# East Cape Vantage Review- The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly



## Renegade (Aug 30, 2015)

I received my new Vantage VHP a few months ago and have had the time to run it and share my thoughts and experiences. After getting back from a deep Glades trip yesterday, I was motivated to share my thoughts.

Purchase and appointment:

Kevin was great to work with. He is personable, knowledgeable, and he clearly loves his job, his product, and his company.
The appointment process started a little messy but they launched a digital process during my appointment and that cleared everything up. Kevin was great when it came to offering up opinions and considerations on items I was stuck on.

Build time:

It was long. Just about 14 months. I hit the perfect storm of COVID delays, and the big move. It is what it is. The new shop should streamline things and I'd bet they get back down to 8-9 months once the backlog is out.

The boat:

Pick up was good. It was pretty thorough, and so am I. There was a very minor sag in some gel coat on the console that needed to be addressed. Kevin pointed it out to me and gave me the option of coming back, or bringing it back in once I get a few scratches on her.

The fit and finish is as good as any of the best boats out there. Tolerances are tight and VERY well executed. I am still impressed.

The ride is unbelievable. Last week, I made a 2.5 hour run through Florida in occasional 2' with a very heavy load and two anglers into a S/SE wind over 20 mph. The boat I was running with (a well known and respected skiff with a competent captain) was actually at risk in these conditions. It was scary, for them. I was dry and comfortable. I still can't believe it. Even my glasses stayed clean.

On Saturday, with almost no wind, we ran offshore a few miles to look for Triple Tail. It was slick calm and clear skies so we did a little run and gun on some light tackle bonita before heading into a large river a few miles to the south. As we arrived, a NW wind picked up, the temp dropped 10 degrees, and a heavy sea fog rolled in. We needed to make a 7 mile run outside to get back to camp. The Bay had already picked up to almost 2-3' in areas, with a 30mph NW wind and almost no vis. Again, The Vantage ate it up. I cannot believe how dry and smooth she runs.

It was a full moon weekend in the glades so we definitely tested draft. The gnarly spot into the Lopez outside Choko was very low yesterday when we ran though. It was definitely not more than 9". Even loaded, I had no issues running that water. She runs great jacked up and tabbed down. That was my third negative low tide experience in her, and I am still impressed.

She poles very well for a skiff that size but if you are looking for a skiff to pole protected waters only, move along. She will wear you out. Still, she poles well and easily enough for this 47 year old to pole all day on occasion (with a little help from the wind.) She tracks straight and poles quietly into the wind (if you are man enough to try.)

Storage is insane with the buckets cut out. If you are wondering, you'll need 22 squares of Dri-deck for the three compartment floors. Also, you cannot fit a Yeti bucket in the rear hatches, but you can fit a regular 5 gallon bucket.

Mileage is impressive. The boat has a 28 gallon tank and holds almost 29. I am running the Merc 115 ProXS CT. I ran 131 miles on 23 gallons, loaded very heavily. In reality, I could have probably saved 3 gallons had I been running her correctly. In the snot or while planing at lower speeds, she likes the motor all the way down and trimmed most of the way down. I was running her too high and slipping. It took a few hours to find the right mix of tab, plate and trim for conditions. Sponson boats are different.

There are only a few things I'd change:

I should have done an on board charger. I have an AGM house battery and two Lithiums in the console. It is tight in there and I am not good at boat yoga. I bought a NOCO Genius 3 and am having a hard time getting anyone to install it. That was short sighted.

The under gunnel rod holders are great for fly rods and light spinners but not tarpon gear. There is too much curve in the hull. I should have added more upright rod storage. I have two on the platform, 3 on the console. I should have added one or two on my casting platform and a few on my guide bench.

Heavy rods can mar the bulkheads at the ends of the under gunnel storage. I should have added Sea Deck there as well.


The only thing ugly to talk about were the looks I got running high and dry and comfortably while other guys running more expensive skiffs, skiffs I considered, were getting beaten and soaked. I felt bad for them. I did my diligence though. I could have bought a HB, or a Chittum or a Maverick, or any of the others but the Vantage was the best fit for me at the time. I am happy to say she still is.

I'm moving to Crystal River in a few months and think she will be as useful there as she is in the Glades. I may be adding the 24 to my fleet as well to keep mommas comfortable while scalloping.


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## Water Bound (Dec 12, 2018)

Beautiful Vantage, great review and pics, but that boat shed …wow!


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## Redtail (May 25, 2021)

Great review and beautiful boat. Reviews like yours almost makes the wait feel worthwhile. Now about your shop/boat barn, just a little too organized and clean makes it looks like you never work in it!


