21' Daytona or 21' Liberator and the ruff stuff

**Sleekster** · 02-01-2003, 11:07 AM

I like the looks, never been in one, but I have the icth to go a little faster.

How fast do they go anyway? With what power and wheels?

When I'm putting this looper together should I make it a 16"er?

New is an option but I usually buy used. Unrigged hull and trailer are what I'm starting to look for.

Is the Liberator on par, advanced, or what?

A must is a solid hull. AKA no glass work or paint needed.

Thanks for all the feedback.

**at100plus** · 02-01-2003, 11:39 AM

Contact Randy aka Wildman here on the board.

Do a search for his name and you will find alot. He sells them.

He had one with twin 2.5s that ran about 115. I think they will run low to mid 90s with a single 300. He says they are decent in choppy water, but I think a 21 Skater is better in the rough. I was just talking to a guy today who said he had an Eliminator Daytona and he said he bought a bigger cat cause he was getting a beating.

**fasteddie** · 02-01-2003, 04:12 PM

Been in and around only 1 and a good friend owned it.
The boat was solid as a rock in anything we tried to run it in.
It would run mid 80's with a stock 2.4 bridgeport merc.
Workmanship on the Eboat was superb. I have seen a few liberators and they would not hold a candle to to the eliminator.
The boat is heavy and does not accelerate real well, but once up and running it was a blast.
Good luck,
Ed

**MODVP22** · 02-01-2003, 05:24 PM

My friend here has the boat FastEddie is refering to. That boat is beautiful. Craftmanship is second to none with exceptional gel work. The boat currently was re=rigged with a Chevy 433 small block and blackhawk..runs 118 on nitrous

**fasteddie** · 02-01-2003, 06:34 PM

When you see Dan again tell him I said hey.Do him and Matt still run together. I had heard that there had been some hard feelings around the Sanitary, and a few friendships had been sacrificed.Too bad, we had a lot of fun and did a lot of hard running with those guys.

**B.Leonard** · 02-01-2003, 07:03 PM

I jumped in Wildman's 21 and took it for a spin, 100+mph and didn't even realize it. Completely tame and enjoyed every minute. The quality is unsurpassed for the price. Very strong boats, I highly recommend them!

Good to hear from ya again Sleek!

-BL

Rusrog · 02-01-2003, 07:47 PM

and I have seen Eliminators... And when it comes down to it...nothing is like the original. Liberators quality has come up a bunch in the last couple of years but if you really want a boat that will hold it's value....get the real deal... Eliminator is heads and shoulders above the imposters....

Just my opinion....

Russ Rogers
Ft Worth TX. (about 4 miles from Liberator Boats)

**WILDMAN** · 02-01-2003, 09:54 PM

My yellow 21ft Liberator ran 124 with twin 260's A single 300X runs around 105mph. The main difference between the Eliminator and Liberator, is that the Liberator has 6 inches more freeboard. Higher sides, which makes the windshield actually work over 120! That's a plus when you're trying to convince your wife. I've run my 21 at 114 in Lake George in 3ft chop with 3 people in the boat.{ I could'nt let an 800hp 26ft American Offshore beat me now could I?} I would'nt recomend it though!I sell a new 21 Liberator with full interior, on a tandem trailer, in a solid color, for $20,900. Add 4 gelcoat colors for $1000, or I can custom paint it. Thanx, Wildman P.S. BL and I went 113 on Alligator Lake.

**WILDMAN** · 02-01-2003, 09:58 PM

Another 3

**outboards4life** · 02-01-2003, 10:08 PM

My Father has an 86 Daytona. It had a 3.6 V8 on it (blew the powerhead). Clogged a Main jet. Wasn't pretty. Anyway before it blew up. I had it running 95 with a 29 Re3. Great ride, and I never got wet driving it.

