) then start looking for those only. If you take the shot gun apporach you are going to get discouraged. I have a buddy who just bought an incredible Hallett Jet boat for the price you are looking at. His boat would eat up any chop Havasu threw at it, and it carrys 8 people, and the gel coat is amazing. IMHO, I would go with a Hallett or COLE ( but I am biased), there are a lot of nice hulls out there. Like I said pick the ones you like and then go from there. The amount of money you have to buy one really opens a lot of doors.
Ok I am getting carried away, but I have seen people just buy a boat and not have thier intended use in mind. If you are going to be wakeboarding, skiing mostly then you want a boat to fit that need. If you want to just look cool and go fast, then that is a different type boat.
Just my opinion!!
Thanks for the info, I really like the Hallett vector 21' but have seen none in my price range, I've also been leaning towards the classic river cruiser Schiada/Spectra/Howard hulls. Any would do because they all have the classic look I like. My trouble is I haven't decided on jet or v-drive and I'm picky on color and have no idea what costs are involved in re-spraying gel or adding color to a boat that doesn't exactly have the colors I want. I would even be happy to find just the hull and drive as long as I had enough left over to build a motor. My uncle would build the motor for me so I would just need to by the parts. It's hard to be patient, I feel I might miss out on something if I pass it by just because it's not exactly what I want when everyone else says its a good deal, like corleone17's continental.

[cole13]

Thanks for the info, I really like the Hallett vector 21' but have seen none in my price range, I've also been leaning towards the classic river cruiser Schiada/Spectra/Howard hulls. Any would do because they all have the classic look I like. My trouble is I haven't decided on jet or v-drive and I'm picky on color and have no idea what costs are involved in re-spraying gel or adding color to a boat that doesn't exactly have the colors I want. I would even be happy to find just the hull and drive as long as I had enough left over to build a motor. My uncle would build the motor for me so I would just need to by the parts. It's hard to be patient, I feel I might miss out on something if I pass it by just because it's not exactly what I want when everyone else says its a good deal, like corleone17's continental.
Schiada's are pretty pricey. That is what I was looking for before we bought the COLE. Jet Vs. V-Drive, is something you have to figure out. Regarding saftey, IT ALL COMES DOWN TO THE DRIVER. You are not going to start a jet with someone in the water so why would you start a V-Drive. WIth the same horsepower, v-drives are faster, if that is what you are looking for. I use my boat on the Lower Colorado where it can be pretty shallow, so I chose a jet. Color does not matter, especially if the family is having a great time. And remember to, once the boat is on the water the color may look perfect. For some reason, when looking at a boat on the trailer and then in the water. It is totally different.
Hope this helps. oh, Howards, COLE, Schiada, Hallett are all really nice boats. I am kinda partial to the guys who only produce a limited number of boats per year. Excluding Hallett but it is just a really nice hull.

[flat broke]

Thanks for the info, I really like the Hallett vector 21' but have seen none in my price range, I've also been leaning towards the classic river cruiser Schiada/Spectra/Howard hulls. Any would do because they all have the classic look I like. My trouble is I haven't decided on jet or v-drive and I'm picky on color and have no idea what costs are involved in re-spraying gel or adding color to a boat that doesn't exactly have the colors I want. I would even be happy to find just the hull and drive as long as I had enough left over to build a motor. My uncle would build the motor for me so I would just need to by the parts. It's hard to be patient, I feel I might miss out on something if I pass it by just because it's not exactly what I want when everyone else says its a good deal, like corleone17's continental.
Out of curiosity, what color tickles your fancy? Corleone's boat is a freaking steal, and should have sold long ago. If a white base is agreeable to you, it wouldn't cost that much to change some of the other colors around. If your thinking you want a project, PM Blown Spectra here on the boards, he has a spectra 20 with a white base, pacalon(woodgrain) and red trim. The hull just had 4 new stringers installed, an intake/shoe/rideplate setup installed by MPD, and I think he has a Legend pump for it. I don't know exactly what he's looking for, but if it's close to what I think it is, you could have it color sanded, buy all the little billet goodies from Rex, and get a pretty nice interior done for it for around what your looking to spend on a turn key deal.
Chris

