Centurion Cyclone vs Calabria Pro V2

Which boat is better cyclone or PRO V2?

Calabria in my opinion is a much better buy for the money IMO.

Demo both and then decide.

IMO the Calabria. I dig the wake with some additional ballast and the Ballast system is second to none. It works so well and soo fast it's amazing.

As I found out this weekend the Calabria ballast system does have an achilies heal. That is... if the boat breaks down or bends a prop and the ballast is filled you are stuck with the ballast full.

I demoed the PRO V2, I think for the money it blows any Centurion out of the water. It comes with everything! Bimni, Heater, Shower, Perfect Pass, Bling. Everything is an option on the Centurion and the interior felt really cheap to me.

You're only stuck with the weight in the Calabria until the boat starts moving again. Open the gates when you start your tow and they'll empty.

The achilles heel is the lower capacity as compared to other boats. 750 pounds is plenty for our entry-level crew, but alot of people want more. That said, I've seen good riders do lots of inverts and spins behind my stock-ballast Pro-V with no complaints. My guess is that if your asking, and considering these 2 boats, 750 is probably enough.

Nate, I was with Attila. A ProV had a rope caught on the prop. Attila towed it in. We could not get moving fast enough for the ballast to empty. We got the port ballast to empty about halfway, but that's it. At about 6 mph the boat isn't moving fast enough.

I'm not saying PureVert is bad. I'm just saying that to go along with the many Pro's, a Con has been found.

Yeah 750 is just enough, for now... We're seriously considering the Cyclone because of the size (fitting in the garage and all) and the dealer seems to be better and more helpful than the ProV guy... How about the brand comparison. Centurion vs Calabria???

Then you just didn't tow fast enough.

I stand corrected, stupid assumption. Funny that one side started to dump but the other wouldn't. Oh well, at least it wasn't 2000+ pounds of ballast you were stuck with.

Well, one time I just forgot the ballast was full. Needless to say I stole 700lbs. of lake water and dumped it in the street at home. Looks pretty cool when it dumps. So, you can always empty it when you get it on the trailer, and if you can't get going fast enough to dump the ballast, I dont think the extra weight would be that big of a deal.

You aren't likely to find a credible post here that makes a real distinction between brands. We're all happy with our personal boat selections. I'm certainly happy with my Calabria, but I've seen plenty Centurions I'd love a ride in just the same. Base the choice on the boat meeting your wants and needs, from there the level of dealer support is probably more important than brand.

Where is the Calabria dealer that you question?

Stockton CA.... Larson boats is the dealer in question. They're a Natq dealer as well, hard to compare.

Satisfied Larson customer here.

You have mail.

I had close to the same question about a month ago and had to double check that it wasn't my question resurfacing. All boats had their pros and cons but I went with the Centurion. I demo'd a Calabria, and test drove a friends and they both had a nasty vibration. My buddy had his in the shop for months to iron it out. That was two too many with problems right out of the gate. I liked the look of the Centurion's better too. Mine is all black with a Green Victory Stripe and I fell in love with it. I am not looking back at all. I asked the same questions you are, but ultimately, you need to demo, and look at them both on your own. The Calabria stock had all the bells and whistles, but the Centurion allowed me to customize the boat to fit my needs. That was more appealing to me. The Calabria's ballast system is pretty cool but like it was mentioned above it's limited. The Calabria is a turn key boat, so that might be great to you, whereas the Centurion (in my opinion) with money, could run circles around the Calabria. Demo them both and take your time before you decide.

So...like I said, it's tough to find credible posts that favor one way or the other. Some people tend to leave their own problems out when they bash on a friend of a friend's boat.

I agree Sean, your Centurion probably could run circles around any Calabria, as long as you don't go from reverse to neutral...right?

Centurions are ugly and they suck! - hows that for a credible post? Hey you know what they have in common? They both take water over the bow really easy if you don't pay attention. I think you should buy whichever one makes you feel the best about it when you sit/ride in it. I have complaints about my Calabria, but i didn't even test drive the centurion because I just didn't like them at the dealership - same with the sangers. I test drove everything else, and it's not that i didn't like anything else better - Natiques, mastercrafts, and Bu's - they just weren't in my price range for what I wanted. I think you get a lot of boat for the money with the Calabria.

I think they are both very similar quality boats. Depends more on the quality of the dealer than anything else. If I remeber correctly they both use Mercruiser drivelines which work just fine.

