New Advantage 29 X-Flight Home At Last
One of the few West Coast custom powerboat builders able to survive the 2008 recession, Advantage Boats retains a loyal following. But perhaps no one is a bigger fan of the Lake Havasu City, Ariz.-headquartered brand than Robert Lipps of Indianapolis. Late last fall, Lipps took to delivery of an Advantage 29 X-Flight model and he’s just beginning to put it to good use on Lake Cumberland in Kentucky, where he has a second home.
Look for this Advantage 29 X-Flight on Lake Cumberland this summer.
A familiar name to Donzi Marine fans as he owns the first 38 ZRC sportboat ever built, Lipps previously owned a 29 X-Flight powered by a Mercury Racing 525 engine. This time around, he ordered the 29-footer with a Mercury Racing 565 engine.
As part of his down payment, he traded in his previous 29 X-Flight.
“The 29 X-Flight is so user friendly for a family day on the water,” Lipps said, then laughed. “It’s the exactly the opposite of my 38 ZRC.”
Though the 29 X-Flight is a V-bottom, its bow-entry gives it the look of a go-fast catamaran. The 29-footer is more a hybrid between a stern-drive sportboat and uncommonly sexy deckboat. It remains one of Advantage’s most popular models.
Lipps and his crew hit the water in the 29-footer last weekend.
Lipps is headed to the Kuttawa Cannonball Run this weekend with friends, so he is leaving his new prize at home. He ran it last weekend with his family on Lake Cumberland and the boat surpassed his expectations.
“It turned out great,” he said. “We really didn’t get the chance to run it until last weekend on Lake Cumberland and we loaded it up with a bunch of people. I put a whopping three hours on it before the weather turned and I didn’t run it past three-quarter throttle, which you’re not supposed to do until you have five hours on the engine.
“I don’t know what it is—maybe the extension boxes, maybe the SportMaster lower units—but this boat carries so much better than my last one,” he continued. “My guests commented that it was ‘like riding on a cloud.’”
Ready for a full summer on the water.
Related Story: Spotlight On Donzi 38 ZRC No. 1
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