calabria cal-air proV

*chris* · Addict Joined: 12 Jan 2003 Posts: 982

anyone have one of these or no someone that has them?? if u do...

any major problems?
how bout minor problems?
anything u like or dont like about them?

ohsix · Posted: Jan 30, 2003 9:52 pm Post subject:

ive never seen one other than in magazines. i think waterski magazine rated it the top wakeboard boat for 2002. i read that you have to special order them and that the dealers only carry a demo.

*chris* · Addict Joined: 12 Jan 2003 Posts: 982

yeah, ive seen them in the mags all the time....and i just watched the videos for 2002 and 2003 models

anyone know about price??

Syth · Addict Joined: 13 Jan 2003 Posts: 661 City: Brentwood

the boat show going on right now, basically had that same orange model on show, said 39.9 out the door loaded to us

Few things i noticed, its Bubb Rubb wide, huge interior, but the one on show, only had a solid seat color (dunno if thats all they offer or what)

Tower was decent, strong, probably compares with the lower centurion/mb/mobius types

But i could be wrong, it was busy and didnt get to drill the dealer about the construction

Hope this helps a lil'

*chris* · Addict Joined: 12 Jan 2003 Posts: 982

so 39.9 loaded...hmmm sounds pretty good for the boat that waterski mag rated top 'board boat. yeah, i watched some videos and they all have a monotone interior..his some more pics

Gbgonzal138 · Addict Joined: 12 Jan 2003 Posts: 887

I rode behind one, wide in the center but otherwise good.

*chris* · Addict Joined: 12 Jan 2003 Posts: 982

yeah..i figured itd be wide considering its got a 102" beam Shocked

(8.5 ft)

Partyb · Posted: Jan 31, 2003 9:20 am Post subject:

Some air chair guy has one on my lake. Looks sweet. I understand they have some sort of quick fill/empty ballast system that comes in through like scuppers in the hull. Sounds intriguing.

valdus · Newbie Joined: 31 Jan 2003 Posts: 1 City: NorCal

The ballast system fills up the boat with 700lbs of water in about 45 secs. Plus the 65 gallons of gas that it can take will weight you down even further. The tower is made by Boss Accessories and is the same thing as their swoop model. I rode behind one pretty much all season last year and I can't say enough good things about it. We never had any problems with it. The wake is definitely wide due to the beam size. I just bought one and it should be here beginning of next week. I would definitely recommend! Here's a pic they took of it while it was still being assembled (note no swim platform and the nice trailer):

*chris* · Addict Joined: 12 Jan 2003 Posts: 982

yeah party...from what i read, its like a ballast system on a sub. u just flip the switch and it opens little pockets and the tanks fill in 45 sec...the tanks r built into the hull..and then when u drain them...flip the switch and gun it, theyll drain in 15 sec Cool

thats what really got me, the ease of the ballast system.

valdus - how much did that baby set u back? did u get her fully loaded?

calair03 · Posted: Feb 15, 2003 11:21 am Post subject: Calabria Boats

I have a 2003 Cal-Air. It is the smaller direct drive wakeboarding boat that Calabria makes. It is sick. It is actually the second Calabria that I have owned since 2000. I had an XTS (same hull as the Calair w/o ballast) and I only upgraded to get the ballast and all of the other options. As mentioned in earlier posts the ballast system is the best and easiest on the market. All of the boats are hand built at the factory in Merced. All of the graphics are in the gelcoat and the job they do is incredible. I custom ordered my upholstry and they did it without a problem. I believe that most of the boats I have seen at dealerships are one color but you can order them pretty much the way you want it. I have light grey as a base with orange piping in certain areas and it looks pimp. They thought I was crazy but they liked it when it was done.
I have ridden behind the pro-v and I really like it but I prefered the smaller boat only because it uses much less gas and it fits into my garage. If you haven't seen these boats you must check them out.
Good Luck

hlboatsnboards · Criminal Joined: 11 Feb 2003 Posts: 93

well of course with me being a dealer, I am rather biased. But feel free to ask me anything that you want to. If you want pricing, just email me. Talk to everyone soon!

C-Stone · Posted: Feb 16, 2003 2:54 pm Post subject:

IS MASTERCRAFT GOING TO HAVE THE SAME BALLASTS SOON??? I HEARD THAT THEY WERE GOING TO BE THE ONLY ONES WITH THE SAME BALLAST...WHAT CHANGES WERE MADE FROM WHEN IT WAS SKI BRENDELLA... WHY DID THEY CHANGE THE NAME? IS MB GOING TO BE ABLE TO USE THE SAME BALLAST?

calair03 · Posted: Feb 16, 2003 3:01 pm Post subject:

I believe that when Mike Brendel left Brendella, he sued to get the name back. Mastercraft is using the Purevert System but they are not using the same fill/floodgate system and I have heard that is why they are having the problems with the new X-star. I would guess that anyone could use the ballast system as long as they were willing to pay to use it.

