S22 for sale, maybe...

[festivus]

not necessarily a premature thing, but I do have a deposit to reserve a manufacturing slot at the BU factory...just in case.  I'd like to have it by spring.
And yes, my children are also my step-neices and nephews.  That also means Bitzco isn't only brother in law, he is also my father in law.

[krejciman]

you're scarin' me dude.

[festivus]

krej-I am sure you did a lot of research on the 247 before you placed your order, what options did you end up with?  I have spoken with a dealer that is in another region, so he couldn't sell me a boat, and I felt like his opinion was therefor more legit.  Here is his basic scoop-
-you HAVE to go with the 8.1, shouldn't be an option
-triple axle trailer if you plan on long hauls
-basically, you may be able to save A LOT on stereo crap if you upgrade aftermarket.
-underbelly spare tire rack vs. the side mount they try to sell you
-precision speed control rather than perfect pass.  Complete integration with the engine, something about no servo needed.
-stay with the Illusion X tower, the blade may not be all that...

any pointers you'd like to share?

[krejciman]

I can tell you that the 8.1 is not necessary.  The boat comes stock with the 383Hammerhead engine.  I drove it with full ballast and wedge down....  not a problem.

Not sure about the triple axle thing.  Personally, I think it's just for bling effect.  The boat is heavy, but not any more than the Tige24V or CC or MC.....  don't see too many triples on those either.

I opted for NO STEREO.  That gave me a 1400 dollar credit.  I figure I can put together a system for about $4000 including NVS tower speakers.  If you get no stereo, you still have holes in the dash, they are just vynil'ed over.

Any Malibu in my region will come with a Xtreme trailer that comes with the under-belly mount...  not sure about other regions.

Speed control is built into the boat from the factory...no extra charge.  It works well and is simple to use.  The throttle is fly-by-wire so it's a pretty simple setup.

The CFT tower (I've been told) is somewhat flexible, and that freaks some people out.  It does offer some cool light/speaker integration that makes it look clean.  For the money factor alone, I said no thanks!

They are a hot boat right now, so the dealers don't seem very willing to deal.  There are alot of boats(new) out there for $45-55K, but you'll never be able to touch the 247 for that.... 

[toyotafreak]

throwin the dough in...

[festivus]

thanks for the info.  I heard the same thing about the CFT- it moves around a bit, and also the Illusion is supposed to be easier to collapse, if/when necessary.  The reasoning with the 8.1 was that the dealer said they had seen a few problems with the 383.  He didn't elaborate much, but strongly recommended the 8.1
As far as the triple axle trailer, I think it is just better for weight distrbution and to alleviate some tongue weight, which is huge to me and my sequioa....I mean Taurus.   I also would upgrade to the 17's.
I didn't know that you could get a stereo opt out.  I'll have to ask about that.  The aftermarket friend of mine said to get whatever was stock so that it would make their job easier, but if there is a credit.....
Anything else you wish you'd done different?  I know what you mean about the dealers unwillingness to deal, I think I am getting about 6% off of their "already reduced" price.  Also, do you think the 247 is going to take a huge depreciation in the first year?  That isn't the most importanat thing to me, cuz I keep telling myself I i'll be having it for a long time, but I noticed as I was poking through some used boat listings that the first year dep. was crazy.  Like 15% or so. 
thanks dude...

[Rambling Wreck]

OMG - 15%? I have always been told not to buy a new boat because they lose a lot of value the first year but that is $9,000 on a $60,000 boat!!! Consider that you don't pay sales tax on a used boat where I live (7%) and I would be saving $13,200 on a boat that has been used one summer. That darn near pays for my boat. Sorry guys but I am feeling real good right now-
Can you rent those things where you live to get you through a season?

The above paragraph is my practical side. My impulsive side understands - I have one when it comes to cars. I have owned some superbly unique cars in my day. I even bought one car right off the showroom floor (get the ammonia capsule for Breakawaydaze) that was tricked out to the max.