[MILKMAN351]

Out of curiosity, what color tickles your fancy? Corleone's boat is a freaking steal, and should have sold long ago. If a white base is agreeable to you, it wouldn't cost that much to change some of the other colors around. If your thinking you want a project, PM Blown Spectra here on the boards, he has a spectra 20 with a white base, pacalon(woodgrain) and red trim. The hull just had 4 new stringers installed, an intake/shoe/rideplate setup installed by MPD, and I think he has a Legend pump for it. I don't know exactly what he's looking for, but if it's close to what I think it is, you could have it color sanded, buy all the little billet goodies from Rex, and get a pretty nice interior done for it for around what your looking to spend on a turn key deal.
Chris
As far as the color goes I like franky's schiada (white w/ red/silver/grey). My Expedition is red and grey and it would kill me to pull something behind it that didn't go, I'm super meticulous and anal when it comes to something like that. I will be getting a Ford Superduty truck when the new ones come out in '07 and it will be silver which will match a lot more. I guess as long as the boat goes with the truck I can handle towing it with the Expedition for a year or two. I just cant stand browns/beiges and 90's pastels. I could have bought my dad's super clean hardly driven 502 powered Eliminator 24' Edge for a steal but I couldn't handle the hot pink on it hense my hesitation on corleone's boat. Woodgrain or yellow I'm on the fence about, It really depends on how its used. By the way, I keep seeing people talk about spectras/schiadas in 20', 21', and 22'. Did they really make all these lengths? I would think the longer the better. I've got some pretty big guys as friends and am gonna need all the interior room I can get.

[superdave013]

better tripple (or more) your budget if you want a schiada even remotly close to Franky's.
To put it in perspective a friend just got a new schiada and has over 60K in it less engine.
I ended up with an older one and spent double your budget so far getting it back in shape. I should have just bucked up and got a new one.
A guy could get Corleone's boat. Drop it off with Toddnjuzz to have the pink changed to what ever and end up with a very sano ride. It's not a schiada 21 and never will be. But it's a very nice boat and for the coin is a great buy I think.

[flat broke]

As far as the color goes I like franky's schiada (white w/ red/silver/grey). My Expedition is red and grey and it would kill me to pull something behind it that didn't go, I'm super meticulous and anal when it comes to something like that. I will be getting a Ford Superduty truck when the new ones come out in '07 and it will be silver which will match a lot more. I guess as long as the boat goes with the truck I can handle towing it with the Expedition for a year or two. I just cant stand browns/beiges and 90's pastels. I could have bought my dad's super clean hardly driven 502 powered Eliminator 24' Edge for a steal but I couldn't handle the hot pink on it hense my hesitation on corleone's boat. Woodgrain or yellow I'm on the fence about, It really depends on how its used. By the way, I keep seeing people talk about spectras/schiadas in 20', 21', and 22'. Did they really make all these lengths? I would think the longer the better. I've got some pretty big guys as friends and am gonna need all the interior room I can get.
Schiada - 20, 21, and 22. The 20 is a tight fit for 4 big guys, the 21 has about the same interior space as a Spectra 20(I'll get to that in a minute), and the 22 has a little more freeboard than a Schiada 21 with its more old school tooling.
Spectra - 18, 19 and 20. The 18 is a downsized daycruiser, similar in cockpit space to the Schiada 20, but a smaller boat overal. The 19 is a low profile GN looking hull with about the same amount of interior space as the 18, but with less freeboard. The spectra 20 measures in 20' 10", so its similar in size and freeboard to the Schiada 21 RC, The hull has a slightly slacker deadrise angle which will make for a potentially rougher ride in big chop, but has been debated to be faster on the top end with big power in a V-drive (probably due to less wetted area as a result of the shallower V at the transom).
The Schiada 21 RC is the quintessential badass river rod that everyone wants and no one has. For that reason, finding one with colors like Franky's even at 4 times the amount of your current budget and far less desireable power and rigging options, is going to be near impossible. Spectras are far more plentiful because there were more of them made. Through the 70s and early 80s they cranked out a lot of these boats, and to their testament many have endured the test of time and neglect by owners fairly well in terms of structural integrity. Bottom line, they are both good hulls, one has a higher resale value than the other, but in terms of strength and utility they are near equals with the edge going to Schiada only because you can find them newer than Spectras, and in my opinion, the deck on the 21 RC looks better than the Specra.
One more note. If you opt to go with jet propulsion for one of these, you will be VERY hard pressed to find a Schiada. Whereas Spectras will be mostly setup with jets. Either way, make no mistake these hulls (Schiada or Spectra) take tons of power to haul ass with a jet.
Where does all of this get you? Buy Corleone's boat, and if the color is just that big of an issue to you, cal Salvador at Orange County boat repair to get a quote and changing the blue to red, and swapping out the other colors on the deck for something else. :D
Chris

