Your First Allison Experience?????????

[John Richied]

This has to be the best thread I have seen in a long time

 

[whipper]

Ive been boating all my life living on an Island till i was 23. We always had 4 or 5 boats kicking around my dads wharf. They all always need repair some were all wood speed boats wood and fiberglass sail and wood dory's. I liked old trucks also like 66-77 Broncos, Scout11,s etc. I came to a point in my life were it was time to find the boat i always wanted.The main criteria was it couldn't rust or rot!! All of my past boats or trucks did this and was like the death of an old friend. I spent so much time repairing rust or rot all i new was I don't have the time I once did and when i want to go Boating I didn't want to spend a week repairing something to go out for a weekend of fun! I never heard of Allison Boats up hear and thought my best bet was going to be a Aluminum Race river boat by Eagle marine or www.gatorjetboats.com I loved the look and the durability but the notion of 50gal per hour from a 500hp 502 was sounding a bit costly to operate the amount of time i like to spend on the water. I Goggled composite wood free boats and thats when i discovered there was a sexy looking boat that wouldn't rot, met my speed requirements, and was within my budget as well as got great gas mileage I couldn't believe I never discovered Allison before!!! I narrowed my search down to a 22ft CougarMTR with a 300 to a Grand sport. The problem with both was they are rare finds! I knew if i came across one I had to know what to look for and act quick. On scream and fly I saw her,the sharpest looking speed boat I had ever seen!! I noticed lots of interest so I just called the guy and sent him a $10000.00 deposit within a few hours of talking to him

There was one little detail that was I thought a problem How to get her hear? I'm 400miles south of Alaska and the Grand sport was in South Carolina!! The owner Brian Harden recommended I come down and he would show me the finer points of how to drive her? How to drive her what? He explained it would be a wise thing to do. I said OK and hoped on a plane to SC and despite the weather in Feb had a great week of Southern Hospitality i will never forget!!! Brian and his brother dad mom everyone was so nice and accommodating. When I arrived at Quality marine to see the Grand Sport for the first time I was so exited I couldn't speak!! I was holding back my excitement not to look to foolish or in case there was some more to negotiate

My god I was in love!!! The boat was perfect in every way!! Brian had originally had the boat for sale with no motor so I asked him if he had one he could put on. His brother Mark was in the process of building a 225PM for himself and they decided to let me buy it and they rigged her for me also!! The next day we went out for a test spin and Brian brought her up to 90mph I was amazed how smooth that felt. When it was my turn I couldn't get her over 65 of course now I saw what he meant buy come down. After a few days of boating, testing some props and video tapping the steering motions for when I got her home I flew back to Prince George and arranged the transport. I practiced every day for a month till I was comfortable enough to bring the family out with our new boat. I didn't want the wife and kids in a boat with me that I couldn't handle. Now we all enjoy her every chance we get!! Thats a lot because I'm a shift worker so get 3-4 days off a week. I take the month of Aug off every year and we head down to the big resort lakes south of hear and stay on the water the whole time. I have no regrets at all. Every time i get ready to go boating its like the first time feeling. I get exited and cant wait to get to the lake. I'm going into my third season with her and she looks better than the day I picked her up in SC! If it weren't for the hospitality and effort from the boys at Quality Marine things may not have worked out as good. I can always trust the advise of Brian and his brother Mark great people and there mom and dad also. If I'm stumped on something they have the magic answerer it sure seems. Very knowledgeable folks. This site has also made the Allison experience great for me! I have very limited knowledge of outboards and always have found every one very helpful when Ive had a problem. Usually self inflicted.

I have truly found the boat of my dreams in an Allison and hope there will be many more memories with my family and friends on board. Thats how I was introduced to Allison Boats. Hear she is miss Prince George. This is the pic Brian took when she was for sale.

 

[K-DAWG XB 2003]

Whipper, I bought my XB 2003 from Brian as well. Your right Brian and his Family are top notch people. Every time I headed up to Quality Marine to see Brian, his Dad or Brother Mark. They made feel right at home and were more that happy to answer any of my questions no matter how dumb they may have been. Mark built my 200 for me also. He done a jam up job too. The 200 runs great. I was the same way I rode up to see the boat and I was so happy I could hardly contain myself. I stuck around after I told Brian I would take it and talked to Brian for prolly an hour. He has a wealth of knowledge about allison boats. They don't sell new Allison's at Quaility Marine in S.C. but, if your looking for a deck boat and you want to be treated right go see them.

 

[ziemer]

I was running a 19V Bullet with a modded 175 Yamaha at the time and thought I was the chit, until a little XB2002/260 just blew me off the water...:laughing

Funny enough, my first Allison ride was in this same boat. This was during the time when Sunday alcohol sales didn't start until 1:00 p.m. and of course we never had enough from the day before. This was also during the time, when we spent most Sundays at East Lake (St. Cloud, FL) because the Alligator Lakes were drawn down.