My current car was impulse meets practical. I couldn't come to grips with the purchase price of a new one. I finally found one that was the perfect color, etc. 2 yrs old with 20,000 miles. The owner and I finally parted ways over $500 (sound familiar, Breakaway?) Anyway, after I pouted for a few weeks I dusted myself off and searched the Internet. I found a current year model with 600 miles at a Mercedes dealer in an adjacent state. I emailed the dealership with an offer $9,000 off the best I had done on new ones and it was accepted within 20 minutes. When I picked it up, the salesman told me that a guy bought this car as a gift for his wife, she wanted a Mercedes instead so he traded it.  He said it sat there for months as people that come to that dealershiop want Mercedes, not this car. He said they had planned to ship if off to a dealership they owned on the coast the day they got my email (it's a convertible). Who knows if the story is true- I am just happy that I am driving Shonia Twain's car (I cannot imagine anyone else worth the beatin the guy must have taken to trade in a new car with 600 miles on it.)

Why am I rambling on about this - I am waiting on an associate that was supposed to call 30 minutes ago and you guys have to suffer for it-

[festivus]

Wreck- Unfortunately I share the same impulsive lust for autos.  In fact, is the 247 is actually the boat I think it is and I can't get enough of it at the boat show tomorow, I will be selling my 911 to pay for BU.  I have literally gone through dozens of cars in the last 10 years or so.  My oldest daughter turns 16 this fall, so I get to car shop for her, cuz she ain't driving my car, so there's another thing to look forward to.  I am a lot more relaxed with boats.  My S22 is only my 3rd.  I started with a 175 Chaparral, the the Moomba Kamberra, now the S22.  So if I sell the Epic this spring, it is a pattern, not an indicator of anything wrong with the boat.
As far as the depreciation goes, I am guestimating.  I looked at a couple of 2005 BU Sunsetter 25's that had to have bee close to 70k new (??) that are now on boat trader in the mid-high 50's.  With the 247 being a new model and such a shizzle item, maybe it'd hold on better.  I know the dealers think so, or at least want us to think so.  I also think if you are going to hold on to it for a while (which would require a new pattern of impulse for me) than new is ok.  I called on a used 23 in Dallas and although the seller asured me it was a perfect boat, the 400+ hours on a 2004 with his declaration that it was a great party boat sort of turned me off.  It' sprobably got vomit and semen ingrained in the vinyl.  Maybe not, but who knows.
Plus my core belief in buying auto/boat is this- if your gonna buy American, buy new, because if it has been abused at atll, the great American iron doesn't tolerate abuse nearly as well as foreign. I get sort of anal about running high RPM's (Bitzco has to wait for me in the SX everywhere we go), engine care, maintenance etc.  So I think with a Malibu and it's Chevy heartbeat, I'm leaning towards new.

[Rambling Wreck]

I think a lot of us are waiting with fish breath to see if you come back from the boat show with the "NEED"! Keep us all informed - we're all behind you whatever you decide (as if there is doubt!!!)

[toyotafreak]

Man, I go to work ONE DAY and you guys start talking fish breath, vomit and semen. Geez.

Does make me want to ask how many have ..ehem.. 'used' their boat in that manner.


And what happened to Cal, anyway?

[festivus]

My boat is largely "unused," only because there are usually my kids, a few cousins, my half sister and her son/fiance, my father/brother in law, a dog, a possum, and occasionally a free-loading x-wife.
I'll try and work on that though.? Bitzco on the other hand...I can't say I have ever caught him in the act, but the broad grin on his face when he pulls back into the marina and his wife's disheveled hair and tore-up swim suit would suggest he's a user.?

[Bitzco]

Jealous. If only we could get in some o that naked boating like they do at Havasu.

[festivus]

So back on topic...
The boat show was educational.  I almost bagged the whole new boat idea to get a used boat, save on the aforementioned depreciation and taxes etc...but, there are some features on the new boats that are fairly nice.
I still like the BU247, but also spent a lot of time at the MCX45.  ANyone know anything about that boat?  Of course both the BU and the MC dealers were bagging on eachother, but both boats have some very nice features.  The MC has a lot of bow storage but the stern is brutal, and the BU has almost no bow storage but tons in the stern.
Input?? I got both dealers to the same price on a very comparable boat/options.

[toyotafreak]

Sounds like a good wakweorld post: 247 vs. X45. The more specific you can get about your lake, your needs, etc., the better your responses will be. It is possible to get some decent feedback there. Did you look at the big Tige by chance (24V?)?

[Rambling Wreck]

If you want REALLY big, I saw a 24 ft pontoon boat with a wakeboard tower at the Atl Boat show. Sadly, I am serious-