28 Pantera
 

Looking for some in-put good or bad about the 28 Pantera.Anyone have any personal experience with performance in big water?
Or any suggestions on any others boat in the same size and class?

What are your intentions? Race or pleasure.

BJ,
Possible racing,tring to see what information I can find.Do you have any infor. you can share...

I owned a 1996 28' Pantera with a single Merc 525SC and it was an awesome boat. It now belongs to Griff on this board. These things LOVE the rough water. If you are looking for a 28' boat to run in the ocean or in any rough water, Pantera is the ticket!!

www.panteraboats.com

Lynch Mob (F2-3)

Thanks for the info...
Do you know what kind of speeds hes running with the 525's

Thanks Again

I wouldn't leave out the 28 Saber, I've rode in a few of these and rough water is not a problem. They say the 28 Saber's are similar to the Pantera. Buzzin-Bye has a 28 Saber with 500's that was tested in Powerboat mag. I think it went 85.

I've ridden in and driven Griff's boat. I've also run right next to him in mine. About 65 mph with the 525, but Griff feels it has slowed down a little while he has owned it. As for rough water, the Pantera and the Saber are similar hulls with very similar handling characteristics. I've been in a former race 28 Saber (the old Wave Hippie, Apache Kid on this board used to own it). We ran that boat from Grand Haven to Muskegon one afternoon in 6 footers (Lake Michigan 6 footers) and it was an awsome ride!!! I've driven Griff's boat thru the wake of Lutzparty's boat (a 34 Sea Ray) and actually had a hard time getting any air!!! It cut the wak to well. I was actually kinda bummed. LOL!!! You couldn't go wrong with either of these boats. And the factories for both of them are very helpful to anyone who ones one of their boats, not just the original owner.

Mike

I have a 2000 pantera 28 with twin 496 mags (375hp each) I have 65 hours on the boat and can say once you get comfortable with the boat it eats up the roughstuff. the rougher the better and mine rides the best in the upper mph range in the rough stuff. I like the saber 28s just as much as the pantera but since I am from florida the proximity to the factory played a big role in my decision. Top speed with my setup is 76-78 mph totally stock with light load and favorable conditions(2-3ft washing machine chop). I must say that the more time you have on the boat the better you make it perform. I like to think i have made it past my learning curve and can honestly say this boat is predictable and forgiving 99% of the time in 3-6 footers but she feels faster is better in the rough. These boats are built like tanks and because of that they tend to be heavier than most in the same size/class. The saber is heavier than most boats also which equates to a better ride in the rough than a lighter boat. Saber and pantera are very similar in their construction/ weight/ performance.

good Luck

Frank

I owned a 24 and now have a 28. It has a 700hp engine in it now and does close to 90. I use to race with jo in Factory-1 in this boat. It is a great ride and competitive but you won't win any races in(APBA) Factory-1. The boat is very big and has no steps or a pad. You must have one of the two to compete with the top F-1 boats. It is however a great boat all around. It is bigger than most 28's and does handle rough water well. I'm happy with mine and the support from jo is second to none. Any questions feel free to call me 610 742-0078.

Both of my boats happen to be for sale

1999 28 Pantera--55,000

2001 27 Activator-60,000

Happy Holidays
B.J.Maher

So BJ, if the 27 Activator is for sale, what are your plans for next year?

Jim

I have a single 525SC and am only getting about about 65mph right now. The prop slip is WAY high at about 25%. I've talked to Jo at Pantera and he feels the drive is set up a little too high and the prop is giving too much stern lift and not lifting the bow enough. He did say that he ran the boat in the ocean and was seeing 68mph. I run in a lot of flat water also which doesn't help top speed in a Pantera. It loves rough water and flies very level in big water. I'm going to send the prop in for some tweeking and hopefully I won't have to mess with the X dimension. Overall, I love the boat, just wanting to get it into the low 70's.

Vonbongo, another board member, just got a 2002 last fall with a 575SC and he seeing about 75mph.

Jim

I don't know what I'm going to do next year. But I need to get rid of one of the boats. I don't care which one I get rid of. If I sell the Pantera I will go racing. If I sell the Activator I'll spend more time chillin on the Pantera.

B.J.

BJ,
Thansk for all your help,and some great information.
Seems like everyone agrees it a great rough water boat and handles well...
As always OSO members have grewat info. and always willing to help.

Thanks

Is that you Trent?????

I think we met in New Orleans. But im not sure. Anyway we are still toying with my 28. I believe our X is way too high as well. And we are probably at 25 to 30 % slip. We can turn a 28 bravo 1 at 5300 and a 24 at 5900. with either, we are still only maxin out at 73mph. Within the next couple of weeks, we will drop the drive 2 inches and i will let you know the outcome. Otherwise, I love the boat.
Feel free to call me anytime.

732 906 8680 Bruce

My 2003 with a 575 and the ITS set back and a 28 bravo 1 labbed prop did 74 with 3 people, 100 gal of fuel, big tool box and the normal crap you have on a boat in flat water and 90+ degrees. My boat also has an extra cabinet with a sink so that is some extra weight too. Jo lowered the floor under the front of the passenger and driver bolsters, put in shorepower, a couple of fans and everything else I wanted.

Jo had my boat to 78 I think in Fla before he sent it up here. DK's boat runs over 80 with a 600 Innovation engine. Both our boats have a pleasure set up.

I think I will run a solid 77+ when I get some time on the boat including all the crap I seem to carry on it especially when there is some light chop on the water to air out the hull. Because of the blower I couldn't go with a notched transom w/o having to have a scoop in the sunpad, but the ITS set back helps that out some too. Also Jo says the ITS carries the bow a bit higher than the non ITS set up.

Merc rumored to have a 575 NA in the works and that with a notched transom and a XZ drive ought to put you in then 80 range. Espicially if they have the lighter layup that Jo has talked about. I'd do it again if I was in the situation I was when I had my boat built.

Pantera isn't the fastest boat, but neither is Cig. But if you want to talk about handeling rough water, rigging, factory support and so on, I have to put them very high on my list. The fit and finish of my Pantera was far superior than the 27 Founatin I had, plus it has a lot more room for a boat that has a LOA of 1 more foot :rolleyes:

Can't say enough good things about my boat, any questions drop me a PM

X-racingF1,
Notice something in common with all us Pantera owners? We all seem to agree that the factory support is second to none. It doesn’t matter if you’re ordering a new 35’ or the 10th owner of a 20 year old 24’, if it’s a Pantera Jo & Company will treat you right.
I have a 3 man 28 with a pair of clamp-on 300’s.
DLG

XTREMERACINGF1


Pantera's are definatly nice boats and I am not knocking them but they are heavy boats and if you want to be copetitve in F1 you might want to check out Progression. I have a 27 with a 500hp that runs in the 80's all day long. A Progression would definatly suit your needs of rough water and be competitive in F1.
My 27 is also for sale! If you are interested check out the link below. It is listed under boats for sale. If you have any questions you can pm me.

www.liopa.com

Frank,how are you. Call Bruce From Simply Awesome,he has one! I'll talk to you soon,lots going on with The Jersey Boyz and will keep you advised about next season.