any info on Riptide spas

[water@104]

I was wondering if anyone had anything good or bad to say about Riptide spas? I was looking on the web and found them on http://www.Overstockspas.comshould i run away or are they ok?

thanks

[hottubber]

This sounds like a Baywatch episode.

In all the years I've been in the industry, I honestly have never heard of Riptide Spas. I don't know if that is good or bad, I do know that if your response to your question does not get alot of positive response, look at something else.

Good Luck...

[wmccall]

Well, here is a question. If you were going to buy a spa over the internet and not have local dealer support would you buy from overstock.com or go to the all knowing, ever wise.........

You know where I am going with this.  Off to look at overstockspas.com

[poolboy34]

Just an observation:  They "LOOK" very nice on the outside.  BUT the website is severly lacking on what's on the inside of the tub: i.e what brand of pumps, ozonator, circ pump, controls....etc are being used.  Also what type of insulation do they have???  I also see that they are selling dreamaker spas, which brings up some past concerns about that company as well.........

[wmccall]

Also what type of insulation do they have???  .........

I think I noted "Reflective heat barrier"  which I take to mean thermopane.   I've seen lots of spa companies with shells wiht the exact same layout.

[water@104]

this is the tub i was looking at. this link will bring you to it for a look. it gives you all of the info. except for brand names ont eh pumps.

http://www.riptideleisure.com/catalog/product_info.php/products_id/28

[Chris_H]

this is the tub i was looking at. this link will bring you to it for a look. it gives you all of the info. except for brand names ont eh pumps.

http://www.riptideleisure.com/catalog/product_info.php/products_id/28

Wow!!! It has 84 jets and a regular price of $10,427 and a super duper sale price of $7,299.  That is less than $87 dollars per jet.  What a steal!!!

[wmccall]

Interesting layout.  I'd love to try it.   The website's "about us" page doesn't reveal much.

[water@104]

i have  done a little more diggin and it seems to me that this tub is the clearwater 9100. i was sent a slide show from overstock.com and i saw that they refer to themselves as clearwater spas in a few of their slide.  

so how are clearwater spas is the next question?

[TubbinSoon, now we be tubbin]

Can you say. OVERSTOCKED SPAS? This is not a "Riptide" brand but a model they sell along with other sites.

[obi wan]

i did quite a bit of research back in dec when i found the website for overstock.com. boils down to they are only 2years in biz (not nessessarily bad, just recent), selling clearwater spas that are private labeled for them. i was looking at the typhoon. 4 three horse pumps, lots of jets etc. "top of the line" for $6850 with cover, lifter etc and CURBSIDE delivery. estimate $200-400 more for set up in your yard. final "nail in the proverbial coffin" for me was an ebay site with lots of pics of "pinnacle spas" that proudly boast that clearwater makes thier spas. go to ebay and look at the pics. especially the ones with the access panels removed...... very ... entertaining??
research on clearwater was a little "cloudy" and all i could verify was that had manufactured thier first spa in 1976 and were still making them today. they have 39 full time employees and were more than a little vague on thier response as to my question, have you been making spas steadily since 1976, and how many??

what did i do? after much reading here and wet testing, I spent $900 more and bought a caldera niagra, with all the toys, from a local dealer who has been here for 26 years, selling watkins products for the last 19 years, and will fix anything that goes wrong for me.....
to each his own though.......
for thier credit, i did track down 2 people who had bought from overstockspa.com, 1 only had it for 4 months (New Hampshire), and the other for 9 months(utah). both had delivery delays of 3-4 weeks past the promised date BUT were pleased with the spas, once the finally arrived. they were the only 2 i ever located...

[water@104]

thanks Kent, very helpfull info. i think you have turned me away from them.

[obi wan]

i'm not trying to turn you away, just make you aware of the differences. one of the people i tracked down in new hampshire, said he only paid 6100 for his (same 1 i was looking at) and they included the stereo upgraded lights ,cover, etc... was loaded. told me he called, got info and then waited. overstock called him several times over several weeks and kept sweetening the deal. it may well work out to be a good spa and a good value for him.
however, for me, between 4 kids, the dog, working wife, my job, etc... i opted to spend more to get well known reputation for long term durability, so i can spend more time enjoying my spa, and less down time, or having to repair something myself.
kinda like buying a bmw vs a hyundai. niether is a bad car, but a bmw will more than likely last longer and perform better than the hyundai over several years. therefore it costs more. for me, i spent more $ to buy peace of mind, but some people have no qualms about better price vs. higher risk of issues.

my biggest concern with clearwater was that after posting on 6 differnet boards like this, i was only able to find 2 clearwater owners period, and that took several weeks.
compare that to if i post right now " who owns a caldera, HS, jacuzzi, D-1, etc..and what do you think of it?.  i'll have a dozen responses with in 24 hrs with lots of feed back that covers more than 4-6 months of ownership experience.

[water@104]

i thought you were saying that i shouldn't becasue they were going to be a poor tub to buy. how long ago did you hear from the 2 people that have bought from overstockspa? i wonder if they have anything else to say about them if it has been a awhile since you heard from them.

[obi wan]

i simply mean that for the price you were quoted i think you could buy a better spa. i am not a dealer, just a average consumer like many others here. there is a local manufacturer here in va beach that is selling a 6-7 person tub(96"square with 490 gal) for $5300. after looking at it up close and then looking and wet testing caldera, hot spring, etc... i would say that it is a decent $5k tub. but it did not have all the features i was looking for, and just seemed cheaper. not poor quality, but just average (2-3 year warrantee vs. 5-7year), and did not have the reputation for high quality service and longevity that premium tubs have. thats why it costs so much less
these are simply my personal opinions. i think clearwater spas are a 6-7 on a scale of 1-10. i think you are being quoted a price for an 8 or 9 on that same scale.for a few more $'s you can get a 9-10 premium spa ( marquis, caldera, d-1, hot spring, etc....) but if you get overstockspa price down you may prefer that  route.
i personally opted not to gamble $7-8k of my hard earned money on an unproven product, when i could only find 2 references over the course of several weeks, and both of those are less than 1 year of ownership.
i believe i have the skills to trouble shoot and repair a tub, to some degree, as my profession is in home automation, electronics, and alarm systems.
i just dont have the time, and for anything more than $5k, i shouldn't have to.....
i have had an 12 year oasis spa that came with the house i bought 4and 1/2 years ago that didnt work when i got it. i replaced cracked fittings, pump impellor and seals, heater and the light circuit, got it working and used it for the last 4 years. i just pulled it up in nov as it had many issues that i felt made it unwise financially to continue trying to repair.
thats how i wound up here reading and learning lotsa stuff.....
any of you pros want to chime in? am i off base?
i have owned 3 different tubs in the last 14 years and am eagerly awaiting delivery of my new caldera. was supposed to be tomorrow, but as there is more &%$&@& SNOW forecasted for us tonight and tomorrow. i had to reschedule till next week ( it was 74 degrees 3 days ago!!! but this is va, if you dont like the weather, wait 30 minutes, it'll change)