[MILKMAN351]

better tripple (or more) your budget if you want a schiada even remotly close to Franky's.
To put it in perspective a friend just got a new schiada and has over 60K in it less engine.
I ended up with an older one and spent double your budget so far getting it back in shape. I should have just bucked up and got a new one.
A guy could get Corleone's boat. Drop it off with Toddnjuzz to have the pink changed to what ever and end up with a very sano ride. It's not a schiada 21 and never will be. But it's a very nice boat and for the coin is a great buy I think.
yes I know franky's is out of my league but I was referring to the question flat broke asked me about color. I've e-mailed and pm'd corleone and if I don't hear from him I'll call him. I'll be in Vegas this weekend and could go take a look at the boat. Do you know how much it would cost to screw with the color on it?

[superdave013]

PM Toddnjuzz about it. That's what he does and he does it very well.

[MILKMAN351]

Schiada - 20, 21, and 22. The 20 is a tight fit for 4 big guys, the 21 has about the same interior space as a Spectra 20(I'll get to that in a minute), and the 22 has a little more freeboard than a Schiada 21 with its more old school tooling.
Spectra - 18, 19 and 20. The 18 is a downsized daycruiser, similar in cockpit space to the Schiada 20, but a smaller boat overal. The 19 is a low profile GN looking hull with about the same amount of interior space as the 18, but with less freeboard. The spectra 20 measures in 20' 10", so its similar in size and freeboard to the Schiada 21 RC, The hull has a slightly slacker deadrise angle which will make for a potentially rougher ride in big chop, but has been debated to be faster on the top end with big power in a V-drive (probably due to less wetted area as a result of the shallower V at the transom).
The Schiada 21 RC is the quintessential badass river rod that everyone wants and no one has. For that reason, finding one with colors like Franky's even at 4 times the amount of your current budget and far less desireable power and rigging options, is going to be near impossible. Spectras are far more plentiful because there were more of them made. Through the 70s and early 80s they cranked out a lot of these boats, and to their testament many have endured the test of time and neglect by owners fairly well in terms of structural integrity. Bottom line, they are both good hulls, one has a higher resale value than the other, but in terms of strength and utility they are near equals with the edge going to Schiada only because you can find them newer than Spectras, and in my opinion, the deck on the 21 RC looks better than the Specra.
One more note. If you opt to go with jet propulsion for one of these, you will be VERY hard pressed to find a Schiada. Whereas Spectras will be mostly setup with jets. Either way, make no mistake these hulls (Schiada or Spectra) take tons of power to haul ass with a jet.
Where does all of this get you? Buy Corleone's boat, and if the color is just that big of an issue to you, cal Salvador at Orange County boat repair to get a quote and changing the blue to red, and swapping out the other colors on the deck for something else. :D
Chris
Really appreciate the info. So was it the Spectra or the Schiada that made the 22' and how rare are those compared to the 21'? I like the idea of having a little extra freeboard. Do you know what kind of boat Hustler is running?

