Pantera owner's thoughts????
 

Hi folks,,, I'm in the market for something a bit bigger than my 19' Donzi,,, I kinda had my heart set on an older fountain 29 with twins, untill I heard about the Panteras. What are your thoughts on single Vs. twins ??? I allways like being able to get home on a second engine, but most of my play time is the rivers here in western PA and island hopping in Lake Erie. My big thing is I need a cabin, my son is so pale I think he could get sun burnt watching the TV set and at 4 years old, he needs a place to nap other than a cokpit seat or the deck. Correct me if I'm wrong but the Panteras seem to have next to zero structural problems over the years, unlike so many others. I'm not looking for another boat that needs transom and stringer work, I did one to many of those, and I'm looking for an older boat, the budget is between 30 and mayby 50K. I'm being honest about that and I refuse to call the factory and jerk someone's chain like I'm looking for a new one,,,in a few years I will but now I want a quality boat that holds it value and might need a little TLC. Whats your thoughts as owners of these boats? Do I have a chance of getting happy in my price range and would you go single or twin? Thanks for any input.

Do a search for" pantera" in the general discussion forum and you will find a bunch of threads. Also read many of the thread in this forum also. You will find a wealth of knowledge on these boats here. Plus it helps that Jo is on the board.

Brian

Steamfitter, Well your on the right track so far landing on Pantera. I would say look at singles and twins and decide after looking at both. Might be tougher finding a twin for less than 50.
I've had 4 Donzis myself over the years. 2 16s, 22 Classic Blackhawk and a 28ZX.
I would also try to stretch out more intially and get a more reliable boat from the start.

The nice thing is that there are not that many Panteras around. Either board members or Jo will probably have first hand knowledge of boats you are looking at.
Would also touch bases with Jo and let him know what you may want. He may get a trade or know of something may not be on the market yet.

Good luck on your search!
Greg

Steamfitter....

First of all...Dont be afraid to call the factory to ask questions. Just because your not in the market for a brand new boat, the Nunez family will be just as helpful.

They are always happy to help people when it comes to Pantera. Used or brand new , it doesnt matter.

They are great rough water boats. I know, ive been beating the *** out of mine for two years now.

There are a couple of singles and twins for sale right now. But to get in either for under 50k might be tough.

Danger Kitty is for sale 650 hp single
Too Old has a brand new 2003 28 hull without motor and drive for under 50k. Add power and Drive and your in a brand new boat for about 75k
I think BJM has a 1999 28 with 700 hp is still for sale
Tim G has a 28 with twins for sale
The black one on Ebay is the only one I know that you can most definately get for under 50k. You may have to clen it up a bit. But its a solid hull.

Good luck

STEAMFITTER,welcome to our board.If a pantera is what you want,then do your homework on a new one before you make a tlc boat a project expense.Jo and Pepe,will guide you in the right direction.

Good luck;)

hi
 

Ive had two and will probably buy another, one hell of a boat, best bang for the buck, if you have any questions feel free to call me 513 407 6206

I have a '96 28 with a single 525SC. I was considering twins when I bought mine, and am happy that I went with the single. There is a ton of room in the bilge and its easy to get in there and do anything you need to. I think twins would be pretty tight. Also, I think your budget will limit you to a single.
It does not have as much freeboard as I would like. I have a 3 year old and I or mom keep a close eye on him. The cabin is good sized with a large Vberth. It has a flatdeck though, and does not have a lot of height in it. Plenty of room for the kid, though.
The boat is solid as a rock. My vote would be for a single 500HP over twins. You'll probably be in the upper range of your budget with a single anyway.

Welcome Steamfitter
 

In 2001 we landed a '94 28 with twin 454 for 38K. It was a hell of a price, but the boat was not rigged at Pantera....hence the price.

We absolutely love the boat! It is rock solid and easily runs thru whatever the Mississippi River can throw at it. It's almost boring! We swapped out the 454 Mags (66mph) for low hour 502MPI (77mph). They really made the boat come alive.

