Dynasty Swim Spa opinions wanted

[frustrated]

I am looking to purchase a 16-20' swim spa.  I am in Canada, and I have fairly limited options available to me locally.  I don't have a great deal of confidence in ANY of the area spa dealers, they all seem to bash each others' product quite hard.  Many of the dealers have either shut down, or reorganized through bankruptcy.  None of the dealers stock any units or demos, you have to special order. 

Dynasty (also sold as Trevi) sells a 16'/17' single cavity model (last year/this year) that we are interested in. These use the Gecko spa pack, if that helps.  Their product is sold through a couple of "reps" here who service spas and can order these, but have no store front.  The main Dynasty dealer went bankrupt a year or two ago.  Trevi also sells the Dynasty product under their own brand, and they do have a physical location... but they are more expensive.

Note that I am in a very cold climate (winter temps reach -35C).  I've thought about covering the unit with a portable "tent" garage, or we would winterize and shut down December-March.

Anyone have any experience with owning/repairing Dynasty product? 

Thanks in advance.

[Tman122]

Never seen one of their swim spas. Swim Spas aren't to popular here in Northern Minnesota unless they are indoors. They can be expensive to run outdoors. Do they use a fiberglass frame and ABS bottom on their swim spas also?

[frustrated]

It appears that they use a wood frame, and a plywood bottom.

Again, I seem to get contradictory information from dealers - the ones selling steel frame say wooden frames rot; the guys selling wooden frames say the steel frames rust and are a cheap way of constructing.

How are their regular spas? 

[Jacuzzi Jim]

  Wood or steel.  Sure steel will last longer than wood but it's also heavier but on cement pad who cares.   Wood which is what most mfgs use will last a really long time, possibly longer than you depending on your age.. I wouldn't put tons of emphasis on how the spa frame is built.  I do like an abs base though, flat plywood on the ground not so much.  If you can run say synthetic strips/2x4 underneath would give it air flow underneath and not set flat against the ground if that makes sense?   I know Marquis came out with a swim spa recently, you have a Marquis dealer there?

[frustrated]

Just looked them up.  Yes, there is a dealer for Marquis.  But they only make one smaller (14') model at this time.  Are they a good brand?

I thought that the spas required a flat surface... I didn't realize you could effectively put them on "slats".  Is this always ok, or does this vary based on the construction?  what gaps would be acceptable?  If this is acceptable, I would much rather lay out a pattern of 2'x2' patio stones with 2" gaps and place the spa on this to allow airflow and ensure drainage.

Our pad that has been prepared is 8" of gravel, crushed stone, and stone dust (which is what Vortex required for their 19.5' model, which has a fully self-supporting steel frame and ABS base).  Although it is pretty concrete-like now, it is not cement.  Would this be sufficient for all of the other manufacturers?

thanks

[Tman122]

  Wood or steel.  Sure steel will last longer than wood but it's also heavier but on cement pad who cares.   Wood which is what most mfgs use will last a really long time, possibly longer than you depending on your age.. I wouldn't put tons of emphasis on how the spa frame is built.  I do like an abs base though, flat plywood on the ground not so much.  If you can run say synthetic strips/2x4 underneath would give it air flow underneath and not set flat against the ground if that makes sense?   I know Marquis came out with a swim spa recently, you have a Marquis dealer there?

Jim, why would you say .02"s of steel will last longer than 1.5"s of wood? I have replaced my metal grill 2-3 times and my wooden deck is still standing. The metal material used in hot tub frames put side by side with the wood material used in hot tub frames are likely pretty close to the same in longevity. Rust can be faster than rot. Plywood on the bottom is a bad choice.

[wmccall]

My Dynasty tub was just ok. I did keep it 9 years until the jets started falling apart. I did find their Customer Service terrible after my dealer closed its doors.

[TwinCitiesHotSpring]

have you looked at Hydropool? they will run a little more $ but the features in the Aquatrainer line are hard to top

[frustrated]

Hi TwinCities, I have looked at Hydropool.  They are quite a bit more expensive (about 50% more), and more than we'd like to spend.  I thought they seemed like a premium product, but others have called it "entry-level"... but they sure are priced like a premium!

[Water Boy]

Might check out Arctic Spas line of swim spas and all weather pools. They're aren't as big as you want, so it might not work. They are all about 14.25 feet long or so. But, they make a very nice line of lots of different options to choose from. All have the fiberglass base or floor called forever floor. There are lots of them all over Canada. It would be worth checking. Price will be more than Dynasty though. If you do look at Arctic, and have any questions, let me know.

[Waterlogger]

Ive been looking at Catalina Swim spas, they have so many tho, that its a little over whelming.

[Tman122]

Maybe a short swim spa and a small hot tub next to it? Deck with steps between.

[Hot Spring Ace]

Maybe a short swim spa and a small hot tub next to it? Deck with steps between.

That actually makes more sense to me than the huge models that try to be both things all in one.

[Levelheadsteve]

Maybe a short swim spa and a small hot tub next to it? Deck with steps between.

That actually makes more sense to me than the huge models that try to be both things all in one.

And easier to move and install.

[frustrated]

I'm not looking for the larger size because I want a separate spa area; I just want a larger unobstructed swimming space.

Thanks for the suggestion on Arctic, they were one of the first ones we looked at... but decided that they were smaller than we wanted.

Anyway, as my username suggests, this whole process has been frustrating enough that I think we may just kill this whole idea.