Looking for a Pantera
 

Hi Guys, I am looking at buying a boat. I am new to the board and from what I see it looks like if I can find one I can have a bad a$$ boat for the money if I go with Pantera. Keep an eye out for me and let me know if you guys see something that is a good deal. I guess the perfect deal for me would have been the 1979 top racer in MI for 10K on boattrader online but I guess I missed that one by a few weeks. Oh and I am handy with a wrench so if you find a boat that needs a little sprucing up I am not affraid to get my hands dirty. Thanks and I hope everyone is enjoying their boats because it sucks not having one:D ------Brad

Brad,

Keep your eye out. They're out there. Try boattrader and call or email the Nunezes at Pantera. Jo usually knows where a few boats are that aren't advertised. Good luck. I'm on my second in 12 months. I love 'em!

Oh! And ask Stormrider. He seems to have his fingers on the pulse of all things Pantera!

Well I might as well add my name to the list of people looking for a good deal on a pantera. I'm looking for a 28 for around $30-40K. A perfect buy would be somewhat older 1987-1999 with twin small blocks or a good candidate to drop in some small blocks. Twin big blocks and a single would be OK. I don't mind having to fix it up a little.

Really can't begin to tell you how much Stormrider has helped me out. Thanks Storm.

Here is a kick ass 20 cig just listed. I love the race seating set up - kind of like a miniature gladiator.
http://adcache.boattraderonline.com/6/5/0/89391650.htm

If the engine checks out I think its a really good deal.

Yea, cuz i don't have one.
Good news is, i was just given the green light for my 40th bday. :evilb:

So you're putting down the camera and picking up the rifle eh? Can't wait to see what you buy!

I'm 37.
You'll be waiting along time. LOL
BUT, there is a light at the end of the tunnel.
I'll have time to figure out what will suit my needs and if my family will even go out w/ me.

I know where a clean freshwater 2004 - 28" Pantera that's for sale for $75,000

there is a hell of a buy in the classifieds on a 28 single with a whippled BBC.

Wildthing, TravisB: throw me a bown here:D :D ....... which classifieds? You got a website or something?

Pics
http://rides.webshots.com/photo/1259...64892954AILxfR

Questions?
Email me
[email protected]

Wildthing, very nice ride! What's she got for power and what's next?

Wildthing - KICK AZZ. How did you break the seat? Anybody else broken a seat before?

Boat & trailer are very clean!
Approximately 125hrs on motor and 250hrs on hull
Boat has a 496 HO - 425hp. Runs 62mph on gps speedo. Bravo 1 with a 4 blade 24".

Sits on a Continental aluminum trailer upgraded to 16" Goodyear tires & 4 disc brakes with front & rear trailer bunks.
Looking at a bigger boat but if this one doesn't sell I'll keep boating in this one as it is a kick azz boat & ride.

Back seat broke at Lake Erie in some very rough stuff.
After dropping off into a big hole, my passenger sat down hard in the middle seat and it broke.
I added a custom made center support bracket with new heavy duty support
I guarantee it won't break anymore.:drink:

http://www.offshoreonlyclassifieds.c...o12050-en.html

here you go. I know ken personally the boat is everything he says it is and more.

1985 24 Pantera for $13,500. Looks pretty nice

http://www.seeboats.com/boatlisting....lts=1&sort=ASC
I think she's been for sale since March or April. $10,000 might get it.

Hey Ron:

I just broke my seat as well. How dd you fix yours? Do you have to take the entire seat out? I broke the third seat from the left. Just happened to step on the front edge and CRACK!!

Just looked are your pics...I have to get to daytona for Bike week. How the hell to you keep the camera so steady? :D

Thanks for the the link, it looks like a nice boat, But I can not make the trek to SC to far of a drive for me. I even seen this one on Boattraderonline today look like a nice one for the price too bad its in FL. I'm still keeping an eye out there.

http://adcache.boattraderonline.com/6/6/3/89278863.htm

Hey Ron.....whats up?
Yes I had to completely remove the back
seat and put a new support system in.
You might not need to since you only broke the front edge.

