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Go Back   WakeWorld > >> Boats, Accessories & Tow Vehicles Archive > Archive through February 17, 2004

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Old    trigoni            02-02-2004, 11:41 AM Reply   
I just back from the boat show and I'm trying to decided which boat to purchase. I've owned boats for past 10 years, most recently a 23 ft Crowline I/O. I want to get into a nice V-drive wakeboard since wakeboard seems to be the only thing we do anymore. I really like the Avalanche rear walk-through transom design. (I had a lot of stains and holes in old transom pads.) Is there anyone out there with first hand knowledge that can lend my their advice on the Avalanche or Centurion boats in in general? Thanks.
Old     (rvh3)      Join Date: Jul 2003       02-02-2004, 11:50 AM Reply   
Tony,
You're opening a can of worms. The Centurion quality issue has been hashed out here on numerous occasions. Do a search on Centurion and you will get both sides of the story. Good Luck.
Old     (toyotafreak)      Join Date: Sep 2003       02-02-2004, 11:57 AM Reply   
My buddy has one of these and that walk-through transom was one of the things that papa bear liked most.

The ride is better than my Toyota (which is saying something)and the engine has more power down low than my Toyota (which isn't saying anything.) The interior is much more 'busy' than I'm used to, but it is clean, just in a busy sort of way (yeah, I'll keep my day job and not go into the boat reviewing business.) Fit and finish seems comparable to what's out there.

Weighting the boat with sacks will be a little more difficult than most due to the walk-through transom, the closed walkway and the observer seat storage area (which is canvernous, by the way). Not that you couldn't get it weighted, you'd just have to spend a little time thinking it out.

The good news is that like the SAN, the boat throws a fun wake without ballast, and with just the stock ballast, there's an improvement in size. Rumor has it there's an option to have a larger under-floor tank installed. Search the archives and you'll find some discussion about its wake characteristics from people who know more about riding than I do, and from people who've spent more time in this boat than me.

The boat looks cool, drives cool, and the view from the helm is very good. He's got the 350 Magnum.

All in all, it's a bitchen boat and a great value.

Old     (easyrider)      Join Date: Oct 2003       02-02-2004, 12:13 PM Reply   
If you allow stains and holes all over your boat, you dont deserve a new boat, take care of your
Old    trigoni            02-02-2004, 12:18 PM Reply   
I should explain the holes. Mostly from the dog getting in and out of the boat. Another reason I like the walk-through tansom. (Yes the dog has to come boating, she loves water, lab.)
Old     (uga33)      Join Date: Jul 2003       02-02-2004, 12:20 PM Reply   
Tony,
I KNOW you will love your Centurion. I would take Centurion's history on this site with a grain of salt. Just remeber there are two sides to every story. I have a 2002 Centurion Hurricane and I have been very pleased with it. I helped Centurion and local dealer at the Atlanta Boat Show and every person I talked to that currently owned a Centurion had no complaints. I talked to some people that had over 1000 hours on their Centurion and not one major problem. I just went through a huge problem with my local dealer where I bought mine from. To make a long story short the dealer sold me a boat with cracked block in it. When I noticed it I called the dealer and I got "this line has been disconnected" the dealer went out of business I was screwed. I called Centurion and they came to me and picked my boat up and took it to their plant and replaced the whole motor. They even fixed a seat cushion that I drug a fin across. Centurion is a great company and I know you will not be disappointed.
Good Luck!
Old     (hamkj)      Join Date: Apr 2002       02-02-2004, 12:38 PM Reply   
Tony,

Take a look at www.gilligansboats.ca they carry both Centurion and Supreme.

Fell free to call Wayne and discuss the Centurion Avalanche and the Supreme V230... very different boats, but both have the walk-thru transom option.

