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View Full Version : LAVEYCRAFT 27 VS. NORDIC 28 or fast v bottoms



WHO WANTS TO GO TO THE SANDBAR
02-09-2006, 08:31 PM
I'm thinking of purchasing a new boat. I have a 20 ft Stoker right now. I like the speed but need more room.. I'm a tunnel boat guy. I like fast v bottoms boats also. Any suggestions.. Who has these boats, (Lavey's, Nordic's, Howard's,Fountains) I like the 525's with the I T S drive. Anybody have the v-10 Ilmor . I know there are 496 aftermarket kits to improve its horsepower, is it better to purchase the more costly engine package ..

Kilrtoy
02-09-2006, 08:43 PM
No Clue, But
I Want To Go To The Sandbar

shadow
02-09-2006, 08:46 PM
No Clue, But
I Want To Go To The Sandbar
Kilr,i was out by the sand bar this evening.Took the Rhino and some cold ones
for a sunset cruise.The stretch of river between the Lake and sand bar was awesome,only one fishing boat slicing through the glass.

shadow
02-09-2006, 08:59 PM
I'm thinking of purchasing a new boat. I have a 20 ft Stoker right now. I like the speed but need more room.. I'm a tunnel boat guy. I like fast v bottoms boats also. Any suggestions.. Who has these boats, (Lavey's, Nordic's, Howard's,Fountains) I like the 525's with the I T S drive. Anybody have the v-10 Ilmor . I know there are 496 aftermarket kits to improve its horsepower, is it better to purchase the more costly engine package ..
Try a search for the triple digit bullet thread.the Lavey and Nordic are also
nice.I think Howard would be the fastest,Lavey then Nordic considering each boat with the same power.

Mandelon
02-09-2006, 09:01 PM
The question is a bit general. Everyone will recommend their brand. Even Debbolas.... :rolleyes: I'd agree with Shadow on the order he posted above given equal power, but to get more detailed info....we need a detailed question.

roln 20s
02-09-2006, 09:14 PM
Howard Bullet...hands down in my opinion. I've riden & driven a 25 Bullet with a 496HO numerous times, plus ridden in the Twin Turbo 28 Bullet at 90+, Gary Taylor's 28 orange bullet at 107mph and then E502's 28 bullet with the 525. All are just exceptionally built, amazing handling, pure performance luxury. For the record- I don't own one- I bought a DCB cat. However, if I was buying a vee--that would be the ONLY boat I would buy (well except a 39 Outerlimits :) :D )
I know that Mike and Gene at Howard would like to do a Ilmor in their 28 Bullet. My guess would be a turn key, 85+ mph machine..all day with ride quality and room for friends.
You can PM with any specific questions.
Good luck.
Roln 20s

riverracerx
02-10-2006, 09:16 AM
Get the Nordic!! Best bang for the buck. Or pay another 40K for a bullet?
I have had mine since 2001 with zero problems. It is a GREAT boat!

WHO WANTS TO GO TO THE SANDBAR
02-10-2006, 07:58 PM
Get the Nordic!! Best bang for the buck. Or pay another 40K for a bullet?
I have had mine since 2001 with zero problems. It is a GREAT boat!
WHY DO YOU LIKE THE NORDIC.... WHAT SIZE, 25 OR THE 28.... MY COUSIN TEST DROVE THE 28 WITH THE ILMOR IN IT. HE SAID IT WAS A LITTLE SQUIRRELY (DID I SPELL IT RIGHT) ABOUT 70 MPH, IT WHEN OVER 80.. I HEARD THE HOWARD IS A SMOOTH WATER BOAT, I HAVE A HOUSE IN HAVASU, ITS NOT THAT SMOOTH.......... I WANT A BOAT THAT IS FAST, A GOOD ROUGH RIDING WATER BOAT. IS YOUR AN OPEN BOAT OR CLOSED, I LIKE THE CLOSE BOAT BETTER. THANKS FOR THE INFO

Chromegorilla
02-10-2006, 08:07 PM
Velocity VR1...... only if you want a fast boat......

