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View Full Version : New Howard Sport Deck!!



TPI
06-10-2005, 06:16 PM
Fresh out of the mold. This is the very first Howard Deckboat. It has lines just like their Bullet series. The tooling is flawless, and so damn straight! It will sport pewter and polished stainless steel hardware, and be powered by a TPI 700 EFI. I think they are going to sell a bunch of these boats.
http://www2.***boat.com/image_center/data/500/279Deckboat_pop_19_md.jpg

TPI
06-10-2005, 06:17 PM
http://www2.***boat.com/image_center/data/500/279Deckboat_pop_20_md.jpg

bordsmnj
06-10-2005, 06:31 PM
phuuck that's nice.!! thats gotta be the nicest set of lines of any deck boat i've seen yet . (accept for the ultra 23 deck,as i don't generaly like big boats). that boat is gonna be badass with that tpi motor. more pics please. way to hit another one outa the park,Howard.

mbrown2
06-10-2005, 06:40 PM
Really nice boat...and I know they followed the Bullet lines, but the dash and gunnels sloping towards the back resemble a March 26...Awesome looking deck.

al cole'holic
06-10-2005, 06:49 PM
..that is sick for sure!! I am gonna have a rough time getting a new boat for sure!! :eek:

Waldo
06-10-2005, 06:52 PM
Is that a completely new tooled design?

riverroyal
06-10-2005, 07:18 PM
thats really nice,I have a another brand deck boat,that would have been something to look at,whats the price gonna be?with a basic 496 set up,do you know?

BarryMac
06-10-2005, 07:20 PM
Yeah, what RR said, what's the price and how big is that badass boat???

bchbum
06-10-2005, 07:26 PM
If you see me in a boat like that , it means I won the lotto . Damn , that thing looks bad ass .

TPI
06-10-2005, 07:28 PM
It was all tooled at Howard from SCRATCH.They did use portions of their 26 Cat for the bottom, but thats it. Seriously, it looks really nice, and it appears that the months of block sanding the plug and the mold have really paid off. At one point today(at Howard) Everyone was just staring at the Deckboat in awe. I personally am very impressed with the tooling, layout and design. I love my 28 Bullet, but if I was in the market for a deckboat, I would not have far to look. This was worth the wait, for sure.

riverroyal
06-10-2005, 07:29 PM
any hints?its 28ft right?

TPI
06-10-2005, 07:32 PM
I thought I heard someone say $99K with a 496?????I am not sure though. It measures 28.5'.

riverroyal
06-10-2005, 07:33 PM
within 5k of all the other 28ft decks out there,hope they are ready to man-up,my guess is they will sell a ton

INSman
06-10-2005, 09:37 PM
I wonder where they got the idea for ORANGE in the color scheme and the use of a TPI motor ?? :jawdrop: :idea: :D

ROZ
06-10-2005, 10:42 PM
Have they already tested the bottom? Any ride issues?

SDLifesaver
06-11-2005, 05:07 AM
Good job Gary making this it's own subject. What a great looking Hull. The picture is very decieving in that it makes the open bow portion look really short and the swim platform area look really low. We are going to drive up on the 6 day next week and look at it. Thanks, Essex 502 for taking the pictures. Nick

TPI
06-11-2005, 05:32 AM
This boat is VERY big/roomy in person. It looks like a boat 30+' long. Insman: Believe it or not, I did not have anything to do with the orange, I saw it for the first time yesterday. I love it!!!!!!!I also had an inquiry on the 700 from the deckboat owner, and it just happened. He loves it!!!!!!!As much as I would have liked to have some influence on the developement of this awesome boat, I had none. I will see to it that it runs well and for a long time though, no doubt about that.

jbtrailerjim
06-11-2005, 06:27 AM
Awesome! I love it! Look's like Howard definitely has another winner. :cool:

cc322
06-11-2005, 06:40 AM
Love the lines of the boat, especialy like how they stayed with the bullet style. It should do real well for them.

Mandelon
06-11-2005, 07:08 AM
It really looks like they sliced a Bullet 28 down the middle...Nick, I think you should get one! :wink: Go with a TPI, more HP for your $$$ :crossx:

SDLifesaver
06-11-2005, 08:52 AM
Dude I can't afford that HIGH ROLLER Gary Taylor stuff. I'll be lucky to get a new boat with a 350MAG at best. We'll see.

