Howard 288 Sportdeck versus 28 SDS Sportdeck versus 26 Nordic Deckboat ?

[jfoley1]

I currently own a beautiful Howard 28 Bullet Mid Cabin Open Bow with a Mercury 525 and the XR drive along with all the extras that comes standard with this package from Howard.
I have owned many boats in the past but by far this one is the nicest along with being the best quality that I have ever owned. This has always been my dream boat and it has been an awesome boat, but now my boating has changed since I have become older and now I am looking at possibly a deck boat that has the easy entry from the water to the rear of the boat
and a walk off in the front when I occasionally pull up to a sandy beach. I really like the Howard products since having owned one so I was wondering if anyone has any input on the
ride difference between these 2 Howards 288 Sportdeck versus the 28 SDS Sportdeck. I like the hidden Bimini top feature in the 288 but I am very curious if one rides better in choppy
water than the other ? Both boats to me are very nice but I have to be certain which one would be better for my boating needs, before I sell mine take the plunge break the bank and
order a new one. Also I just heard a little about Nordic's 26 foot Deck Boat last week saw it on line looks great has both rear and front entry and is what I need. I was also told that 26 foot
Nordic rides as well as Howards 288 or 28 SDS. Does anybody know how that boat rides compared to the 2 Howards ? I wonder what Gene and Mike Willen would say about that statement ?

 

[riverroyal]

howard will be a touch faster with equal power. Nordic will ride a bit smoother with a deeper cut into the water. SDS is beautiful, Nordic is faster delivery.
Im going with Nordic in the big rough.

 

[boataholic]

The Howard288 and the 28 Sportdeck share the exact same bottom(riding surface). Center of gravity on the new 288 may be a tad different, as the interior of the 288 has some subtle differences. I can speak for the 28 sportdeck the ride is pretty impressive, the boat loves the power and eats up most of what havasu can throw at it. Tons of storage & build quality is topnotch. The issue becomes timeline on getting your hands on a Howard new or used. I know Maxed Out had a SDS in that $140 range.

Prior to purchasing the Sportdeck, I also looked at the 26 Nordic. I cant say anything bad about the Nordic or their staff. Thane & Bob have always taken the time to answer all my questions. For the money, its hard to beat the package they put together.

I ultimately went with the used Howard as a deal came up that I couldn't walk away from as it had the powerplant that I wanted. In my opinion both companies are making a phenomenal product at this time, just make sure you power it to meet your needs and you wont look back.

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[Bigbore500r]

The Howard288 and the 28 Sportdeck share the exact same bottom(riding surface). Center of gravity on the new 288 may be a tad different, as the interior of the 288 has some subtle differences. I can speak for the 28 sportdeck the ride is pretty impressive, the boat loves the power and eats up most of what havasu can throw at it. Tons of storage & build quality is topnotch. The issue becomes timeline on getting your hands on a Howard new or used. I know Maxed Out had a SDS in that $140 range.

Prior to purchasing the Sportdeck, I also looked at the 26 Nordic. I cant say anything bad about the Nordic or their staff. Thane & Bob have always taken the time to answer all my questions. For the money, its hard to beat the package they put together.

I ultimately went with the used Howard as a deal came up that I couldn't walk away from as it had the powerplant that I wanted. In my opinion both companies are making a phenomenal product at this time, just make sure you power it to meet your needs and you wont look back. View attachment 901370

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Which one was better for rough water? Sounds like you liked them both, would be great to get a qualified opinion from somebody who has owned both!

 

[boataholic]

Which one was better for rough water? Sounds like you liked them both, would be great to get a qualified opinion from somebody who has owned both!

Hey Jerry...Havent seen you around lately. Too clarify I never owned a 26 Nordic was just shopping at that time. However I did test drive the boat, and it road great(mid-week, calm water conditions). But to be honest not a fair comparison as the Howard has the stage 3 whippled 600 & the Nordic had the 520. I ran the boat to the low 70's and it was extremely predictable for family cruiser. Functionality of both are great.

The Howard suits my family's need well, love the high freeboard on the boat for the wife & kids. The boat jumps on plane no need for trim tabs and accelerates well considering the boats weight. The only complaint with the Howard, which is an easy fix. On the front deck water will pool up on that platform from numerous things(kids,water sprayoff). Just need to add a drain hole to the platform. Other than that I cant say anything bad about the boat.

