Haines Hunter and Haines Signature Hulls

[Perko_tas]

Hi All,

I am new to this forum and hope to find out some information before making my first boat purchase.

I am looking for a hull to be used to wakeboarding/skiing/diving as well as cruising about.

As I'm in tassie the boat must be able to handle rough and choppy water well.

So far I have been steered towards the HH V17R and 17R hulls. Everything I hear about them is excellent. I have also been looking at some Haines Signature hulls such as the 550RE. Some feedback has been good, but there seems to be a bias towards the HH hulls but noone mentions what the differences are.

If anyone could provide me with some more information about the HH and Signature hulls it would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers,

Sam

[Willallison]

The V17R is likely to be a better sea boat than the Signature. As long as it's a relatively old one, it'll be built like a brick... well... you know....
The 17 has a much deeper V than the V16R, which would probably make a better ski boat, though not as good as the 146R (of which I have owned two). However, this is really an inshore boat, as it is beamier and has a flatter bottom than either of it's bigger sisters.

The problem is that (like the rest of us!) you want your boat to do many things - a number of them in conflict with each other.
For example - a boat that is a good offshore fishing boat is likely to be a crappy ski boat.

The V17R is likely to have the best wake for wakeboarding (not so great for skiing, but probably tolerable if you're only a weeken hack - no offense intended), would make a great dive & fishing boat... it'd be my pick. Try to find one that has been repowered with low hours on it and you can't go too wrong...

[Perko_tas]

Hi Will,

Thanks for such a detailed reply.

I have skied behind a HH V16R before and it was great. I'm not pro but probably a bit past a weekend hack ;-). I mainly do free-skiing so a bit of wake can be quite nice to launch off! To a certain extend the wake can to reduce with trim I imagine and so I'm sure the V17 would be fine.

So I think my plan may be to find something I am happy to ski behind and use something like fat sacs (water ballast) to increase the wake whilst wakeboarding. This should mean I'll get the best of both worlds...

Bow ballast will also be nice to have in choppy conditions to calm to front down and stop it from slapping I think.

I dont think I'll be heading too far offshore, but the capability it always nice.

It is great to hear the V17R would make a great dive boat as this is an important factor.

There are a couple of V17R's on the makret at the moment with 140hp 2003 Merc's in good condition, which I think would be ideal for about $15-16k, which is at the top of my budget but by the sounds of things I's have a good boat at the end of it!

Thanks again,

Sam

[Willallison]

No worries Sam...
140hp might be a bit marginal for a V17R for skiing. Many were fitted with 175's and I reckon you might do well to try and find one with that sort of power.
It's be worth asking to have a ski behind the boat when you for a test, just to see.... though this morning that might prove to be a bit chilly!!

[powerabout]

make sure the transoms are not rotted

[Perko_tas]

Cheers Will, I think going to a ski during a test run will be a good way to test. Barefooting is also on the cards so the 175 might be the best option if I can find one... I have skied behind boats with less than 135 hp, and it was managable although not ideal when getting up. I guess these older hulls would be heavier than the later models, so maybe a comparison cant be made... Maybe a new 140hp would be better than an older 175? I really dont know... a compromise will have to come in somewhere! I just hope I choose the right one!
Thanks again Will. Great help.

Powerabout, how do you check for transom rot? Is this an obvious thing or something which lies hidden within the glass? I would have thought an indicator would be something like discolouration (yellowing) of the gell coat and cracking etc...? thanks for your input!

cheers

Sam

[powerabout]

You need to test from the inside the boat the glass is not that thick so you can hit it hard with a sharp end of a screw driver if it penetrates its because the plywood has rotted

[Perko_tas]

Thanks for the advice. I have found a few boats that should fit the bill I just have to iron out a few minor points and get something ready for summer!