UnionJack
06-11-2005, 08:54 AM
looks great, clean lines... just what you would expect from howard.

Biglue
06-11-2005, 08:55 AM
sweet ride.

Angry Inch
06-11-2005, 09:10 AM
that ish is HOT HOT HOT!

INSman
06-11-2005, 09:18 AM
This boat is VERY big/roomy in person. It looks like a boat 30+' long. Insman: Believe it or not, I did not have anything to do with the orange, I saw it for the first time yesterday. I love it!!!!!!!I also had an inquiry on the 700 from the deckboat owner, and it just happened. He loves it!!!!!!!As much as I would have liked to have some influence on the developement of this awesome boat, I had none. I will see to it that it runs well and for a long time though, no doubt about that.
I just like to give you a hard time Gary !!!
saw your old 25 Bullet out at Lake Mojave last weekend, and the boat still looks great and was running it pretty dam hard :)

little rowe boat
06-11-2005, 02:33 PM
Beautiful boat,I don't know if it's the angle of the pic, but the front or the deck looks a little small.
It will be interesting to see what they are going to sell for.
The lines are incredible,from the side it does not look like a deck boat.

roln 20s
06-12-2005, 03:43 PM
Holy S*&t--I've also watched the tooling of this boat for over a year. Wow--I'll be in SoCal on the 4th of July weekend and am going to run to Howard to look at it. Its definately the proportions of the pics that make the front look small--its HUGE--I got to walk around the plug.
Well, now if they will just make a new Cat top to match those lines..I'm in ( for reals).
Great work Howard.
Roln 20s

TPI
06-12-2005, 06:30 PM
Roln,
Dont give them any ideas..................................I am pushing for the Grande size Bullet (32+'), but for now, I am looking forward to seeing this Sportdeck run!

MudPumper
06-12-2005, 06:41 PM
thats really nice,I have a another brand deck boat,that would have been something to look at,whats the price gonna be?with a basic 496 set up,do you know?
All I know is that Gene REALLY does not like building boats with Stock Power. Gotta love that. :D :D :D

INSman
06-12-2005, 09:09 PM
Roln,
Dont give them any ideas..................................I am pushing for the Grande size Bullet (32+'), but for now, I am looking forward to seeing this Sportdeck run!
I too am looking forward to the 32+ Bullet !! The only problem being, that DCB might have an FX32 first. Tell Gene and Mike to kick it into HIGH gear !!

Kilrtoy
06-12-2005, 09:26 PM
Very nice boat.....
Im sure it will sell plenty....

acatitude
06-12-2005, 09:36 PM
another great looking boat from Howard. And the hits keep on coming

phebus
06-13-2005, 04:32 AM
32' sounds great, but I wonder where the practical limit will be for lake boats. Hell, I remember when a 24' daycruiser was huge.

TPI
06-13-2005, 05:22 AM
32' sounds great, but I wonder where the practical limit will be for lake boats. Hell, I remember when a 24' daycruiser was huge.
This is so true....................But if the market is there?????I say go for it. They are getting a bunch of orders for 28 Bullets right now, and the phone has not stopped ringing about the sportdeck. I think they need a bigger shop? They will always limit there production to about 40 boats/annually, but if those 40 boats are greater than 28', thats gonna take up some space. I can easily see a day four months from now when there facility is going to be producing a large percentage of these deckboats. I have to keep my wife away from there. The sad truth is...............I really, really, like it. I will not get pulled over to the dark cat side!

OutCole'd
06-13-2005, 11:23 AM
With as many deck boat's I see on the lake nowadays, you know Howard is going to sell lots of these boats.
It does look great, but what would you expect from a company like Howard?

TPI
06-13-2005, 07:30 PM
Dude I can't afford that HIGH ROLLER Gary Taylor stuff. I'll be lucky to get a new boat with a 350MAG at best. We'll see.
Now there is two words I thought I would never hear next to my name. High Roller? LMAO! I have to take a break from typing to laugh again............................................. .................................................. .................................................. ............Cmon Nick, You know these engines only cost so much because of the price of the parts. Building a true All American EFI with fully polished CMI's and all the accessories is a small fortune. I wish I could buy this stuff cheaper, But I will never do that kind of volume, I dont want to do volume, it takes the fun out of it. High Roller..................I am still laughing. Go order your Howard Sportdeck, your wife will love you even more.

Nord
06-13-2005, 07:33 PM
What was the length of this boat again?

