Pulled The Trigger
 

Fellow Pantera Owners,

I would like to introduce myself to all of you as well as say I am soon to be the proud owner of a 28' Sport Single w/ a 525 EFI XR. I would like to especially thank Von Bongo for all his time & input that was of great assistance to me when deciding on which make & model to invest in. Jo & Pepe, thank you both for the opportunity to visit your facility as well as the time you have taken Jo to answer my seemingly endless phone & e-mail questions.

I vow to do my best to live up to the standards Von Bongo has set w/ his regular updates & photos. I live in Charlotte, NC & plan to oversee the construction of my boat myself. My 1st trip is planned for mid November. If there is anything I can do for any of you during one of my visits please don't hesitate to ask.

Stay tuned!!

Michael

congrats Michael and welcome to the family. Which lake do you plan to use it on the most Norman or Wylie? Good luck!!!!

Hey ML that is grat to hear!

I will get back to you on the KC thing, I would like to make it work and it was real nice to offer, I will let you know in a few days.

Also wait until you see his paint :D it's awesome.

F1-00 Racing,

Lake Norman will be her primary home w/ the hopes of venturing out sometime to participate in a poker run or two & making a few friends. I basically live between them both but I don't know much about Lake Wylie nor do I have any friends that boat there. Have you boated here in the Carolinas before?

I see you call yourselves Jersey Boyz Crew, FLA Chapter. I moved to NC 11yrs ago from the Jersey shore (originally from NY)as did many of us that have invaded the NASCAR circuit only we aren't referred to as Jersey Boyz, NC Chapter they just call us the damn Yankee's!

Congrats Michael,I am planning on putting in my order for a new 28 in a few days with Jo.I had a chance to go out on demo in 4-6 foot seas and was sold after the ride he gave me.I am thinking of a 500 Efi or the 525 efi upgrade.I have also considered twin 496 375 Mercs.I am going to make my final decision soon since jo told me has a Pantera price increase coming in October.

Just my opinion...Personally, I would stay with a single engine .

Maybe the 575sci. Lighter, better balanced, lots of room to work around. You might want to poll owners with twins.

Seahorse,

Personally I chose the single from a maneuverability, maintenance, & gas guzzling standpoint. Bruce touched on some other good points I have no experience w/ since I've never owned a twin. I can't say $$ made the difference as Jo told me & showed me how close the pricing is between an entry level twin & an EFI single. I too got a demo ride from Jo but it was on a twin 496 HO in pretty calm waters. Ultimately the test ride, the Pantera finish quality, Jo's sincere personal service & the input of others made the decision easy. I started to get caught up in the top mph #'s, considering a Whipple blower etc. but I realized I'm never going to be fastest here on my lake & how long am I really going to run WOT. I stretched for what I thought was the best package, an engine that makes good power, linked w/ an XR std that has closed cooling. Jo believes the 500 EFI is soon to be phased out as most are stretching for the 525 these days. I plan to look into the Arizona Speed Throttle Body & ECU setup which they claim is worth 25hp. The AZ Speed pcs coupled w/ a labbed prop might yield another 2mph. Having the XR drive std allows me to consider a Whipple at a later date should I choose to upgrade w/o having to upgrade my drive. Ultimately I'm sold on the quality of Pantera's workmanship, the smoth solid ride & the fact that there isn't another Pantera around. I like having nice stuff that's a little different than the next guys if you know what I mean.

Anyone have any pro's or con's on the AZ Speed bolt ons??

Hey Michael..

Just wanted to say 'Hello'. You probably saw my 28 with 525 at the factory. Check out the photo in my Thread 'Norwalk Boat Show'. I should receive it any day now and will let you know how it performs.

Congrats on your purchase.

Ron

Ron,

I did in fact see your boat several weeks ago & it looked great. Paint was complete & they were working on the rigging. Please keep me posted on the official splash down as I'm curious to know how the 525 single runs.

Glad to hear your about to take delivery but jealous as hell.

Michael

Hey Michael,

Congrats and welcome to the Pantera family!