Anyway, sometime around 12:45 or so on Sunday we figured it was time to head to the store for the normal Sunday afternoon beer run, and I was lucky enough to get a backseat ride in a XB2002 w/ a 260. If anyone knows East Lake, they know how it can get on a busy Sunday afternoon. (Lots of boat wakes from all directions.) Well, coming from a 17' Hydrostream Vector, I was amazed by the 80 mph cruise we took acroos the lake. I kept thinking, there's no way I could run this fast in my little Stream, how the hell does this Allison ride so good?

Prior to that, I had seen and read about the new SS2000's, heard about Allison's from the days my dad raced Hydrostreams, and gotten a chance to even witness a few XR2001 drag boats up in Palatka during an exhibition race the Bakers put on. This was also the same place I saw my first Grand Sport.

I think my next encounter with a GS was at Silver Glenn when my wife and I met JR. Of course it was a rough day on Lake George and after getting beat to death once again in my Vector, my wife said to get rid of the Stream and find a GS. Well, that was 6-7 years ago, and I've been hooked ever since.

Yes, I got the fever....Dang Allisons!:laughing:laughing

It's more like a rash than a fever. :wink

 

[V6MERC]

That is one awesome pic of your batoe to go with an awesome story, Whip!!!!! :wink :cool :cool

 

[pickwickangler]

My first. I was looking for a quik boat to stay out front in our shotgun start tournys. It had to ride good because we blast off in the afternoon right through the middle of ALOT of BIG boat traffic(probably pass 30 skiboats/cabin cruisers before the finish line). I had rode in other fast boats but they was hard on equipment and my back. I had heard both sides of allys ridin good and bad. I found one (xb2003) on boat trader and decided to buy it if it met my specs. After a 12 hour drive we met up at a small lake in texas and did the test drive. The guy couldnt drive very good but didn't care to skin it back either. (lots of sticker washin goin on). There wasnt but 4 or 5 other boats on the lake and no wind so the ride was still up in the air until I saw this big ski boat with the nose up kickin some rollers, I pointed to it and ol boy hammered down and hit em in the low 80's, I was holding on for dear life and the boat just skipped across the big wake like it wasn't there. As soon as we got over the wake I said take this mo fo to the dock she is sold :beer:. Drug it back home and won the first shotgun start tourny the next day and currently undefeated in our blastoffs :cool. I have decided to tune it down a notch this year due to safety and wear and tear. Gues I'm gettin older and wiser :rolling eyes :laughing

 

[LAAllison]

Man, this goes back a long way. 1974, I was living on Lake Martin running a Sidewinder Super 16 w/150Merc (inline 6 in those days). It handled most stuff on the lake but when I'd go down to L.A Kenny Stabler and bunch of his buddys were running Streams and Mercs and I couldn't handle them. One day on Lake Martin I got caught in a frog strangler and pulled up under a bridge to wait it out. There were 4 or 5 Allisons under there also. After the storm was gone I took off, couple mile later I looked back and see those guys strung out with rooster tails flying. Went by me like I was running a Johnrude. 1978 I moved to Doctors Inlet and bought a Baja w/Merc 175 V6. JR's buddy, Curtis rigged it. BTW JR I lived next door Ronnie Vansant when he was killed. All the time I'm wanting an Allison but kids and Moma loved the Baja. 1982 I found a GT20 behind a dealer in Alabama and began my Allison trip. Ran the stuffin out of that boat w/ 200 Merc until 1998 when a friend told me of a "new GS" on a car dealers lot in Grove Hill Alabama. Turned out not to be new but mostly unused. I learned it had gone through auction twice. It was flat out beautiful w/225 SM. Paid $11,000 and a Kawasaki Jetski for it. Been a wonderful, trouble free rig. Don't know how many hours on it but it's never put up for the winter. Needs some upholstery and carpet but other than that it's great. Used it Sunday and it's as good as ever. BTW the Baja is still with us but wasting away and Casey got my old GT

Art


Roll Tide

 

[FFWD]

Thanks for the kind words Whipper and K-Dawg. It is my love of Allison Boats and this sport in general that makes me want to make any new member feel welcome and excited about their "new" boat. A bad deal or someone getting stuck usually leads to them finding another hobby and that is not good for any of us.

