Thoughts on Manitou???

[BobL]

Here is my situation (as some of you may know based on a prior post on Xcursion boats):

1 - I have a 2011 Southbay 522CR with 115hp Merc 4 Stroke

2 - I have a jet ski

3 - I have a 2011 Tahoe Q7 with Wakeboard tower, etc.

4 - We have rarely used the Tahoe over the last 2 seasons so am thinking of replacing the Tahoe and Southbay and getting a 23-25' tri-toon boat w/ 150/175/200hp to pull the occasional tubes and knee boards.

5 - My dealer sells Southbay/Xcursion/Bentley and have been please with them but honestly, I have never had to use them for anything other than oil changes.

6 - The closest Bennington and Harris dealers are 2-4 hours away.

7 - A long time boat dealer in the area has just picked up the Manitou line and after looking at them, I was pretty impressed.

I looked at the thread on here that shows percentage of boats owned and there are very few Manitou's owned by members on this board. Anyone have any thoughts/feedback on the Manitou?

P.S. Sorry for the long post!

[Bamaman]

Manitou's are really good boats, and one of my favorite four brands. The company is in cahoots with ETEC, so they'll often cut dealers a deal on boats ordered with ETEC's.

When I was looking at them, the dealer's fall order writing came with a free $700 option package, a ETEC HO motor for the same price as a regular ETEC motor and a cut rate price of maybe $500 on the in center toon storage. That dealer was ordering VP hulls with 150 hp motors, and only stocked that size unit in the Aurora and the next model up. Any SHP hulled high powered tritoons were special ordered.

I remember you saying earlier that you were looking to simplify the boat inventory. If your local dealer is willing to deal, go for it. Just be aware that the ETEC and the ETEC HO are completely different motors. They also have a 150 hp engine specifically designed for a tritoon.

[Bryden24shp]

Never had a complaint on my old one. I only switched to the Premier because we are "Cold Season" boaters as well as summer time. We wanted the full windshield, which only Premier offers at this time. It offers a lot of protection in cold weather, and with the top up, its comfortable in rain and even light snowfalls. Premier's do not have the same performance or handling as the Manny, but its close. It does have a nicer ride than the Manny, and the hull is very stealthy running through the water, not a splash is heard. If I could build a "Premitou"? Dude, that would be a boat!
Bryan

[robster]

We love our 2011 Manitou Oasis 22ft VP Tritoon w/Yamaha 150 4-stroke, logged 300 hours since we bought it new April,2014 ZERO issues, only thing, I wish the gas tank was mounted in the center log,it's on the port side rear and with several folks sitting on the port side and a full tank of gas it lists slightly to port. Boat handles fantastic,fit and finish is as good as a Premier. We use our boat for water sports and cruising.

[Bryden24shp]

We love our 2011 Manitou Oasis 22ft VP Tritoon w/Yamaha 150 4-stroke, logged 300 hours since we bought it new April,2014 ZERO issues, only thing, I wish the gas tank was mounted in the center log,it's on the port side rear and with several folks sitting on the port side and a full tank of gas it lists slightly to port. Boat handles fantastic,fit and finish is as good as a Premier. We use our boat for water sports and cruising.

Yep, that's the only characteristic of the V-hull design of the SHP that I didn't like.

[ishoot]

Having owned a 2008 Manitou Xplode and now a Premier, I have to agree with everything Bryan has stated above. The only thing I will add is from what I have seen, the newer Manitous have a come a long way in the fit and finish department from what they were just a few years ago.

I also don't understand why Manitou doesn't center the fuel tank better. When the tank was full, it always listed to port...

Dan

[BobL]

Thanks for all the replies fellas. I appreciate it very much!