**MODVP22** · 02-01-2003, 10:26 PM

Fasteddie,
Will do, I'll let Dan know you said hello. He and Matt do not work together any longer. Matt was fired fromt he Sanitary a few months after Steve (red Stoker with a Blackhawk) took over. Matt only ran his boat that summer and now he's done, trying to sell it. Dan and Matt still hang around. Steve just sold the Sanitary 2 weeks ago, Steve has really turned into a money hungry jerk. Dan will loose his job shortly. Here's one for ya..Larry (who was killed at Dale Hallow) built that garage on the back of the Sanitary to keep the boats in and work on them. Steve kicked Dan out of the garage this summer

Poor Larry would role over in his grave if he knew what his "buddy" Steve was doing with his business

It's really sad

Rusrog,
I agree, get the real deal

**racerx** · 02-01-2003, 11:18 PM

I HAD A 21ELIMIATER WITH TWIN 260S DAVE CUSTOM BOAT WAS AT THE RUMBLE WITH IT BOAT RAN 106MPH TRUE SPEED HARD TO BELEIVE A LIBERATOR RUNS 124MPH WITH 260S I OWN A TWIN 21 SKATER WITH 260S AND IT WILL SMOKE THE ELIMINATER FROM O ALL THE WAY UP AND OUT RIDE IT ANY DAY OF THE WEEK THE SKATER RUNS IN THE TEENS TRUE SPEED WITH STOCK 260S WITH 2001 DRAG POWER HEADS ON IT WITH ALL THE GOODYS RUNS 130 PLUS.JEFF

**fasteddie** · 02-02-2003, 09:16 AM

I had heard alot of things changed after Larry was killed.Larry took good care of all of those guys.As for Stevie, he was always pretty arrogant.Hate to here Matt is getting rid of his Baja.Talk about a sleeper, that thing will fly.I really think all of that crew has slowed down a little since Larry is no longer around.I guess we all look at things a little different when we lose a friend to an accident in a sport we all love.I really had a good time with all those guys. Hell for years we would all get together and do more racing in one weekend than most would do all year.

**Sleekster** · 02-02-2003, 09:40 AM

I like the freeboard increase, esp. for the Chesapeake Bay.

Yet the sleeker look of the Daytona is nice too.....

Is this a great place or what? Different opinions offered freely. We are fortunate.

BL, busier than anything lately. Hope all is well.

**LakeTrash** · 02-02-2003, 09:56 AM

After I owned my 21 Liberator with twins a few years I decided to step up to a 24. I had Dave (DCB) order a 24 Eliminator for me which I would rig myself. I bought all the hype about how Eliminator was the best you could buy.

Drove to California to pick it up. It looked great from 10 feet & I was in a hurry to get back to the swamp so I did not really look it over. That was a serious mistake. What a piece of crap.

I spent 1500 with my local fiberglass guru to get the exterior up to the par of my 5 year old Liberator. Actually had small chucks missing where the colors came together.

The interior was just a bad. Example: They had a wooden bow to hold the deck about 2' forward from the dash. It did not match the shape of the deck so they inserted 4 wood wedges to make up the differences. They then put 3 1" strips of matt making 3 "L" brackets, glassed them and left the wedges. I some places there was a 1 1/2 " air gap.

The matt they used to tie the transum nees to the floor was not even saturated. Had to grind it all out and reglass it. The interesting thing to me was all of the interior crap would have been covered up with carpet if they had rigged the boat.

Took 3 months to get it ready for the first bit of rigging to start. I called to bitch & they said to bring it in and they would make it right. Yea - 2000 miles one way.

I have had Dave Adams build me 2 Liberators since my step "up". Both are far better boats than that Eliminator ever thought of being.

By the way - I rode with DCB Dave in the fastest 21 twin Eliminator he built at 114mph. The boat RacerX had at Rumble II was in Dave's shop. I have pics of it as it was one of the nicest I had seen up to then. Dave said it was a heavy layup and 108 was the best he had seen with it. Several years later I rode with him in one of his 22 DCB twins at 124.

My 21 Liberator was very light, 1670 Lbs with twins, full interior and fuel. I ran the boat from 1987 to 1999 without one stress crack. Started with 2.4 Lazers ( 93 mph). Ended in 99 when I crashed it at the Texas shootout with drag 300's. Hooked it at 127. Pure driver error.

I guess I might have recieved the only Eliminator ever built not up to parr - but I doubt it.

LT