btrain

Hi All,

I am in the process of deciding which tunnel hull to get and which power option. I thought I would ask my question here based on the depth of knowledge of the Offshore Only members.

The last boat we had was a 19' tunnel with an outboard (Merc. 2.4). The best we saw out of it was 92mph. I loved the boat, but it's time to go bigger...

I am deciding which 24-27 tunnel/cat will give me the best mix of what I am looking for. I would prefer to get an inboard, but I have not ruled out an outboard. Speed is very important, but handling rough water is important too. The boat will never see the ocean, but will see choppy lake water (Lake Washington, Seattle). To be honest, I would love to see 100mph out of this boat (but may not happen). The boats I have been considering...Eliminator Daytona (inboard), Nordic Thor (inboard), Skater (outboard), HTM (inboard), etc. Engines I am thinking about are Merc. 700SCi, 600SCi, 525EFI, 496HO, etc.

As much information is greatly appreciated!

dirtlawyer

I've run a 27 and a 28 Eliminator Daytona and both are great boats that can handle some pretty decent water. I believe that the 27 is only available as a single engine boat - personally I prefer to have two motors. The 28 with 496's and boxes will run 100+. A friend's shop has rigged a few 35 Daytona's with 300X outboards - from what I understand, the boats screamed.

I've also run a 24 and a 28 Skater. Totally different boat from the Eliminator. Both Skaters were outboards. Handled great, both saw 100+.

I would definitely consider outboards if you are in the cat market. Also, check insurance before you buy - eventhough you have prior tunnel hull experience, it will be expensive.

Good luck.

rlj676

You will find alot more advice on the west coast cats, eliminator, htm, nordic on hotboat.com.

If it's not okay to "plug" other sites here I will edit this post.

btrain

Thanks for the input so far.

dirtlawyer (or any others) - have you been in or have you any experience with the latest version of Eliminator's 25 Daytona? The reason I ask is because I like the idea of a single engine ($$$) and a lighter hull. How is the 25 in rough lake chop? What type of speeds with a 496ho or 525efi?

I guess, if I go with an inboard I would like a single engine (I know I probably won't see 100mph), but the cost is a bit too much for twins at this time.

Keep the comments coming please.

dirtlawyer

just looked at my post again - small error - my friend's shop has rigged a few 25's with 300x's not 35's.

No experience with the 25, but have heard good things about it. Call Mike Flanigan at Lightning Bay Performance Marine in St. Petersburg, Florida. He's an Eliminator dealer and has a lot of seat time in their boats. He could answer a lot of your questions.

Havasu Cig

I have owned four cats. One was an Eliminator rigged by DCB, one was a 26 DCB O/B (2.5's), one was a 26 DCB I/O (800 hp blower motor), and the one I currently own (and am trying to sell) is a 28 Skater with 300X's.

Hands down the best boat of the four is the Skater. It will handle much bigger water than the west coast built cats. It planes very easy even at nuetral trim. You can almost set it and forget it. It will smoke the west coast cats with the same power (or more power). The boat is an honest 120 mph boat. My 26 with O/B's would barely make it over 100, and would beat you up in anything over 2' chop.

Here is a little spam, but there is a video there of the Skater running as well.

http://www.offshoreonly.com/esvon/page-11004.html

Airpacker

I have a 25 daytona and think it is a great LAKE boat. 3 foot sloppy water is a breeze. 4 foot and over, if theres any real roller to it can get scary. I boat large inland lakes all the time and its perfect for those. I have a warmed up 500efi with a Black Hawk drive and see just around the 90mph mark. With a 525, shorty drive and a 28 bravo, a 25 should see around 85 to 87/

btrain

Wow. I went for a ride in my buddies 28' Skater (twin 2.5 offshores) and I must say that I was very impressed. We were doing over 100mph in very rough lake water and the Skater handled it better than I could have imagined. The hull never slapped or beat us up at all. This is definately a set up to consider...

How is a boat like an Eliminator 25, 26, or 27 going to compare with a single inboard in it to the Skater with twin outboards? I know the Skater will be faster, but is handling quite different? I wish I had access to an Eliminator or similar to ride in.

Brad Zastrow

I have been in and owned a dozen cats. The Eliminator with an I/O is nice boat and can run 100mph with about 800hp. The Skater will not have the interior like an Eliminator. The Eliminator with the center sponson will ride nicer at slower speeds and will be fine in moderate chop even at higher speeds. Rough water the Skater will win every time. At slower speeds (40mph) the Skater will ride a little rough and dart around. I would take the HTM off your list. They have a terrible ride in rough water. The sponsons are very shallow.
I personally like the Skater 24 and 28 with twin 300x. The interiors are old school design on most I have looked at. Most are older as they really do not make them anymore unless you really must have one and pay stupid money so they can build one. The new 26 Eliminator is one the best looking boats on the market. Tough call....

cobra marty

Buy a used Skater 28' today and keep it up and in 1 or 5 years it will be worth the same as you paid for it. Free Boating!