Steiger is Complete and in the Water New photos 6/14/07

[Hugs Tug]

Ordered the 23 Miami a few weeks ago ans as promised attached is some boat porn of the build so far.
Originally I was going to power with a 5.7 Mercruiser Mag Horizon. After speaking with Al Steiger and sea trialing one with a 225 Suzuki, I change my mind. The Zuke rode out effortlessy and was quiet as a mouse. Also offered more cockpip space.
Boat is scheduled for completion in 2 to 3 weeks at this writing. Hard to see in the pics but the hull color is a very lite green. It will be finished with a dark green fine line under the rub rail and a wide boot stripe an inch above the bottom paint line. Bottom paint will also be Interlux Micron in the darkest green available.
Getting antsy for the boat at this point.
Tom

 

[Seneca Lake Dave]

Nice pics...
I have been planning to get a new boat within the next year, and the 23 Miami has been on the very short list, with a Grady 228, and ofcourse, the Parker 2310 or 2320 (still struggling with this one!).

I am still leaning toward the Parker as the front runner...mostly because I am on the West coast (LA area) and can't see a Steiger, much less sea trial one, unless I fly to Washington State to the closest dealer. This kind of takes the Steiger off the list.

But people who own Steigers really love them...then again...people who own Parkers REALLLLLY love them!!!

I hope that you post your reviews of the boat when she arrives (including one common complaint about small cabin size).

The standard hull cost of the 23 Miami out here was 35,000 + motor + trailer + neccessary options (including full transom/bracket) + tax. total came out to about $70,000 as I remember.

Best,
Dave

 

[Hugs Tug]

That would be close because of the distance.
The good thing for me is that the factory is only 5 minutes from my office and freight nad prep do not come into the equation.
Here is some more boat porn of the build.
Tom

 

[Outta Here]

Nice, a question or 4...

Where will the livewell be?
Who makes Stieger's brackets?
What is the fuel tank made of?
Does Stieger offer Yamaha Power?

 

[andertonm]

I don't know much about Steigers, but I have toured the Parker plant and I gotta say the Steiger facility looks a little cluttered and amateurish in comparison. Fifty gallon drums and broken up cinder blocks? That doesn't mean they can't build a good boat under those conditions, but when you see the Parker factory, you can see the quality in the facility and the build process. I posted pics of our tour on the board a couple of months ago.

 

[Hugs Tug]

Answers to the question.
Yes there will be a live fish box cut into the deck.
Armstrong supplies the brackets.
The tank is aluminum and holds 125 gallons.
They offer either Honda or Suzuki. Any other engine will be mounted once you purchase it with the appurtances.

As far as the factorys appearance, yes I am quite sure that Parkers facility has a much nicer viewer friendly appearance. Given the fact that you are dealing with a major manufacturer, I am sure that the areas of concern are not open to public viewing as the one at Steiger. There facility was built in the very early 70's and still open to the public for any type of viewing that is requested. Have you never had a broken concrete block that you have reused? If weight and structural support is not needed, then why not use it. Just my $0.02 worth
Tom

 

[Megabyte]

Tom,

The build so far looks great!
Keep up on the photos and the build reports.
We (I) love this stuff!

 

[Outta Here]

toured when you see the Parker factory, you can see the quality in the facility and the build process. I posted pics of our tour on the board a couple of months ago.

I have a friend who did some work @ Parker's facility a while back. He could care less about boats. It was his observation that "Parker has the most modern facility with the most state of the art equipment he has ever seen".

I too have been on a Parker tour. There was no area we did not see. Never did I feel I was "directed" around any area. Even saw the area where gelcoat defects are identified and repaired. I was free to talk to employees and I did. Kinda got the feeling they are proud of what they produce.

Can I take a small offense at "andertonm's" "Parker factory" quote? Parkers are hand built from the stringers and box grid system (strongest in industry) to the hand laid hulls that stay in the mold for up to a week. "Factory" sounds a little mass-produced.

Everytime I get caught in rough water, my Parker acts like it's being guided by some of the toughest hands-on boat builders ever to set sail. 8)

 

[greatcir]

As a past part owner of a boat building operation that was many years old, the Parker factory pictures posted elsewhere on this forum are a major selling point for me to buy their products.

We used to have tough OSHA inspections on how we stored our chemicals to dust to respirators to solid ladder access into work pieces to plant wiring to fire supression to your name it. We used solid wood blocks to hold boat pieces or approved metal boat supports.

One of the main fabrication issues is dust. When mold release is put on the mirror finished molds, any dust or other debis will imprint the gel coat and add lots of finishing expense to get the boat to have the luster you want it to have in a show room. Dust and debis on the soles of shoes of workers carried into shiny new boat parts also causes much rework.

But I have seen excellent vessels come out of facilities in all manner of ordiliness and all manner of chaos. Much depends on the skills of the craftsmen and usually their work longevity in the plant. It also depends a lot on the owner/manager.

No question the best buyer option is to regularly visit his boat being built so he knows all that goes into to it. And he should keep a large photo album of every part of the fabrication process that will serve him well as long as he owns the boat and when he sells it. Better than X-rays after it is finished.

.............Pete

 

[Hugs Tug]

The build is progressing nicely.

The hull should be completed by the weekend and then its on to the engine and wiring along with all the other thims that go into building a boat.

The earliest completion date will be Saturday of the Memorial day weekend. That would in fact please me but I am not that optimistic. A more realistic delivery date is the following weekend. Of well, at this stage of the game, whats another week of wait.

All the electronics are in hand and will deliver today.
Northstar 6100i GPS 8.5" screen.
Furuno 585 Sounder with Airmar B60-20 Transducer.
Furuno 1731 Mark-3 Radar.

Am I getting anxiuos? You bet I am.

Tom

 

[Bryan 2530]

Looks great! Good luck with her.

 

[Seneca Lake Dave]

I have been looking forward to more pics...thanks for posting.

Can't wait to see the pics on the water, and a ride report... hopefully in some choppy conditions.

best,
Dave

 

[jeffnick]

I can only imagine the rush of watching your boat being 'born'!

 

[Megabyte]

Beauty! 8)

 

[susqking]

How do you sleep at night? Looks very nice!

 

[Hugs Tug]

Thank you to all.

It indeed is a labor of wait. The best solace I have is that the factory is so close to my office I can watch stop daily.

Tom

 

[Seneca Lake Dave]

Are you on the water today Tom?

I woke up today thinking about your boat! I told my wife about it...she just stared at me...after about 20 seconds she shook her head and quietly walked away...(sigh)

Dave

 

[Hugs Tug]

Actually Dave no.
The expected date to launch is now June 8th.
Getting a little bit more that itchy.
All the fiberglass work was to be done by last Saturday the 26th and then on to the engine mounting and rigging with the electrical.
I opted for them to install all the electronics with interfacing so that will add another day for sure.
Rest assured that as soon as more boat porn is avail;able I will post it.

To all the Parker owners on this site thanks for letting me belong.

This is the last shots of it on Friday

Tom

 

[Megabyte]

I'm loving these build photos Tom!
That is going to be a sweet ride!

 

[jeffnick]

drool...