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## Renegade (Aug 30, 2015)

Redtail said:


> Great review and beautiful boat. Reviews like yours almost makes the wait feel worthwhile. Now about your shop/boat barn, just a little too organized and clean makes it looks like you never work in it!


That photo was taken by a professional photographer for the purpose of listing my home. It worked. I sold it well over asking in an hour. It looked like that for about a week! 😂


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## GnarlyD (Jul 1, 2015)

Thanks for the review. Love my east cape too. …. but all I can think about is what the other skiff was you went with!?!?


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## Sohodreaming (Jan 9, 2022)

Sweet ride!


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## devrep (Feb 22, 2009)

running dry in 3 foot seas is pretty special.


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## TroutNreds12 (Jan 4, 2016)

Nice review and boat….If your moving to crystal river I’d be investing in a jet drive boat for the rocks In ozello and yankytown!


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## RollTide1000 (Jul 27, 2020)

Nice, congrats! Really great looking boat!


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## Adrian Carreras vh (11 mo ago)

Quick question would it be possible for you to upload videos of it running because im considering in getting one i just wanna see how it rides in 2-3ft chop?


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## swaddict (Dec 19, 2009)

great color combo and that merc looks good on it


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## Renegade (Aug 30, 2015)

TroutNreds12 said:


> Nice review and boat….If your moving to crystal river I’d be investing in a jet drive boat for the rocks In ozello and yankytown!


I have one for my Towee. Considering building a tunnel boat there as well.


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## Renegade (Aug 30, 2015)

Adrian Carreras vh said:


> Quick question would it be possible for you to upload videos of it running because im considering in getting one i just wanna see how it rides in 2-3ft chop?


I was running in 1’s with occasional 2’s and 3’s near the bends and river mouths. Unfortunately I only have shots when we we’re running in the calmer stuff just outside Choko. After that, my partner boat was having a pretty bad time and couldn’t film.


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## Renegade (Aug 30, 2015)

devrep said:


> running dry in 3 foot seas is pretty special.


To be clear, it wasn’t solid 3’s. It was occasional 2-3’s near the mouths on the falling tides. It was mostly 1’.
I have had offshore boats that couldn’t keep me dry in all 3’s and don’t expect any skiff could.

Sorry if that was misleading. My intention was to say I was impressed in those conditions, not to inflate the conditions.


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## EvanHammer (Aug 14, 2015)

Do you have any exterior pictures of the garage? I can't tell what the structure is but it looks awesome - would be interested in seeing and hearing more about it.


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## Renegade (Aug 30, 2015)

EvanHammer said:


> Do you have any exterior pictures of the garage? I can't tell what the structure is but it looks awesome - would be interested in seeing and hearing more about it.


It's amazing the response my garage/barn got when I listed my house. I'm reasonably certain that it was a major component to my sale. Looks like this group appreciates it too.

There is usually another boat in there but we removed it for staging these images.

It is an S type Quonset. It is 30' x 36'D by 17.5' tall. It was purchased from US Steel Buildings for $8600 and delivered for free on another person's order. My carpenters and I built the structure, which came on a single pallet, in 3 days with some scaffold and impact guns. The end walls took about three days each, including the rat runs.

Not that a lot of counties do not allow Quonsets on residentially zoned properties. My property was Open Use.

I was a custom home builder so the slab and other work was not an issue. The gable end metal matches the siding I built on my dad's house, which is adjacent on our property. You can see it by searching MIKE'S HAMMOCK I attached one image.


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## Redtail (May 25, 2021)

Wow! If that's the property you sold would love to see the new place!


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## redchaser (Aug 24, 2015)

Renegade said:


> To be clear, it wasn’t solid 3’s. It was occasional 2-3’s near the mouths on the falling tides. It was mostly 1’.
> I have had offshore boats that couldn’t keep me dry in all 3’s and don’t expect any skiff could.
> 
> Sorry if that was misleading. My intention was to say I was impressed in those conditions, not to inflate the conditions.


Really refreshing to see someone with candor regarding what kind of chop they are running in. I really think most people greatly overestimate and overstate how big of a chop they can comfortably run through. I've seen lots of people call a 1.5' chop 3'. I remember years ago, I think on this forum, an ongoing fracas because someone was claiming that they were running 40 mph in a 4 ft chop in a Lake and Bay and dry and comfortable.


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## Renegade (Aug 30, 2015)

Redtail said:


> Wow! If that's the property you sold would love to see the new place!


