28 Hydra Sports Walkaround Problems

[Paul_Interlandi]

I purchased a 2003 Hydra Sports 2800wa w/twin yamaha 225 4 strokes this past spring after alot of research and comparison shopping I felt I was choosing the right boat. I made my decision for a variety of reasons over the competition but particularly for what appeared to be to be a very stable, dry and efficient hull design. But, thats not what I got. After logging 60 hrs. on it under a variety of conditions, from bad to good and from fully loaded to empty I have experienced some scary situations when running with a beam sea or parallel to other boat wakes that has caused me some considerable concerns. Among other physical symptoms like a list to starboard (at rest) and the through hull fittings in the stern being submerged when the boat is loaded. My question to you and others who might have experience with this boat has this happened to you? I feel that this boat is considerably over weight in the stern and the engines are set to far in tward center on the transom. The boat tracks poorly and overstears alot. I would like feed back or even be able to talk to someone with experience with these issues.
Thanx!
Concerned!

[Jake]

I had a 2800 Hydrasport Walk.(2002) Beyond the poor fit and finish and terrible customer service, I also was concerned with the boats ride and scary handling.Tabs made crossing a wake very dangerous, and the ride was very poor. The boat did like to go fast but needed at least 25 to 30 mph just to plane. Power boat reports rated the boat after I bought it. I wish I had read that review first.

[Bryan]

I am looking to buy this boat used...2003 powered by twin Yamaha 225. I am also looking at the Grady 282 and Pursuit 2870. Have you figured out why the boat performs so poorly. - bdb

[Bill]

I was also looking at this boat , I test rode one and was not impressed with the ride. When I questioned the dealer about it he could only talk about the top speed the boat capable of. I Read power boat report review and moved on. I thought the boat felt very top heavy

[ramiro_coro]

well i have the 28 cc and i have had seevee contender and let me tell you the cant hack it u get wet in the contender and you go crazy back and fowerd in the see vee so my 28 hydra-sports is the boat 4 me i have hite into 8 foot swells at 4o mph and my boatceps me dry i fish every sat good or bad 5 winds or30 wind and my boat takes me out in crus speed so my boat stay on the top 4 me hydra-sports yamaha #1 dats it

[ramiro_coro]

well i have the 28 cc and i have had seevee contender and let me tell you the cant hack it u get wet in the contender and you go crazy back and fowerd in the see vee so my 28 hydra-sports is the boat 4 me i have hite into 8 foot swells at 4o mph and my boatceps me dry i fish every sat good or bad 5 winds or30 wind and my boat takes me out in crus speed so my boat stay on the top 4 me hydra-sports yamaha #1 dats it

[Victor_]

[Victor_Solomon]

I just bought a 2002 Hydra-Sports 2800 Walk around. I am a beginning boater who selected this boat for its good looks and because of all the good things other people have written about it. I have not had it out on the water as yet, and I did not see the June 2000 "Power Boat" magazine report criticizing the handling before I bought the boat. Could other boaters with experience with this Hydra-Sport models post their experiences with the handling? In his 11/27/03 posting,Paul, a Hydra-Sport 2800WA owner reported the following about this boat, "after logging 60 hrs....I have experienced some scary situations when running with a beam sea or parallel to other boat wakes that has caused me some considerable concerns. Among other physical symptoms like a list to starboard (at rest) and the through hull fittings in the sterm being submerged when the boat is loaded.
".... I feel that this boat is considerably over weight in the stern..." Could other Hydra-Sport boaters post their experiences with this boat?

[Paul_Burton]

I have a 26' walk. The hull is basically as the same as the 28' except mine is of course 2' shorter. Having had them side by side, the length is taken out of the rear deck only and all other aspecsts of the hull and liner are the same. I keep mine in the lower Florida Keys on a lift behind a house I have there.

I have many of the same problems you do. Mine also lists. I theorized that since I don't have the overninight package and the 4 batterries, helm and head being where they are, that it was due to a lack of counter weighting on the other side. Let me know whether you have this package and the listing persists nonetheless. The imbalance seems to be the cause on the fitting issue. Not that it is a good solution, but I put a couple of bags of concrete in heavy contractor grade bags on the high side of the aft berth.

As for the engines, I repowered this year 200 HPDI's.. In the process I had them moved 2" further apart on the transom. I also, through a couple attempts at trial and error, now have them bolted via the topmost bolthole. This seems to have eliminated my problems with midweight cavitation in turns. As I said, I all this is recent so I can't comment fully as to whether this will remedy other problems at other weight conditions. AS I use the boat in different sea conditions, I'll get you an update.

I have owned a number of boats - price boats to high end. As I also live in South Florida (Ft Lauderdale), what I haven't owned my buddies typically have. My overall opinion is that mostly all boats suck. Screws where bolts should be, bolts where seams should be glassed, etc. I bought this type of boat because of water depth issues where I keep it. I was attracted to this brand because of some of its features and a decent reputation with many of the locals. It isn't a great boat but it is a good boat. For what I paid, I have a decent boat. This doesn't change any of these problems but helps me put in perspective.

[sergio_rodriguez]

i got the same boat with the same problem. i changed the prop to a lower pitch and bigger diameter doesnt work. right now i am reallocating the all batteries at the front. maybe this solve part of the problem.