Hello offshore enthusiasts. i am looking at buying a used cat likely a nor tech 36. i was hoping someone could give me some honest advice about engines and drives recommended and what kinds of issues i could be walking into with a used hi performance offshore. my last go fast was a 34' baja with 496 ho i bought new and never had a single issue with. being new to a cat was thinking a 525 setup to get used to this type of boat. thanks, mark, ontario, canada

I was wondering how long it would take TahoeRick to find this thread.

36 Nor Tech is a great boat, with the 525's you will have dependability and still enjoy yourself. go for it. with the prices now, what you are looking for should be able to be found for a little over 100,000. good luck

Nortech is a great boat. That said, I feel you will get bored real quick with 525 power. I suggest you get as much HP as you can afford, keep in mind insurance costs which will rise proportional to power. Go to Tres Martin and learn how to drive a big cat. Your insurance will likely require you to attend his class regardless if you have no prior cat experience. Lots of good deals on used Nortechs and Skaters.

cats suck, get a dog instead...

Bigger power , detune till you get the handle of things, then gradually turn on the power.

525 power would be reliable but like they said you will likely get pretty bored with that setup. If you buy a bravo boat you will be limited to power upgrades in the future as well. Keep in mind that most cats hop from 60-90 so it will likely be hard to get past the porpoising and you will be stuck running about as fast as your baja. That can be helped with a tunnel tab but most cat people will tell you that a tab will get you hurt if you aren't careful. Never been in a lot of Nortechs but I can tell you mine doesn't ride well until you get to about 100 then it rides and drives perfect but under that it just doesn't. Good luck on your search!

525 nor tech should do 125mph

A 525 EFI 3600 Nor-tech Bravo XR/Sportmaster will only run about 105 low on fuel and weight but will be a Bravo eating monster. We just converted 1 to IMCO SCX with 800 aspirated HP that we are still dialing in.

125, I highly doubt, more likely with 700's. If so very impressive. That said if 525's could get a 3600 to 125 it would take forever to get there and to get to that number would be propped such that would be an absolute pig all around.