Maybe he can shed some light on some of the questions you may have.
Old     (jonb)      Join Date: Oct 2003       02-02-2004, 12:56 PM Reply   
the mb with the 2-speed tranny. comes from the factory with the most ballast at 2100+ pounds
Old     (sulmaxwell)      Join Date: Dec 2003       02-02-2004, 1:18 PM Reply   
I was surfing through other chats on this site..Pardon the pun and came accorss this one:
It's titled what's in the Australian water:
http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/messages/3183/96925.html?1075481731
I am not sure what they hit...but..writer thought it was a sand bar
I saw an 01 Master Craft prostar 209 hit a full rock break water the rocks were about 6inches -2 feet under the surface and tide was low..he was going about 15 Mph..very nasty!!!
They had teh boat towed back to the dock..a good 1.5 miles from the impact site. Once to boat was on the trailer..there were some nasty gel coat dings, the tracking fins were dinged hard, prop and rudder were all mashed but the gel coat and Fiber glass around the mounts held secure..a true sign of quality built goods.
it worries me how thin and flaky the underlay of that Avalanche looks in the shots from the above link.
Old     (kstateskier)      Join Date: May 2002       02-02-2004, 1:27 PM Reply   
I don't care what boat you are in, if you hit a submerged object at any running speed you will knock the running gear out of the hull like that. Just like the long Malibu thread, it's just one of the dangers of boating. It all depends where the boat takes the impact. You are not going to hit a submerged rock directly on the rudder at speed with any boat and not get exactly what happened to that Centurion! And as for JONb, exactly what does you post have to do with anything that was posted?

The Avalanche is a great boat. You will be happy with it just like you will be happy with about any V-Drive wakeboard boat. Sure, some people have had problems with Centurion, but there have also been posts with problems related to every other manufacturer. Centurion builds a quality boat that I'm sure you're enjoy, especially coming from the I/O market.

(Message edited by kstateskier on February 02, 2004)
Old     (hamkj)      Join Date: Apr 2002       02-02-2004, 2:39 PM Reply   
Hey Nick,

I think JONb was referring to the fact that a Dog can't rip up the interior on a two speed boat... or maybe not... who knows...

If people are looking for a boat that they can wakeboard behind... and hit objects above and below the water... try a jet drive river boat...

If you want a nice wakeboard boat and you will take some care in avoiding rocks and other objects... take a look at the Centurion and the Supreme... I think the Supreme will be about 1% higher in cost.. but the interiors and fit and finish are up there with the best...

Those two boats are a close comparison...

Comes down to personal preference, dealer relationship, and access to service ability.

Look at the upgrade in power though when you are looking at the 22ft+ boats...

By the way Nick, maybe a two speed transmission has a severe enough down shift so that when you approach a rock at 22mph.. you can down shift and the antilock will kick in to stop in time to avoid hitting the rocks... ahhaha

All of those who are concerned with mileage on a wakeboard boat... especially when you sack it down...

Go buy an air mattress and watch from shore... they dont take any gas...

Tony, whatever boat you end up with... as long as you take the time to test drive in the conditions and environment that you are normally in... ans you choose what works best for you... then you will end up with the BEST boat... doesnt matter what anyone says on a discussion board.

Enjoy your new boat!!! Whatever one you decide on...
Old     (healing)      Join Date: Dec 2002       02-02-2004, 3:42 PM Reply   
Tony,
I'm on my second Centurion a 2002 Hurricane. Centurion builds a solid boat at a great price. I definatly would not hesitate my third boat being a Centurion. Good luck and come over to the v-drive world you won't miss the I/O.
Old     (jonb)      Join Date: Oct 2003       02-02-2004, 7:02 PM Reply   
kskateskier

it says he does not know what type of boat to get so i mentioned a boat that i believe is the best boat out there right now. so yes if you read the first 2 lines of the original post it does have something to do with the post.
Old     (krbaugh)      Join Date: Mar 2002       02-02-2004, 7:11 PM Reply   
AMPallas (sulmaxwell)

Wow why would you say the poster though that they hit a sand bar when he actually said "itwe probably hit the only pile of rock in the whole river was a sound bar when he actually said "

Interesting you bring up MasterCrafts and hitting things. In the late 90's my local fiberglass shop had so many MasterCrafts brought to them with huge holes in the bottom of the boat from people driving there through bolted fins through the bottom of the boat that they actually created a mold to put up to the bottom of the boat to fix the hole.

The moral to the story ..... Everyone can build a bad boat. Centurions hulls are as strong as anyone’s in the Market!


(Message edited by krbaugh on February 02, 2004)
Old     (kstateskier)      Join Date: May 2002       02-02-2004, 7:17 PM Reply   
JONb, he never asks for information on anything but Centurion. I guess he knows now that the MB has the two speed tranny though.