Now for my first Allison experience:
My Dad has always been in the marine business having attended Mercury school for the first time in 1961. He opened his own dealership in 1982 when I was 10 years old. My first memory of an Allison was a 13' with a 650XS my Dad did the wrenching on for a local racer. Then in the mid 1980s we had a couple of customers we sold engines to and set up their Allisons for them(XTB21s and a 17XST Center Steer). These were of course all 2.4 Mariners and the challenge was to break 100mph in fishing trim. The closest we ever got was 99.8 at the time trials that used to be held in Knoxville(The same year Glenn Reynolds ran 129 in an XR2002). I still have it on video if I can figure out how to get it posted on the computer. This was the first Allison I actually rode in and even though I had grown up in what I thought were fast boats I knew right away this was the boat to have. Over the years we were dealers for everthing from Stratos, Glasstream, Performance, Astro, Triton, Bumble Bee, and Champion and I always had a demo that would run pretty decent. But I never passed up the opportunity to drive or ride in an Allison as they felt like no other boat on the water.
Now I enjoy finding them and returning them to as close to new condition as possible, playing with them for awhile, then passing them on to others to enjoy. I think I have had or driven every Allison model except a SS2000. Maybe I can solve that this year!!
Brian Harden
Quality Marine
Leesville ,SC

 

[whipper]

Great story Brian, I remeber your Dad showing that picture of you at 13 going in the 90,s on the wall. My sons for future referance would be age 11 going 70 last year.

My hand was ready to grab the wheel though it wasnt solo like your run. He actully wasnt afraid it was me that told him to start backing off. He was keepen her strait. :gasp Great storys every one! Keep em comming.

 

[K-DAWG XB 2003]

Don't mention it Brian. Just telling the truth about my "Allison Experience." I just want a ride in that XR 2001. That thing is sweet I saw the pics over on Scream and Fly.

 

[Redding XB21]

My

 

[john4utvols]

My first allison ride was in the summer of 1998. At that time I owned a 18'6" hydra-sport fish and ski, we went to the beach at clifton, tn every sunday and it was packed with boats. I was walking with a friend ( ricky "oz" osborn) down the beach when we noticed a friend (johnny Baker) from high school. So we went over and starting talking to him and notice this bad a$$ fishing boat. Ricky knew the boat was a allison, He had been to several races at clifton back in the 90's and watched Jaco's race. You think I would have knew what the boat was since I bought my hydra-sport from Jaco's, but I was still dumb and young and knew nothing about boats, hell I lived 2 miles from jaco's and still didn't know anything about them. But back to the beach, as we were talking with Johnny he asked us if we wanted to take the boat out. We both jumped in the boat and Johnny handed us the life vests and helmuts. Me and ricky just looked at each other when he handed us the helmuts and thought oh sh-t. So we headed out with Oz at the wheel and this thing took off like a rocket. I was amazed at the take off. As we rounded the island Oz stabbed the gas and we started washing the rub rails off, so he stoped and I got behind the wheel. At that time I thought I could drive anything so off we went, about 3 seconds later I was wahing the rub rails off. I turned and looked at Oz and said this thing is awesome I got to have one of these. 2 years later Oz bought his 2002 and thats how I learned to drive one, and then 1 year after that I bought a 2003 from jaco's and have had a ss2000, xr2001, and a xr2002 and loved everyone of them. I love these boats and which darris would lower his price on the older ones. I would probably stay in a allison if he did. John

 

[msethsmile]

I was at a hole-in-the-wall marina at Tablerock Lake. I had a Glastron CV-16 with an inline 6 on it. Mr. Bigshot. I was poking around the various checkmates, bajas, and other low profile rigs when the mechanic says, "You wanna see a real boat..." We go outback and there's a 17' Allison basser. It was fast. He also had two posters of stock world record holders, both with chryslers and both on Allisons. (Chryslers had really low water pick-ups for a stock motor--he was a dealer). That was that. I was sold on the boat brand but not the motor.

 

[Barefoot Bob]

Well my first experience was when I attended Mike Sufka's hot boat gathering. It was 2003 on the White Fish chain north of Brainard,MN. I had my 18 foot Baja with an over rated 225 Rude on the back that ran 74mph. I was told by Bulldogdaddy not to go because I will want something faster..LOL, well he was right. I had that Baja wide open to stay with the group. Later that day Mike asked me if I ever drove an Allison and let me drive his Grand Sport. I managed to get 75mph out of it before I had issues trying to get it on the pad. Well he took my son Jeff out after that and he beat me by 1 mph. I was sold and had my xb2002 one week later. Bulldogdaddy ended up buying my 225rude.

Thanks Mike it was great.

 

[GotMyAlly]

I have decided to tune it down a notch this year due to safety and wear and tear. Gues I'm gettin older and wiser :rolling eyes :laughing

If you are tonin' it down, i guess you won't be needin' that 2.5 then. Probably overkill anyway. Why don't you just drop that 2.5 off by my house and i'll store it for ya since you won't be needin' it.

