Swim Spa: Coast or Arctic?

[jason26]

My wife and I just started to shop for a swim spa (after years of talking about getting some sort of pool), and our choices have come down to an Arctic Spa Wolverine, or a Coast Wellness Spa II..  What we quite can't get a handle on is the big difference between these 2.  The Arctic is 14', and the Coast is 13'.  Not enough difference to worry about I don't think for swimming and lounging.  After adding saltwater and the extra insulation (only on the Coast, not needed on the Arctic they say - it hits -40C here at times) we are looking at a $10,000 difference.  Ultimately we want to best pool, not the best deal.

Anyone able to provide any insight on what the big differences might be?  Both dealers have been around forever (30+ years), and both seem fine with respect to BBB lookups.

Our gut tells as the Arctic is better, but I don't think its based in fact.  Might just be due to the sales person, or other intangibles about the dealer ship.  Or that the Arctic uses a single salt water system, but the Coast salt water upgrade requires 2 salt water systems.  Not really sure if any of this matters.

Anyways, thanks!  If it were a $2000 difference I wouldn't be concerned.  But $10k is a good chunk of change.

[Sam]

What are the 2 prices?  I assume the Arctic is the more expensive, but you didn't say.  Arctic makes a good spa, though I have often felt they are a little overpriced.  Not a big fan of Coast, though I haven't had much experience with them in the last 10 years.  A lot can change in a decade.

Additionally, are you sure that you want to go with a salt system?  Salt is corrosive and you will ultimately end up having significantly more failures and repairs.  We just got a trade-in tub with a salt system that is only 3 years old.  Every piece of plastic is discolored and or corroded.  The heater element needed to be replaced as well.  If so, you may want to consider adding cyanuric acid or borates.  Chemgeek could explain why much better than myself. 

[jason26]

The Coast Wellness IIL will be about $20,000 after crane delivery, taxes and extras (steps, water truck to speed things up).  The Arctic Wolverine will be $31500 after taxes, delivery, etc.  Neither have stuff like the stereo.  But both are 2013 left-over stock and apparently already have the salt system and extra lighting in.  We'd never pay for extra lighting, but we thought we wanted salt water, but perhaps I should do some more research there.

Prices are Canadian, and until a few moments ago I thought these may have been our only options.  But I've just been made aware of a Hydropool dealer so I'll be heading out there today or tomorrow.

Maybe the Arctic is a Mercedes and the Coast is a Honda..  Or the Arctic is merely a Honda and the Coast is a Hyundai Pony..  I really don't know, but on the surface they look comparable.  The Coast dealer also spoke highly of Arctic, but said Coast couldn't be beat for price.

[Grandee622]

Wow! That a lot of money for a 14" swim spa. Have you checked out Vortex swim spa's out of Canada? Big difference in price.

[jason26]

Wow! That a lot of money for a 14" swim spa. Have you checked out Vortex swim spa's out of Canada? Big difference in price.

Those look nice pricewise.  But unfortunately no dealer near me.

[Tman122]

Wow! That a lot of money for a 14" swim spa. Have you checked out Vortex swim spa's out of Canada? Big difference in price.

Big difference in a lot of other things also.

I've also considered Arctic overpriced. Maybe there's room to move in the Arctic?

[Water Boy]

The Coast Wellness IIL will be about $20,000 after crane delivery, taxes and extras (steps, water truck to speed things up).  The Arctic Wolverine will be $31500 after taxes, delivery, etc.  Neither have stuff like the stereo.  But both are 2013 left-over stock and apparently already have the salt system and extra lighting in.  We'd never pay for extra lighting, but we thought we wanted salt water, but perhaps I should do some more research there.

Prices are Canadian, and until a few moments ago I thought these may have been our only options.  But I've just been made aware of a Hydropool dealer so I'll be heading out there today or tomorrow.

Maybe the Arctic is a Mercedes and the Coast is a Honda..  Or the Arctic is merely a Honda and the Coast is a Hyundai Pony..  I really don't know, but on the surface they look comparable.  The Coast dealer also spoke highly of Arctic, but said Coast couldn't be beat for price.