I gotta tell you that Daytona's Bike week rocks.
And those aren't the best pics......:eek:

Good talking to you the other day:drink:

Our seat broke too, two friends sat
down at the same time, CRACK !

Took the whole seat out, fixed by Joe.:D

:D

Here is another 24

http://boston.craigslist.org/sob/boa/359440552.html

P.S NEED MORE 28's:D

Oh sure Tex, don't try to act like you're not out looking at Chris Cats behind our backs! :p

You got me there...........I blame Stormrider...... :D :D he told me to shop around

Seriously though - that Chris cat is a kick azz boat and deal and I bet she handles better in the rough. She ought to at 8,100lbs and 30ft.

not for a 20yr+ old cat you buffoon!
LOL
You should scrounge some coin together and buy Gino's MB MTI! No one here would blame you. :D

LMAO -

Your right man, which is why I asked you, its an old boat with old hardware. I'm saving my coin for the 28 In VA or In PA. Should be good to go by next summer, which is just as well - Texoma is flooding like hell right now along with every other lake in TX. In fact even with a nice free boat, free gas, and free lakehouse - I have only had one good day on the lake. This rain SUCKS. If it keeps up I will be needing a boat just to get to work.

Gotta watch out for that Stormrider guy! He's a bad influence! In an ideal world, I'd have my Pantera and a Skater!

hmmmm...... almost sounds like someone I know:drink:

Brought the 28 out of storage today, taking her to Grand lake on the 4th to show Jayhawk26's wife how she likes the rough water- they want to step up from the 24' superboat:drink:

The Pantera is more fun in the lower speeds dictated by traffic and cruiser slop anyway:D

Out here, you almost need to change boats half way through the day... The ocean has been like glass in the morning and gets quite a bit bumpier in the afternoon!

How do you like your Eliminator by the way?

Where I do most of my boating, I'm good with the eliminator, heck, I'd rather own the 25 Daytona I used to have. On a real bad day we'll see 2' of chop and an occasional cruiser wake. My 25 cruised at 55-60 for the sweet spot. The 30 has a sweet spot at 65-70. If I had more cruiser slop or did more ocean time I'd keep the Pantera:drink:

Ah an honest inland boater! :D

I've often wondered about the 'need' for a really big V hull boat on some of the smaller lakes people boat on. If I was a Havasu guy, I'd have a 28 Skater with outboards! Not that there's anything wrong with a big water boat on a lake, just seems like a missed opportunity to go real fast in the right conditions!

Lots of different lakes. Texoma is the premier big lake close to Dallas so there are way too many rich guys out there in their cruisers. We also have two rivers that flow in and meet in the center which can make it pretty nasty. The storms can kick up in just minutes. I can't even count the number of times I've been caught out in 20mph winds and rain, day and night (thats a rough one). I've got a 24 sea ray for the really calm days and entertaining and its just not big enough on some days and either was the 24 python. Its going to be real nice when my dad says "its way too rough out there" and I can say nope - just some good pantera wheather.

Yeah, we are most likely going to make a move. This time we are going to look a bunch of different stuff though. The 24' Super purchase was dictated by the budget my wife set. Now, if I had my choice, I'd run the Super for another year at least cause I love the thing! It's such a fun little hot rod, and nobody here knows what it is. I haven't gone out yet that someone hasn't asked me what kind of boat it is. Now the wife thinks the ride is too harsh on Grand due to all the traffic, and she gets scared when we go fast. The super handles it great, but it is a rough ride. She has demanded a larger, or better riding boat. We are looking at Cattitude's 28, and then we're also going to look at the Nordic 27 Thor, the RPM 26 Redline, and probably an active thunder. I have also been eyeing the 1994 Blue/White 36 Apache in the classifieds. I think they may be asking a bit too much for it, and I don't think the speed will be there.

