Laveycraft quality

[WTR&PWR]

I have a buddy that went by a fiberglass shop for some repairs on his boat. He said the owner was telling him in his 30 years he has been the most impressed with the quality of lavey craft. He said they are built like tanks and more impressed with them than any other west coast boat. Is this a common thought in the havasu circles? I’ve heard from people who have laveys and enjoy them but never heard such praise over other manufacturers. What has the RDP crew heard for quality?

 

[WildWilly]

I have one and I do feel its more solid that a lot of boats I ride in. I've also been approached by a few people asking to buy mine because of the exact statements above. Whether its really true or not I don't know but it seems like that is the perception

 

[Mandelon]

They are very well made. So are others.

 

[H20 Toie]

Most west coast builders design the boats for lakes not ocean, when running in the ocean they take way more of a beating. the ocean boats are heavier ( and in turn slower)
You can run pretty much any boat in the ocean but over time you will start to see stress cracks etc, the Laveys i have seen are really built solid and can take a beating, but they are heavier than a lake boat.

 

[RCDave]

Lavey's layup and bond (deck and bottom) is top notch. And with excellent quality rigging. Gelcoat execution is also impressive

 

[riverroyal]

All this and no longer in business. Too bad

 

[Lavey5150]

I had a Lavey Sabre, built from scratch, f"ing loved that thing. I gave that thing every rough water condition it could handle from Focked up Havasu,Mead,Mojave to wind torn Monsoons Powell. Buddy of mine has a 29, we have mobbed that thing flat out in the big blue to the island w/ rollers East West North and South. Great solid well built boats. I wish them a building re-birth so I can eventually build my 2750 W/ 2K Horsepower

 

[Flatsix66]

Out of production and held in high regard...destined to be a good investment?

 

[28Eliminator]

Lavey's are nicely built boats for sure. The best, probably not.

 

[RaceTec]

If I had the cash I would be all over a Lavey! I want a river boat that I can play in the big blue with! @lavey jr has not really said that they are out of business? I think if someone walked up with cash they might be able to do something?

 

[RodnJen]

Solid, well put together boats for sure.

 

[traquer]

I've always wanted a Lavey, it's on my next boat list for sure along with Essex. I only have experience with Essex but it was an extremely well-built boat and everything was well thought out and engineered well. No other 21 has as much usable space as a Sterling or Vortex IMO.

 

[riverbrian]

I love my tank.

 

[Bigbore500r]

I've always heard they are good boats, and am puzzled why they typically sell for quite a bit less than comparable west coast custom boats? At least, they used to.
Why the low resale value, compared to the typical west coast customs?

 

[Mandelon]

Lavey provided a bit of factory support, but a few privateers raced a custom 2750 off shore for a few years, and did quite well. I am not aware of any other West Coast boats that did that. They are built tough for sure.

 

[Mandelon]

 

[dspracing]

I didn’t know anything about Lavey until I bought mine. As such, I figured it must be a lower end custom boat. Once I bought the thing and started poking around and enjoying the boat I quickly realized it was absolutely one of the better made boats out there. They lack styling IMO but it’s a rock solid insanely functional and well built boat.

 

[LargeOrangeFont]

I've always heard they are good boats, and am puzzled why they typically sell for quite a bit less than comparable west coast custom boats? At least, they used to.
Why the low resale value, compared to the typical west coast customs?

Lack of name recognition, and they aren’t a brand known for “style”.

 

[RiverDave]

One of the best rigged and best built hulls out there.. Always surprised me their resale was low compared to others.

I'd love a 21 / 24 / 26 Lavey!! Great boats for out here and run well in rough water. Little narrower than some of the others, but yes your friend is 100% correct, better than 95% out there.

Want to know another one that is grossly underrated and sell for less? Cole.

RD

 

[Lavey5150]

Lack of name recognition, and they aren’t a brand known for “style”.

You couldn't be more far from the obvious f'ing truth.......SMH
This video is 2008 OLD AF I watched this 39 EVO being tooled before my Sabre was born- This 39 had #'s and style that put all others to shame.--It's out East now kicking ass w/ bigger power from what I understand.

 

[Riverhound]

One of the best rigged and best built hulls out there.. Always surprised me their resale was low compared to others.

I'd love a 21 / 24 / 26 Lavey!! Great boats for out here and run well in rough water. Little narrower than some of the others, but yes your friend is 100% correct, better than 95% out there.

Want to know another one that is grossly underrated and sell for less? Cole.

RD

Yep, my 25 Cole is a tank and very well rigged. With that said, Its not going to win a speed contest

 

[Motor Boater]

It’s been said before but the 29 NuEra in a center console form that was affordable would KILL!!

 

[Lavey5150]

I love my tank.

You have a great boat I have seen you many times on the H20

 

[Lavey5150]

 

[ToMorrow44]

I have a buddy that went by a fiberglass shop for some repairs on his boat. He said the owner was telling him in his 30 years he has been the most impressed with the quality of lavey craft. He said they are built like tanks and more impressed with them than any other west coast boat. Is this a common thought in the havasu circles? I’ve heard from people who have laveys and enjoy them but never heard such praise over other manufacturers. What has the RDP crew heard for quality?

