Finally Joined Team Pantera
 

Spent Saturday and Sunday out on Oneida Lake in my new (used) Pantera. After being in the market for the last year I finally pulled the trigger on TMone's 2003 24' Pantera Sport I/O. Pics don't do the boat justice. TMone kept the boat in showroom condition. A little more seat time on the sticks and I'll be good to go. Will also be running on Cayuga and Seneca Lakes this season. Thanks to TMone for a great deal and Jo for fielding all my questions over the last many years too! LOL

Congrats, great boat!!

Cool! Post some pics.

that boat is MINT! congrats on your new ride!!

Congrats... Again.

you bought a bad ass ride!!!

Good for you! Enjoy.

Congrats on your New Pantera...

Thanks all! I don't have a paid membership so I don't think I can post pics. Need to save $$$$$ for that 93 octane! LOL Some of you know I'm an outboard guy at heart but this boat is just way too clean to have passed on. I gave serious thought to the twin outboard 24 in Michigan but that boat was totally ragged out and needed an entirely new cockpit so I passed on that. TMone was gracious enough to have given me a seatrial late last season up on Lake George and after seeing the boat in person I knew it was a great deal.

use photobucket (its free) and paste the links into the threads!!

like this

http://s1284.photobucket.com/user/ti...10897232168603

pics....

What a cool little hotrod! What's it supposed to run?

Thanks to Stormrider for posting pics for me. I'm still getting use to the sticks and need some more underway time. Only had it out twice this past weekend and the lake was flat. Previous (original) owner had it 80mph (on GPS recall) with the 5-blade. 4-Blade will run 76-77. The 509ci was originally dynoed over 600hp but has been de-tuned to approximately 575-580hp for reliability. The Bravo 1 has all beefed up internals. There are several youtube videos of this boat running.

Thanks for the pics, Now I know how to set my interior up:evilb:

PPI did the interior and they did an amazing quality job so they still have the patterns from this boat. Private message me with any questions. Have some tips for you so you maximize the space.

Have a local guy doing the upholstery when the time comes, just was thinking more about the layout and the dash, gonna make mine from fiberglass this time around, and like your layout. Since mine is an outboard, and I am moving the rear bulkhead back, should have plenty of space, I see your back seat is kinda tight also.

That is one sweet boat. Theyre very few with that setup my ex-one being one of them but i had the throttles in the middle like a gladiator and i had o/b....One bad ass 24....enjoy iy and rip it.

P.S= Good choice by not going with the one from MI with the o/b....

One in MI is not listed anywhere....

how much room is behind the starboard side driver seat?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4V4H_CEyHxI

ING boat running hard!

The youtube vids are all of the previuos owner running but maybe I'll post some this season. LOL

There is only a few inches behind the starboard seat so its all but useless except for a very thin person to sit directlty behind. The prvious owner is very tall and set it up that way. Why Pantera never took the time to build a longer OB cockpit I don't know. An adult can sit behind the port seat and I am going to move it up a few more inches. PPI was smart in the seat design, there is forward and rearward options for movement of the seats but the hard mounted throttle pod currently does not afford the opportunity to move the forward. That will be an off season project next year. The throttle has a very short throw so I have at least three or more inches of play I can move the pod up and still feel comfortable and not too close to the wheel or foot rests.

I did alot of research and was very interested in the twin OB Michigan boat mentioned. The last I heard from the broker after I purchased mine was that they had a deal pending for a buyer in Puerto Rico where Panteras are very popular so I assume since it's no longer on BT then it must have went. That boat was in very rough cosmetic condition interior and exterior. I got an estimate from PPI and another custom rigging shop in MI off approx $6500 to convert that boat to sit downs.

Thank for the great info. and another one ends up in PR... i think ill retire in PR and work for the VW dealer....

Have been out a bunch of times on Oneida Lake this season as the crappy weather has allowed. Thanks to some pointers from Jo and the previuos owner I'm getting the hang of trim settings and "driving" this boat. These 24's are not point and kick back for the ride type of hull. They definitely have to be driven with attention to trim settings but when all is right, man what a ride! These 24's love some chop to free up the hull. My GF was nervous the first few times out but this weekend she loved it. We were running in 60s and 70s through the Sylvan Beach side of the lake slop like it was nothing. Boat gets all the looks too! LOL

How is the ride sitting down?? I know mines not a pantera, but it is from the same clone family and Im thinking seriously about the sitdown conversion. I've even picked up some suspension seats. My back seat is tight but not that tight I don't think and taking the dash pod out I think I can move the fronts up 6 inches.

I love the sit down seats from PPI. The seat bottoms have the MitiGator Technology that you can see on the PPI website.You feel very secure in these seats. For boats with lower deck heights (Superboat, Progression, Kryptonite) I'd say it's the only way to go. Hopefully my off season project will be having the throttle pod and driver seat moved up a few inches that will give me full usage of the area behind the driver but my kids are out of the house and it's usually just me and my GF so it's not a big deal for me.