Best 28' performance boat for rough water?
 

Limited to 28' LOA for rack storage. Interested in getting 28' with twins that can handle the rough stuff better thank my 27 fountain can now.
Thanks.

Heres my thoughts in no particular order,

28 Cigarette
28 Pantera
28 Sonic
28 Active Thunder
28 Powerplay
28 Apache

I have a 28 Cigarette and it is great in rough water, it actually feels like a bigger boat than it is.

Dave

'Cigarette' or maybe one of those other Cigarette type boats called.........now what was it...........Apricot?, no, no, it was.........Apprehension? No, that wasn't it either.
It was called something, something... bucket. :D

I don't know, just look at a 28 Cig. :D

Saber
 

28' Saber, nothing tougher or faster in the rough, tried to kill me and the boat in the past couldn't do it and I've been in Cigs, Apaches ect.. Great proportions, balance and strength with good speed. No one's ever regreted owning one and they're a great value. The downside, there ain't no T shirts ;) :D

3 votes for the 28 Apache;)

28 pantera

All are great but I would get a 28' Pantera if it were me;) :cool:

Can you buy a new saber? I know you can get a new Active and Pantera.

All of these were on our list when looking for a 28 a few years ago except for the Sonic, and yes, the Saber is missing from Dave's list and really should be there.

We bought a 28 AT- it does as well as the others above (no better, no worse) but has by far the biggest cabin and freeboard. IMHO, you couldn't go wrong with any of them. I DO feel strongly that this length boat is better balanced with twin SBC power or one high HP BBC. Much easier to fly level with a good CG.;)
Jim

This one is in the classifieds....:D
Fantastic rough water boat... Twin 502 MPIs.
I have never seen/driven a boat of this size that runs the rough water as well.
Glad to talk about Pantera, wether you want my boat or another. Top notch build quality...durable...no rattles.

Re: Saber
 

Absolutely !!!!!!!!

Don't even look at anything else in the 28' range !!!

You won't be sorry !!! And your buddy's will be pissed !:D

No balance problem with my 28 with twin 502s. Flies nice and level and has a good running attitude. It's certainly more azz heavy than a single, but it doesn't have any negative handling at all.
Jo built quite a few 28s with twin 454/7.4s...

How about Joker? I've never been on one, but I've heard it does very well in the rough stuff. Maybe Brian should toot his own horn here a little bit. He builds them with top notch materials and now Tres Martin is going to rig them, can't get any better than that!!

Tim, what's the freeboard like on your boat? I've always like the 28 Pantera after hearing about them here on the board, but we've got a 2 year old daughter, so I want a good, high freeboard - sitting *in* the boat rather than *on* it, if you know what I mean.

make that 4 :D

DR-
Freeboard on the Pantera is OK for a 28, but there are boats (Sonic) with more freeboard.
Back seat is fine..
The step in area of the boat serves as an armrest (arm straight out) for a 6' person. So depth is from the seat to about your armpit...
Driver/passenger freeboard isn't very tall. Jo has been cutting down the floor under the bolsters to get you lower in the boat. I believe all new 28's are like that. He says he can cut the floor down a few inches on my boat... I'd do it, but we've been using the boat a lot ao I haven't had a month to leave it with Jo....

Lavey Craft builds a nice 27, if you like a sit down boat.
They're good in rough water.
Top end stability seems to be a bit funny (chine walk).
I have to say that Lavey builds the BEST looking boat. Their gel coat graphics and overall build quality are fantastic.

Funny thing is, when we bought our first performance boat, we were really into the curved, modern style and ended up with a 28' Powerquest after looking at Formula, Sunsation, etc.

Now I find that I really like the old school styling of the Pantera, Apache, AT, etc - plus they are true 28' boats.

thanks Indy
 

Yea the best kept secret in the 28ft range. BH

Yep. I looked at just about everything under the sun. I knew I wanted a 28 Pantera or 28 Active Thunder.
I couldn't find a decent deal on an AT anywhere. Their new boats were just toooooo much money for my poor wallet.
Sunsation builds a nice boat, but I haven't seen any running in the rough down here.
Remember... Construction is just as important as design. You can have the most technological design, but it's no good if the stringers seperate from the hull....
The rigging on the Pantera and AT is clearly designed for the long haul.

Oh, and don't rule out a nice used Powerplay. There are a few out there.

I saw Ambrose's 33 last night. Very nice boat, and a '96 model.

Here's my vote
 

Giddy up!

Another

I've seen Tim G. 's Pantera out there in the rough. My vote would be for Pantera and second choice would be for a used Powerplay 28.