C-Stone · Posted: Feb 16, 2003 3:04 pm Post subject:

calair03, YOU UPGRADED YOUR BOAT FOR THE BALLAST?? WHERE YOU UPSIDE DOWN ON THE ORIGINAL BOAT? IM TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHY PEOPLE WOULD CHOOSE A BOAT BECAUSE OF THE BALLAST AND IF ITS WORTH THAT MUCH MORE MONEY... I HAVE PROPS FOR CALABRIA... BUT OUCH...

C-Stone · Posted: Feb 16, 2003 3:09 pm Post subject:

I HEARD MASTERCRAFT HAS SPECIAL RIGHTS AND ARE THE ONLY ONES THAT COULD USE THIS SYSTEM... WHY IS MIKE BRENDELLA'S NEW BOATS CALLED MB'S AND NOT BRENDELLA?

calair03 · Posted: Feb 16, 2003 3:11 pm Post subject:

Good Question!. Actually I had gotten a good deal on the xts, put 190hrs on it and traded it in for what I paid for it (including taxes). Nothng like a Calabria holding its value. I have two young daughters and I wanted to get rid of the sacks, so I got the new boat. And go figure, I still use the sacks.

calair03 · Posted: Feb 16, 2003 3:14 pm Post subject:

They pay Murphy and Jessen to use the patent. I think for a while Calabria still built boats under the name Brendella, while MB started building boats under MB Sports.

C-Stone · Posted: Feb 16, 2003 3:27 pm Post subject:

calair03, YEAH, IT SEEMS YOU CANT GET ENOUGH WEIGHT... SPECIALLY IF YOU ARE WAKE SURFING...GOOD DEAL ON GETTING OUT EVEN ON YOUR OTHER BOAT... IF YOU CAN TRADE IN LIKE THAT YOU WON...USE IT FOR AWHILE AND BREAK EVEN ...VALUES ON NEW BOATS HOLD FOR A LITTLE WHILE AND THE FACTORIES MAKE THE BLUEBOOK VALUE...ALOT OF PEOPLE END UP PAYING ALOT MORE ON NEWER TRADE INS.

*chris* · Addict Joined: 12 Jan 2003 Posts: 982

wow...thats a nice lookin cal-air Cool

how much that set u back? i still got a few more months b4 im in the market for boats, but damn, id love to be able to get a calabaria. Smile

id be the only one on my lakes with one.

calair03 · Posted: Feb 16, 2003 3:46 pm Post subject:

I would highly recommend Calabria. I think it was in the Mid 40's. I had it loaded with everything but the amps, subs and tower speakers. You would be amazed at how many people turn and stare out on the lake. I was actually the first to have a Calabria on my lake and now there all at least six, four of which I talked them into buying. Here are some pics of the interior. Notice that the orange piping only goes in the center areas of the upholstry so it didn't clash with the gelcoat and so it wasn't too gotty.

C-Stone · Posted: Feb 16, 2003 3:50 pm Post subject:

BILL REYNOLDS OF HYCO BOATS AND BOARDS... ARE YOU A SALES PERSON, TECHNICIAN OR??? WE HAD A FEW WORDS BEFORE THE SITE CRASHED... I WAS HAVING FUN WITH OUR LITTLE BOAT WAR...HECK YOU ONLY STARTED VISITING THE FORUM DURING THE PORTLAND BOAT SHOW...AFTER I WAS ROUGHING UP CAL. FOR THE PATENTED BALLAST... I WAS DISSAPOINTED THAT THERE WASNT ANY CAL. 03'S AT THE SHOW IN PORTLAND...

C-Stone · Posted: Feb 16, 2003 3:59 pm Post subject:

WHY THE DIRECT DRIVE??? YOU PAID MID 40'S FOR DIRECT DRIVE? WITHOUT THE STEREO. OWWWW SO YOUR INTO IT ABOUT WHAT 48,000.00 TO 50,000.00 W/O INCL. INTEREST... I WOULD HATE TO HEAR WHAT THE V-DRIVE COSTS... DID YOU BUY THE DIRECT DRIVE BECAUSE YOU ALSO SKI??? THEYRE EASIER TO WORK ON BUT IM A V-DRIVE PERSON. LOOKS LIKE YOURE READY FOR SUMMER...

Phaeton · Addict Joined: 12 Jan 2003 Posts: 572 City: Redding

I paid $30,700 for my Alpina Phat-Boy (Cal-Air) new in Feb. 01 If your interested in a Calabria in the NW email me. I know the dealer and can hook you up. Also Bill is a great guy he is just out East.

