On Sat, 03 Mar 2007 03:38:26 GMT, "wojo" u32209@uwe wrote:

We are contemplating purchasing a Hydra Sports 230 WA. Can anyone give me
any information about the quality, ride, handling, etc of this boat. We are
also looking at a Key West 2300 WA, but the dealer does not have a 2300 in
stock. We looked at a 2300 WA that we found in a fenced area at a marina,
but it appears that the back area of the boat is very small. Anyone know
about the Key West. We also looked at a Pro Line, but that boat doesn't have
good rankings with J D Powers. What would you buy? Hydra Sports, Key West,
Pro Line, or Sea Pro??????

The Hydra Sports 230 is an excellent boat - they have been building
them for a long time. In fact, some of their molds have been used by
other manufacturers on a rebrand.

The simple truth is that any 23' walk around, while providing some
space for kids to nap, go potty, etc., there isn't a whole lot of
room in the cabin and if you have more than two or three people in the
cockpit for fishing, it gets cramped quickly.

With regard to the individual boats, they all perform about the same
as their hull designs are all the same. The one exception is the
Hydra Sports - I am not enthusiastic about bracket mounted engines on
this boat. I tested one for a dealer and one of the things I noticed
was the tendency to bury the engine up to the cowling on take off and
when backing down from a cruising or WOT run - that's not a "bad"
thing and it may have been specific to that particular year, it's just
something that I wasn't enthusiastic about. I haven't tested one
recently and I have heard that they have moved the bracket up to fix
that problem, but I can't say that for sure.

Depending on what you are looking to do, each boat has it's niche in
the market. The Hydra Sports Lightning series is a good, sound
all-around boat and will perform as such. The Key West WA has more of
the features to look for as a fishing platform. Pro Line I wouldn't
buy if you paid me. I just flat out don't like them - much to light,
under designed and very cramped for space. Others may have a
different opinion. Sea Pro is ok - I'm not impressed with their fit
and finish and that last one I looked at, if you looked down the side
of the boat, there wasn't a straight line anywhere.

If I had my druthers, I'd probably opt for the Key West. You will
have to make an engine choice and I would opt for 50 horses under the
max. If you can, which may not be possible, try and opt for Evinrude
E-TEC engines. If not, go for Merc Optimax or Yamaha HPDI series.
I'm not a fan of four stroke engines.

One option you may wish to consider is Polar. I have been impressed
since they first started making them.

http://www.godfreymarine.com/cf/feat...ader_polar.jpg

These are well thought out, the fit and finish is excellent and the
materials are the highest quality. When delivered,they are complete
and with all the little goodies that you have to add to the other
boats. They run great and while I'm not sure how they do it, the
boats are actually balanced while running - very quick on plane, they
track perfectly and handle a heavy chop in fine style. While it's not
apparent when looking at them, once aboard, they have a lot of room -
storage is hidden and there is plenty of it. These are probably the
best boats in this category.

Second best would be Sailfish.

http://www.sailfishboats.com/sailfis...l.aspx?boat=14

Very similar to Polar in terms of fit and finish. I have a friend who
is as particular as you can get when it comes to boats. He has the
2600 and swears it's the best boat of this class he's ever owned. He
didn't use factory power going with E-TECs and he's as happy as a pig
in a pen of slops which is saying something because he's very
particular.

Once you decide on the base boat and power, the only thing I would add
to a boat like this is canvas for the T-top and maybe a camper back
which would increase the interior space for overnights if you are
inclined towards that.

Hope that helps. Good luck.