Pulled The Trigger
09-23-2003, 04:30 PM
#1
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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
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
09-23-2003, 07:47 PM
#3
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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
it's awesome.
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
it's awesome.
09-23-2003, 08:07 PM
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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!
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!
09-23-2003, 09:13 PM
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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.
09-23-2003, 09:36 PM
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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.
Maybe the 575sci. Lighter, better balanced, lots of room to work around. You might want to poll owners with twins.
09-24-2003, 07:16 AM
#7
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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 $$ made the difference as Jo told me & showed me how close the pricing is between an entry level twin & an EFI single. I too got a demo ride from Jo but it was on a twin 496 HO in pretty calm waters. Ultimately the test ride, the Pantera finish quality, Jo's sincere personal service & the input of others made the decision easy. I started to get caught up in the top mph #'s, considering a Whipple blower etc. but I realized I'm never going to be fastest here on my lake & how long am I really going to run WOT. I stretched for what I thought was the best package, an engine that makes good power, linked w/ an XR std that has closed cooling. Jo believes the 500 EFI is soon to be phased out as most are stretching for the 525 these days. I plan to look into the Arizona Speed Throttle Body & ECU setup which they claim is worth 25hp. The AZ Speed pcs coupled w/ a labbed prop might yield another 2mph. Having the XR drive std allows me to consider a Whipple at a later date should I choose to upgrade w/o having to upgrade my drive. Ultimately I'm sold on the quality of Pantera's workmanship, the smoth solid ride & the fact that there isn't another Pantera around. I like having nice stuff that's a little different than the next guys if you know what I mean.
Anyone have any pro's or con's on the AZ Speed bolt ons??
Personally I chose the single from a maneuverability, maintenance, & gas guzzling standpoint. Bruce touched on some other good points I have no experience w/ since I've never owned a twin. I can't say $$ 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??
09-24-2003, 08:35 AM
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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
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
09-24-2003, 05:30 PM
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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
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