roln 20s
02-10-2006, 08:11 PM
The Howard can handle some serious water, including catalina runs. In the smooth water, it will NOT chine walk like some of the others out there. It handles like a dream...in any water. As RRX mentioned, it is a little higher priced than the others, but the 3 Boat of Year awards do speak for themselves. Just do yourself a favor--and test drive them all. They are all good boats and regardless what you buy- they are all a ton of $$$.
Just get what you want- you'll know after your drive and ride in them.
Roln 20s

SnakeWrench
02-10-2006, 08:31 PM
Here is what you need to do, Get in touch with the builders, get test rides and make the choice based on what you feel in the seat. There are many here that say, "buy this,buy that" but they are not you. All the builders you mentioned are great builders, but add one more to the list. Cobra makes 26 V that runs mid 70's with an HO and it is a bit less expensive than some you have mentioned. I won't say that Cobra is the only way to go, but definately do you homework by actually riding in them before you buy. Nobody can argue with that.
Good luck.
Snake

SnakeWrench
02-10-2006, 08:34 PM
The Howard can handle some serious water, including catalina runs. In the smooth water, it will NOT chine walk like some of the others out there. It handles like a dream...in any water. As RRX mentioned, it is a little higher priced than the others, but the 3 Boat of Year awards do speak for themselves. Just do yourself a favor--and test drive them all. They are all good boats and regardless what you buy- they are all a ton of $$$.
Just get what you want- you'll know after your drive and ride in them.
Roln 20s
Exactly the point I was making. Oh, by the way, Cobra has a few PB awards also....if that is important.

Faster Daddy
02-10-2006, 10:37 PM
The Howard can handle some serious water, including catalina runs. In the smooth water, it will NOT chine walk like some of the others out there. It handles like a dream...in any water. As RRX mentioned, it is a little higher priced than the others, but the 3 Boat of Year awards do speak for themselves. Just do yourself a favor--and test drive them all. They are all good boats and regardless what you buy- they are all a ton of $$$.
Just get what you want- you'll know after your drive and ride in them.
Roln 20s
You are kidding yourself. Take a 25 bullet out for a Catalina run with bigger than 1-2 footers and you'll feel like you just had your ass kicked! Its a beautiful boat, and fast on 1-2 foot river/lake water, but theres a reason nobody races those boats, they don't run in the rough. If your looking for a lake boat I would definately look at the Howard, or Nordic. The laveyCraft is a true deep V starting at something like 36deg at the bow to 24deg at the stern. Definately a tested rough water boat if you'll be going offshore.
Make sure you test drive the boat where you will be boating. Good luck on your search.
Brian
BTW ... any offended Howard owners are welcome to come and join us on our 3rd annual Catalina run the weekend of February 25-26. Would love to see your boats and it will give you a chance to prove me wrong. :p
Check out the thread on Hotspots west. :cool:

cc322
02-10-2006, 10:46 PM
Just for the record The 2750 Lavey LOVES rough water really dont see any other west coast builders racing there boats in this class. Also the 2750 f1-11 has the same bottom as the 2750 you would buy for the recreational boater.

Blacksheep
02-11-2006, 01:31 AM
I'm thinking of purchasing a new boat. I have a 20 ft Stoker right now. I like the speed but need more room.. I'm a tunnel boat guy. I like fast v bottoms boats also. Any suggestions.. Who has these boats, (Lavey's, Nordic's, Howard's,Fountains) I like the 525's with the I T S drive. Anybody have the v-10 Ilmor . I know there are 496 aftermarket kits to improve its horsepower, is it better to purchase the more costly engine package ..
I have the v-10 550 engine. in a 27 Shadow I love it. Great torque/acceleration and awesome sound. People at the ramp can tell you have something different under the hatch.
I don't think you can beat the V-10s for power to weight ratio. I've gotten 85 out of my boat and I'm still dialing in the props to get all the rpms out of the engine. I'm guessing I'll push 90 when it's all said and done.
I've had Mercury engines before and I don't think you can beat Ilmor's customer support. Ian is about the best there is. I also put a plexiglass mirror on my hatch and it looks sharp with v-10 viper.
It really comes down to personal choice. Shadow has the raylar kit on his 496 and he's had good things to say about that. Back in late 04 when I was contiplating the v-10 board members gave me crap for even thinking of it. Now look at everyone who is considering them and all the boats at the boat show with them....
Bottomline, I don't think you can go wrong with the v-10. It comes down to $$$$$, personal choice, and if you want something that is a little out of the norm (And sounds way cool!)
Good luck!

