Best single engine I/O boat
 

Looking for opinions of people that have actually owned these boats
29 Kryptonite
29 Progression
30 Superboat Y2K did the bottom change in "07 did it really make a difference?
28 Pantera
Out of these 4 manufactures which one runs the best? And which one would you say is constructed the best?

Thanks

I had an Eliminator Eagle 30 XP with a single 700 SCI / NXT. Spectacular boat. I nearly cried when I sold it.

Kryptonite is probably the fastest
superboat best in rougher water but needs a lot of power and seat time
pantera great tough boat. Likes chop to run and smallest of the bunch for sure.
I have no 1st hand on progression

umm im gonna say the reason u didn't cry is based off of what u have now. A 28 Skater is bad to the bone!!

Damn, you definately have a hell of a good boat list there! Those were literally 4 of the 6 hulls i was dead set on, with the addition of the Warlock 29wc, and 29' phantom. Not an easy group of boats to track down either! I ended up with a Warlock world class 29, and don't regret one minute if it, but it would have been nice to get seat time in some of the others i will admit. But I'm sure you already know you aren't gonna find all those in one place! Lol, sure would be easier buying a baja or fountain or something more common, but the hunt was worth it. I found one of each i liked scattered about 800-1500 miles apart across the country. Just had to do my homework and start traveling. Fwiw after all my hunting a y2k would have been first pick if there was one in my price range, but the Kryptonite 29 seems to be a hell of a runner with good power. Pantera 28 singles are neat boats but in the end the cockpit space was just too small for what we like, plus i wanted a step hull for better speed when i go big hp in the future. Good luck with your search!

I owned a 2006 30 Superboat w/525efi. The boat ran 76-78 on most days, saw 80 once or twice. This hull was prior to the mods mentioned above. This boat is almost 32' LOA. Great running boat, it ate up the rough water. I had a hard time keeping XR's in one piece. I had ITS and was running a 5 blade Maximus, not sure if that's why it was tough on drives. They are tough boats, I had a 24 and a 30 and ran them hard. No stress cracks in either, no rattles, etc.

From afar I really liked the looks of the Warlock and looked at a few prior to buying the Superboat. I didn't like what I saw up close.

I loved my Kryptonite.
With 550 HP she ran into the low 80's all day long.
8' beam, 27' running surface made her very predictable and a strong runner in rough water.
She becomes a drivers boat as squeeze the last few mph out of her but would stay planted all the way up to 80.
There is a good size cabin but not a lot of headroom due to the lowish freeboard on the boat.
I would buy another one in a heartbeat.
The only down side to all the boats you listed is that they can be a harder sell as the world outside our performance circles don't know their names (and how great they are) like they do Fountain, Baja, Donzi, Etc.

If its efficiency and handling then all you have to do is go back to the APBA days in Factory racing where all the boats you listed were build with equal specs and then raced heads up. IMO the order would be
Krypto
Activator
Phantom
Superboat
Warlock
Progression (not a lot of Factory racing data)
Pantara
Fountain

I would not rule out the Lavey Craft 2750 and the Lavey Craft 29. The 29 is huge - 30.6 ft and 8,6 beam with a stock hp 525 runs 74 - 76 mph. These are ocean runners as well.

The 2750 is faster yet but smaller and lower freeboard.

These are custom built and really no vanilla about them or this is what get for the exact same looks from one boat build to another. No glue down carpet and the interior is how you want it with design, colors and so on.

Another bonus is they are STILL BUSINESS and building boats including a race boat as we speak.

I would add them in mix especially if one wanted a current build.

Thanks for all the responses. Does anyone know how the cockit floor is constructed in the Kryptonite. Plywood or a fiberglass liner like the superboat.