I live in a fifth wheel now. 😂

I retired and couldn't decide where I wanted to live so we bought a fifth wheel while we figured it out. I just bought a few properties in Crystal River and will be building a new house on the river and a Barndominium on some acreage for friends/guests and all my shit. It'll be a while before all of that is done.


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## scrapiron (Jun 13, 2020)

Great review, thanks!


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## Sublime (Oct 9, 2015)

Beautiful property.


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## EvanHammer (Aug 14, 2015)

Thanks for the shop info - definitely not like the quonset huts of old! I always liked barrel roofs and this is a seriously cool shop.


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## RollTide1000 (Jul 27, 2020)

Wow nice canoe!!


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## devrep (Feb 22, 2009)

Crystal River is full


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## Renegade (Aug 30, 2015)

devrep said:


> Crystal River is full


I understand that sentiment. 

Sarasota is full. CR is definitely growing, but it’s still got that small town feel. I’ll be there this weekend for a week to buy up more properties. 

Florida as we have known it is gone forever. These next 5 years are going to be hard on those of us from here.


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## whoislang (Jul 29, 2020)

Renegade said:


> I live in a fifth wheel now. 😂
> 
> I retired and couldn't decide where I wanted to live so we bought a fifth wheel while we figured it out. I just bought a few properties in Crystal River and will be building a new house on the river and a Barndominium on some acreage for friends/guests and all my shit. It'll be a while before all of that is done.


47 and retired and living the life… if anybody’s hating they’re just jealous.


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## jonterr (Mar 24, 2013)

Renegade said:


> To be clear, it wasn’t solid 3’s. It was occasional 2-3’s near the mouths on the falling tides. It was mostly 1’.
> I have had offshore boats that couldn’t keep me dry in all 3’s and don’t expect any skiff could.
> 
> Sorry if that was misleading. My intention was to say I was impressed in those conditions, not to inflate the conditions.


Yeah
You were getting ready to get jumped on!😀


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## Renegade (Aug 30, 2015)

jonterr said:


> Yeah
> You were getting ready to get jumped on!😀


I know people tend to inflate sea conditions and that causes people to overreact to those statements. As I said, I wasn't trying to inflate the conditions. I was just abbreviating the circumstances, which, after re-reading, definitely could have been taken out of context.

There were occasional 2's and 3's out there on the ride down the outside, and after the NW front pulled in quickly. Mostly it was a nasty 1'+ chop with a S/SE wind which SUCKED. Tide was ripping out the rivers so the seas stiffened up outside of every river. It was along 2 hours down.

I don't want lose the point of this discussion. This boat rides right and it rides dry as hell for a skiff. Actually, it rides dry for a bay boat. I can tell you I have fished lesser conditions in my 21 Yellowfin and and gotten wetter and the VHP handled it as well, and gave me a similar ride. That is not bad for a boat that weighs less than half and is significantly smaller.


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## jonterr (Mar 24, 2013)

Renegade said:


> I know people tend to inflate sea conditions and that causes people to overreact to those statements. As I said, I wasn't trying to inflate the conditions. I was just abbreviating the circumstances, which, after re-reading, definitely could have been taken out of context.
> 
> There were occasional 2's and 3's out there on the ride down the outside, and after the NW front pulled in quickly. Mostly it was a nasty 1'+ chop with a S/SE wind which SUCKED. Tide was ripping out the rivers so the seas stiffened up outside of every river. It was along 2 hours down.
> 
> I don't want lose the point of this discussion. This boat rides right and it rides dry as hell for a skiff. Actually, it rides dry for a bay boat. I can tell you I have fished lesser conditions in my 21 Yellowfin and and gotten wetter and the VHP handled gave me a similar ride. That is not bad for a boat that weighs less than half and is significantly smaller.


Awesome!!!
Thanks


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## Capt. Kenny (Feb 18, 2016)

Great review. I can say that I am not man enough to pole my vantage into the wind for very long.


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## Renegade (Aug 30, 2015)

Capt. Kenny said:


> Great review. I can say that I am not man enough to pole my vantage into the wind for very long.


Same here!


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## POCtied (Oct 19, 2016)

Renegade said:


> I understand that sentiment.
> 
> Sarasota is full. CR is definitely growing, but it’s still got that small town feel. I’ll be there this weekend for a week to buy up more properties.
> 
> Florida as we have known it is gone forever. These next 5 years are going to be hard on those of us from here.


Congrats on the skiff and the move. My (growing) family is both lucky and unlucky to be heading out of Houston shortly.

