I'll start looking for some more and post them. I really like big water!! Makes it interesting!!

pantera

Kemosabe! That's the rough water powerboat benchmark!

Thank You.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4Udzpd2S68

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=03yqrYCDF4Q

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PfUpi7ld8DE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpQJe5PT1bA


Thanks FreezeFrame!

Yes, but that's "only" the drives.
tony davis in uk says "massive structural failure" .
Any more info would be good! :)

There is no doubt that most of the guys racing in apaches were some of the best ever.But really look at there speeds 80-90.Today most fountains or outerlimits would be way out in front.Must admit they all sound real good.

Reports from the UK support the statement Tony Davis made. Very dissapointing indeed. A promising, fine looking offshore powerboat.

I like your thinking.....

The reborn 38 Cougar by Dr Bob...Hands down.

Comanche3Six,

"massive structural failure" sounds like the boat is a wreck nowdays. Did the bulkheads and stringers came of the hull or what?

Thanks for info :)

Maybe Tony Davis will chime in ?

//Mange

Is Pantera going downhill??:angry-smiley-038:

I know alot of people that werent happy at all with their Pantera's.

Must not have been any OL's in the race!!!!!!! :D:drink:

What happened to the drives? That looks like they hit something solid to me! If so, I can see how they could also have massive structual failure as well!

The OL did not finish, but was the fastest boat entered. You have to finish to win.

here is the link:
http://www.nationalpowerboat.com/dammr10_stats.htm

I would not hesitate to buy a new 28' twin step Pantera, with twin LS small blocks if I had the coin. Pantera has built a good product over 30 years, 30+ year in business, enough said.

Can't believe it took so long for somebody to mention the Cougar V.

Well lets hear about it.

+1...... I know many people that have owned and that own Panteras and not 1 is not a satisfied customer. They built a hell of a product. I don't know of any
performance boat company that has been around for 35 yrs ( besides CIg).Any boat that is running 80 + mph and damages the drives like these were damage will have structure damage. I
was at the factory day in and day out
while that built was going on and no
corners were cut and only the best of
the best was used on that boat. I
personally would put that boat against
any OL ( since that's the one that is
mostly been talked about)in the rough water REAL rough water. No doubt that the OL is a good built boat or a fast boat. But in rough water that 41 is hands down

The new Pantera 41' built for Ocean Dragon racing team did NOT have "catastrophic" damage done to it. It did not break apart and sink.

As a matter of fact we are very proud of the entire team on what they accomplished at the Cowes race weekend back in early September. They took a very impressive 2nd place "overall" on Friday's Cowes 100 race only to Fabio Buzzi in his 4 engine 46' foot diesel powered race boat with twice the horsepower and a much heavier boat.

On Sunday the team went out in brutal sea conditions in the Cowes-Torquay-Cowes race and were in the front again to the half way point battling with Buzzi when drive damage occured to the # 6 drives and 5 blade props and the team had to call it quits. Remember this Pantera 41' is only powered by twin 525 EFI Mercs. In a field of over 30 boats including many legendary rough water boats with much more horsepower the Pantera was way out front giving a strong challenge to Buzzi.

By the way this was not the first event for this boat. We actually went to the sardinia, Italy G.P.S. event.

We have offered the team to repair secondary lamination as needed here at our factory but with the long distance between England and the U.S. it is a challenge.Either way it could be repaired here in the U.S. or in England.

The good thing about fiberglass it is all repairable.These things happen when you are taking the equipment to the extreme and really going for it like this team did !!!!

Most of the top custom powerboat manufactures have experienced some type of lamination failure in racing.That is just part of it.

Hopefully they will be out racing again this 2011 season.

Jo - Pantera Boats

I'm am not going to air other peoples issues. If you think that 41 pantera is stronger than an oven cured epoxy and carbon fiber built boat then I'd suggest you do some research on material strength. And an Outerlimits is a WELL built boat! Dont get me wrong the Pantera came out amazing and its great to hear that they were just rumors concerning the structural issues with the boat.

In any part of my post did I say that are not well built boats. I even said that OL is a good boat and a fast one: I'm not knocking them at ALL

The Outerlimits is a very well built but this Pantera 41' was built with E-Glass. It was also " not " in the same price league as an OL. If a customer request a lamination schedule and is willing to pay for Epoxy, S-glass, Kevlar, Carbon fiber, etc. etc. we can certainly do it.

You must remember everything in life has to be cost effective.

Regards,

Jo - Pantera Boats

Hopefully they can get the GPS racing series together over in Europe to make it how P1 used to be with alot of race sites. That way we can see it out on the course racing Supersport!!

Grammer correction.......you said good.:D

You are very right JO, very exspensive to do. Great to hear you are able to do various layups unlike other manufactures.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oV6NMvLCcPI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSMf9HPxIQk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Dk5ihhAw64
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ouicdAGBuE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-dpfXvY3wk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCyNwGserk8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5lMCt3UTgCk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OOf0kx5hSiU

Do you just sit on youtube all day looking at Apache vids!!:D:D

Its just amazing. The OL is the strongest boat, the fastest boat and now candidate for the best rough water boat? The OL maybe alot of things, but the best of everything it is not.

I think so yes lol

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcBMCJle4e4


In a blizzard....yes! LOL!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awdSnaoWIog

No one has ever said its the best of everything Paul!!

Ok, just checking. :D

But neither is a boat with a 1 on the side!!:D:D So when you trading that Glad in??:D

When you finish the new 36 so I can check it out. Any updates?

I haven't looked through all 49 pages of this thread, but "Tweet Revenge" many years ago went to Ocean City Maryland for a race on a rough day and smoked the fleet. Hard to compare a straight V of 20 years ago to today's technology, but that was impressive. The link is not the race but shows the boat.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mo5qA1icXgQ

But I really think that the 46' Skater would be probably the best rough boat, my $.02 observation for the day. As Byrdman once said to me in a thread, "the 46' Skater is the most vicious boat off alltime."

Hey Smarty your pretty smart :D

Here are Byrman's exact words, "Originally Posted by Byrdman
There is NO competition for a 46.....not even a junk mti.....46 skaters are the most vicious offshore machines of all times........Here is a picture of Baby Goddess that went to south america to run up the amazon....I should have bought this boat....what a sweetie.... "

Low and behold he ended up buying Goddess and has another 46' Skater as a pleasure boat. Prophetic words, from way back when. But I will always have a special place in my heart for some of the Apaches such as "Warpath", Apache Heritage", and "Tweet Revenge."

Thank you, compliment accepted.

Stephen "Smarty" Jones