CC's in Hot Boat- Carrera and Concept
 

Very favorable reviews for both South Florida mfg's in this month Hot Boat Magazine.
Did anyone have an opportunity to check out Carrera at the Miami show? I somehow missed them:(
Their 36' with triple 250's is listed at $107K as tested in the article- could that be right? Seems like a lot of boat for the money..........:) :cool:
Jim

My bad, I read Catera and your taking about Carrera. Deleted post.

Well this is somthing that should be changed. I made a mistake and cant fix it because I cannot edit or delete. OSO, if you read this please delete my response.

I have seen Catera before as well and agree with you on its quality.
I know that the Carrera had quite a few wins in offshore racing (late 70's, 80's?) and they are a strong rough-water performer. It certainly impressed the folks from Hot Boat Mag, and they are usually a tough crowd with the East Coast boats.
I thought I had covered all the bases at the show- I somehow missed their booth. Just wondered if anyone had seen them there and has an opinion or two.;) :)
Jim

Jafo, sounds like your thinking about a cc as am I when the Liberator is sold. Im going to look for a clean Scarab 302. Seems like a good boat and the used prices are reasonable. We do enjoy overnighting on the boat though so...who knows. Full canvass on a cc ?

I thought the same thing Jafo, alot of boat for the money, probably a typo, great reviews though. The Concept and Spectre were also great reviews, Im looking at these as well. ;)

Some of these smaller custom mfg's are still able to pass along some good deals on their boats because of lower operating costs. That, and the fact that the 250EFI engines are considerably less costly than their Optimax counterparts may make that Carrera an exceptional buy. It also has the added beam- 8' beam boats aren't going to cut it for me.

Of all the boats I DID see, and if I were to step up to the plate right now, I would buy a Manta from Tom Greco. These boats won world championships in the 80's and 90's, and I have to say that his one and only boat at the show was as near to perfect as it gets. Head to head with the PowerPlays, the Manta won in hull straightness and sharpness.:eek: An older salesman helping out with another mfg. (not mentioning names) recommended I go look at them and talk to Tom, and he was very cordial. His boats reflect his passion. Literally.
These are boats you won't break, period. Not cheap to build, and it would take 5 months, they are purely custom. He will do whatever the customer wants.:)
Jim

Did you see the 34' Yellowfin cuddy at Miami?

I saw a Manta in Key Largo and it was exceptional. It was the Florida Wildlife Commision patrol boat. I talked to the Oficer and he stated it was the best boat they had used so for. Had nothing but praise for its rough water handling and construction. I have looked for a website and info on them w/o any luck.

Ryan- I did see the Yellowfin 34- it was unfinished, so it was difficult to tell what the finished product would look like. It's a little larger than what we are looking for. We still want trailerability, and I'm still not sure I like the lines of the boat that well.

Chris- Manta does not have a website. Tom did spend a lot of time showing us photo albums of his championship race boats, as well as many pics of all the law enforcement boats he has built. They seem to be one of the first choices of those that have to work their jobs on the water. He builds them one at a time, and it shows.
You can probably get him to send you some more info-
Thomas L. Greco Jr.
Manta Racing, Inc.
2405 S.W. 57th Ave.
Hollywood, Fl. 33023
954-963-5887

One other thing to mention. The FWC Manta had Yamaha outboards and the Officer said they have been nothing but trouble. Fouling plugs constantly and Yamaha had not come up with a fix. They were working on the motors when I was there. This was in September 2003. I just saw the same boat, its parked a Penekamp state park. Still had the Yamaha motors. The boat had been beat on pretty bad in those 4-5 months. The rubrail was ripped from one side and it had some dings but it is a work boat. It did not see and cracks or signs that it wasnt holding up to the beating. The FWC guy also mentioned that the boat was fairly heavy but I dont know for sure.

What size range does Manta make. Looking for a 25-33', With Honda's ;) thanks Jeff

CATERA ON AMW LAST NIGHT

Heres a link to the thread I started right after I saw the Manta. It didnt go far...
The FWC boat was a 30' but looked a lot bigger. 27 degree deadrise would explain a great rough water ride.

http://www.offshoreonly.com/forums/s...ighlight=Manta

Manta will manufacture custom open fisherman (with or without cuddy), sport boats, or race boats made to order in 23', 28', 30', 32' and 38'.
The 30' open was on display at the show right behind the Contender boats in the main convention center.
Jim