Howard Custom Boats - Quality

[RiverDave]

Earlier this year I had someone chirping in my ear about how the quality of Howard custom boats had suffered since gene passed etc..

This last weekend I had the pleasure of giving their latest 288 a once over for a future upcoming “feature boat.”

I’m happy to report that EVERYTHING I saw was absolutely as nicely built and implemented as I have ever seen on a Howard.

They are still building 10/10’s.. everytime I go out or drive a 288 I come away saying the same thing “man, what a bad ass boat.” The more power the better! This one had a 600 and belonged to Jeff! we share some mutual friends / biz relationships. He works for Nexgen under @Riverbound


RD

 

[Outdrive1]

Doesn’t get much better than a Howard Sport Deck.

 

[Dunerking]

One day I’ll have one of these next to my Alumicraft dual sport!! Very nice boat!

 

[Riverbound]

jeff is a great dude, one of my top sales guys. he built his dream boat and it came out absolutely stunning.

I heard about the drone incident.

 

[MeCasa16]

Nothing has changed in how they are built. Gene wasn’t on the floor with his hands on the boat.. Mike is still running the builds just like when Gene was still alive.

 

[HgH Vltg]

Great colors! One day....

 

[SCHIADATROUBLE]

Have you done a test on a 255VTX yet? I’d like some info on how they handle compared to the 288 and other boats of similar size.

 

[Raffit78]

Have you done a test on a 255VTX yet? I’d like some info on how they handle compared to the 288 and other boats of similar size.

Howard 255 VTX Review!! The Ultimate Dual Sport Boat!

I have a famous line that I've used my whole life that basically amounts to "Don't try to get something that is good at everything, because you will end up with something that isn't great at anything." I can honestly say that has served me well my whole life, right up until I crossed paths with...

www.riverdavesplace.com

I believe Dave did this a while back,

 

[Havasu blue label]

Nice looking boat

 

[TCHB]

My Howard was rock solid. Every where you looked it was put together the right way.

 

[HNL2LHC]

Good to hear that the quality is still up there Dave. Good to see the boat on the water. It looked great while being built.

I should have bought the blue one that @Outdrive1 showed me a year os so ago. It is better that I didn’t but it would have been fun to have.

 

[Not So Fast]

Dare I ask the tarif for a boat like this with a say 500hp-600hp Merc motor ??

 

[Mcob25rg]

Dave, always going to be haters, let ‘em hate. Gotta remember, no one is irreplaceable, reguardless of skills/dedication, and no one person is responsible for everything that goes into a build like that. They will be around for a long time

 

[28Eliminator]

My dream boat..

 

[RiverDave]

Dare I ask the tarif for a boat like this with a say 500hp-600hp Merc motor ??

No windshield and a few other options with a 600 this one was 270’ish. The price may have gone up some since then. I’d recommend calling Howard

 

[Tank]

The Howard sport deck is basically the gold standard in its class. Glad to hear they’re still maintaining the high bar.

 

[Riverbound]

No windshield and a few other options with a 600 this one was 270’ish. The price may have gone up some since then. I’d recommend calling Howard

I pay him way too much

 

[BingerFang]

I pay him way too much

Are you hiring? Asking for a friend…

 

[NicPaus]

I pay him way too much

How's your DCB build going?

 

[Guest06]

There new builds also come with a not red lanyard as well, you can also buy fancy lanyards from them in their showroom.

 

[JL95]

Pretty cool to see you paying him enough to do that lol

 

[Ziggy]

There are moments I think back when Gene reached out to me asking to trade a new bmw for a boat...and swallow some remorse.

 

[rivermobster]

Im not sure what looks better...

The boat or that water

Beautiful day for a test.

 

[schweeng]

Some people are always like that with change. I bought a restaurant and for years, I heard oh since the new owner, it doesn’t taste the same.
I didn’t change the cooks… The distributors… The equipment… The ingredients… Nothing … absolutely nothing was changed, but for years on Yelp reviews people would post that shit.

