What 24/25' boat would you pick?
 

What 24/25' boat would you pick, and why? And would you go with a single big block or say twin 225 ProMax outboards.

PS I have room to add one more, any suggestions

24' SUPERBOAT.... Single I/O or Twins..... but I am prejudiced....;)

I picked the Pantera ... love the look and reputation.

The others I would consider would be the Superboat, Baja and the AT(not necessarily in that order).

G

25 checkmate I have been truly impressed with this boat, and customer service from the factory is top notch.

I never owned one but I picked the Pantera, how could you not go with a custom builder when you have the chance. Also know someone that raced one a few times last year, he loves the boat even in the big water.
Although my first choice, not listed, would be a 24 Skater.

I picked the Pantera. Love the looks and never heard anything bad about them. I also considered the AT, but if I'm not mistaken, didn't they drop the 25?

What is your goal of this 24'-25' boat? Lake or ocean? If it is speed then it might not be any of them. Poll won't mean much without specific use in mind.

Otherwise, strictly a beauty contest and that is in the eye of the beholder.

my .02

Where do you boat? how will you use it ?

I would go with either the 25 checkmate or the AT That is the only two i have been in so i cant accuratly pass opinion on the others.

What about a 24 Skater?:confused:

I can't see where lake or ocean makes a difference, all these boats are within a foot of each other and have a 22 to 24 degree bottom. Some are 7 feet wide and the widest is 8' 6''. Some have pads. None of them are going to run like an Apache in rough water. Some will run better than others and some are faster, and some are bigger with more cockpit and cabin space. And I don't think you can compare the build quality of a custom builder to a production line boat

I'm sure a Pantera, PowerPlay ect. will hold up to far more abuse than a Baja or Checkmate, taking nothing away from Baja or Checkmate.I was just curious what peoples personall preferance and experiance has been with these boats.

I like all of them, and would be proud to own any one of them

That amazing, all I ever hear is how my 27 is actually a 25 foot boat and it didn't even make the poll:D :D :D I give up

WILL:D

O.K. How do I add Skater to my list, I was trying to compare like boats. A Skater wouldn't be a fare to the other boats. It looks like you can pick up a 100 MPH 24' Skater for $40,000 or less.

You forgot the 26' Sonic. I will admit the swim platform is measured in with that, but it does not look like it. The boat still looks bigger than a 26'... and it WILL handle rough water like a champ!

Fred the PowerPlay is a 22 degree hull it's also 8'6'' wide the widest of the bunch. I looked at one at the Ft.Lauderdale boat show about 5 years ago, very nice.

Hey Will I was going to put the Fountain on the list, but I didn't want to step on anyones toes or give the guys that seem to have a problem with Fountain's lenght any ammunition.

A 27' Fountain is a very nice boat, and I though it should be included in boats 26/27'

Sydwayz the Sonic is a great boat, but just like the 27' Fountain I consider it to be in the next size up, class.

That's why I left out a 26' Sutphen which is one of my favorite all time boats.

I vote Checkmate then. I spent some time in CheckmateF1's '89 251 Convincor. That is a tight boat. 500+ HP, and it flew!!

My second boat was a 24 Pantera and I thought it was the coolest thing around. The boat ran well and handled choppy water better than anything it's size. The A-T would be my second choice.

Having had a 99 25' checkmate it gets my vote. Good freeboard, decent cabin and a good ride for a boat of this size.

Baja 25 Outlaw.

I have had the pleasure to ride in and drive two different 25 Outlaws this season and they are awesome.

Personally I have owned three Baja's, a 212 Islander, 272 Boss and now a 36 Outlaw. The lines of the 25 are exactly like the 36 and they are sweet.

The boat is rock solid, great options and graphics available, easily runs 70 MPH with stock power and handles rough water well.

A big plus in my opinion is resale. Baja is known from coast to coast with a large dealer network. I sold the first two Baja's I had each within 30 days of advertising them.

Go up to the factory as I did and you will be impressed with the company.

There are many good options to choice from, but in my opinion Baja is hard to beat.

Mark

From my experience, I would say the 25 Checkmate will give you the most bang for the buck. It has decent freeboard, great cabin, it's built well and it's not going to break your checkbook. And it's a true 25' boat.

The 25 Checkmate is very popular in my area and I have ridden in both the 251 and 253 Convincors.

I have ridden in a 25 AT (they used to call it a 24) and I owned a 24 Baja outlaw. Again the 25 Checkmate seems like the most bang for the buck.

I have seen the sunsation (never rode in it), it looks very small compared to the Checkmate or Baja.

