Wow.... I gotta go back a few years. I was about 14 the first time I rode in a bass boat, I was sitting in front of the split windshield of a Charger 260V with a 150 merc. We we're fully loaded running up the mississippi to find a sand bar to call home base for the day. Not two miles up the river a lawn chair laying on the front deck lifted up about 10 inches , hovered there for a second or two, flew into my forhead, and disappeared into the deep. later that day no one told me to let go of the rope when falling off water skis and I lost my drawers. I've been hooked on boating ever since. I guess a bad day on the water is better than any day on land! In the early 90's when I was 20 I bought that same 1979 charger 260v. The speedo read 60-65 (probably not) I could pass traffic with ease running up the Mississippi along the highway between Lansing IA and Lacrosse WI. My friends dad whom I bought the Charger from bought an xb2003. From the first glimps of his Ally the Charger had to go. I had to get an Allison! After fishing from the Allison for a couple of days he asked me if I would be interested in taking the wheel for a spin around the lake. I'm surprised I didn't pass out and fall into the lake, I got into the drivers seat and got a 15 minutes of instructions before he said "Fire it up" The 200 Johnson came to life and I was intent on his every instruction to adjust the jack plate and trim, eased into the hot foot and we we're off, skipping across wakes like they were not even there, a little more throttle and 80 mph, a little more instruction on correcting the walk, a couple of wide sweeping turns, and it was over the old boy just couldn't bear to sit in the passengers seat! He took the controls and I had a buzz like no other. We speed back to the bay on the lake where his house is and drove around in circles looking for the highest wake we could generate then pedal down to cross that wake as fast as he dared. I could not believe that a boat could go across these waves so smooth with very little or no bow lift. It felt as if we hovered over them without touching the water and no landing slap on the other side! I was hooked for life! no other boat would do after that. I was 20 and broke so the Charger did last a couple more years, but I was never impressed with it's performance again. We'll a few different jobs and a family kept me from realizing my Ally dreams for the last 19 years, until today! The Sold sign went on a 1998 xb2003 with a 225. Holy @#$% I'm an Allison owner! P.S. that first Ally I drove now has a 300 hung on the back and if you ever see a teal and white xb2003 in a bay on a little lake near Crosby MN, give him a run for his money and tell him you heard about a punk kid whose life was changed forever by a once in lifetime experience in his boat!