I know they are faster with less power, and lighter and look fabulous! But, rough water doesn't care about any of that. It will tear a lesser powerboat to pieces. The water in this video is not even rough, and look what it does!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mNrYqs-OAKE

I dont think a well built boat should brake apart no mater who built it. All manufactures have had there problems.I just dont know if newer designs can beat a real deep v bottom in big water? This is not personal like or dislike on a induvidual boat company.

Water doesn't care about what anyone thinks is well built nor does it have a manufacturers preference. It does what it does. Pretty simple.

You keep it trimmed to the max, and at some point, the transom will hit and stuff the bow. But that's racing. I'll bet there are pics of Apaches stuffing as well.

Huge length helps of course. But best rough water boat means more than that. Most every boat will stuff if driven well past the envelope.

I stuffed a 4 engine 46 skater once at 108 mph. Hydro locked 3 motors and tore the engine scoops off but other then that it was just fine!! Cool vid if I could find it. The big Vs back in the day were the baddest race boats around until the big cats came out and then the big Vs couldnt hang in any water flat or rough. Thats why SBI came out with Super boat V and Super boat cat. If nobody breaks the cat wins. Been there done that. I respect every boat and every boat owner and everybody has a different reason he or she owns a particular boat. I have 3 Vs myself. But if the question was what boat would get from point A to point B in any water condition the fastest the winner would be the big cat verses the big V. Maybe we could put a friendly run together to test a few big boats against each other and see for real. I raced super boat in a 46 skater for a few years and never really chased a V around the race course in any water. I think any super boat V or Super boat cat racer would tell you the same thing. I'm talking 1994 and on. I'm not saying one boats better then the other. I'm just stating what I have seen with my own eyes on the race course.

had several big v's and several cats and I can say that a big cat will walk away and leave any v in big water. I smoked a 41 apache in 5-6's in a 40' skater with less power

One very important thing to consider when you talk about what boat type/boat is best in rough water, is who is running the boat and in what conditions. A professional racing team in a specially prepared race boat all out, or a poker run boat. I have seen identically set up boats with different teams be great or just suck. There is always a human factor as to who knows the limits and can push to those limits and who knows the proper setups. Just food for thought, but a good throttleman can make ice cream out of pooh !!!!!!!!! In my forty years of racing around the world in almost very type of boat made, my absolute best ride was APACHE HERITAGE the first canopied sit down super boat ever built. Besides being a great boat we had a great team behind us to make it all work. We won Key West worlds in 1992 and then again in 1993 not only in class but overall beating the four engine cats etc. , With that team we were asked to run the 43 Scarab superboat Dietrite cola/Gentry and we won all races we went to in 1993 and won the APBA world championship in Ft. Meyers two weeks after winning K.W. It is about team work and making boats work.

I was hoping you would chime in Mr. Powers!! Notice I said 1994 and on!! Thanks again for the signed photo of the Key West World Champion APACHE HERITAGE!! And congrats your great race career!!! Hope to see you again at the Bimini run and or somewhere in 2011.

^^^ Great hearing from 2 professionals on the subject!!! ^^^