Calabria Boats, Opinions???

[JoMaMa]

I know what everybody thinks of the big 3 but what is the general concensus
concerning the quality, construction and engineering of Calabria Genuine Ski
Boats?

I'm looking to buy a boat soon and any insights would be great since I'm
kinda new to the details and techniques of boat building.

Thanks in advance,
Jimmy

[Brad,R.Ph.]

Cowboy Up

Brad
"JoMaMa" <jlom...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:9Dmg5.43$aU1....@news.pacbell.net...

[h2o....@worldnet.att.net]

Jimmy,

A little history first. Calabria used to be Ski Brendella. Mike Brendel
started the company in 1988 and built a good bare bones slalom boat
with a respectable wake. In the early years, the boats were not what
most would consider top quality as far as construction. They got better
as the years past. In the late 90's, Mike Brendel split from the
company and Started MB Sports. He later sued Brendella Boats for the
name. Hence the name change to Calabria Genuine Ski Boats. If you are
in the market for a new boat, It is my opinion that they build a fair
to good quality entry level ski boat. They are priced on the lower end
of the market. If you buy new, they do not hold their value as well as
some of the more well recognized name brands- But you would probably be
happy with the boat, depending on your expectations. Then again, all
new boats depreciate quite a bit.

I've been to the Calabria Factory in Merced. It's a very small
operation and not too impressive compared to the factory tour I did at
Malibu. But since they are small, they are generally very responsive to
customers. (Not to say that others aren't) If you call them, you will
get to speak to the owner, Bob Jessup with no effort. I've had many
discussions over the years with that guy about their boats. I owned a
used 89 Brendella Shortline Comp which was my first boat. It was a good
starter boat but had a lot of wood rot issues. I owned it after they
switched the name to Calabria and they always stepped up to the plate
and dealt with any problems I had with their 10 year old boat- out of
warranty.

Their new boats are quite different (better) from what I understand. I
have a friend who bought a 98 open bow Calabria and has been happy with
it, although the slalom wake is not impressive. (This is the guy I
bought the 89 Brendella from) For Wakeboarding, they make a wakeboard
boat but it was not rated very well in the magazine tests and you have
to like the checkered graphics.

As far as construction, their gel coat work is pretty good. They make
all fiberglass boats now. I believe they through bolt their pylons and
engine mounts on the newer models. The ergonomics are of the basic
variety. The interior quality is average. They offer a decent warranty
on most of the boat. The storage space leaves something to be desired
in my opinion. BUT- for the money, you can't ask for it all.

It depends on what you are looking for and what will satisfy you. I
personally would not put them in the same class as the "top three" but
if you decide to go with one, you probably won't be disappointed.

I suggest you talk to your local dealer and don't hesitate to call
Calabria directly with any questions or concerns you have.

These are just my personal opinions based on my prior ownership of one
of their older boats and my knowledge of the company while I was an
owner of one of their boats.

I looked at a new Calabria this past January while I was shopping for a
new boat but once I checked out MC, SN and Malibu, I never went back to
Calabria. I ended up with a Malibu. It fit MY needs best.

Good luck!

Mike

In article
<4898E2382FEEE28F.D12DB207...@lp.airnews.net>,

Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.

[Andy and Mindy Poorman]

As far as the boat goes, it is a decent boat. I own a 2000 Pro Comp XTS (closed
bow with a trunk) and I can't really complain for what I paid for it. As far as
the company goes, that is a different story. First the boat.

Interior:

-Good room on the XTS, you can walk between the driver's seat and the engine
box, plenty of room in the back at the bench/sunbed area.
-The observers seat sucks. It came all torn up because they use overpowered
struts that caused the seat to come open in transit. Also, it won't stay down,
we have to wedge a binder between the seat and the handle, causing the side
panel to continually loosen.
-Good drivers seat. It is comfortable and high enough to give very good
visibility over the front.
-Nice cockpit. It is very easy to reach everything (radio, throttle, mirror,
steering wheel, etc.) and I like it's looks. It is balanced and has room for
additional gauges (depth finder, speed control, etc.)
-Great Sunbed/Sunpad combo. This is really sweet and forms a very large bed on
the back, room for two widthwise, room for three if you go lengthwise and put
your feet on the engine cover.
-Ski Locker/Trunk: Fantastic storage room. I can fit 5 skis and a wakeboard
along with all my other crap. It is also lighted and carpeted

Hull/Wake:
-Nice big hull. Great roughwater ride and handles as good as any ski boat I
have ever driven.
-Wake. big rooster at 15-22' off at speeds from 32-36mph. It is a hard wake,
but not that big. 28' off and in is awesome, and outside 15 off is decent.
-The gel coat work is very nice. It is a very shiny boat with a deep gel coat
that is very good looking.
-For wakeboarding you will want a fatsack. Without, you are limited to about 18
mph and with you can go up to 22 or 23 (maybe faster, I've never tried) and
still have a launchable wake. Two would be better, but I only use one and I can
scare myself silly.