Cal-Air 03 your right about resale. I just ordered a Pro-V. Sold mine for $30,000 with 230 hours on it.

Brendel left or got fired not sure and started MB Sports. He then sued for the name.

MC is putting ballast in the floor but they are using pumps to get it there which defeats the whole purevert system.

WakeMe@bendcable.com

calair03 · Posted: Feb 16, 2003 4:26 pm Post subject:

There was a only a minimal difference in price. I just got all the extras that I didn't really need (ie. carbonfiber dash kit, clock, depthfinder, perfectpass, stereo remote, extended swimstep etc.)It is loaded like a test boat except for the stereo. The main reasons for getting the dd were, fuel consumption, size (my garage is 22') and I mainly because I am one of the few that prefer the transition of the wake on the smaller boat.

*chris* · Addict Joined: 12 Jan 2003 Posts: 982

im in the midwest..iowa specifically. i couldnt afford a new one, itd most likely have to be a used one if i got a calabria. just too much money for a boat this early on. im only gonna be 20 in a month. but other than that, yeah id love to have one.

calair03 · Posted: Feb 16, 2003 4:41 pm Post subject:

I only paid $27K for my Sport Comp XTS with a tower which is pretty much the same boat with out ballast

hlboatsnboards · Criminal Joined: 11 Feb 2003 Posts: 93

Hey...
Yeah, to some peoples disliking, I am a dealer in NC. I have always lurked around the site, but usually only posted on WW. No good reason really.

From my understanding, Mike and Bob went there seperate ways around 87. I think that is when Calabria was using the Brendella name. It soon became Calabria after that. Not sure on the date though. Mike is doing his own thing now with MB and of course would love the rights to the balast system. If MC uses it, that says a lot for Calabria. Which is my guess why Calabria only sold the rights to a reputable company. The MB system I don't know anything about. But if they are using the tanks, with pumps, what happens if the hose comes off???? Just a thought.

The D-Drives in my opinion are a little higher priced then I think they should be. But when you look at the fit and finish, plus the balast, and the killer graphics, those options add up. I personally like the d-drive b/c of the size and wake. The v-drive is an awesome hard core boarding boat for the people that like a lot of room and storage......
Ok, I am starting to sound like a salesman now, no mas!! haha!

Carry on, I like seeing a posotive thread once in a while espcially when it concerns my boat!!

Phaeton · Addict Joined: 12 Jan 2003 Posts: 572 City: Redding

Hey Bill I think you mean 97 ?

Where are the Pro-V stero pics. Your killing me.

hlboatsnboards · Criminal Joined: 11 Feb 2003 Posts: 93

Is that when they started using the Calabria name? On the first page of there website it says 1987. So who knows! haha

Phaeton · Addict Joined: 12 Jan 2003 Posts: 572 City: Redding

The company started in 84 I believe. The name change took place around 97. If you do a search you can find 97 Ski Brendella's. But in 98 they were Calabria.

calair03 · Posted: Feb 16, 2003 9:14 pm Post subject:

I believe that 1987 is hwen the Shortline Comp was first produced.

rynogear · Posted: Feb 16, 2003 11:06 pm Post subject:

I have one of the original 2001 Calabria Cal Air Pro V boats in yellow and after getting the initial kinks worked out and replacing the tower with one that actually works I am very happy with it.

I have seen the newer ones, and a lot of the things I would have liked changed about the boat have been changed. Mostly minor cosmetic things, but none the less they are much better now. The most important change was the tower. The Boss tower is pretty nice, but still not a great fit for the boat. It doesn't compliment the lines of the boat and the walk-through window has to have a really long standoff on it so it doesn't smack against the tower when you open it up.

I have attached a picture of the new tower before it was powdercoated.

Phaeton · Addict Joined: 12 Jan 2003 Posts: 572 City: Redding

Hey Ryan what's up. All the new Pro-V's that I have seen the window opens and rests on the tower it self. Seems a little funky but works good. Mine should be here in a couple more weeks.

C-Stone · Posted: Feb 17, 2003 7:46 am Post subject:

Trade in value for 2002 cal-air is 27,500.00
Trade in value for 2002 cal- air br is 28,170.00
Trade in value for 2001 cal- air is 20,620.00
Trade in value for 2001 cal-air xts is 27,610.00
Trade in value for 2000 cal-air is 19,040.00
Trade in value for 2000 cal-air xts 25,630.00
For the four years listed the value has dropped, definately when you pay around 45 to 50,000.00 for it new. Thats not including loan interests. I dont see it holding value from being new.