Hi, I am looking for your honest opinion. I am looking at buying a boat with twin 150's but was wondering who is a better builder? Thanks, Eric
People are going to all have opinions on this subject. This is a touchy subject. I am not going to get into details on this. Simply, my vote is Tom Miller.
I hope you get some good responses, but I'm not holding my breathe. The Tom Miller camp will claim only his boats are the best(they are nice and time proven), but I haven't talked with too many drivers that have actually driven both boats for a long enough period of time to actually know. Most people that have the Dyna-ski boats, don't seem to have many complaints. They ride a little higher, and have thicker transom. More ski teams are going with Dyna-ski. I believe most distaste for dyna-ski is the Owner(Pete Pfankuch) of the company. The boats themselves are actually made by http://www.boatsbyjohn.com/. Who does a very job at making fiberglass boats. Pricewise, I think you get a better deal with the Dyan-ski. Our team will be making a similar decision within a few years. Good luck on what you chose. We all like boats that can handle power. It doesn't have to be "boat war". Dwight
I will probably get killed for mentioning it, but aren't both boats made from pretty much the same molds, both of which came from the company that both Pete and Tom had before they split up? I'm sure that there are differences in construction (Pete's boats may indeed have higher sides), but they are the same basic boat. Beyond that, I don't know enough about the details of how these boats compare in price, how they are constructed, how warranty issues are handled, etc. to really weigh in on the issue. I would be pleased to own either one, personally, but nobody has offered to build me one for free yet. Probably the best thing to do is to talk to Tom and Pete, and compare pricing, interior appointments, rigging options, and construction methods (particularly as to the transoms) and then make the call. I know both guys, and I would not hesitate to work with either one of them. Pete does like to light up the ski boat chat boards with sometimes controversial statements, and his preference for the 20' outboard boats has annoyed some of those who feel that the 18's are the real article, not to mention some of those who prefer inboard ski boats. I actually like some of Pete's aggressive statements defending the role of the outboard ski boat - and even though it annoys some people - some of his points are valid and have been proven over time (Minocqua now has two outboards and only one inboard for their ski team). Tom has been around forever and he built the original Hydrodynes with Ab Crosby (including my boat). He keeps a lower profile. There are many (particularly those who date back to the good 'ol days) who would not consider having a dyne built by anyone else, and there is no question Tom knows what he is doing. With Tom, you are dealing directly with the guy who is building the boat, which some people like. With Pete, you arguably may have longer term dealer support, because I'm not sure how much longer it will be before Tom retires from boat building. Sales volume likely helps Dyna-Ski with pricing. I think both guys will do a good job of building to your specifications. They each have different things that they focus on. Pete has more aggressive marketing and a more aggressive sales approach. As pointed out by footndale, however, Pete does not actually build the boats. Still, he is very knowledgeable and has a good builder. The ski team sales are driven, at least in part, by long-time relationships, because everyone knows everyone in the hydrodyne community. This is an interesting post, and it would be interesting to hear someone weigh in who has had more up-close experience with recent examples from both companies. That might be hard to do, because most clubs likely are not going to have one of each... Also - I think many people are reluctant to be negative about either boat, as both are proven boats and it might come down to the issue of which guy you want to work with. That is my $.02. Markbano
I would like to hear Eric Z's take on the two. His ski team has both brands, and he has experience in driving both, as well as worked on both brands too. Hopefully he will give his $.02....
The hulls are slightly different. The Miller boats have a slightly shorter centerline length as did the original Dynes, so they drive like the originals. The RAJ just won the WI state regional by a handy margin and have done a ton of r&d on these boats. They have won many nationals. They have a tripple 250 (750 hp) and and a tripple 300 (900 hp) that have withstood the test of time. They are Miller boats, and they are beautiful. I am familiar with the Miller boats and their structural design is excellent. They would have to be to withstand 900 hp. Tom Miller's contact information is here under Tom Miller boats. jim
RAJ now has two boats with 300s on them and they look spectacular. They also have more Malibu boats then hydrodynes. Their success has more to do with talent and how to design great scoring shows. Top skiers, top drivers and the desire to be the best. Now when it comes to knowledge and setup of the Tom Miller boats, Edd is the top expert and he has those boats performing at their best. Dwight
Hate to reignite this, but I'm boat shopping for a 20' Dyne. I would love to know if any of our professional drivers or others have insights on the differences. MarkBano
Mark, There is a driver comparison of the boats on this site, a search may turn it up. The Dyna is longer than Miller's boats. jim