You would have to be a fool to buy howard Boats… Knowing how popular they are for their quality and then make any changes that would affect that

 

[dnewps]

I love howard deckboats! The What does the braintrust have to say about the 288 scs (closed bow) compared to other single engine boats out there?

 

[PlanB]

My favorite deckboat.

 

[Bullet28]

All I know is I’ve owned 2 Howard Bullets in the past a 05 25’ and a 06 28’ and the quality was exceptional. I would expect nothing less with the unfortunate passing of Gene. RIP my friend.

 

[plaster dave]

Nothing has changed in how they are built. Gene wasn’t on the floor with his hands on the boat.. Mike is still running the builds just like when Gene was still alive.

Well they lost their head gel coat guy and rigger a few years back. Not sure what’s happening now over there though.

 

[HubbaHubbaLife]

Earlier this year I had someone chirping in my ear about how the quality of Howard custom boats had suffered since gene passed etc..

This last weekend I had the pleasure of giving their latest 288 a once over for a future upcoming “feature boat.”

I’m happy to report that EVERYTHING I saw was absolutely as nicely built and implemented as I have ever seen on a Howard.

They are still building 10/10’s.. everytime I go out or drive a 288 I come away saying the same thing “man, what a bad ass boat.” The more power the better! This one had a 600 and belonged to Jeff! Whole we share some mutual friends / biz relationships. He works for Nexgen under @Riverbound


RD
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Those lines remind me of that monster ~43' Nordic had at shows.... swooping lines front to back and downward.

 

[plaster dave]

I love howard deckboats! The What does the braintrust have to say about the 288 scs (closed bow) compared to other single engine boats out there?

My buddy has a 28 scs with 1050hp and it’s an awesome boat. Rides great in rough water.
I personally think a closed bow boat with the windshields are a pain in the ass to get to the beach in cold weather boating.
My buddy hates going through the door under the dash and out the door on the deck. But he loves the boat and the looks of a closed bow.

 

[dnewps]

My buddy has a 28 scs with 1050hp and it’s an awesome boat. Rides great in rough water.
I personally think a closed bow boat with the windshields are a pain in the ass to get to the beach in cold weather boating.
My buddy hates going through the door under the dash and out the door on the deck. But he loves the boat and the looks of a closed bow.

So it’s not the gold standard like the deckboat is? Or do you rather a deckboat? Is there a better single engine closed bow?

 

[gqchris]

What I learned from this thread is that @Riverbound is loaded!

And that I wish I got into the HvAC biz instead of computers!

 

[Boat211]

Doesn’t get much better than a Howard Sport Deck.

I agree!! Great looking hulls

 

[Riverbound]

What I learned from this thread is that @Riverbound is loaded!

And that I wish I got into the HvAC biz instead of computers!

sadly quite a few of my guys make much more than I do.

Quite often i question my decision to get out of sales.

I don’t regret my choice in career one bit.

 

[Pivot]

There are moments I think back when Gene reached out to me asking to trade a new bmw for a boat...and swallow some remorse.

I got one also....I went to see the 288 in 2015 up in Valencia. It was about 4 months from completion and they were working on the extended transom.
125k with a 496HO, 135 ish for 525.
I passed because it looked to much like our old magic! Wtf was I thinking

 

[OldSchoolBoats]

Anyone who says the quality of Howard went down after Gene passed is an idiot. Gene was a legend and I miss him, but the fact of the matter is, he was not personally building or rigging the boats.

With Mike and Hamlet at the helm, they will continue to put out one of the best products on the market, no doubt.

 

[RiverDave]

I got one also....I went to see the 288 in 2015 up in Valencia. It was about 4 months from completion and they were working on the extended transom.
125k with a 496HO, 135 ish for 525.
I passed because it looked to much like our old magic! Wtf was I thinking

Damn! I don’t remember them being that cheap.. but you could probably still sell it for more than that today!

 

[plaster dave]

So it’s not the gold standard like the deckboat is? Or do you rather a deckboat? Is there a better single engine closed bow?

