STV vs Quarter Shot vs Mirage which one is best and why?

[David]

I expect to own my SS2000 until I can't climb out anymore...
I will have to remember that line when my wife asks me when I plan to sell my STV Euro - LOL

I use that line on a regular basis with my wife. She questions the wisdom of owning a 56 year old Lotus.

[LakeFever]

Yeah im with you there Im married to this stream I built, its along for the duration.I'm curious about these STV's for sure. Bucket list potential. Dont have to marry all of em haha

[JPEROG]

Transoms are wood. I have had a bunch of them and still have one in my little fleet. If I were buying one today, I would hunt for a clean Wally built rig. Its amazing that Roarks design is 40 years old still a dominator on the calm rivers.

Joe

[LakeFever]

I was running almost 90 in my stream and a guy I was running with in a RR with a 225x passed me like I was parked. He said it was high teens and I have no reason to doubt him. He said the hull porpoises quite a bit between 55-75 or so but don’t all speed hulls? Mines bad between 35-55 it’s price of admission. Stv’s sure are Sweet looking rigs too

[stoneman]

I run an Allison with a 260. My son runs a Triad River Rocket with a 260. I like the thrill of driving on the pad, but I'm glad my son's in the STV. I think he's safer in it over an Allison. And, he can run circles around me.

Euros are great. My good friend has a Triad Euro that is a 130 mph boat with a strong stock 300 drag on it. Lightest Euro Wally ever built, but still strong. He was running with us in the river a couple weeks ago when a 7 ft. sturgeon jumper dead ahead of him. The pickle fork hit the sturgeon a couple feet behind the head and nearly tore it in two. Guts and eggs splattered all over the boat, and the stench .... did I mention the stench? No damage to the boat whatsoever.

I agree that Euros aren't as good looking as a Rocket, but they're sure nice for passengers, and extra room inside. And a heavier one is a very safe and forgiving ride, too.

Curious.......... Which Euro is the Lightest one that Wally built? I have a 2002 Euro built by Wally and love the boat.

[4Speed]

The porpoise is kind of a pain but without something to challenge the drivers skills/ respect and force increase seat time to learn how to manage it, it would be kind of a boring ride as they handle so well...I had never seen a STV in person or been in one but I wanted one for years and finally pulled the trigger in 2010 at 49 years old. The biggest regret is I didn't make the purchase about 10 years earlier.

[mikesufka]

Transoms are wood. I have had a bunch of them and still have one in my little fleet. If I were buying one today, I would hunt for a clean Wally built rig. Its amazing that Roarks design is 40 years old still a dominator on the calm rivers.

Joe

Is Roark involved with boats anymore ? I thought he was working at Triton Boats at one point ? He's another legend in the boating community.

MDS

[CUDA]

No one has info on STV layups? Or areas of concern?

Wally and I were friendly, I told him I used two layers of 1708 and two skin coats with core mat in the deck and sides, and he said your building a battleship, he used two layers of 1208 and a skin coat,

Wally built one CF STV boat, he called me over to look at it at a race in Mississippi

He had the CF Triad DR20s built by an ex-unlimited racer in Texas

Some of Wally's boats had Kevlar, which has to be the worst material to work with

CF is the easiest.

[CUDA]

Is Roark involved with boats anymore ? I thought he was working at Triton Boats at one point ? He's another legend in the boating community.

MDS

He has got to be in his 80s now.

He always reminded me of Tom Landry, a serious fellow.

[aj06bolt12r]

I was running almost 90 in my stream and a guy I was running with in a RR with a 225x passed me like I was parked. He said it was high teens and I have no reason to doubt him. He said the hull porpoises quite a bit between 55-75 or so but don’t all speed hulls? Mines bad between 35-55 it’s price of admission. Stv’s sure are Sweet looking rigs too

My Allison does not porpoise at all accept for when taking off from a stop with my heavy ass E-Tec on the transom. Once its on plane, zero porpoise if trimmed correctly. I wouldn't own a hull that does that in the 50-80 MPH range.. I insist on having the option to cruise around between 50-80 without feeling like I'm hitting imaginary waves the whole time.. But I guess if I was dead set on running in the 110-120 range I would just deal with it... Or get an Allison XR

[25two.stroke]

My mirage almost never porpoises. Only if I trim wrong or hit a set of small waves that sets it into a rock. But if it starts I just let off the gas or step on it and it goes away. Mirage is a slower boat, probably 10 mph power-for-power, than most STVs...but I'll take mine any day over the STV hop. If you set the STV up correctly you can minimize the hop, but its always there somewhere. Critical to get the engine setback correct for the weight of motor that is on the back...and get the engine height correct. Last Procomp I rigged hopped real bad 50-70 mph when I first ran. Moved the motor up 1/8" and the porpoise was gone. A river rocket I put a 300x on porpoised with the same setback plate as the 2.5 that was on it before and had not porpoised...hung it back another inch and a half and the porpoise almost disappeared.

We run em all here, they all have pros and cons. Take a look at how each boat rides here, pretty good representation but you'll have to re-watch a few times cause each clip is so short. The purple bullet it somethin else though...it looks good but its hella hard to drive. Nick is good at balancing it but its not for everyone. I can't drive a V bottom to save my ass.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DAT6VRBS...Yc7_NLMUP_t40/
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DAQvYKcOHfs/

[David]

My SS2000 does not porpoise. I spend most of my time 50-70, so I would have to work on balance with an STV, and not take people with me

[LakeFever]

Allisons make a nice hull no doubt. But the speed of those STV's and the look, wow. Seriously there is no boat that looks faster sitting still than a nice River Rocket. I dont care about porpoise much for such a purpose built hull I would only be going out in ideal conditions anyways and running hard. As for my streams porpoise I can adjust trim and engine height to solve it in the range I mentioned but then I have to make adjustments back to the speed zone or it gets too hairy to hang onto at 80. Ironically my fastest runs yet were very drama free and easy to control. Nothing better looking to my eyes than a V-king. Those lines are so right, drool worthy like looking at at mid 60's Vette or late 60's Camaro/Mustang. STV's are also gorgeous but in a late model Ferrari/Lambo way.

Heres a twist, how about an STV vs a Skater?

[aj06bolt12r]

This thread simply cannot go on any longer without attaching this video to it.. I know everyone has seen it.. But.. Its a classic

https://youtu.be/nHSQj-F-fpw?feature=shared

[RiverRat71]

And this one. RR
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VsWXGpGiRRs