The hull is awesome. Deep 24 degree, sharp strakes, chines, transom, and keel. The boat is very responsive to driver inputs.

This is my first twin engine boat and I love it. It would have to be a big HP single to go back. Fuel burn is around 1.5X that of a single. Access in the engine room is good, not nearly as open as a single, but everything came be reached easily.

Good luck on your search.
Bruce

Thanks for the info so far. A few more questions I forgot to add earlier, what are the speed diffrences between the big single and the twins ? And how much diffrent do they handle? Too Old's boat caught my eye for sure, if the transom wasn't cut I'd really be interested in putting my Arneson and 498 stroker in it. And I don't expect to get a new or only a few years old boat in my price range, my donzi is 30 years young so I certainly don't mind one thats 15 or 20 as long as I don't have to do structural work. I really like the idea of a new one, I'm just not ready to take a 100,000+ plunge untill I'm really sure.

My boat is fantastic....
I'm only selling because I want another Pantera in Race trim for P racing...

You're right about the boats being solid. My boat is a '99 and still looks like it is new. A lot of other boat look pretty hammered after a year of boating..

My boat is in the OSO classifieds, and in the boats for sale forum. (pics)

Feel free to call me...about my boat,or just pantera in general. They're great boats.:D and I'm happy to talk.


Twins make the boat a lot different than a single. The boat stays in the water, and tends to run through the waves better, thus giving a smoother ride.
Singles are obviously about 1000lb lighter, thus don't need as much HP to go as fast.
My boat (just like Thursty Turtle's) runs 77mph. The accelleration with the twin BBs is really awesome.

Tim Gallagher
954-647-5131

Tim that is a beautiful boat,,,,,I like the solid white. I just missed the deal of a lifetime, it was a '99 repo with 454's broker said he had a hard time getting her sold for 46 !!!!!!!!!!!! Hopefully she found a good home,,,I wish it were mine.

I believe I know the boat you're talking about.. It was a decent deal, but not a deal of a lifetime. The engines were run hard all the time..... I'll stop there....:rolleyes:
That boat would have needed about another 20k to get it to the point where you'd be happy...
I looked at a couple "deals" before I bought my boat directly from Jo. Yeah, it was more money, but the boat is all there....
My intention was to find a good boat for $50k....and you can see hw that worked out for me...:crazy: It's only money..:D

Let me guess?????

National Liquidators?????

If so, I know the boat too. Tim is correct, nothing compared to his!!!!

I wasn't trying to say exactly that... But since you said it... YEP.

The moral of the story is that sometimes it's best to bite off abit more to be sure you're getting a good boat...no matter what the boat.

We're ALL cheap... yes we are. But if we let our cheapness get involved when boat buying...the result can be more expense than if we just bought the better unit to begin with.

Single vs twins speed.

Twin 502MPI's like stated run 77-78mph

Jo says he gets 70-72 with a single 500HP. Thats probably with a pretty light load of fuel and in ideal chopand in salt water.

Vonbongo's boat had a single 575 and was seeing in the 71-73mph range with a best of 74 or so.

I have a '96 with a 525SC and am running about 64-65 in flat, sticky water. My engine does have 330 hrs on it, so I'm sure its probably down a little on power.

Steamfitter

A great choice in boat for what you want to do, I've had a 24 and 28 and enjoyed both. Factory support is second to none. Since your on rivers and close to land, I would go single. It's cheaper and in MY opinion rides better. If you were in the ocean and far from land it's always nice to have twins.

You won't be disapointed. If you have any questions or concerns call me direct. 610 742 0078.

B.J.Maher

Pantera's will outlast several engines, not many others can do that. I have a 24 now and hope to get a 28. I love the 24, the only reason that I would change is for a little more cockpit space, 6 adults is a little tight in the 24. Great boat, Great looks, Great performance, Unmatched in the rough, I could go on and on.
The Ironman.