I have been too busy to join the message board. I am building a one of a kind Pantera 24. Pantera took my 1991 Pantera 24 in trade. I am building a 24' with a single 250 Salt Water Yamaha outboard. The boat is all white with white bolsters with red piping, the Pantera lettering is red and yellow, the sides are painted red with a fade through to orange and then to yellow with a blue lightening bolt pattern. It was built with a reinforced transom in case I want twins someday and an extra bulkhead for rigidity. The Stainless Marine bracket with welded ladder provides 24" of set back. The rigging is top notch and the boat is almost done. Jo and Pepe are shooting for 60 mph and I hope they are right. I saw the Viper and it is an aluminum engine with closed cooling and SS manifolds. The whole family has been great working on my one of a kind outboard Pantera. I will post some pictures as soon as it is ready.

GaryMMM,

Yea I saw your 24 in the shop last Friday and it's coming out real nice!

Keep us up to date.

Pantera24

Is the Yamaha a 2 or 4 stroke? It sounds like a very interesting project either way.

Good question Ironman, I am going with the 2-stroke, 3.1 liter, Salt Water, OX66, 250 HP since it is proven technology and very reliable. My neighbors have an Intrepid with twin Yamaha's and they are bullit proof. The biggest 4-stroke is 225 HP and it weighs 583 pounds (too much hanging 24" behind the transom of a 24' v hull). The 2-stroke weighs 493 pounds (about 700 pounds less then the old 454 Magnum Bravo I in my previous Pantera). The Yahama factory had a special warranty deal this year that provided the 3rd and 4th years for free (a aving of about $1,800). This motor can idle all day or run WOT all day. Jo is work hard on selecting the right prop and it will probably be an adapter and a 23" 3- blade Mirage type prop. I like Hydromotive but we'll see. Stay tuned for pictures and performance data.

Kewl,

What stage is the construction in?

Sounds all alright!! A fun boat.

The boat is being painted this week. The outboard rigging is simple. Maybe a few more weeks. I will take and post pictures when the boat is cleaned up and rigged. I saw the Viper boat on Friday and it will be in the SBI race on Sunday.

Come On GaryMMM,

Let's see some updated pics of the ride.

Yeah.......more boat building pics!

I saw the boat today and it is being painted by Scott. Once the paint is done and the plastic covers are off I will take pics and post them on this message board. The blue is awesome. I talked to Pepe about speed again and the factors are reduced powerplant weigth, set back, and great props available. It is amazing to me that a 3000 lb boat will hit 60 with 250 HP. If it is too slow, I will get twins when the warranty expires. The transom is built to last.