TPI
06-13-2005, 07:53 PM
What was the length of this boat again?
28.5

Nord
06-13-2005, 07:55 PM
It looks so small in the picture, does it have a low free board??

TPI
06-13-2005, 08:53 PM
It looks so small in the picture, does it have a low free board??
This boat is not small, by any means. It is massive in person. I cant wait to see it on a trailer. I am sure there will be pics soon with people on board. also:The free board is plenty high. It is very roomy and laid out well inside.

SDLifesaver
06-14-2005, 05:00 AM
We are going up on Friday and I will take LOTS of pics. I can't wait to see it in person but I am afraid after talking to Gene yesterday that it is out of our price range. Nick

TPI
06-14-2005, 06:16 PM
See you friday, I will be there.
Gary

Angry Inch
06-14-2005, 06:23 PM
Where in socal does howard have his shop?

OutCole'd
06-14-2005, 06:37 PM
Where in socal does howard have his shop?
Valencia, near Magic Mountain

Mandelon
06-14-2005, 06:40 PM
Go Nick Go!!!! :D

beach gomer
06-14-2005, 07:14 PM
Does this boat come with a full interliner? From the pictures, it appears like they add the floor later. Does anyone know??

TPI
06-14-2005, 08:19 PM
They have a mold for the inner liner. It is separate. The inner liner is glassed in before the top and bottom are glassed together.

SDLifesaver
06-15-2005, 05:22 AM
What time are you going to be there Gary? I am leaving S.D. at 08:00 or so and should be there before lunch depending on traffic. My wife says we will probably stay a few hours to shoot the S*#@ and get the price info and all that. Gene seems to think if we bring him our boat he can have it sold by the July 4th weekend. I look forward to meeting you on Friday. Nick

Mandelon
06-15-2005, 05:25 AM
Damn, you are up early! :supp:

SDLifesaver
06-15-2005, 05:33 AM
Yeah, I am at work and we are going surfing and I start 8 days off today so I gotta get my stuff ready and the station buttoned up.

TPI
06-15-2005, 06:05 AM
I will be there all day Thurs, Fri, and Sat. I am sure I will see you there. Also: I dont think Gene will have any trouble selling that boat of yours.

OutCole'd
06-15-2005, 06:21 AM
What time are you going to be there Gary? I am leaving S.D. at 08:00 or so and should be there before lunch depending on traffic. My wife says we will probably stay a few hours to shoot the S*#@ and get the price info and all that. Gene seems to think if we bring him our boat he can have it sold by the July 4th weekend. I look forward to meeting you on Friday. Nick
Don't forget your camera.

Mandelon
06-15-2005, 07:53 AM
Yeah, I am at work and we are going surfing and I start 8 days off today so I gotta get my stuff ready and the station buttoned up.
You are at work and surfing? Damn tax dollars at work! Then 8 days off...you got it made bruddah. :220v: :boxed:

Troubles No More
06-15-2005, 08:05 AM
Where in socal does howard have his shop?
Howard Custom Boats
28113 Avenue Stanford Valencia CA 91355
Telephone 661-257-9275
FAX 661-257-3745
Electronic mail..
General Information: mike@howardboats.com
Sales: gene@howardboats.com
Customer Support: mike@howardboats.com
http://www.howardboats.com/index.htm

ROZ
06-15-2005, 08:58 AM
Again, any word on how the bottom will perform? What kind of testing have they done with it yet? Sounds like a split bullet with parts of the cat's bottom??

djunkie
06-15-2005, 09:15 AM
SD Lifesaver What boat do you have now that you are thinking of selling?

Troubles No More
06-15-2005, 03:34 PM
Again, any word on how the bottom will perform? What kind of testing have they done with it yet? Sounds like a split bullet with parts of the cat's bottom??
Mike said that this is a combination of two different Howard boats, they started with the bottom of their 26 Cat and use a section of a Bullet for the driver and passenger dash. The rest of the boat Mike did from scratch. I think his goal is to deliver a 28 ft deck boat with more performance, speed and comfort than any other deck boat out there. It will come with best of features, you have to see it to believe the storage/room on it.
If you have never been to the shop or are not familiar with a Howard boat, check out the article in this month Powerboat magazine on the Bullet. It doesn’t get any better.
For more than 45 years Howard custom boats has been earning a reputation for rugged reliability, top performance and superior innovation. Today, Howard continues this tradition with the introduction of the Howard Sport Deck…my.02

Essex502
06-16-2005, 05:24 PM
It is awesome in person. I can't believe how big and roomy it is inside. Pictures don't do justice.