ECeptor
02-11-2006, 07:28 AM
Look at the Superboats Y2K (http://www.superboatonline.com/A30Y2K.html) .
They handle big water, big power and are reasonablely priced.
Here's the details of a +90mph Y2K. (http://www2.***boat.com/forums/showthread.php?t=80029)

Eliminator 4 Life
02-11-2006, 07:34 AM
My buddy has a 28 Nordic that hits 104 on the GPS. Let me know if you are intrested in a new Nordic as we have several in stock 25's and 28's. Thanks Rob

Nordicflame
02-11-2006, 02:12 PM
WHY DO YOU LIKE THE NORDIC.... WHAT SIZE, 25 OR THE 28.... MY COUSIN TEST DROVE THE 28 WITH THE ILMOR IN IT. HE SAID IT WAS A LITTLE SQUIRRELY (DID I SPELL IT RIGHT) ABOUT 70 MPH, IT WHEN OVER 80.. I HEARD THE HOWARD IS A SMOOTH WATER BOAT, I HAVE A HOUSE IN HAVASU, ITS NOT THAT SMOOTH.......... I WANT A BOAT THAT IS FAST, A GOOD ROUGH RIDING WATER BOAT. IS YOUR AN OPEN BOAT OR CLOSED, I LIKE THE CLOSE BOAT BETTER. THANKS FOR THE INFO
All fun choices and here's just a couple more facts to ponder...
The above may have been a weight distribution issue with the lighter Ilmor.
I'm working a 2002 Nordic Heat that we are planning on breaking the 100mph barrier with an R-Tech Supercooler in the Spring. The boat consistantly runs 95+ mph GPS currently so this should be a realistic number.
I can tell you two things from personal experience; One is it takes a good amount of hp to get a Heat to run fast; Two is that is absolutely "rock" solid at over 90 with no tabs once you indeed get it to run fast.
All great boats and have different great qualities!!
If it matters I don't think you'll come close to the cabin room of the Heat in most of the above choices.
All what your looking for and just fun to be looking :rollside:
Good Luck,
Dave

SnakeWrench
02-11-2006, 02:20 PM
We've done a few v-10's also. 550's and 625's. We did a 550 in one of the 270 razors and we were very happy with the 84 MPH it got. The Ilmores are great engines even if they are a bit pricey.

riverracerx
02-11-2006, 02:30 PM
Mine is a 28 open bow with a 502. Best is 64 GPS, all day at 60-61 at havasu in the heat.
Drive them all and see what YOU like! I can't say anything bad about the three, but having a Nordic I can tell you they are very nice boats and I think they are very reasonably priced for what you get.
Price them all out and drive them. I don't think you will dislike any of them. All good choices. But if you get a 496 you must get a boat bling cover. I hear they add 3+ mph to your top speed. I think someone that posted already can hook you up! ;)

RAZORSHARP
02-11-2006, 04:27 PM
i heard at least 4+.

hotlavey
02-11-2006, 09:26 PM
Exactly the point I was making. Oh, by the way, Cobra has a few PB awards also....if that is important.
Snake, check your PM's.

CAHotRodBoy
02-12-2006, 04:43 PM
You are kidding yourself. Take a 25 bullet out for a Catalina run with bigger than 1-2 footers and you'll feel like you just had your ass kicked! Its a beautiful boat, and fast on 1-2 foot river/lake water, but theres a reason nobody races those boats, they don't run in the rough. If your looking for a lake boat I would definately look at the Howard, or Nordic. The laveyCraft is a true deep V starting at something like 36deg at the bow to 24deg at the stern. Definately a tested rough water boat if you'll be going offshore.
Make sure you test drive the boat where you will be boating. Good luck on your search.
Brian
BTW ... any offended Howard owners are welcome to come and join us on our 3rd annual Catalina run the weekend of February 25-26. Would love to see your boats and it will give you a chance to prove me wrong. :p
Check out the thread on Hotspots west. :cool:
I got to be a safety boat at the Ventura races a couple years ago. The F1-11 boat was there and was kicking serious butt (as usual)! It won its class and I think we were in 8 to 10's that day. Don't confuse a lake boat with an off shore boat!