I personally like both those cats, though I like the RPM better. I spent quite a bit of time on grand with my 25, thing is you need 55+ to get the ride, maybe a bit more on the 26/27 that has more weight. I loved it, wife did not, cruiser wakes and holes were fun if you're "into it" and vice versa. she thoroughly enjoys the Pantera on Grand at 45-55 including the occasional air time:drink:

PS, our lake is kinda large, 32 miles from the house to the dam, just not as much cruiser traffic, I've seen wind/storm chop 3's but that's about it. The canopies on the Daytona are smokin for coming home in the rain

I really like the RPM as well, and it is a little less expensive than what I've been quoted on the Thors. The Nordics apparently have a bilge coat of gold. For a similarly equipped boat, the Nordics are $15k - $20K more depending on who you talk to.

The RPM looks hot, but I like the extra length of the Thor.

As far as ride, if you're running say 35 - 40 on grand in your 25' cat, how harsh was it? I think we're mainly looking for a much better ride at speed. That is where she gets freaked out. Would you think the lower speed ride would be comparable to to the 24 Super? We'll get you out in it some on The 4th and you can see for yourself how she rides.

I grew up boating on Lake Ontario, the St Lawrence and the Finger Lakes. I'm not bashing lake boating. Some of my worst beatings came on Oneida Lake and I'd bet it isn't more than 20 feet deep! Different kind of rough though, compared to the ocean.

sort of hijacking, but mostly relative to what's nice about the 28.....

If I remember right, the Thor has a molded in swim platform and the RPM does not, so the RPM is likley to actually be "more boat"

at 35-40 most any cat moves along ok, but essentially you are in a flat bottom boat, will be rougher than the V over anything more than 1-1.5' wind chop. some cats are mushy in handling at the lower speeds, My 25' Daytona was mushy south of 40even going straight- kind of hunted, my 30 is fine down to 30ish except slow turning/ corners. If you think you'll be spending quite a bit of time in the 35-40 range a cat is the wrong boat, for you and your wife. Boating has to be fun for both of you- so you both "get to go" boating:drink:

Even at 55-60 in the Daytona 25 on grand, I could fly her flat when we found some holes, but the landing was always very firm- because you use up the cushion margin and again are landing a flat bottom boat, the Pantera lands very soft. With the 25' Cat, more speed gave more cushion margin, but tended to scare anyone firmly latched on to the memory of landing at 40-55- make sense?? My buddy in his 42 Tiger still tells me how is GF/now wife permanently molded my handles in the boat tensed up at 55-60, all the guys /enthusiasts thought it was a blast (6 of us went on a daytrip in the 25' Daytona a few yrs back):D

Even today.... my wife would rather keep the Pantera than the 30' Daytona, softer landings and the other thing is cats corner flatish rather than carving, to the weary, always feels like you're about to flip or fly out the side, to me it's like an aggressive corner in a vet or viper

You'll see it next week, but the difference in ride quality between the 28 Pantera and the 24 (Super or Pantera) is night and day. I wish I could explain it better, but even when I waste an hour telling my buddies over lunch, they still say "holy shet this thing is amazing" when they get in the 28. My wife was terrified of the 24 at speed and she loves the 28. Good luck!

By the way, that gold coated bilge comment made me spit my coffee! So many west coast boats are so freaking over priced!

We're looking forward to it for sure. We are going to look at a bunch of stuff before making the decision. I'm going to get the most boat I can get so we aren't looking again in another year.

The Nordic boys are proud, but I think the Thors can be had for less than they are asking.

As Cattitude said, the 26 Redline is 26 W/O platform and the Thor is 27 with. The Redline is a deeper boat, and being roughly the same length, it will probably ride better. We've got lots of looking ahead. Our Super will probably go up for sale late next month. That way we can still use it for the rest of the season hopefully!

Have you seen this 29 Redline for sale??? Looks like a pretty good deal.

http://forums.screamandfly.com/forum...d.php?t=134128