Who built my 1998 215 Explorer

[WandaS]

I was wondering who built my 1998 215 explorer.
Was it Genmar? How is it built compared to earlier Aquasports?

[GoneFission]

Based on the forum thread - it sounds like SeaBob built your boat!!

I will let him chine in (get it?) on the quality of construction.

[seabob4]

Yes, I did.  Actually, built on the line next to mine.  Same exact boat as the Wellcraft 210 Coastal, except your Explorer has foam filled stringers, the Wellcraft wood.  Any questions, feel free to ask.  I did wire a few helms on that line, yours might have been one of them.  BTW, just call me Bob.

[compcrasher86]

Hahaha, bet Wanda wasnt expecting to hear from one of the actual people who built their boat, thats what makes these forums awesome.

[seabob4]

Guys/Girls,
My boating heart and soul lives at Old 301 and Whitfield Avenue.  The last Aquasport plant.  If I can be of service to you fine owners, I would be honored.

[WandaS]

My original question was if Genmar was the builder then (1998.
Also, was Aquasport ever built by anyone else?
I have a friend who says when Genmar bought the company
the quality went down is this true?

[seabob4]

Wanda,
Aquasport was originally built in Hialeah.  Not sure when Genmar bought it, but as far as quality goes, well, if there was a deterioration in quality, I'm sure Rick would have brought that up.  What I do know is that you got a lot of standard features for the money, and at the time I was there ('94-'00), a wood-free boat.  All hardware the exact same as Wellcraft.  One thing I would do is enlarge the helm access in the b/head behind your helm inside your cabin.  Makes working on the inevitable electrical issues a LOT easier.  Replace the pie with an opening hatch.

[RickK]

As for quality and this has been talked about here before, we think the quality actually started going down hill as Aquasport started having money problems near the end before Genmar bought them. I think Genmar bought Aquasport in the late 80's.
What Genmar brought to the line was the ability to leverage it's strength in manufacturing processes (like poured transoms vs wood) and parts inventory (using same parts as other lines it owned) to produce it cheaper, not necessarily lower quality.

[intheblood]

My name is also Bob. My father-in-law, the late Roger Smith, was president of Aquasport from the late 60's until the Genmar purchase, and the move to Sarasota. He left Aquasport and took the helm at another small Miami boat company called Angler ( now you know why the early Anglers were almost identical to Aquasports).I only knew him for a few years before his death last Christmas day (2007). He was full of stories and could rattle off specs and small details of all the Aquasport models.
   See, I'm from a longtime Aquasport family- our first was in 1970, a 17. I was three years old at the time, and learned to water ski at age 4 behind that boat. I and my dad currently own 4 Aquasports ('87 170 cc, '87 200 cc, '93 210 cc, '93 230 cc). I met my wife in '98, we dated for over a year before I found out her dad was president of Aquasport! Talk about a marriage made in heaven!

 I'm jumping on this thread with my own questions about this '93 21 foot center console. I can't seem to find any info on it, but it does seem to be a rare bird. I know it's a '93, but since you were there in '94 maybe you can help. The HIN indicates a 21 ft. boat, it's got an 8'6" beam and was factory rigged with a Merc 150 Black Max. A 21 foot boat with an 8'6" beam makes for a very stable, seaworthy boat. It's beamier than my 230, and has a deeper v to the hull.  Just wondering if you had any interesting info on this hull.

[seabob4]

Bob,
Really cool about your father-in-law.  Sorry about his passing.  Angler was a good boat, but they are in serious straights right now, as are we.  Anyway, do you have a pic or two of the boat you could post?  Sounds like it may have the hull of the 215 series.  New hull molds/designs weren't the norm with AS.