roln 20s
02-12-2006, 05:34 PM
But if you get a 496 you must get a boat bling cover. I hear they add 3+ mph to your top speed. I think someone that posted already can hook you up! ;)
You know it...I can hook you up :D :) The 3 or 4 mph gains depending on your driving skills...we've seen much higher gains as well :rollside:
Roln 20s

SnakeWrench
02-12-2006, 05:57 PM
Snake, check your PM's.
Gotcha, I pm'd you back T

Burley1
02-12-2006, 06:03 PM
I'm thinking of purchasing a new boat. I have a 20 ft Stoker right now. I like the speed but need more room.. I'm a tunnel boat guy. I like fast v bottoms boats also. Any suggestions.. Who has these boats, (Lavey's, Nordic's, Howard's,Fountains) I like the 525's with the I T S drive. Anybody have the v-10 Ilmor . I know there are 496 aftermarket kits to improve its horsepower, is it better to purchase the more costly engine package ..
Why don't you go and see Stoker and have them build you a 26 with a 525 in it.
I bet cha it is faster than both of them with the same power.
My 26 Stoker runs mid to high 80's with 2 little 200's on the back.

TPI
02-14-2006, 05:55 PM
You are kidding yourself. Take a 25 bullet out for a Catalina run with bigger than 1-2 footers and you'll feel like you just had your ass kicked! Its a beautiful boat, and fast on 1-2 foot river/lake water, but theres a reason nobody races those boats, they don't run in the rough. If your looking for a lake boat I would definately look at the Howard, or Nordic. The laveyCraft is a true deep V starting at something like 36deg at the bow to 24deg at the stern. Definately a tested rough water boat if you'll be going offshore.
Make sure you test drive the boat where you will be boating. Good luck on your search.
Brian
BTW ... any offended Howard owners are welcome to come and join us on our 3rd annual Catalina run the weekend of February 25-26. Would love to see your boats and it will give you a chance to prove me wrong. :p
Check out the thread on Hotspots west. :cool:
Upon measuring a Howard 28 Bullet I found the entry to be 37.5 degrees and the deadrise to be approx 22.5 degrees. Not exactly flat? My theory has always been a good bottom design will handle well in the glass and handle even better in the chop. If your(anyone) out of the water most of the time(flying the boat), your not really testing the bottom design are you? I personally have been well over 100 mph in the Howard 28 Bullet in the glass and in 3'+ blown out white caps and felt comfortable in both. Also, tabs are never used on the 28 Bullet during speed runs, in glass and in chop, which is a true testament to the bottom design. There are a lot of choices for 25-30 boats running under 85 mph. But IMO, there is only one choice if you want to go faster. Also, the reason nobody races those boats(Howards) is because they have no reason to. Everyone and there brother has tested one with big power for a publication and they loved it. Howard doesnt claim to be a race boat, nor do they claim to be involved in racing. People that buy Howard Bullets dont race either. Everyone is faithful to their brand, and I am factually faithful to mine. To the gentleman that started this thread, Good luck in your search.

Essex29
02-14-2006, 06:27 PM
Upon measuring a Howard 28 Bullet I found the entry to be 37.5 degrees and the deadrise to be approx 22.5 degrees. Not exactly flat? My theory has always been a good bottom design will handle well in the glass and handle even better in the chop. If your(anyone) out of the water most of the time(flying the boat), your not really testing the bottom design are you? I personally have been well over 100 mph in the Howard 28 Bullet in the glass and in 3'+ blown out white caps and felt comfortable in both. Also, tabs are never used on the 28 Bullet during speed runs, in glass and in chop, which is a true testament to the bottom design. There are a lot of choices for 25-30 boats running under 85 mph. But IMO, there is only one choice if you want to go faster. Also, the reason nobody races those boats(Howards) is because they have no reason to. Everyone and there brother has tested one with big power for a publication and they loved it. Howard doesnt claim to be a race boat, nor do they claim to be involved in racing. People that buy Howard Bullets dont race either. Everyone is faithful to their brand, and I am factually faithful to mine. To the gentleman that started this thread, Good luck in your search.
WOW......would you PLEASE pm me when you have a 3.3 whipple for sale! :boxed:

TPI
02-14-2006, 08:45 PM
E29,
I might have a line on one soon. I will let you know if it happens.