[flat broke]

The 22 is a Schiada. Harder to find because they weren't made as long, buuuut the upside is that they don't appeal to as many people so they are sometimes more afordable than the 21s. Corleone actually has one in his driveway, so when you go out to look at the Continental, maybe you could have a peek at that as well. I thought that I saw that it was for sale as well, but that didn't make much sense, so I'd call him on that. If you do a quick search for posts by him, you should be able to find pictures of his 22 project.
Hustler's boat is a Hustler. Its 22' ?" slacker deadrise at the transom than a Spectra as far as I remember. The entry on the hull might be a little slacker as well. His boat is nice and gets used A LOT. I the years that I've known of his boat, I've never seen another one like it, so finding one would be tough. As far as performance, last I heard 800-900hp was getting him right around 75, but I know he's changed some hardware that might have improved that speed dramatically. PM him and you might be able to get more info.
One more thing.... The PMs on the boards don't always work, so if you need to get a hold of someone that you have a phn number for, its quicker and easier to call em.
Chris

[MILKMAN351]

am I looking at that horsepower to speed ratio on all those hulls or is Hustler's just a heavy boat?

[flat broke]

am I looking at that horsepower to speed ratio on all those hulls or is Hustler's just a heavy boat?
Most all of the "old school" cruisers have lifting strakes that stop well ahead of the transom. On a v'drive where the prop can be used to generate lift, this isn't an issue, but on jets which rely more on the inheirent lift in the hull's design, it IS an issue. On my Spectra 20, I'm utilizing 720-750 of the 821 hp my mill makes at its peak RPM. That is good for 72mph. 4* back cut shoe, rideplate up 4*, short droop, and trimed out to run. Big Proppa's Spectra 20 with closer to Hustlers HP, runs 72-75 with no rideplate or shoe. Not a lot of bigger HP jet cruisers running around, but it would seem that for the jets those speed to hp ratios are pretty common. That kind of HP in a V'drive would see considerably different results. But it's hard to find clean 20-21' V'drive cruisers at your pricepoint. One more reason everyone is telling ya to check out Corleone's deal.
Simply put, in your price bracket, you don't have the luxury of being picky about colors when it comes to a clean piece. If you're looking to run 75+, you're going to be looking for a well setup Jet with BIG power, or a well setup V'drive with moderate to big power. The jet version will be hard to find in that configuration, and the V'drive even harder. Bear in mind we're talking clean pieces here. That and the fact that you are looking at the worst possible time in terms of pricing for a buyer. Believe me, I'm not getting down on you, just passing on what I've noticed over the years that I've wasted money on my tug ;)
Chris

[flat broke]

I just noticed that a local South Bay Schiada 20 had its price dropped. Check out this thread.
http://www2.***boat.com/forums/showthread.php?t=81254
The boat is a pretty clean piece. All orriginal, but the catch is that it's a merc 260hp package I/O.... The good news, is that it wouldn't be hard to put a 600hp Merlin deal in there and upgrade to an XR drive :D It would move out pretty good then.
Chris

[MILKMAN351]

Thanks a lot for all your input. Sorry for all the questions but I'm new and still learning. I'm not pressed to buy a boat right now and probably should wait until fall/winter, but I don't want to pass up a good deal either. What's your take on waiting until later in the year? I've spoken with Corleone and am going to try to hook up with him this weekend. He's got someone else flying out on Thursday so we'll see what happens. He has no prop or rudder yet so we won't be able to run it. His 22' isn't for sale. I've driven the jet boats we had when I was younger (19' kona bubble deck, 21' kona day cruiser, 21' ultra), how different is it to drive a v-drive. Seems like a lot more things involved in the drivetrain to maintain.

[Jordy]

Seems like a lot more things involved in the drivetrain to maintain.
Exactly. I just sold my 21' Schiada v-drive and the difference between my 19' jet that I still have (engine to jet pump) and my 21' v-drive (engine to transmission to driveshaft to v-drive box to prop shaft (though the v-drive log/propshaft seal) to the prop, plus the rudder and all assorted goodies), yeah, there is a little bit more to the operation. Not to be a real pessimist, but $13K, you'd be better off to scrape and grab Corleone's boat and not worry about the colors. I sold my '76 Schiada for over twice that. ;)

[charger77]

Check Out Cruiser For Sale. Username Bobby B

[vee-driven]

here you go 78 hallett all new with a 540 twin turbo bbc.
http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o236/path5150/patsnewpics003.jpg

[jetboatperformance]

Milkman check your Pms Tom