I do not have any other experience with the others. I would think the Pantera is narrower with not much cabin.


I like feeling the boat around me and a nice cabin.

Checkmate gets my vote

25 Outlaw for obvious reasons:D

25 OUTLAW

I voted for Superboat. As it seems this was a V-Bottom boat of its size. If Cats were included in the choices it would have been a 24' Skater. Hands down you got to go with a cat. Superboat 24' is a great boat all the way through. Old and Current it is my fav v bottom in that size range.

Baja gets my vote

25 Outlaw is a great boat.

25 AT

I own a 28 Pantera and it is a great boat. I really like the DEEP freeboard of the AT's though. Single 500efi will put it into the 73-75 mph range.

I voted Baja. I have several friends with them and they are very nice, well built boats. I would have liked to see Donzi on the poll. I have a 21' and would lie to move up to 24 - 26 range after next summer.

24 Superboat
 

Of coarse my opinion is biased. I like the Active Thunder and the Pantera too. The Superboat may not top the list in amenities but it will probably out run any of the others listed with equal power.

Dave M.

also not to slam the others but the Bat is totaly custom to to customers request including power,, where as most others only offer various color options, and a few power options.

I agree that the bat boat is one nice looking ride. (only seen pictures) I did see one in Jersey that was being rigged by the owner but the paint job was marginal at best. So that is the only batboat I have seen so that is what I am basing it on.

I owned a 25 AT before my current boat and the reason I bought it was the fact it was biult like a brick chit house, and after a few years( I bought a 98) and a few races it looked new. The boat with 500 hp motor, extention boxes ran 80 mph and in all kinds of water.

the 28 is the open version seats five, the 24 would yes be great for one and a friend. i was not implying that some of the builders their wont do custom work. obviously $$$ talks as does the quality, a few of the chioces just in my opinion dont do quality control as well as the others. just a example one of the above manufactures had one of thier boats displayed at miami show last year, engine compartment was dirty, screws were not in straight(head not flush with countersink) small items like this while maybe overlooked by the average consumer, should never have made it out the door. it begs to ask what others sub-standard workmanship was done??

Checkmate has my vote for best buy for all around use.I raced my 25 convinsor in key west and didnt brake it. Its a big 25 foot boat and handles nice.
Randy

The 25 Outlaw and the 25 AT are very similar in the big water. We have run several poker runs on lake Ontario and we seem to be neckand neck in 4-6 footers. I have too say the Baja is a better bang for the buck. By the way the Checkmates never seem to be able to handle the big water here and they go from the 60 mph groop to the 50mph group.

Pantera all the way.
I had a 24' and loved it, despite some problems dealing with Pepe and Jo. It was a fantastic ride and can handle conditions that some bigger boats can't. GREAT JUMPER!

Fred,

I have many pics of us skiing, air chairing and wake boarding behind the 24's... but I must say the 28 is a much better choice for pleasure.

As for comparing to these boats, you are correct that it is not fair. The boats are layed up by Skater now and all have custom paint. Carbon Fiber and Kevlar with epoxy does not compare to fiberglass, and military switches, carbon fiber panels, etc. A boat that will go 82 with 320 hp and weighs 3500lbs (which is very heavy, built to last 20 years.)

But if you wanted to throw in the Skater and our boat, along with a few other well built ones, you would have a complete list.

ThunderDan,

You were way to nice, that is the worst paint job ever to go on a boat of ours and we are demanding it back to fix it even if we have to do it at our cost.

Long story short, buyer wanted to save $, so an outside party painted it. It certainly was not done under our supervision.

Chris Reindl

Thanks for clearing that up Chris. It really was a very great looking boat metsa metsa paint job, and I like to hear that you are concerned about the way your product looks and are interested in making it right. I do really like the design and I am anxious to get a ride in one, whether it is this one, chuck's 28. He raves about it and I can not wait to drive one.

Hey!!!what about Eliminator. Please don't start, it does work good on a nice big lake. I've had no problems on a 5yr old boat. The left coast sure is out numbered on this site. Good luck with you new one.

You did'nt say weather you where looking for new or used ?
if you don't mind a used boat and saving a little(probably a lot of
money) one of the fastest and best rough water boats ever made
was the Switzer 25ss. with 500hp and a 25pitch hydromotive you get 79.1 on gps on flat water. and in rough water things only get better. We use ours at LOTO and regularly pass 28 ft boats getting beat to death while we skip a cross the tops .
If any body else has been in one or owned one they know what i am talking about.

Panteras ROCK. I miss my old one very much and should have bought a 28 when I went bigger.