They are built like tanks. Everything is thru bolted, wiring is super nice. A lot of their models are vacuum bagged. A big power 29 has always been on my bucket list. Them not being in production right now is a function of the boat market, nobody is buying single engine v-bottoms anymore. All deckboats and outboard cats.

 

[LargeOrangeFont]

You couldn't be more far from the obvious f'ing truth.......SMH
This video is 2008 OLD AF I watched this 39 EVO being tooled before my Sabre was born- This 39 had #'s and style that put all others to shame.--It's out East now kicking ass w/ bigger power from what I understand.

Wrong. Ask people if they know what a Howard, Ultra, Eliminator, DCB or Hallett is. Everyone does. Then ask if they they know what a Laveycraft is. Not near as many do.

@dspracing just enumerated what I said. He bought “some used laveycraft” it happened to be built great. Let’s face facts, they are great boats, just not super well known outside of the boating community.

 

[Xtrmwakeboarder]

24’ Lavey with big Boostpower is one of my dream boats.

 

[jeteater1]

Took a 63 out on Thursday.
Only one soft spot on the whole boat , and thats where it was patch on the deck.

 

[RiverDave]

Yep, my 25 Cole is a tank and very well rigged. With that said, Its not going to win a speed contest

25 Coles were actually known for being pretty fast back in the day.. I remember them having a pro charger kit for a 502 and it ran 96'ish mph!

RD

 

[dnewps]

Lavey 28 vee is unmatched.

 

[LargeOrangeFont]

25 Coles were actually known for being pretty fast back in the day.. I remember them having a pro charger kit for a 502 and it ran 96'ish mph!

RD

With a jet bote speedo

 

[2Driver]

Always thought the 24 Nu era was the perfect boat. Good for Havasu, usable for Powell and could run Parker all day.

Had a down on a 21xtc in 04 and the guy sold it to someone else as he didn’t have to deliver it to the other guy.

 

[traquer]

Has Lavey ever done rear-facing seats? I don't think I've seen one, and it may be a deal killer for me as I got used to it in the Essex and Ultra.

 

[RiverDave]

Lavey 28 vee is unmatched.

the 28 Evo is actually one of my favorite looking boats! Love that boat and it was waaayyy ahead of its time.

RD

 

[RiverDave]

Has Lavey ever done rear-facing seats? I don't think I've seen one, and it may be a deal killer for me as I got used to it in the Essex and Ultra.

Yes they did in the 24 / 26 I believe.. Maybe even in the 21's?

RD

 

[FROGMAN524]

Back in the day when pontoons were still slow and cheap

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[DrunkenSailor]

Not sure if my Facebook vid linking ability is gonna work right but they built a 2750 mid cabin open bow with 300xs outboards. The boat won 2nd place in an opa race and runs mid 90s. This was a factory built boat not a race boat. It's a mcob for christs sakes. Any question of lavey construction quality should be answered by this video.

Who says you can’t race an open bow? Our customer took his 2750 NuEra MCOB powered by twin Mercury Racing 300xs’s out for his first race and earned a 2nd... | By Lavey Craft MotorsportsFacebook

Who says you can’t race an open bow? Our customer took his 2750 NuEra MCOB powered by twin Mercury Racing 300xs’s out for his first race and earned a 2nd...

fb.watch

This boat is the number one boat I would build today with twin 300r's if I had the cash or a wife who cared more about my happiness than our income to debt level...

 

[2Driver]

One of my fav pics was on the website of the capsule boat slamming into a huge roller. I can’t find it but it was awesome.

 

[DarkHorseRacing]

Well, Lake Arrowhead isn't a very big lake, but the large volume of boats on the small area creates a real washing machine for water conditions. Add to that all the people who drive around barely on plane and you could rival tug boat wakes. If money wasn't a object, I would either have a 24' Schiada or a 26' LaveyCraft for the conditions up here. While the 24' Schiada is a great boat in the rough up here, its not very big inside and its blasphemy to make it an open bow. So I think a 26' Lavey open bow would be ideal.

I'm not sure if you can mate a Bravo 3 XR to a Merc 600sci but that would be the ideal setup up here considering the speed limit is 35, so hole shot and low/mid-range is all you can focus on, and then running on 87 means you can fuel up at the 87 only fuel dock without adding octane boosters or taking the boat out to fuel at a regular gas station.

 

[Gelcoater]

I have a buddy that went by a fiberglass shop for some repairs on his boat. He said the owner was telling him in his 30 years he has been the most impressed with the quality of lavey craft. He said they are built like tanks and more impressed with them than any other west coast boat. Is this a common thought in the havasu circles? I’ve heard from people who have laveys and enjoy them but never heard such praise over other manufacturers. What has the RDP crew heard for quality?

Built like a brick shithouse.

You can find a couple more videos of them doing a few others.

You probably won’t find any other builders pulling the boat out of the mold, assembled, and a whole boat shell .
Hallett did until the change of ownership.
It comes out with floors and tanks in it and solid as a rock
The exceptions to that is the 29 Nu Era, it’s a shoebox fit, and the 28 Evo, as there’s no way to get inside it to tab, etc.