I’m not saying that at all! It’s a badass boat!
I was just telling you what I thought about a closed bow boat. When I was younger I loved a closed bow. Not so much now. Lol

 

[RiverDave]

Anyone who says the quality of Howard went down after Gene passed is an idiot. Gene was a legend and I miss him, but the fact of the matter is, he was not personally building or rigging the boats.

With Mike and Hamlet at the helm, they will continue to put out one of the best products on the market, no doubt.

I honestly didn’t know one way or the other. I haven’t talked much to Hamlet since he took over and haven’t seen too many new builds other than in passing. This is the first one I’ve been up close too since Gene passed.

I used to talk to Gene probably twice a week. Phone calls usually started with “Dave who is this fucking idiot on your website”. Lol. He was on here more than I am.

 

[Pivot]

Damn! I don’t remember them being that cheap.. but you could probably still sell it for more than that today!

That one was. Gene said Howard owned it, production number 1. He wanted it in havasu asap.
To this day I've never seen it on tbe water.
I passed on a eliminator deck that month also, same price same thing that they owned it. Meaning the build cost is all of of pocket for them.

 

[LargeOrangeFont]

Damn! I don’t remember them being that cheap.. but you could probably still sell it for more than that today!

Our friends 288 deck with like every option and a 565 was $165K new in 2016. I remember the Nordics started at $120K then, so did the new Cobra 270 Python that is now high 200s.

 

[BigMike]

That one was. Gene said Howard owned it, production number 1. He wanted it in havasu asap.
To this day I've never seen it on tbe water.
I passed on a eliminator deck that month also, same price same thing that they owned it. Meaning the build cost is all of of pocket for them.

My buddy bought hull #1 brand new and still owns it. The boat lives in Parker. It comes up to Havasu for Desert Storm every year. I know this because I have been on the boat the last few years for DS. It just crossed the 100 hour mark. I think the last time it was on the water was July 4th weekend. Boat still looks brand new and runs great. Dave did a write up on it when it was brand new down in Parker. I don’t know how to post the link, but you can search for it.

 

[OCMerrill]

sadly quite a few of my guys make much more than I do.

Quite often i question my decision to get out of sales.

I don’t regret my choice in career one bit.

Always needed and totally Artificial Intelligence proof.

 

[Ziggy]

Our friends 288 deck with like every option and a 565 was $165K new in 2016. I remember the Nordics started at $120K then, so did the new Cobra 270 Python that is now high 200s.

I bought my Nordic Oct of 2015(1st 2016 deck). OTD on a equivalently powered Howard was $40k more.

 

[92562]

I used to talk to Gene probably twice a week. Phone calls usually started with “Dave who is this fucking idiot on your website”. Lol. He was on here more than I am.

I think you're right! Every time I would say good things about my Howard or any other, he would send me an e-mail thanking me. And as always, ask me if I blew up my engine with the Whipple yet!

 

[Xtrmwakeboarder]

sadly quite a few of my guys make much more than I do.

Quite often i question my decision to get out of sales.

I don’t regret my choice in career one bit.

Doesn’t seem unusual. A few of our sales people make more than our CEO. I wish I had that personality

 

[LargeOrangeFont]

Doesn’t seem unusual. A few of our sales people make more than our CEO. I wish I had that personality

The top performing sales people should be making more than the sales director… that’s how you keep top performing sales people.

 

[MR HARLEY]

I remember back in the summer 06, I had appointments set with Howard, Conquest and Advantage to see who could build a boat designed around my family.

Fortunately for us, Dave@DCB sent his twin turbo powered hair dryer over from El Cajon to pick us up and we then got jumped into the Black Sock Gang before I could visit the other manufacturers.

Howard was at the top of my list. 125k with a 525 was the quote Gene gave me. Always like Gene and how he conducted business and the way he built his boats.

 

[Riverbound]

The top performing sales people should be making more than the sales director… that’s how you keep top performing sales people.

agreed……I was the top producer that got sucked back in to management.

 

[LargeOrangeFont]

agreed……I was the top producer that got sucked back in to management.

That’s how they get you