Did you just sell in SRQ? I am moving back, after 20 years and couldn't have possibly picked a worse time to find a decent piece of real estate. Inflation is real if you look at that market, everything is overpriced and my quest for a waterfront property has pushed all the way down to Nokomis...even then it is slim slim picking


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## Renegade (Aug 30, 2015)

POCtied said:


> Congrats on the skiff and the move. My (growing) family is both lucky and unlucky to be heading out of Houston shortly.
> 
> Did you just sell in SRQ? I am moving back, after 20 years and couldn't have possibly picked a worse time to find a decent piece of real estate. Inflation is real if you look at that market, everything is overpriced and my quest for a waterfront property has pushed all the way down to Nokomis...even then it is slim slim picking


Thank you.

Honestly, if you haven't been here in 20 years you are in for a shock. Some of the traffic is as bad as Houston, even if on a smaller scale. We did sell. I moved from Siesta to Nokomis 7 years ago to escape the madness but I did not get far enough, quickly enough. I would be looking at Nokomis/Venice/Englewood. Yep. You read that right.

Good luck. You couldn't pay me enough to live here any longer, and they were paying me a LOT.


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## Adrian Carreras vh (11 mo ago)

Renegade said:


> I was running in 1’s with occasional 2’s and 3’s near the bends and river mouths. Unfortunately I only have shots when we we’re running in the calmer stuff just outside Choko. After that, my partner boat was having a pretty bad time and couldn’t film.





Renegade said:


> I was running in 1’s with occasional 2’s and 3’s near the bends and river mouths. Unfortunately I only have shots when we we’re running in the calmer stuff just outside Choko. After that, my partner boat was having a pretty bad time and couldn’t film.


Would it possible for you to post pictures of the inside of your hatches and how you sore everything?


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## Renegade (Aug 30, 2015)

Adrian Carreras vh said:


> Would it possible for you to post pictures of the inside of your hatches and how you sore everything?



Definitely. I’ll have her out in the next day or two and grab some pictures.


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## Caleb.Esparza (Jan 31, 2016)

Heck of a review. Having poled a vantage a fair bit I can agree with your assessment. It will make a man out of you in short order, but it sure rides like a Cadillac in the slop! Now how about that Canoe? I’ve been finding myself leaving the skiff parked and fishing from various paddle craft more and more these days. I recently added a 14’ Indian river arrowhead to my fleet which I’m greatly looking forward to getting into some out of the way places.


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## Renegade (Aug 30, 2015)

Caleb.Esparza said:


> Heck of a review. Having poled a vantage a fair bit I can agree with your assessment. It will make a man out of you in short order, but it sure rides like a Cadillac in the slop! Now how about that Canoe? I’ve been finding myself leaving the skiff parked and fishing from various paddle craft more and more these days. I recently added a 14’ Indian river arrowhead to my fleet which I’m greatly looking forward to getting into some out of the way places.


I love to paddle as well. It is definitely a different vibe and connection to the water. That is the WeNoNah Wilderness Carbon. It is remarkably stable, handles a ton of gear and weighs 28#! Sick little canoe.


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## SISW (Apr 21, 2011)

Water Bound said:


> Beautiful Vantage, great review and pics, but that boat shed …wow!


Yep, the shed is the WINNER.


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## Logan Moro (Jun 19, 2020)

Renegade said:


> I received my new Vantage VHP a few months ago and have had the time to run it and share my thoughts and experiences. After getting back from a deep Glades trip yesterday, I was motivated to share my thoughts.
> 
> Purchase and appointment:
> 
> ...


Great info, thanks for sharing.


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## Monty (Jan 10, 2018)

Renegade said:


> I received my new Vantage VHP a few months ago and have had the time to run it and share my thoughts and experiences. After getting back from a deep Glades trip yesterday, I was motivated to share my thoughts.
> 
> Purchase and appointment:
> 
> ...


Even your trailer looks good.


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## Renegade (Aug 30, 2015)

Monty said:


> Even your trailer looks good.


Ramlin is the best!


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## Biscayne boy (8 mo ago)

Renegade said:


> I received my new Vantage VHP a few months ago and have had the time to run it and share my thoughts and experiences. After getting back from a deep Glades trip yesterday, I was motivated to share my thoughts.
> 
> Purchase and appointment:
> 
> ...


What was your purchase price if u don’t mind mentioning that ?


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## Renegade (Aug 30, 2015)

Biscayne boy said:


> What was your purchase price if u don’t mind mentioning that ?


Prices have changed for both the base price and the options since then, so it’s irrelevant.

Last month I actually started working for East Cape as the Sales Rep.

I’d bet it would price around $66-69k today with the lithium batteries, guide bench, powder coat and other options.

If you are interested in pricing one, you can PM me and I’ll price out a package for you. Base price for boat, motor and trailer is $48K


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