Ok guys, I’ve been going back and forth on whether or not to start this conversation as it’s very opinionated. But what the heck it is winter time anyway. Right now I have a MTI 42v quad 400r (v10’s). Been contemplating adding a cat to the stable. So far I’ve driven a C4000, 390x, PP420. All outboard boats, I haven’t driven an inboard cat yet as I originally only had intentions of going the outboard route.

I’ve had inboard powerboats before just v-bottoms in the 40’ size and never owned a cat.

but I loved the cats so far. Just need to decide on what to do.

as a first time cat owner do you guys have an opinion if I should go shorter then what I’ve drove so far and if I/O or OB is easier to drive in as a first time cat person, is either one easier to get insured on?

thanks in advance for the fun conversation ahead!

edit: thought I should add more context. This is at LOTO. When it gets real rough like LOTO does I’ll go to the CC and not the cat most likely.

Insurance seems to be a nightmare...
but if money is no object, no nightmare to be scared off of !
curious to read others answer too!

We are at LOTO too and just got my first cat this year, 32 Skater I/O. I love the boat, we are at the 32mm so that size is good for me. The size might depend where you are on the lake. As far as insurance goes, it was tough to get. I ended up using Buzz with Total Dollar. First year cat owner on 125mph boats is expensive. There are very few places that will insure them. It helped that I had taken a performance class with Tres, it was basically a requirement to get the insurance. Sounds like it drops significantly on your second year. I also took his class again just to get more training on that type of boat. Well worth it when you are running those speeds. Hope that helps some.

I recently went through this.

Recommend calling Justin Wagner at Waves and Wheels.

My vote is a badass custom inboard cat!!!

The only negatives to custom fast offshore performance boats are the maintenance and that they are not as versatile or comfortable for pleasure when not running hard.

Well you already have the solution to that! A sweet CC or cruiser as a second boat takes away all the negatives of a REAL offshore powerboat.

I shouldn't need to list all the positives of a badass inboard cat. That's what this sport is all about!

Outboard cats are pretty cool............if they were not so overpriced. They are great as a 2nd or 3rd boat, and I understand how they work good for an only boat if you want a performance boat without some of the negatives of an inboard. But if you can afford multiple boats I think a real offshore boat needs to be one of them!

I boat at the lake as well. I have a 36 Wright performance, a 36 spectre (inboard), a NorTech CC, and 42 outboard cat in production. If I could afford to have a 42+ cat with 1100's there is no question that it would be the ultimate weapon for LOTO. I put 250 to 300 hours a year on my stuff and know what it takes to fre$hen 1100 and or 1350 power. Insurance is another thing that holds me out of that arena. My outboard boats are pretty much hassle free and run really well but big inboard cats get happy at speeds where my stuff ends. If you have the money go big, but it takes a lot of it (fuel, maintenance, and insurance) in comparison to outboards. Another thing to consider is selling (big inboards don't go away quickly unless they are really priced right) due to the aforementioned reasons.

Joe

(6) Twin Step Cigarettes and a Outerlimits 39 GTX w/700's (everyone can make one mistake) from 2016-2023. I was a die hard Cigarette IO V bottom guy (still love Cigarette, can't beat them for a V) but then I decided to buy an OB cat and I haven't looked back. I ended up with a 36 Doug Wright. The only complaint I really have is the amount of room to walk around the side of the windshield, but I don't see myself going back. I have put about 80 basically trouble free hours on it this year (and there were times this year my schedule stopped me from using it for a month or two). I boat in South Florida (ocean). I've been to LOTO a couple times for Cigarette Rendezvous. If you are going to have two boats, personally I'd buy either a 36 DW or a 390X. My 36 is very sporty, can handle pretty much anything I've ever had to go through (and it's never calm in the ocean) and it's easy to handle by myself if need be. 42 is a BIG boat. In dead flat water it has to be a little boring to run I imagine. If you were only going to have one boat I would probably opt for the bigger OB cat though.

As far as I/O vs OB...that's up to you. Sure, if you aren't going to put more then 20-30 hrs on the boat per year, then I'd go I/O too if you don't care how much it costs. The maintenance cost on QC4V engines is crazy and insurance is extremely expensive. The only big IO cats that seem to be selling (and there are very few) are QC4V cats. The next problem I see with the QC4V is resale when they start to get hours on them. Yes, it's possible to get more than 200 hours out of a set, but anytime a boat comes up for sale with more than 200 or so hours everyone automatically thinks they need rebuilds and either seem to pass, or figure they will have to spend $150-200k on rebuilds.

How many hours a year do you plan to run this cat? Do you plan to tow it ? What's your budget?
Inboard cats ride better in the rough. Outboards are easier on maintenance & fuel use. How fast do you want to go with 6 people & full of fuel ? 38'+ OB with 6 people & 100+ gallons of fuel will struggle to get to 120.

Sorry for the thread hack but, What was wrong with the GTX? PM me If you want.

That is one hell of a stable! 300 hours to boot? That is awesome!!!
We are also at LOTO and from a selfish standpoint, nothing will get the attention and knock the wrinkles out like a firebreathing big block. My challenge with them is not just the cost to run, but the down time due to breakdowns. Allot of us do not have allot of time to spend on the water, but when we do, it is important for the equipment to work. Strict maintenance seems to be the key, and that can get pretty spendy. That said, if you have the resources, who cares?

LOTO is a great place to boat shop, as we have some fantastic dealerships with both new and consignment boats. Along with that, there are a bunch of owners that would be happy to get you on the water. Sounds like a fun adventure, no matter the outcome!