Huckleberry
02-14-2006, 09:05 PM
Also, tabs are never used on the 28 Bullet during speed runs, in glass and in chop, which is a true testament to the bottom design. There are a lot of choices for 25-30 boats running under 85 mph. But IMO, there is only one choice if you want to go faster.
Amen to this! All of those boats are okay up to a cerrtain speed. If you want to go real fast, then the choice gets narrowed down to one, and only one...HOWARD 28 BULLET!
A while back I was asking the exact same questions about the 28 Bullet and the Lavey 2750. Holy crap did I stir up a hive of bees. Lavey even had one of their own come on the site to defend their hull. Bottom line was if you don't want the Lavey to chine walk in calm water at speed, you need to drop the tabs to calm it down. The Howard will be silky smooth through all speeds. Now if you're talking about using the boat in the ocean...LAVEY 2750 all the way. That baby is a rough water beast.

FASTERDAMITT
02-14-2006, 10:11 PM
Look at the Superboats Y2K (http://www.superboatonline.com/A30Y2K.html) .
They handle big water, big power and are reasonablely priced.
Here's the details of a +90mph Y2K. (http://www2.***boat.com/forums/showthread.php?t=80029)
Ya, I second that!

FASTERDAMITT
02-14-2006, 10:36 PM
I think I've found the crack between Lavey and Howard. There are a few east coast rockets that will hang tough with Howard's best. Activator, Extreme, Phantom, Kriptonite, Superboat. All top notch hulls with winning racing herritage that will run straight as an arrow at 100 plus. And as you can see they don't care about what magazine is raving about thier flash. Thier all business. For my Superboat, 90's with a non-blown big block at 31.7' overall lenght. No tabs. No porpois. No chine walk.
Oh, and Brian, details on the Catalina run this 25th?

SnakeWrench
02-14-2006, 11:34 PM
Anyone know what the 28 bullet runs with a 496 HO?

djunkie
02-15-2006, 03:11 AM
Anyone know what the 28 bullet runs with a 496 HO?
A lot!!!!! Last years boat show I was quoted around $115k for one with a 525. :cry:
Guess I'll have to wait a couple more years to get one.

NOTALENT
02-15-2006, 07:25 AM
Anyone know what the 28 bullet runs with a 496 HO?
Price or Speed????
MerCruiser 496 MAG MPI / Bravo One 385hp 67-69 mph
MerCruiser 496 MAG H.O. MPI / Bravo One 425hp 69-70 mph
MerCruiser HP 525 EFI / Bravo One 525hp 77-80 mph
MerCruiser HP 600 EFI / Bravo One 600hp 83-86 mph

KACHINA KEN
02-15-2006, 08:14 AM
Lavey, and I want to go to the sandbar too.

Essex502
02-15-2006, 07:12 PM
You are kidding yourself. Take a 25 bullet out for a Catalina run with bigger than 1-2 footers and you'll feel like you just had your ass kicked! Its a beautiful boat, and fast on 1-2 foot river/lake water, but theres a reason nobody races those boats, they don't run in the rough. If your looking for a lake boat I would definately look at the Howard, or Nordic. The laveyCraft is a true deep V starting at something like 36deg at the bow to 24deg at the stern. Definately a tested rough water boat if you'll be going offshore.
Make sure you test drive the boat where you will be boating. Good luck on your search.
Brian
BTW ... any offended Howard owners are welcome to come and join us on our 3rd annual Catalina run the weekend of February 25-26. Would love to see your boats and it will give you a chance to prove me wrong. :p
Check out the thread on Hotspots west. :cool:
I've driven the 25 and 28 Howard Bullets - I bought the 28 - in 3 foot + stormblown crap and they are awesome. I could have bought lesser and spent less but I wanted a piece of artwork and feel I got it. Very solid and I'll match the quality of rigging, layup and overall build with ANY manufacturer. Quality costs money - how much do you want?
The other boats listed on here especially the Nordic are definitely great values so look at all of them, drive all of them and decide how much you want to buy. Boat purchases are very subjective.
But for fastest single engine V in a family performance boat...look no futher than the Bullets.