I can't believe all these people hit stuff in their boats. I guess it's because I have never been on the river, but I have never hit anything with an inboard. If the depth is getting below 5 I get out of there. I'm supposing that the big problem with under water obstructions in the St. Louis area is on the rivers?

(Message edited by kstateskier on February 02, 2004)
Old     (krbaugh)      Join Date: Mar 2002       02-02-2004, 7:25 PM Reply   
The river and large objects keep the gelcoat and boat dealer in business :-)

Personally I will stick with lakes!
Old     (kstateskier)      Join Date: May 2002       02-02-2004, 8:12 PM Reply   
I think that is the smart thing to do. We don't have to worry over here, our deapest river is about 2 feet deep!

Got anybody on that side of the state that needs an '03 LaPoint?
Old     (krbaugh)      Join Date: Mar 2002       02-02-2004, 8:31 PM Reply   
I will sure let you know if I run across anyone!
Old     (kstateskier)      Join Date: May 2002       02-02-2004, 8:57 PM Reply   
Thanks Kevin, we need to order a boat!
Old    maverick_gear            02-03-2004, 11:51 PM Reply   
as long as you have a 1.46:1 tranny there is no reason for a 2speed its just more moving parts to break. the centurion issue is a huge can of worms all i'll say is that i love mine and they have all been great boats.
Old    ag4ever            02-04-2004, 6:49 AM Reply   
My dog has not been able to make any hole in my seats or sun pad, and his nails are long and sharp. BTW, he is part pit bull and weighs 55+ pounds, and loves to attack the water. He never sits still, and never stops barking while the boat is moving.

There might be a difference in the quality of apolstry between different types of boats, and a walk thru transom will make no difference to a dog. They will just go where they feel like it.

Just so you don't flame me, I do have a CC, but I am sure there are others that have good thick strong vinyl.
Old     (kstateskier)      Join Date: May 2002       02-04-2004, 8:00 AM Reply   
I would say most ski/wake boats have thicker vinyl than the average I/O runabout.
Old     (healing)      Join Date: Dec 2002       02-04-2004, 9:21 AM Reply   
Tony,
I am not sure where you are located, but St. George Marine in Utah has a new 2003 avalanche for $34,900.00 storm 1 package. I just got a letter saying they are closing there doors after 17 years in the business. The avalanche is on there website http://www.iboats.com/sites/stgeorgemarine/site_page_575/

That's a smoking deal on a new boat even though it's a year out. They also had a typhoon listed. Does anyone know if someone is going to pick up the Centurion dealership in the St. George area? just curious

Old     (gymboarder)      Join Date: Feb 2003       02-04-2004, 10:09 AM Reply   
Tony,
I have a 2002 Avalanche and I love my boat. I have had only had 2 problems with it and neither were the manufactures fault. Tmy tach went out any my ballast pump went out. As for the boat itself I have over 100 hrs on it and it still runs great and looks great. As for the additional ballast issues they do make a C-4 model which doesnt have the walk through. You can easily add fat sac's or hard tanks. Mine has the walk through and I figured out a way to put sac's in mine under the walkthrough. The boat throws a great wake without the ballast and even better with it. If anyone is interested in the details about how I put the tank under the walk through shoot me an email and Ill give you a complete listing.


Old     (gymboarder)      Join Date: Feb 2003       02-04-2004, 10:11 AM Reply   

Walk through tank
Old     (kstateskier)      Join Date: May 2002       02-04-2004, 11:51 AM Reply   
Rod, what was your ballast issue, I know they switched pumps in '02. We had some notification that came with one of our boats, can't remember which one. People were running the pumps dry and they were blowing out.

Very good looking boat. Are you running the 6.2 Black Scorpion?

Also, I notice you have the factory mirror. Have you had any problems with it? We were getting complaints from drivers, so we bought the CIPA Comp I think, it is way more adjustable. I wish Centurion would attach the CIPA mirror with screws to the windshield like Malibu, minor things though.
Old    flatty            02-04-2004, 12:33 PM Reply   
I hate them. I have never owned on, nor will I ever. The boat is a good boat, but the wiring SUCKS ASS!!!!! I have seen a couple of them burned down due to the wiring issues, and my bro and I had to rewire one in the middle of a lake just to get it to shore. All the wiring in the boat went bad and started shorting out. All in all, I am sure the boat is noce, but hell for the same money you cang et a Sanger. I would not spend any moey on the Centurion.