 

[rivermobster]

@OCMerrill

 

[lavey jr]

Lack of name recognition, and they aren’t a brand known for “style”.

Yup. Not known for style.

 

[lavey jr]

Not sure if my Facebook vid linking ability is gonna work right but they built a 2750 mid cabin open bow with 300xs outboards. The boat won 2nd place in an opa race and runs mid 90s. This was a factory built boat not a race boat. It's a mcob for christs sakes. Any question of lavey construction quality should be answered by this video.

Who says you can’t race an open bow? Our customer took his 2750 NuEra MCOB powered by twin Mercury Racing 300xs’s out for his first race and earned a 2nd... | By Lavey Craft MotorsportsFacebook

Who says you can’t race an open bow? Our customer took his 2750 NuEra MCOB powered by twin Mercury Racing 300xs’s out for his first race and earned a 2nd...

fb.watch

This boat is the number one boat I would build today with twin 300r's if I had the cash or a wife who cared more about my happiness than our income to debt level...

 

[Rondog4405]

Won't win many races..but my 26 nuera rides like fn cadillac.

 

[LargeOrangeFont]

Yup. Not known for style.

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Those are great looking boats. Outside boating circles, few would guess those are Laveycrafts, because while awesome boats, that’s not really what you focus on building all the time is it? If there were 10-20 of those out every weekend in Havasu like there are DCBs that would certainly raise brand awareness.

I never said they were not capable of building a “stylish” boats. I’m sorry if I implied that.

 

[lavey jr]

Those are great looking boats. Outside boating circles, few would guess those are Laveycrafts, because while awesome boats, that’s not really what you focus on building is it?

I never said they were not capable of building a “stylish” boat. When you think of wild, over the top boats, Laveycraft is not generally the first name out of someone’s mouth.

Outside boating circles, show someone any boat and most people won’t even be able to guess what manufacturer it is.
And I’m not sure I can answer your question, I don’t focus on building either of those boats. I work at Eliminator.

 

[DRYHEAT]

Wrong. Ask people if they know what a Howard, Ultra, Eliminator, DCB or Hallett is. Everyone does. Then ask if they they know what a Laveycraft is. Not near as many do.

@dspracing just enumerated what I said. He bought “some used laveycraft” it happened to be built great. Let’s face facts, they are great boats, just not super well known outside of the boating community.

I think the notoriety of certain brands depends on whether manufacturers played the magazine game or not. Maybe Lavey and a few others didn’t spend cubic tons of dollars on advertising.

 

[LargeOrangeFont]

Outside boating circles, show someone any boat and most people won’t even be able to guess what manufacturer it is.
And I’m not sure I can answer your question, I don’t focus on building either of those boats. I work at Eliminator.

The question was why they don’t have a stronger resale. It is because the brand is not as well known, like I stated above. I don’t think anyone will argue it’s not a quality boat. When someone is looking for a boat for sale, there aren’t many Laveycrafts out there. If someone goes to Havasu and sees all the boats with all the names on the sides, there aren’t as many Laveycrafts. If they then want to buy a boat, they are going to see a Hallett, a Nordic, a Howard, a Eliminator for sale and start there, because that is mostly what they saw out on the water.

Those people are not gonna know Lavey built a handful of larger boats, because they aren’t seen around much.

 

[LargeOrangeFont]

I think the notoriety of certain brands depends on whether manufacturers played the magazine game or not. Maybe Lavey and a few others didn’t spend cubic tons of dollars on advertising.

That could be very true. But think of people new to boating that you take out with you, and what CUSTOM boats do you see any given weekend? A handful of big money DCBs, lots of newer expensive deck boats - Howard’s, Eliminators, Nordics etc. you will see a ton of Magics and then all the smaller boats from the 90’s and 2000’s. Of all those you might see a couple Laveycrafts a weekend. It is usually a NuEra or some kind or a smaller skier, sometimes a Party Prowler deckboat. All good boats, but not what I’d associate with the over the top hardware from other brands that we see out there week in and week out.

 

[DRYHEAT]

That could be very true. But think of people new to boating that you take out with you, and what CUSTOM boats do you see any given weekend? A handful of big money DCBs, lots of newer expensive deck boats - Howard’s, Eliminators, Nordics etc. you will see a ton of Magics and then all the smaller boats from the 90’s and 2000’s. Of all those you might see a couple Laveycrafts a weekend. It is usually a NuEra of some kind or a smaller skier, sometimes a Party Prowler deckboat.

That all may be true but a brand that I see out here all the time, but rarely hear mention of is Essex and their lower cost brand Laser.
I mostly see pontoon boats.

I think a lot of the other brands just don’t put the money into developing new molds if they’re doing OK selling what they’ve got.

It’s a risky proposition developing a new mold and if it doesn’t turn out looking “just right” and performing well it can be a lot of wasted money.

I don’t know, has Lavey ceased operations permanently or are they just on hiatus until??? I vaguely recall a thread about them shutting down due to Covid but maybe I’m wrong.