Angel

do the single wont regret it

Hey ML, Do I see Daytona 500 pit passes in my future??? It is a shame not being able to make Homestead,I appreciate it just the same! Later, Pepe.

Pepe,

Actually its a double whammy as you can't come to my race nor can I join you & Jo for yours. We will certainly have to make that up to eachother.

ML

Wanna go for a ride?
 

Michael,
Let me know when you're coming down... We'll take you out on my boat..:D
I put in right near the Pantera factory, at Haulover.
I'm very happy with my 28, with twin 502MPIs...
Tim Gallagher
954-647-5131

Tim,

Thanks very much for the offer. In fact if your boat has a purple interior w/ green, orange & purple paint, thats the boat Jo took me out on for a test ride. Even so I'd love to go on another. I'll keep you posted.

Michael

Michael,
Welcome to the Pantera family. Your gonna love the new ride

Will be a great addition to Lake Norman, look forward to seeing it out there sometime.

I like the insurance of twins. Had to come in from NY to NJ a couple of times on just one engine. Saves the hassle of a tow

Mike, welcome aboard. I can tell you that as an owner for two weeks now it's been great. The help from the family and extended family has been first rate!

Is Waxhall near Charlotte?
Where will you boat??:o

do you mean waxhaw???if so, it is about 15 mi from uptown charlotte. from ny house to lake norman is about 50 mi and to lake wylie is about 40 mi, but its a quick trip!!!

Danger Kitty,

I couldn't have said it better myself!

Thanks Spitfire

mike,

welcome to the family,

sea horse.

if you do a single do the 525 efi. its just as strong as the 575 and a ton cheaper. the boat will actually be just as fast or faster.

Treadwell

MIKE WELCOME TO THE FAMILY

ALBERT

Sea horse, I agree with Treadwell on the 525's I have 575's and wish that I had bought the 525's. They are almost as fast, a lot cheaper, closed cooling, and way better fuel consumption. Congrats!

Update! After toying back & forth for several months I have decided to go w/ a Keith Eickert 675 SC EFI. Wanted a little extra Umph Mercury Racing didn't offer due to the gap in their line up between the 575 & 900. I have pics of my boat in the mold but the resolution is too high so they're too big to post. More coming soon!

That's a great decision
 

You are building yourself one nice boat!

That KE 675 is going to look killer in the engine room.

Congrats
Bruce

Congrats on the Motor, what drive are you going to go with?

PS, have a happy new year if I don't talk to you before!

oh sure

you just want to be faster than me on lake norman!!!

;-)

that is going to be one sweet boat!! can't wait to see it


Mark

AmEx~

What is Jo thinking for speeds with the KE 675?

Sounds like a sweet ride!! Best of luck.

Jo guesstimated 72-74mph w/ the Merc 525EFI & feels like the KE powerplant is worth another 10-12mph So approx 85mph. We do all our guesstimating based on two passengers & 1/2 a tank of fuel (70gals in this case)

Mike,

Right now still looking like an XR which I realize is about 75hp underated for my engine but both Jo & my KE contact said if I'm not hammering the throttle from a standing start all the time but moreso doing rollon WOT runs I shouldn't have a problem. I asked Jo about the B-Max & IMCO but he couldn't really assure me that I'd be any better off for the extra $$ since he didn't really have any experience w/ either. KE recommended the addition of one of the combo billet cap / drive showers would be a worth while investment.

Headed to Miami the weekend of 1/24 to see how things are coming along & finalize some color choices.

Happy New Year To You As Well!

Mark,

I don't need to be faster just as fast as my fellow Pantera boater. I need to live up to the mark you've set on LKN for the Pantera brand!

Headed to visit the factory the weekend of 1/24. US Air tic was $192 if you want to join me.

Michael

I hear ya! hey that price is good -- but -- i've got something going on -- and i'll probably be in SO CAL around that time

take some more pic's!!!


Mark

Pics from todays visit

another

Paint scheme I'm considering

Love the paint job!

Congrats on the #2 this weekend.

looking good!!!! when do you think you are going to splash that bad boy?

Michael...

Your boat is progressing nicely..

Really dig that paint job.....:cool:

Ron