I cant speak on Coast as I am not familiar with them at all as there is no dealer in our area that carries them. But, I sell Arctic Spas, and the Wolverine model is a great model, and is their nicest swim spa that they offer. That is a killer deal, I can tell you that. We would sell that for far more than that with all those options, and not include the crane fees. You might go back to the dealer and tell them exactly what you posted here and that you are looking at the Coast spas, and just ask them for their very best price to make sure you are getting as good of deal as you can. That is a great price, so they might not be able to discount any more, but it is worth a shot.

[jason26]

The Coast Wellness IIL will be about $20,000 after crane delivery, taxes and extras (steps, water truck to speed things up).  The Arctic Wolverine will be $31500 after taxes, delivery, etc.  Neither have stuff like the stereo.  But both are 2013 left-over stock and apparently already have the salt system and extra lighting in.  We'd never pay for extra lighting, but we thought we wanted salt water, but perhaps I should do some more research there.

Prices are Canadian, and until a few moments ago I thought these may have been our only options.  But I've just been made aware of a Hydropool dealer so I'll be heading out there today or tomorrow.

Maybe the Arctic is a Mercedes and the Coast is a Honda..  Or the Arctic is merely a Honda and the Coast is a Hyundai Pony..  I really don't know, but on the surface they look comparable.  The Coast dealer also spoke highly of Arctic, but said Coast couldn't be beat for price.

I cant speak on Coast as I am not familiar with them at all as there is no dealer in our area that carries them. But, I sell Arctic Spas, and the Wolverine model is a great model, and is their nicest swim spa that they offer. That is a killer deal, I can tell you that. We would sell that for far more than that with all those options, and not include the crane fees. You might go back to the dealer and tell them exactly what you posted here and that you are looking at the Coast spas, and just ask them for their very best price to make sure you are getting as good of deal as you can. That is a great price, so they might not be able to discount any more, but it is worth a shot.

So you are saying $31500 sounds like a good deal for the Wolverine?  Its actually $25k for the leftover 2013.  But after stairs, delivery, tax, etc. it hits $31500.  Its great to hear this may be a good price, but it also puts the Coast in the almost to good to be true category!

[Water Boy]

Yes, I knew that was the total for everything, but that is still a very very good deal. Far less that what we would sell it for. I would hop all over that deal if I was you!

Which package on the Coast spa are you looking at? It appears you can get it in three different jetting packages. That could make a big difference on the price I'm sure. I also think that after looking at the Coast Wellness two on their website, that the hot tubs seats on the Arctic are going to be much more therapeutic than the coast. There isn't very many jets in the seats on the Coast Spas, whereas the seats on the Wolverine are loaded up with jets. You also get the forever floor base with the Arctic, which would be a huge selling feature for me. What floor does the coast spas have?

If it were me, and space wasn't a issue, I would want the extra foot of length for swimming purposes. I have heard of some people complaining about swim spas being too short to swim in sometimes, so that extra foot can't hurt any.

[jason26]

The Coast is the "Wellness II Lounge" with performance plus package (the 3 river jets).  Note that we didn't actually get to see the Coast in person.  We'd have to order it (no obligation I think) as due to our small market they don't like to have many in stock - goes for the Arctic place too if I recall.  But the floor I think is just "poly" with plastic around the edge?  Claims to keep out rodents and the like. But I think I'm going to have to go back to the Coast dealer to see if any of the smaller spas have the same floor so I can check it out in more detail.

What is the big benefit of the forever floor.  The saleswoman said it was awesome, but perhaps not knowing the questions to ask when we were at the Arctic dealer, I'm not quite sure whats awesome about - but it looks like it seals the underneath from anything entering?

Also, while our spot is more or less flat and level, its paving stones that are not exactly even.  This forever bottom looks like it might be a little more forgiving to the roughness between stones.

Your input is much appreciated.  For something similar in price to a reasonable vehicle, its much hard to find information on!

[Water Boy]

Ya, sorry, I didn't want to get a "sales guy" on ya, as the guys own here frown over that. I like it because it completely seals the underneath side of the swim spa. No moisture, no rodents. It want rot out at all on the base. Here is what the Arctic Spas website says on the floor:
"Already renowned for our sturdy wood floor, standard on every Arctic Spa hot tub, our engineers decided to raise the bar yet again by developing the Forever Floor ®. This pressure-stamped fiberglass composite floor is impervious to moisture, pests, and time. It completely eliminates the need for foundation materials like concrete, decking, or blocks! Just set it on level ground, hook it up, fill and use…installation has never been easier."