Again, I love the Pure Vert system. Even with the defect that Attila mentioned it still works great. We found that the Pro V didn't need that much extra weight to make a nice wake. We ran stock ballast, a 600 sack in the nose and 5 people and found the wake was very respectable. We ran the same boat with around 3500 lbs people and ballast last year and the wake was amazing. The take off was about 5 feet long and although the wake was wide it wasn't a problem getting all the way across. Only downside was getting it to plane and keeping water out of the nose when coming off plane, but the wake was soo worth it.

My friend has a 03 22' calabria and every wave on the lake ends up in the bow and every thing gets wet, he rides in my Supra now....

Ian, if you never test drove a Centurion then your opinion does not matter. Both are good boats and I have been in both. Douglas the dealer is just as important as the boat. Anyone with any sense will tell you the same. Test both and then look at the dealer. Anyone who bashes another boat is very unrealistic if they think that their boat is the only one that does not have problems. EVERY manufacturer is going to have a lemon come out from time to time. It is your money and your opinion that counts. Good luck.

I have an 05 pro-v and did drive the centurion. I agree the centurion felt cheaply made in my opinion so I bought the Calabria. I had twelve people in mine and nobody had to set up front again mine's the pro-v not pro-v2. I haven't had a single wake come over the front of mine and I weight it with the balast full and a 600lbs bag on each side full. Even without the weight in the back I haven't had one come over the front. My main focus was the quality of the Calabria over the Centurion. Wood inlays, they come loaded (PP, covers, shower) stock. So I had to take the Calabria, after a year of ownership I can't say I made a bad choice!

I can definately sympathize with those swamping the bow on their Pro-Vs, we've had our share. One was so bad that we had a couple inches of water in the boat until we opened the cooler lid to let it drain.

Ultimately, I think it's a blessing in disguise. It forces the driver to give up the power turn unless absoltely neccesary. After a couple hours driving you learn to hit waves and wakes just right, it doesn't take much to get used to it.

Corey, I feel bad for your buddy that couldn't figure it out and had to leave his boat parked....that would kill me. Even my wife has it down. By now our crew looks forward to it happening so we can bust the balls of whoever slipped.



(Message edited by mammoth on June 06, 2006)

its just water and it is a boat in the water so i dont think it will hurt it, and i would love to swamp nates boat again.

ef3529 - My opinion doesn't count in a thread asking for opinions? What I said about centurions was only to back up the theory of ownership goggles, I have no problem with centurions and think they are nice boats, just that I felt better about the Pro-v in the same price range. You my friend need to take the twist out of your underwear and take a couple deep breaths - it's only the internet and peoples opinions, if you think that he should take your advice over anyone elses - thats great - glad you love your boat - can't I like mine too? Oh that's right - I'm an idiot and you know it all.....

Ian, I never said that he should buy a Centurion. I may have misunderstood your second post and I am sorry. I never said you were an idiot and I never said that I knew it all. It just amazes me when someone bashes another boat when they have either never been in the boat they are bashing or ridden in the boat they are bashing. I won't bash another boat because I like something about every boat. On your second post it seemed like you were bashing Centurion. The truth is my opion should not matter to someone else when they are buying a boat. It is their money and boat. I don't mind telling someone what I like about mine but will not talk bad about another boat. I like the Calabria boats, they are great boats. I really like the ballast system. If you read my post I just told him to look at the dealer as well as the boat. By the way I switched to boxers and am taking oxygen treatments for my condition. Sorry I insulted you.

while I havnt ridden the cyclone, i love my friends proV. so much rom inside its sick. great wake with some weight too.

Wow this post is getting nasty.

Nate, that was funny. You're a funny guy.....

It wasn't meant to be funny, maybe it's all the vibration in my Calabria knocking my sense of humor loose.

Really...did you get that engine problem figured out yet? How about your ballast system that you said wasn't working properly?

User error.....

The system sounds SICK. Look, or should I say Listen for me out on the water.....

No, actually I think the motor has a PCM issue and I think I'm just an idiot with the Ballast. That's what I get for buying a semi new boat.

corey mosley (ck73):

My friend has a 03 22' calabria and every wave on the lake ends up in the bow and every thing gets wet, he rides in my Supra now.

Every wave? You have to be kidding! Sounds more like driving skills than anything else. I have had water come over the bow too but only after turning too soon into a huge roller that we produced wakesurfing. I find it funny that I own a Calabria PRO V and have had no such issues. Both boats are great boats! I chose the Calabria because the interior size is huge and the quality seemed better to me. I have no vibrations issues on my boat (except after a few "Adult Drinks")

}The final decision of the boat purchase was made in regards to the dealership. Larson-Sacramento was much more professional in their whole sales staff than the Centurian Dealership (Hammer). As some have stated before, the dealership is one of the most important issues and Larson has addressed any issues that I had, have been taken care of.