Essex502
02-15-2006, 07:14 PM
Just for the record The 2750 Lavey LOVES rough water really dont see any other west coast builders racing there boats in this class. Also the 2750 f1-11 has the same bottom as the 2750 you would buy for the recreational boater.
I'm not that familiar with the boat classes the Lavey runs in...what other manufacturers are running in those classes? Enquiring minds want to know.

Essex502
02-15-2006, 07:15 PM
ditto
You're drunk! Go find the 99 bananas amigo! :D

WHO WANTS TO GO TO THE SANDBAR
02-15-2006, 08:04 PM
I've driven the 25 and 28 Howard Bullets - I bought the 28 - in 3 foot + stormblown crap and they are awesome. I could have bought lesser and spent less but I wanted a piece of artwork and feel I got it. Very solid and I'll match the quality of rigging, layup and overall build with ANY manufacturer. Quality costs money - how much do you want?
The other boats listed on here especially the Nordic are definitely great values so look at all of them, drive all of them and decide how much you want to buy. Boat purchases are very subjective.
But for fastest single engine V in a family performance boat...look no futherthan the Bullets.THANKS FOR THE RESPONSE, WHAT KIND OF POWER AND DRIVE DID YOU PUT IN IT.. WHY DID YOU GO WITH THE 28 INSTEAD OF THE 25.. I HAVE A HOME IN HAVASU SO THAT IS THE PLACE WHERE I BOAT.... ITS CAN GET ROUGH OUT THERE.. DID YOU GET THE OPEN BOW OR THE CLOSE .... LET ME KNOW THANKS FOR THE INFO TO ALL.....

FASTERDAMITT
02-17-2006, 09:48 PM
Hello... :rollside:

SnakeWrench
02-17-2006, 09:55 PM
Hey Sandbar, Why didn't you call me back. We ran at Elsinore on Thursday. 4 people(adults) 1/2 tanks, 76.3 mph with an HO and no chinewalk, no porpose, No prop blowout, and flat, flat, flat water.

WHO WANTS TO GO TO THE SANDBAR
02-17-2006, 10:16 PM
Hey Sandbar, Why didn't you call me back. We ran at Elsinore on Thursday. 4 people(adults) 1/2 tanks, 76.3 mph with an HO and no chinewalk, no porpose, No prop blowout, and flat, flat, flat water.
Had a problem at my house in havasu, had to go out thursday a.m .. got back tonight at 9:00 pm I'll call u later jay, ken

SnakeWrench
02-18-2006, 09:06 PM
You got my number

WHO WANTS TO GO TO THE SANDBAR
02-19-2006, 09:56 AM
You got my number
e-mail me ken

Essex502
02-20-2006, 05:08 PM
THANKS FOR THE RESPONSE, WHAT KIND OF POWER AND DRIVE DID YOU PUT IN IT.. WHY DID YOU GO WITH THE 28 INSTEAD OF THE 25.. I HAVE A HOME IN HAVASU SO THAT IS THE PLACE WHERE I BOAT.... ITS CAN GET ROUGH OUT THERE.. DID YOU GET THE OPEN BOW OR THE CLOSE .... LET ME KNOW THANKS FOR THE INFO TO ALL.....
Open bow and so far it has easily handled everything that Havasu has thrown at it. I bought the 28 'cause I knew I'd want the bigger boat in a couple of years anyway and just said to hell with the bank account...I can always make more money tomorrow. We have a house in Havasu and we predominantly boat there too. Mohave at times and we'll be going up to Mead and Powell with it once the summer gets here.
By the way...the 28 Bullet on the trailer is 31' 2" from tip of the propeller to the tip of the coupler in front. 26" can be deducted if you get the breakaway tongue.