Absolutely,...about 250-300lbs. per side...i would guess that makes a huge difference. When I reduced the weight by 80-100lbs. per side I noticed the waterline was an inch higher on the swim platform. Any 28' boat is not enough hull to support bb's; even a larger hull like AT. Say what you want about Pantera, fountain, Velocity, 2 bb's in anything under 32' is probably rear heavy. Small blocks in a big 28 just about the limit, imo.

I had a 28 AT and its a very nice boat with high free board. The pantera is a more sold feel & ride. The AT feels lighter and not as sold. Both great boats.

28 Pantera with 6.2's. Spillman - you got any pics of your 350's

i bet a set of ilmors would work well too...

a pair of 383s w/ bravos from bamm is like 11-12/side.
thats less $ than a 525efi w/ xr.
all the extra rigging for the 2nd engine/drive will not get you up to the difference in $ either.
and after a yr or two, those 383s would blow you for a blower.

hmmm...i wonder how much a pair of kicked up 383's from bamm would cost, just engines no drives, and what his warranties are.

Actually it's 150lbs per side difference. Yes the balance will be affected slightly but certain hulls will only require simple adjustments. I have talked to a few twin BBC Pantera owners and they said using a little more tab was all it took to fly level.

bern, what's kicked up mean?
see these threads...
http://www.offshoreonlyclassifieds.c...o11937-en.html
http://www.mercruiserparts.com/383_Magnum.htm

set of these would work...
http://raylarengine.com/550_engine.html

see this thread too...
http://www.offshoreonly.com/forums/s...d.php?t=147629

I think that's light, 150lbs. dif, per side, & yes the tabs will help but slow you down also.

All 3 of the boats in this comparison are VERY capable 28 footers, and each has different manners. I think there are 2 other 28's that deserve more than just honorable mention here; the 28 Apache and the 28 Saber.
The AT was our second twin SBC-powered boat, the first being an '86 242LS Formula that I built custom 355's for. I think I'll just go ahead and say it- I'm one (and maybe one of just a few) that love twin-engine boats but do not have the income (or stomach) for the enormous fuel bills that go along with HP boating with twin BBC power, stock or built. I could run both of my twin SBC boats two, sometimes three weekends without putting fuel in them, and we didn't just sit still. A lot of weekends included trips to run Lake Michigan or long runs up the Mississippi River. We freed up a lot of money for other things by NOT having incredible weekend boating fuel bills!
A person just has to accept the fact when buying or building a boat such as this with that power package that there is no way you're going to be the fastest out there. We still turned a lot of heads with both boats, and could keep up with a few that had BBC power. We just didn't need the fuel they did to have the same fun. We were consistently over 2mpg at power with both boats.
That new 383 looks enticing- I loved the specs of the Scorp, and with all of the aftermarket stuff that's available for SBC's, it would be quite easy to build a custom engine as good or better. Pfaff and Lingenfelter have this engine down to a tee as well. I may be an idiot, but I wouldn't mind owning one of Pat's 33's (or another 28) with such a power package. It would be fast enough for me, lots of flash factor, and I'd pass a lot of pumps when everyone else was *****in' about needing fuel again. Resale may suck because of the package, but if I EVER go down the path again, I won't be selling. I'm getting too damn old.............
Jim