 

[Thomas H]

My first Ally was in 1967, had a 14 footer with a Merc 50 that ran about 50 MPH in Sports E Wildcat racing in Canada. I lived in Illinois at the time, drove to Tennessee to buy the boat, then went 100 miles north of Toronto Canada to go racing, all non-stop. Put the boat in, drove to the far end of the lake to show of to my buddies, slowed down as I came in to the dock, and the propshaft and beautiful stainless prop came out and went to the bottom of the lake. Put a Mark 58A on I had laying around and went racing for the weekend. Won my 50 HP class all that year, next year the 49 cubic inch Johnrudes came out and E racing was all over for the Mercs. Always thought that would have been a great boat with a four cylinder 85 HP on it, or even a in-line 6.

 

[suicidealli]

great story's...

my first ride in a allison was when i bought mine and hung a motor on it. my buddy heard me talking about allison boats. i said it was going to be my next boat!! i had a norris craft bass boat 17' with a 200 hp merc at the time. ran in the low 80's. anyway he ran accross one at a boat auction. got a great deal, but had to put a motor on it.. i bought a bridgeport powerhead and put it on the norris craft to get the bugs out of it. when that was completed, took the motor and hung it on the ally. i couldn't drive it!!!!! couldn't believe the difference.. i could drive low 80's all day with a pad boat.. couldn't run past 70 in the ally. it took three months to learn how to drive it and "get the boat set up right"!!!!!!!! i tore the long allison arrow off the side of the boat from washing the rub rail.. my friends said it looked terrible going down the lake. said i was going to get killed in the boat. i was only running 70!!!!!!! everybody had me scared. telling me about seat time. it takes a long time to learn how to drive one.. after three month i was so discusted i decided i was going to hammer it and see what happened!!!! hell it was the best i did.. i was running in the high 80's.. before i was fighting it when it was trying to get up the pad, and would stay there kind of wabbling.LOL i finally got it up to high 90's and learned how to drive it.

Hence the name "suicidealli" my friends came up with the name!! LOL

anyway i have a 260 worked some running 110 mph now.
have a 260 cut to drag specks by ruck, and with all kinds of jsre work done to it.
have not mounted it yet. hold on!!!!

roy

 

[CD Miller]

Wow.... I gotta go back a few years. I was about 14 the first time I rode in a bass boat, I was sitting in front of the split windshield of a Charger 260V with a 150 merc. We we're fully loaded running up the mississippi to find a sand bar to call home base for the day. Not two miles up the river a lawn chair laying on the front deck lifted up about 10 inches , hovered there for a second or two, flew into my forhead, and disappeared into the deep. later that day no one told me to let go of the rope when falling off water skis and I lost my drawers. I've been hooked on boating ever since. I guess a bad day on the water is better than any day on land! In the early 90's when I was 20 I bought that same 1979 charger 260v. The speedo read 60-65 (probably not) I could pass traffic with ease running up the Mississippi along the highway between Lansing IA and Lacrosse WI. My friends dad whom I bought the Charger from bought an xb2003. From the first glimps of his Ally the Charger had to go. I had to get an Allison! After fishing from the Allison for a couple of days he asked me if I would be interested in taking the wheel for a spin around the lake. I'm surprised I didn't pass out and fall into the lake, I got into the drivers seat and got a 15 minutes of instructions before he said "Fire it up" The 200 Johnson came to life and I was intent on his every instruction to adjust the jack plate and trim, eased into the hot foot and we we're off, skipping across wakes like they were not even there, a little more throttle and 80 mph, a little more instruction on correcting the walk, a couple of wide sweeping turns, and it was over the old boy just couldn't bear to sit in the passengers seat! He took the controls and I had a buzz like no other. We speed back to the bay on the lake where his house is and drove around in circles looking for the highest wake we could generate then pedal down to cross that wake as fast as he dared. I could not believe that a boat could go across these waves so smooth with very little or no bow lift. It felt as if we hovered over them without touching the water and no landing slap on the other side! I was hooked for life! no other boat would do after that. I was 20 and broke so the Charger did last a couple more years, but I was never impressed with it's performance again. We'll a few different jobs and a family kept me from realizing my Ally dreams for the last 19 years, until today! The Sold sign went on a 1998 xb2003 with a 225. Holy @#$% I'm an Allison owner! P.S. that first Ally I drove now has a 300 hung on the back and if you ever see a teal and white xb2003 in a bay on a little lake near Crosby MN, give him a run for his money and tell him you heard about a punk kid whose life was changed forever by a once in lifetime experience in his boat!

 

[procomp]

Good reading. Can't believe Sufka came up with the idea? lol

 

[2fast4mom]

First experience...Buddy said "I heard these are FAST! Open her up and let's see what she got!!"

Next thing you know, the Sherriff is carrying off my rear seat passenger on a stretcher.

True story. Bat-turn!!