---
Subscribe to our award winning monthly e-mail blast with news, reviews and sneak peaks for the recreational boater.
2005 Fluid Fluid 1700 OB Photos
2005 Fluid Fluid 1700 OB Test Details
| Category | Bowrider |
| Length | 16ft 6in / 4.88 m |
| Dealers | Contact Fluid Boats Dealers |
| Buyers Guides | Search For Fluid Boats Buyers Guides |
| Boats For Sale | Search For Fluid Boats For Sale |
2005 Fluid Fluid 1700 OB Description
-
Okay, new- and youngboater class of 2005, can I have your attention for a minute? Just a quick survey.
All right now, how many of you want a tower-equipped wakeboard boat, with hot hull colours and graphics and a fuel-sipping engine? I see plenty of hands in the air.
Now, how many of you want to pay $60,000 or more? Those in the back rolling on the ground,are you laughing or crying? And those who still have your hands up: is that Daddy's chequebook you're waving or your own?
But how about $30,000? I see some heads nodding.
No question, everybody wants in on the wakeboard action these days. The kids all talk about getting big air and doting parents want to help them achieve it. But very few boaters have the budget for an inboard-powered wakeboard boat with multiple ballast tanks, Perfect Pass speed control and a tower bristling with spare boards and stereo speakers.
In reality though, few boaters need that kind of tow machine. Until you're sure your youngster is headed for the global tournament circuit, a more modest boating investment is in order.
That's where the new Fluid boats enter the picture. Built by Winnipegbased InterNautic Marine Group, Fluid is dedicated to helping wakeboarders fly on a budget.With connections in the metal fabrication business, InterNautic has tapped its corporate resources to renovate the former Invader boat line for a new generation of boaters and watersports enthusiasts. By building in style and desirable standard equipment,InterNautic has added real value without blowing the bottom line out of the water.
For great value and performance, the outboard-powered Fluid 1700 is a great place to start. Inboard-powered wake boats may be wakeboarders' ideal ride, but outboard power makes plenty of sense for folks who need to store their boats on trailers. Also, today's four-stroke outboards, such as the Suzuki DF140 that was driving our test boat, are sweet engines that start easily and sip fuel.You can begin wakeboarding early and ride all day, dude!
Fluid's making your engine compromise easier by offering a colour-coordinated tower and hot paint-andgraphics package as standard equipment. Choose hull colours from drumbeat red, denim blue, yellow, black or white. Looking great on the water is half the battle.
The rest is performance, and the Fluid 1700 has plenty. Muscular acceleration - 0-20 in 4.39 seconds,0-30 in 5.58 seconds and up to - means great hole shots to get riders up.Top speeds close to 50 mph (47.7 mph, verified by GPS during rain-drenched trials on Quebec's St. Maurice River last fall) are very sporty. And cruising speeds - 17.8 mph at 3,000 rpm and 22.6 mph at 3,500 rpm - are right in the wakeboard riding range.
There are compromises, of course. The boat's upholstery is without much ergonomic padding, the helm is functional rather than fancy and canvas is optional. On the plus side, the fit and finish is good, there are lots of drinkholders, a drained glovebox-cooler, there's room under the back seat for an aftermarket ballast bladder and small but serviceable moulded-in swim platforms.
The wakeboard crowd will likely opt for two extra speakers for the Clarion MXD3 AM-FM-CD stereo, but may also want aftermarket speakers mounted on the tower.
After all, class, your first boat may never be perfect in any absolute sense. But the perfect boat right now is always the one you can afford that best meets your needs. It may be the Fluid 1700.
2005 Fluid Fluid 1700 OB Test Specifications
-
Test boat engine: Suzuki 140, 2,044-cc (124.7 cid), 140 hp, inline four-cylinder, four-stroke gasoline outboard engine with multipoint sequential electronic fuel injection.
---