ROZ
06-17-2005, 06:19 PM
Mike said that this is a combination of two different Howard boats, they started with the bottom of their 26 Cat and use a section of a Bullet for the driver and passenger dash. The rest of the boat Mike did from scratch. I think his goal is to deliver a 28 ft deck boat with more performance, speed and comfort than any other deck boat out there. It will come with best of features, you have to see it to believe the storage/room on it.
If you have never been to the shop or are not familiar with a Howard boat, check out the article in this month Powerboat magazine on the Bullet. It doesn’t get any better.
For more than 45 years Howard custom boats has been earning a reputation for rugged reliability, top performance and superior innovation. Today, Howard continues this tradition with the introduction of the Howard Sport Deck…my.02
I've been following Roln20's Howard posts for years. He could write a book :D I totally understand the company's commitment to putting the best product on the water.
I just want to know if this bottom design has touched the water yet, or is this the first boat period... If it has seen water, I want to know how it performed... and if any tweaking has been done yet...that's all...
Since Roln and GT seem to be the Howard authority on da boards, what's the brief history on this boat?

SDLifesaver
06-17-2005, 08:24 PM
We have a 2002 21' Open Bow 496 Mag/Bravo 1, 60 hrs, stored indoors, under 2 covers in a climate controlled atmosphere. If you go to the Howard website, click on showroom and then scroll down to the boats without pictures and click on the 21' Open Bow. Ours is similar to that boat but the gel is different and the interior is not pure white like that one. The swim steps on our boat match our paint scheme and are not all white like the boat in the picture. Nick

Mandelon
06-17-2005, 08:25 PM
Where's the pics of the deck boat, nick????

RiverDave
06-17-2005, 09:08 PM
A trick Deck needs some Trick one off Billet.. ;)
Boat looks phenominal by the way.. ;) Hats off to Mike!
RD

TPI
06-17-2005, 09:14 PM
I've been following Roln20's Howard posts for years. He could write a book :D I totally understand the company's commitment to putting the best product on the water.
I just want to know if this bottom design has touched the water yet, or is this the first boat period... If it has seen water, I want to know how it performed... and if any tweaking has been done yet...that's all...
Since Roln and GT seem to be the Howard authority on da boards, what's the brief history on this boat?
Just like the 25 and 28 Bullet..............A ton of R&D was done prior to starting this sportdeck. The first time this sportdeck touches the water, will be the first time the design will be put to the test. I have NO DOUBT it will run smooth and nice. I am looking forward to the lake test, probably 3 weeks away.

ROZ
06-17-2005, 11:26 PM
Just like the 25 and 28 Bullet..............A ton of R&D was done prior to starting this sportdeck. The first time this sportdeck touches the water, will be the first time the design will be put to the test. I have NO DOUBT it will run smooth and nice. I am looking forward to the lake test, probably 3 weeks away.
Thankn you for the reply... Please keep us posted on the results!

SDLifesaver
06-18-2005, 06:26 AM
We didn't end up going. My nuts were a little sore and a 6 hour drive was not appealing to me in the morning. The guy who was hot and bothered to buy our boat didn't call like he said he was going to so we weren't going to Havasu. I spoke to Mike at length on the phone Thursday night and we can't afford it. He's talking 100 grand with a 496 Mag plus tax. I am sure it is an awesome boat but we have to draw a line when the boat payment exceeds the mortgage payment on the Havasu house. I can't wait to see it at the regatta but as for now it is unreachable for us single income people. Nick

UnionJack
06-22-2005, 08:46 AM
any new photo's

TPI
06-22-2005, 05:58 PM
Nothing that would make a great picture. They are finshing up the engine hatch, doors, etc.................................They are making all of the interior patterns and just making everything perfect. The are working hard, but it's a drawn out process. I am eager to get my motor in this boat and see how it likes the 110+ temps at the lake! I dont think it will be too much longer, if there are any new happenings, I will post the pics.................

azgfboatgirl
06-22-2005, 06:07 PM
Sweet! No wonder I haven't heard from anyone at Howard lately. ;)

SBullet
06-22-2005, 06:27 PM
That deck boat has some sweet looking lines!!