Sceptre Owners

Finster · #1 01-27-2003, 02:16 PM

I was just talking to a guy who seemed somewhat knowledgable about SC's, And he said the Sceptre's have a rough ride due to the helm being so far foward. It makes sence, I had a '76 Grady bowrider that was like that (but thats a Grady) Anyone with any input?? [img]images/icons/confused.gif[/img]
The Sceptre seemed to be the perfect boat for what I need, but if I'm going to need a kidney belt I may have to rethink. [img]images/icons/confused.gif[/img]

bobfish21 · #2 01-27-2003, 05:59 PM

Finster,
while its true the sceptre does not ride quite as well as the cc,thats not to say the boat doesnt ride quite well.Ihave a 23 tsunami i/o and the boats a joy to fish.The added weight of the i/o setup seems to do this boat alot of good,as ive been on the identical w/single 225 and the ride is not as good.The boat is great in a head sea,particularly the nasty wind chop we get here on the great south bay.Following seas are no problem either-tracks straight on the backside of the waves,and ive never "stuffed" her yet.If theres a shortcoming,its in a quartering head sea-the boat heels over into the wind and the hull can hit real hard on flat sections of the hull,rather than on the sharper deadrise areas it was designed to run on.This can probably be fixed with a set of tabs,but since the entire transom rebuild,I hate to put any holes in it!

Finster · #3 01-27-2003, 06:14 PM

Bobfish, thanks for the come back. My thoughts were to put a bracket and twin 140 4-strokes on and I am wondering now if thats going to be too much weight in the stern for that boat.

JohnB · #4 01-27-2003, 08:02 PM

Finster,
I have ridden in both of them and heres my 2 cents.
The CC rides a little better in the helm, but if you get spray or wet, its not very plesant. The Sceptre with a top offers quite a bit of comfort on cold/spray days. If you have spray coming at you, the further back you are, the more likely it will hit you.
If you have trim tabs, you can pretty much set the boat to ride pretty well. The Sceptre, if it has a top, has more weight up front, and it will keep the nose down pretty well.
I have not run in any I/O's, only outboards, so I don't know what difference it would make.
The amount of gas you carry also helps the ride too. On rough days, I will carry close to a full tank, and it helps quite a bit.
I also upgraded my seats with seats that have a spring shock plate in the bottom of them so any hull jar dosen't transfer straight to your spine.
Overall, the ride better than most walkarounds or cuddies I have been in, and better than alot of the CC's I have been in.

ScottM · #5 01-27-2003, 09:50 PM

Finster,
Although I haven't ridden in a CC, I will tell you that our 23 Sceptre OB rides very well and with a set of tabs we don't experience the problem that Bobfish mentions. The I/O version rides even better with the extra weight, enough to keep her a little more settled underway than the OB. Jack from this board has the I/O and is my next-door neighbor at the marina, and I have to admit that his has a slightly better ride than mine.

(Jack, don't tell my father I said that [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img] )

bobfish21 · #6 01-28-2003, 05:22 PM

Finster,
Ive fished a 23 sceptre with a bracket and twin o/bs.The boat was converted from an i/o and has an armstrong floatation bracket.It originally had a pair of 200 mariners on an older style tube bracket-a case of overkill,as the speed was mostly unuseable.The boat presently has a pair of 150 mercs and is a nice setup.the weight of the motors is no problem with the armstrong bracket.feels like a bigger boat and runs very quiet with the motors mounted this way.its presently in brielle,n.j.-which is where my 74 23 tsunami was resurrected from,after spending 10 years rotting in a driveway!

Runco · #7 02-02-2003, 09:11 PM

There is nothing I don't like about the ride of my Sceptre 23" IO. Had a 20' Grady CC w/150 HP Ob, 25'Mako w/Twin 150 OB. Sceptre rides better than the G/W and just as good or maybe slightly better than the Mako plus the added protection of a full enclosure to keep you dry and warmer on a cool night ride back to the dock. Have to admit I love the look of a CC and had considered searching for one, missed the CC style. But now I have owned the Sceptre for four seasons and I don't think I would trade for one. The IO is better on gas, easier to work on and repowering is a lot cheaper than OB. Faster than Rods OB too. Don't tell him ScottM!!!!!

SECF3114M73J · #8 02-03-2003, 12:57 AM

The father back you are the better the ride, that's true in all boats. The reason for this is that you're father away from the impact point of the boat hitting waves.