Tim- My thoughts exactly. It's all in the timing, isn't it?:D We were lucky enough to find a used AT, but there weren't any Panteras that fit the bill when we were looking,:rolleyes:, and the Powerplays are harder to find than the AT's!
I looked at Sunsations too- been to the factory. Too narrow, small cabin headroom, and not enough freeboard, plus no twins available, and that was a must. Their build quality is quite good though.
I've never ridden on a 28 Saber, but my friends on the west side of Michigan swear by them. I hope to get a ride in one sometime soon.
AT, Pantera, Saber- all a little different, but they are true 28's, custom built, and all are incredible rough water boats for their size. I like the Apache too, and Pat had one for sale when I bought my AT. The boat was in pretty rough shape. I'm very happy with the performance of the 28 Savage.

There are not many people that would argue that we make the fastest rough water in the world. The only boat banned from APBA F1 and A Class racing because it was "too fast."

[email protected]

Pantera or Saber!! Look at the design, build quality and company that backs it... Jo & family are the very best, and the Saber boys are right there. I would say that it depends on your personal preference, but either one will get you across the pond or Lake Michigan with comfort and style.

Well, I have to put my 2 cents in. My buddy has a 27 Liberator that is just amazing how well it handles Lake Erie. Was much better in rough water than my Formula 311. And the twin Big Block pushed it right along too. Cant get new ones though.

what about the 28 donzi with twins I heard it runs great in the rough.

That is a great list of boats to look at . Next two criteria to meet are :

1. find an available boat that will fit in my budget of $50k
2. boat that is easy to get out onto the bow. my one big gripe with the fountain is that there is no place to step to get out front.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by powerguy
[B]That is a great list of boats to look at . Next two criteria to meet are :

1. find an available boat that will fit in my budget of $50k


Ahh yes, The budget.. i went out looking to blow 50k as well. You can guess/see what happened. What's the difference between 10 and 15 years anyway??
Your budget is better off at $72k. And I think I know of a damn nice Pantera for you.:eureka: :D

Not too bad in the rough, but not like the Pantera, AT, Apache, Saber...
And small blocks just don't seem to make it happen...unless of course you ProCharge 'em.

Well heck I've got a 76 cig to sell for 25

My small blocks work just fine in my AT:) 70 mph+, great fuel economy, relaibility, and great balance. Never break a Bravo with them either.
My preference would be with Whipples.... but why? I'd then have the reliability of a big block.:eek: :D
The one Powerplay I looked at with twin 502's would have been the most challenging boat to work on I have ever seen, especially the inboard spark plugs.
No thanks, I get enough of that crap working on jets.

Id love to have Jafo's boat
twin= your getting home
bravo+SB= long life of bravo
usally are a better balanced boat
twin=better at the dock
28foot boats with BB twins are never fun to work on

Engine acess isn't too bad. Obviously not as good as a single engine though.
The spark plugs take some time, but they're not as bad as they could be.
Supreme Marine was able to do the Stainless Marine exhausts without having to remove an engine or have special exhausts made.. There's about 4" between the engines.

Yeah it scoots right along. It comes on plane like a rocket ship. The BB torque really gets the speed back when you have to let off!
Top end is 76 (GPS) with 4 people and some fuel. It could be an 80mph boat with some prop testing/tuning. I got 78 out of it with Hydromotives, but they slipped too much coming on plane, so it wasn't worth it...

It would probably go almost as fast with a pair of nice 350s (Scorpions would be sweet), but I know it wouldn't have the impressive accelleration..

It has Marine Machine steering to the helm. Fantastic! The boat doesn't veer at all if you take your hands off the wheel. I'd recommend real hydraulic steering on anything!

Engine pic 2.

Saber!

Had two Saber 28's with twin BBC...great balance and handling...can't break em and they will spoil ya!

Give the Geelhoed bro's a call at 616-837-6442 and they can line you up with new or used...

Primal

Every year at the lake cumberland poker run there is always at least one 28 Donzi running with the big boys they only run in the mid 70's but they will go thru about any kind of water they weigh 6500 lbs dry with twin small blocks:eureka:

Fever Mike-
looking for a boat a little more up-to-date and with a larger sunpad. That is a beautiful 28ss.

Tim G. - I can't spend all of my fun budget on one toy.

The 28 Pantera has allot of room in front of the engines. I have a picture of Thirsty Turtle standing in engine compartment between the engines and back seat.(I'd post it but I'm sure he's sick of me posting his pictures all of the time:D) There is plently of room to manuever in the there, just no room between the motors. But that's pretty much the case on any side by side twin engine boat.

Brian