Company:
I got mine directly from the factory to save money and because there is not a
dealer in the local area. This was a bad idea. They are very slow to respond
and we had to keep pestering them to just get what we ordered and paid for. And
we never did get the right trailer. It basically took the threat of lawyer
involvement to get the money back that we paid for a tandem axle after the boat
arrived on a single axle.
All in all, it took about 6 months after delivery to get the boat to where it
was supposed to be the day of delivery.

Let me know if you want more info. If you are getting a calabria, the Sport
Comp XTS might be the way to go, I think an open bow would be nice.

Andy

[Mark Kovalcson]

Considering how things with the Internet are going, it sounds like Calabria will
have to change how they do business a lot to stand a chance in the future.

A dealer can be a good thing. Over the years I have really come to respect a few
dealers out there who really love this sport and know their stuff. In particular
one really sticks out in my mind. The people there live and breath the sport, pull
tournaments and participate in them. If I get a boat from them I know it will be
tweaked and set up to pull a tournament as I receive it. I trust them almost enough
to take it sight unseen and I think they would support me well enough remotely that
I wouldn't miss having a local dealership most of the time. When you buy a boat
like this the dealership is doing a great job.

Andy and Mindy Poorman wrote:

> Company:
> I got mine directly from the factory to save money and because there is not a
> dealer in the local area. This was a bad idea. They are very slow to respond
> and we had to keep pestering them to just get what we ordered and paid for. And
> we never did get the right trailer. It basically took the threat of lawyer
> involvement to get the money back that we paid for a tandem axle after the boat
> arrived on a single axle.
> All in all, it took about 6 months after delivery to get the boat to where it
> was supposed to be the day of delivery.

--

Mark Kovalcson
http://www.perfectpull.com
Waterski Training Equipment

[toddmi...@gmail.com]

I got my 2015 Calabria Pro V II a month and a half ago. Nothing but problems. The quality is bad. The driver seat pulled out and all that was holding it in was basically 3 sheet rock screws. The observer seat is the wrong seat and does not fit the space correctly and will blow open when running down the river or lake. The center floor section shifted and is different levels now. the back center seat section now sits an inch lower than the other seats. The ballast switches are backwards. The left switch runs the right tank and vice versa. After 3 uses, the right tank will not fill. The display button does nothing, but the speedometer calibration switch runs the display. The padding as you enter the open bow is rattling loose as well. Took the swim platform off to wax the boat and the middle bracket was heavily modified. It had a second hole drilled out and some grinding done to it to make the platform lock in. The list keeps growing. I have the dealer trying to get some resolution, but not much luck so far. They are dealing with the factory. Turns out Bob is the owner still, but Dave from Wakecraft is building the boats now. Bob was good to talk to, but Dave is a different story and hard to reach. I want them to buy the boat back. I dropped alot of money on a brand new boat and it is unsafe and the craftsmanship is poor.

[paulr...@gmail.com]

I bought a 2004 Calabria Cal Air Pro V brand new from Hipp Marine in San Diego
then Just sold in April 2019. Never once did I have a major problem with it. A couple things I didnt like though. Didnt cut through choppy water well. Wasn't a big fan of the way they mounted the tower, little slow... but these are similar issues that everyone has on other wakeboard boats. The team swim step warped and looked bad but it still worked well. A few times, I contacted Calabria about getting g parts. I wanted to replace the swim step because I hated the warped teak. Their customer service was horrible. There was a time where a ski rope broke the part on the boat that measures its speed. I contacted calabria to order the part. Another joke. Could never get ahold of them to order the part. I ended up finding one online as it was a universal part. So, overall, the boat was great for 15 years. Never any problems with the boat. The customer service was so lousy. Chances of me ever buying another Calabria are slim. I'm looking for a replacement boat. Probably will end up with a Mastercraft X45, Tige or one of Correct Crafts lines (Supreme, Nautique or Centurion). I'm not really a big fan of Malibu yet. May need to check them out more. But definitively not a Calabria at this time specifically because if I'm paying a LOT of money for a boat, I'd want it to come from a reputable place that cares about their customers.