Dima
Old     (gunz)      Join Date: Sep 2001       02-04-2004, 12:37 PM Reply   
Flatty has grabbed the correct by the throat!!!

but I'm sure the new ones are nice.
Old     (kstateskier)      Join Date: May 2002       02-04-2004, 1:05 PM Reply   
So you like the boat will all the wood
Old    flatty            02-04-2004, 1:09 PM Reply   
Its better than a boat that burns to the water... I am sporting for the Calabria

Dima
Old     (kstateskier)      Join Date: May 2002       02-04-2004, 1:25 PM Reply   
Never seen one burn,so I wouldn't now, I've had two and no electrical problems, especially ones that caused flames! Now Calabria I have ideas about, but I won't start a flame war!
Old    flatty            02-04-2004, 1:53 PM Reply   
Oh do tell Nick. I do not know everything there is to know wbaout the Calabria, just what I hear from word of mouth, so I am always open to suggestions. As for the Centurion, I am only going on what I have seen and experienced. I am sure they have gotten better since the Air Warrior (boat Iworked on). Hell I even wanted one before that.

Dima
Old     (kstateskier)      Join Date: May 2002       02-04-2004, 2:21 PM Reply   
I am in kind of the same boat as far as Calabria. I was in a friends, a '99 I think back in 2000. It was a slalom boat and the thing was junk, rattled, really low quality on the inside. This might have been a entry level boat, I am not sure of their line, but even if it was entry level it was very poor quality. Now this does not have anything to do with their wakeboard line, I have no experience and they look really nice. I know some users on this forum have them, so they would have better info. This was just one bad experience, so I am not classifying them as a bad company, as I know how mad that makes me when people do that with Centurion, but I will tell you I would never buy one of their boats because of the experience.
Old    flatty            02-04-2004, 2:44 PM Reply   
Nick, I agree with your feelings. Granted I don't get mad when people talk about the Calabria because I can really care less what others think about my boat as long as I like it. True, I don't own one yet, but hopefully by summer time of next year. I will not be getting the Direct drive, but a Vdrive if that matters at all.

As for the Centurions, I have told this story plentyof times, maiunly in hopes of people dispelling my theory that they have a wiring issue, and I have had many people agree with me on it. Granted I have had people tellme I am smoking crack, and ot put the pipe down. I am sure you ahve a great boat. I am remineded on an old Mercury Topaz my family had. My dad bought this car knowing that they were great cars. His friend had one, and it ran great, never had any issues. We bought one when I was about 10 years old, and we did not spend one day without problems. Either we just got a lemon, or the car was a POS, and my old man's buddy just got a great one. Either way, I could never look at a Topaz in the same way ever again (not that the car was ever great). Anyway, I hope you the best with the Centurion, and I hope younever have any probnelms with it.

Dima
Old     (hamkj)      Join Date: Apr 2002       02-04-2004, 2:53 PM Reply   
Since we are on a wiring issue... Go with the Supreme V230... all the wire is tinned and special connections to avoid any corrosion or moisture. They are using the same quality of wiring as the Big 4 companies. They made a point of that at the factory to ensure that not only the cosmetics are high quality, but so are the things that aren't seen. Also, you will not find any would in the boat. All the upholstery backing is a composite material... NO WOOD!!!
Old     (gymboarder)      Join Date: Feb 2003       02-04-2004, 3:44 PM Reply   
Nick,
Yes I am runing the 6.2 motor. The problem I was having was my pump impeller kept sticking so it would blow the fuse a lot. I fixed it by lubing up the impeler are with silicone grease and havent had the problem since. As for the mirror I have replace that one with a tower mounted one. I really dont like the one attached to the windshield.
Old     (kstateskier)      Join Date: May 2002       02-04-2004, 5:53 PM Reply   
Rod, yeah, I don't like the mirror either and hopefully will go with a tower mount in '04. We had that exact problem with our ballast tank on our '02. I think it blew like 5 fuses before it was fixed. They must have cured the problem in '03, as we have not had one problem with this boat. I wish we could have promoed the 6.2, never can have too much power.
Old    flatty            02-05-2004, 7:34 AM Reply   
Kyle, Actually I was at the boat show this past weekend, and the Supreme DOES run wood runners on the "frame" of the boat. They were actually proud of the fact that they were still using wood, and the other people around them were using Fiberglass.

Dima

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