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[BeerMaker]

I also currently own a 28 Bullet and love it. I have ridden in both a 28 Howard deck and a 26 Nordic deck. Both are awesome boats and do well in typical Havasu water conditions. Howard builds such a solid boat. Their build quality is right up there near the top of the west coast builders. It's going to cost more and take longer to get than the Nordic. It's hard to beat the bang for the buck that you get with a Nordic. From my observations, Howard's demand higher $ on the resale market if depreciation is a concern. Howards sell very quickly and hold their value. The extra length in running surface adds to ride quality. I also love the hidden Bimini and monster swin step on the 288. If budget was a concern or you have to have the boat built quickly, go Nordic. For the nicer of the two, arguably better build quality, great features, resale value, and honestly probably the best looking deck boat on the market, go Howard 288. A 288 is on my very short list of next possible boats fwiw

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[Bigbore500r]

Hey Jerry...Havent seen you around lately. Too clarify I never owned a 26 Nordic was just shopping at that time. However I did test drive the boat, and it road great(mid-week, calm water conditions). But to be honest not a fair comparison as the Howard has the stage 3 whippled 600 & the Nordic had the 520. I ran the boat to the low 70's and it was extremely predictable for family cruiser. Functionality of both are great.

The Howard suits my family's need well, love the high freeboard on the boat for the wife & kids. The boat jumps on plane no need for trim tabs and accelerates well considering the boats weight. The only complaint with the Howard, which is an easy fix. On the front deck water will pool up on that platform from numerous things(kids,water sprayoff). Just need to add a drain hole to the platform. Other than that I cant say anything bad about the boat.

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Awesome, good review! Hope all is well, see you on the river

 

[C Ya]

Hey Jerry...Havent seen you around lately. Too clarify I never owned a 26 Nordic was just shopping at that time. However I did test drive the boat, and it road great(mid-week, calm water conditions). But to be honest not a fair comparison as the Howard has the stage 3 whippled 600 & the Nordic had the 520. I ran the boat to the low 70's and it was extremely predictable for family cruiser. Functionality of both are great.

The Howard suits my family's need well, love the high freeboard on the boat for the wife & kids. The boat jumps on plane no need for trim tabs and accelerates well considering the boats weight. The only complaint with the Howard, which is an easy fix. On the front deck water will pool up on that platform from numerous things(kids,water sprayoff). Just need to add a drain hole to the platform. Other than that I cant say anything bad about the boat.

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That’s my old boat . Glad you are enjoying it. amazing where prices have gone since I sold the boat through Gene...

 

[Stayin'ontop]

Hey that's my old boat too!
Chuck, this is Curtis.........
Brian, boat looks great. glad you're enjoying it

 

[cb5505]

Not to hijack this thread but does anyone know the length of a 26 Nordic deck on the double axel trailer with a swing tongue. I am wondering if it would fit in a 30 ft garage. Thanks

 

[BeerMaker]

Not to hijack this thread but does anyone know the length of a 26 Nordic deck on the double axel trailer with a swing tongue. I am wondering if it would fit in a 30 ft garage. Thanks

@Ziggy

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[jfoley1]

Thank you everybody for your feedback on the 3 boats the 288 probably would be my first pick but like someone mentioned the Howard is more money
and the waiting list is long. If that 26 foot Nordic rides as well as the 288 or very close to it then I would choose the 26 Nordic. To try to answer the
question about the 26 Nordic fitting in a 30 ft garage I have a 35 foot storage unit and my 28 foot Bullet fits in there without a swing away tongue
with 4 feet to spare.

 

[boataholic]

Hey that's my old boat too!
Chuck, this is Curtis.........
Brian, boat looks great. glad you're enjoying it

Hey Curtis hope all is well.

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[Ziggy]

Thank you everybody for your feedback on the 3 boats the 288 probably would be my first pick but like someone mentioned the Howard is more money
and the waiting list is long. If that 26 foot Nordic rides as well as the 288 or very close to it then I would choose the 26 Nordic. To try to answer the
question about the 26 Nordic fitting in a 30 ft garage I have a 35 foot storage unit and my 28 foot Bullet fits in there without a swing away tongue
with 4 feet to spare.

I will go out and measure my 26Nordic on trailer. If I remember correctly it was closer to 34 with swim platform. Give me 20 minutes or so.

 

[Ziggy]

Thank you everybody for your feedback on the 3 boats the 288 probably would be my first pick but like someone mentioned the Howard is more money
and the waiting list is long. If that 26 foot Nordic rides as well as the 288 or very close to it then I would choose the 26 Nordic. To try to answer the
question about the 26 Nordic fitting in a 30 ft garage I have a 35 foot storage unit and my 28 foot Bullet fits in there without a swing away tongue
with 4 feet to spare.

Yeah, your looking at 33+ feet with swimplatform(~20"). Maybe couple foot of swing tongue could be done if necessary??idk.

 

[LBZRCKS]

If it helps in any way, a 29ft Nordic deck with the platform was just under 38 feet on an adrenaline trailer.