Bryant makes their entry in V-Drives

John Dorton (ex Mastercraft CEO) has come out with a completely different idea of a budget
based V-Drive. It won't be under the Bryant name, but will be made at the Bryant factory.

18' LOA by 8' Beam (but with the same practical displacement as a 21')
Crusader 5.7 ltr V-Drive
Simple ballast system
Blue tooth sound system
Smart phone/pad gauge system
Tower
Speed control
Single Axle trailer
Target retail price $39,995

“It’s all about the wake,” John Dorton said. “The wake and the music.”

The 18-foot boat will have a 21-foot boat’s wake because it has the same amount of hull in the water as a 21-footer, John Dorton said. It’s built for six passengers, which gave designers more ballast capacity and made for more versatile interior space. It’s powered with a 5.7L engine from Crusader, one of Correct Craft’s latest purchases.

A professional wakeboarder, Ben Dorton said the boat produces a good wake, which was crucial for its success with his demographic.

When designing the boat, Bryant tried to do three things.

“We saw a demand for a rugged boat,” he said. “It had to be able to be stored, clean easy, trailer easy. There are a few things we’ve done on the exterior to offer protective surfaces instead of gelcoat that can scratch really easily. So when they rub up against the docks, it won’t faze the finish. The interior vinyls are really dense, so they have no chance of tearing, scuffing, scratching when your friends jump on the boats with a 12-pack and their shoes on.”

“We knew we had to make the boat lighter and easier to store so they can tow it with their Xterra,” Ben Dorton said. “And we knew we’ve got to hit a price point where they were comfortable buying it.”

The Wake Tractor is set to retail for $39,900 with the trailer, tower, bimini top, speed control ballast and music system.

“We designed a lot of content out that’s not important to this group,” the elder Dorton said. “It’s a good-looking boat. You just won’t miss it. The boat’s a head turner. But there are significant content pieces in traditional boats that aren’t in this one.”

And as important, the Wake Tractor opens up a whole new realm to enable people to connect via social media, Ben Dorton said, using Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and video integration with monitors.

“We knew we had to make it become that tool to communicate with friends,” he said. “They can connect GoPros to the tablet at the helm and record the ride. And when they’re done after, they can share it with everyone.”

The Wi-Fi-based boat will be driven off a smart tablet, where all of the gauge readings will be displayed. It will have Bluetooth connected to the system so the stereo head unit can be eliminated.

Not sure that I can release the picture yet, but there you have it....