Opinions wanted - Howard Sport Deck 288 with families/kids?

[iimcv]

Hi All ... thinking about buying a 288 SportDeck with a 565/28p prop. Wondering if there's anyone out there who has one/ridden in one and would offer up their thoughts on the following:

1. How well it handles in the 35-45mph range, as this is where we spend a lot of our time.
2. Planing/acceleration and how good/bad it would be at pulling occasional tubers/skiers in the 15-25mph range
3. How windy is it in bow/cockpit area with the bow wind deflector up in the (35 mph - 45 mph range)
4. How does it handle with a couple of adults & kids in the bow? Does this affect turning?
5. Any watch-outs?

Looking for a family performance boat that kids/adults will feel comfortable in, is easy to move about with lots of room/storage and handles lake conditions well.

All thoughts are welcome!

 

[the510]

do it!

 

[hallett3]

My son has one 2015 with a 565 mercury racing with a 28 pitch. Does 83 mph handles great. It’s not that windy when cruising at 35 /45 mph . You won’t notice any difference in performance or handling with kids and two adults. The 565 has a lot of torque so it pulls hard. Gets out of the plane nicely. Handle rough water well. Plenty of room and storage. I think Howard has one of the best lines of a deck boat. Quality boat and will never go out of style .