Atlanta Boat Show

[SZEH]

Went to the Atlanta Boat Show this past weekend and I have to say I was really disappointed in the direction Supra is going. MasterCraft and Malibu looked to be far superior in design and build innovations. Everything from interior design and materials to the tower on the Supra looked unimpressive compared to the others. All booths were next to each so you got to almost see a side by side comparison. It was a heart breaker.

Now I realize that you'll easily spend about $10k - $15k more on their boats, but they're not going backwards. Don't get me wrong, I still love my Supra and wouldn't give it up for anything there, but I think Supra is beginning to blend into the middle of the pack.

I'm curious if anyone else has been to any shows recently and noticed the same thing???

[KG's Supra24]

Dusty and I set in a new 242 for probably 20 minutes discussing it. The boat is beautiful but they changed some things I def didn't like.

1. The rear lockers are rounded off and im not sure you could get a wakeboard back there. I always store my boards there when traveling. If you can get them in you are going to scratch the boat trying to angle them in.

2. The cooler behind the drivers seat is awesome! however, it is the only cooler and not near large enough for a boat that is rated for a crew of 16.

Those were 2 things that immediately stood out. Seems they put in some booze cruise features and left out some of the all day boat functionality that i LOVE about my supra.

I actually like the progressive tower and I'm into the traditional tower that Supra uses. MC's recent towers are terrible imo.

I'm still unsure about having all controls on a digital screen like everyone seems to be going to.

[michael hunter]

Better raise that 85k budget it you want to buy a MC.

[iwakeboard]

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[dusty2221]

Ok, here's my take.

I haven't been to any boat shows yet, but we have gotten to see some new models and sit in them and "criticize" if you will.

Starting with the 242: Like KG said, the rear lockers, while they may be the same size width wise, the length was cut down way to much for a 24 foot boat. Even if they are the same width, the gunwales come in what seemed like at least a foot, and then have a pretty large lip that hangs down, taking away what I would call usable ballast or storage room. They also "slimmed" up the back of the boat. It seems to taper in quite a bit, again, making the sundeck area smaller. For a 24 ft boat, the sundeck is to small. And the cooler, unreal. They added what I would consider one of the most unique features, with the upright cooler behind the driver, which is tall enough to hold a two liter bottle, but other than that, the only cooler is nowhere near large enough for a full day even for a crew of 6-8.

Those are my only 2 complaints, I think. They added two zones of cup-holders on the passenger side, which was a cool feature. Supra has, IMO, the best seating layout possible. And the 242 is no different. They nailed it. The new design of the front playpin with the removable center cushion and finished area with cup-holders underneath was perfect. New tower, beautiful. If I recall, we were quoted $79,000 (KG, can you confirm that) by one salesman and somewhere around $85,000 by another for the boat we were sitting in.

Next up, 2011 XLV - This was my first time in a Moomba, and I have no idea what the color combination they used was, but this was the most horrid thing I had ever seen. Keep in mind, I had a black orange and brown boat previously, haha! To me there were noticeable differences in the Moomba vs Supra line. Quality wise, Supra felt leaps and bounds above.

Natique 230 - I can not stand where Nautique has gone with the interior. While I can certainly appreciate taking a different route from the other manufactures, I think a line has been crossed, ha. All the modular looking seating? Please, this isn't ikea. The interior doesnt even seem practical. Nothanks.

Tige Rz's - Haven t got to spend any time in them, but I am in love with them. Innovative in every aspect. LOVE the bows in these boats, the towers look amazing, stance in the water is amazing. I would love a chance to spend some time behind a weighted RZ surfing.

To sum up, If these boats were all priced the same, including mastercraft and malibu's, for me it would be a toss up between the 242 and the Tige over any of the others. I've loved my Supra so much that I feel like I have become "brand loyal" without even meaning too.

[stinky_1]

I will add my 2 cents on a couple points. Our boat show is the first week in feb so I will have more opinions on more boats then.

After looking at all kinds of online reviews and different things that we think we "need" in a new boat we like the Nautiques. Its funny how one person would complain about the modular seating and we think it is the greatest idea ever. We have 2 - 3 year old children and 2 - 5 year olds. They are still pretty small. We need a way to contain them to certain areas of the boat so we can keep an eye on them. I am scared to have the 3 year olds in the bow section. We prefer to have them right beside the driver. By having those modular seats we can put the back seat across the middle and create our own middle play pen if you will. There is space for the 3 year olds there and they should not fall out easy.

The 5 year olds I figured could go up in the bow, or in the rear. I also have a 8 year old and a 10 year old. They can really go anywhere they want. My biggest consideration is how to make the boat as safe as possible for the small kids, but still have the option of filling the boat with adults. Without modular seating I will be making a choice one way or the other, and the other group would have to suffer through it.

We are hoping to get to the show and see these boats up closer to see if in actuality it is carried out the way we hope. But the pics looks like it will do the job.

My Sunsport was purchased to hold us over for a few years until we can get one with the hydrogate at a more reasonable price on the used market. I doubt I will ever own new.

[Fman]

Those are some nice reviews of boats. If you did not already know, I am currently in the market to trade in my '08. I am very disappointed in Supra, my dealer does not even have a 242 in his showroom to look at???? He will not have one available until March. They have a website with no videos on surfing behind a 242, tower folded down, ballast information, or a good walk thru of the boat. If you go on the Tige website, it has many good informational videos on all of these items. My Supra dealer called me a couple days ago trying to push the 242, but I had to explain to him about the issues I am already having.

I am demoing two boats in the near future, the Tige RZ2 and Malibu VLX. The 242 as much as I like the boat is too big, and weighs about 1000 more pounds than the average 21-22' boat. My tow vehicle is only rated at 6,500 lbs. My 22 is already pushing that number, fully loaded up with fuel and trailer weight.

I am really trying to find a good surf boat, with a nice wakeboard wake. I have always liked the Malibu build and design, being in one on the water will be a good time to check all the bells and whistles out. The 2011's have the Maliview with touch screen, should be interesting. The RZ2 is a nice boat as well, Tige touch will be fun to see how it works.

I will keep you updated on the demo runs and what I did and did not like about them.

[iwakeboard]

What do you tow with, Fman? I have a 24 and tow with a crew cab F-150 with a Triton V8 and it does really well.

[beast 496]

I was at the Chicago show. I really like the display of Supra's, I like the bold looks, wide boats, cool trailers. I was disappointed in Malibu. I thought they looked cheap, similar to a Centurian. Next was M/C again cheap looking plastics, poor designs for my use anyway. Not impressed my M/C future engine choices at all. I really believe Supra has stood up to the the big 3 and knocked a couple off of the podium. Supra and Nautique in my eyes are tied, as in quality and usefullness. It will take a while to change boat owners but the constant chewing and spitting out the competition has raised Supra above the rest. Good job Al

[Fman]

What do you tow with, Fman? I have a 24 and tow with a crew cab F-150 with a Triton V8 and it does really well.

I use a 2004 Toyota Sequoia Iforce V8, its only a 4.7L, the newer sequoias have a much larger engine. Any boat in the 3,500-4,000 range it will do good enough, but anything larger than that will become a problem. I also visit some lakes that require pulling a grade, which makes it a lot tougher. On the flatlands its no problem, 65-70 not pushing the engne too much.