Bob (Doghouse 2):
Yes the speed (pedal to the floor) of the R27/OB will be missed at times as will the rate at which distances can be consumed rapidly. As you know, speed was a top requirement with my 1st Mate Gill and the primary reason we opted for the R27/OB vs. the R-27 Classic which was no longer being produced but available as a used one. We upgraded to the R27/OB from the RT-21EC which gave us some 6x the speed performance of the R-21EC. :roll: I pushed the R-27/OB quite aggressively at times in various water conditions and although I felt a bit nervous at times with the boat and having never had owned a planing hull model previously, my 1st Mate never complained; such as water slapping noises on the hull, fiber glass creaking & groaning noises, the odd times the bow would dig in causing the bow to simply disappear in front of me followed by having the whole boat washed down (full enclosure acted well in these conditions as the cockpit never took on water). However, 1st Mate's advantage with all of this was that she wore two very powerful hearing aids, without which she would be totally deaf. So, with the flip of a small switch 1st Mate simply tuned out all the noises and really never complained about the bumps thank goodness.... although there was one time when I yelled out "...hang on..." which she did not hear, and she was propelled from her V-berth seat to the ceiling ..... and I looked down toward her and she was AOK, she grinned and simply said not to do that again. :lol: What a sport she was.
Life moves on and now boat speed is not top on my list. What is top on my list these days is more comfort, solid performance but not necessarily best speed, ability to weather whatever the PNW can throw at me at times and the best after sales service for boat ownership. Having now (or about to) have owned four RT models all built in my back yard so to speak, by a reputable company that excels in after market service attention to its customers is simply a no brainer for me in selecting the R29 S as my next boat.
I had given up on any hope of doing maintenance on the R27/OB's Yamaha 300HP engine and simply enlisted my local Yamaha boat shop to do that once per year. The average cost for this was between $600 and $800 which included hauling my R27/OB out and back in after the service was completed. It was easy peasy for sure and much like handing my car's key to the auto shop and getting the car back later.
I like to do as much as I can maintaining my boat and looking at the Volvo Penta D4 300 HP engine I can see I can do much of the periodic maintenance... and this will be something I'll enjoy doing.
The R27/OB in calm waters is a dream to operate and much fun. I suspect I will get as much fun with the R29 S even though at times it will take me longer getting to my destination. I kind of like rocking & rolling and the R29 S with its wider beam will offer me a more comfortable 'roll' along with a more overall stable ride.
I never did tell my grandkids the R27/OB had a ski tow pole.... so it will not be missed. :lol:
I will miss the transom mounted Electric Grill on the R27/OB; never used it in my 18 months of ownership but will miss it nonetheless.
I feel the only real thing I'm giving up moving onto the R29 S is speed. I can live with that.
'Speed' has been in my blood most of working career in the High Performance Computing profession. The computing performance (speed for solving problems, allowing for a greater detail in the solution with more iterations, time to market for industry and so on) always trumped every thing else including cost at times. Today at home I have the fastest computer(s) I can afford and still consult using my own + Govt. available CFD codes to help defray the costs. For example I rent out my Apple iMac Pro for months at a time which, with many cores and large memory and a host of RAID external devices, can crunch through the most demanding CFD problems. Speed is simply 'good'.
Even though your Doghouse 2 can speed along at 35 mph I can still trail behind you with my R29 S and eventually catch you up at your destination. In fact, you'll already be docked and standing by to help me dock, right ? ... and I'll have that line that runs from the bow to an aft cleat that you can grab to stabilize the boat for me. :roll: 😀
I'm sure we agree... we both love our boats.
