I have only owned V's and Cats but never have I owned a deckboat. This weekend at Havasu, my buddy pulled up in his new 28' Lavey deckboat and my wife was totally digging it. She really liked the fact that the kids could wash their feet off and all of the sand and crap just washes down the drain. Needless to say we are now looking at trading in the 25' Eliminator Eagle for a deck. I met with Keith at Conquest on Saturday and he treated me very well. I am also going to look at Magic and Eliminator's decks. My main concern is that the family will not like the extra wind while driving. What does everyone like and/or not like about these boats?
I have a Magic and could not be happier. As far as wind, I have the windshields and it help the driver & passenger only. I am sure it is pretty windy, but it is worth every penny to me. The kids do not have to climb all over the interior to climb from the back of the boat to run & jump off the front, (which it seems as all we do when we boat).
I beach and float, not too much boating.
Feel free to PM me with any questions.
We've had our 26' Advantage Party Cat for 3 yrs...It's been a great boat for the family for all of the reasons that Outcoled mentioned...We have a 5 and 7 yo and I like the higher sides of the boat that the 22 and 26 PC's have...the wife feels the kids have less of a chance to get bounced out...I also like that the back is a foot or so higher...it's a little easier to see over the peeps that just can't seem to stay seated when ya cruise the channel.....and then there's a place for a Brass Flag pole too
I am real happy with mine too. Nothing like pulling up to a beach and walking off the front. The wash down system is great, no worries about sand. The wind does not bother me or my 4 year old nephew.
I have the 27 Eliminator deck boat that I have had for 3 years now. GREAT boat!!! Very happy with the quality. I looked at many others before ordering the Eliminator and found that if you looked close, the qualiy of the Eliminator is FAR better than the other manufactures. You may pay a little more for the Eliminator but is is worth it. I have the 600 DPX in mine which is not made any more and my only recomondation is DO NOT underpower.
I agree with all that everyone said above, (even PC). My kids have enjoyed the front deck jumping and I have enjoyed the front deck boarding, space and performance of the cat hull. You asked for the down side of a deck boat? THE WIND! ALL THE TIME! lol! Two can hide from it a bit but everyone else is out of luck. (The kids never complained). One other disadvantage I can think of is in rough seas while at rest...DON'T DO IT! But just in case be sure to get three bilge pumps, one for each pod. The only other bad thing is the lower speed due to poor aerodynamics but hey, its a family boat right? right.................most of the time.
edit/Oh and I am in my 6th season of Cheetah FasCat enjoyment.
I have only owned V's and Cats but never have I owned a deckboat. This weekend at Havasu, my buddy pulled up in his new 28' Lavey deckboat and my wife was totally digging it. She really liked the fact that the kids could wash their feet off and all of the sand and crap just washes down the drain. Needless to say we are now looking at trading in the 25' Eliminator Eagle for a deck. I met with Keith at Conquest on Saturday and he treated me very well. I am also going to look at Magic and Eliminator's decks. My main concern is that the family will not like the extra wind while driving. What does everyone like and/or not like about these boats?
Everytime I mention the wife not liking the wind I get a raft of poop from board members. My wife will not let me buy one of the cool deckboats because of the no windshield thing. Unhappy wife = bad day on the lake.
I just picked up a Conquest Top Cat II, and couldn't be happier with the ride quality. Coming from a 34' deep V, I'd honestly have to say the Conquest has a much better ride in the everyday type chop on Havasu. The windshields do a good job of blocking the wind for the driver and passenger. I can keep a hat on a WOT and not worry about it blowing off. Kids love the wind so sitting on the bow seats is their favorite position. I've got the cuddy cabin in mine, and it comes in handy. Daughter wasn't feeling well last weekend. She just grabbed a pillow, put in her favorite DVD, turned the fan on and she was set. Heard from Keith that they might not do anymore cuddy cabins, but if you threw enough money at them, I'm sure they'd do it.
What does everyone like and/or not like about these boats?
They take WAY too long to design, build, prototype and begin production on...
Thanks guys for all of the responses. We will be back at Havi this weekend and there may be a for sale sign on my boat.
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