Opinions on 2000 Bass Cat Pantera Classic

Looks like I'm about to get a 2000 Bass Cat Pantera Classic with a Mercury 150 Optimax engine. My dad has it and is not sure of the model. I would be interested in hearing any and all opinions of this boat. Stability, ease of driving, etc....

Classic or PII?
They are a little different. Both great boats.

Either are cupcakes with 150's. 3.0 L 200's will change that opinion, especially on the classic.

Looking at all the photos, I think its a 2000 Classic with a EFI 2 stroke Mercury 150

You'll love that boat!

Tommy,
Thanks. The engine only had 60 hrs on it when my dad bought it 3 years ago. It hasn't had many more hours put on it since. Only problem right now is the ending isn't running right. It will start, but won't stay running until its been started several times. Once running, it runs fine.

Well, I found what we think is the main issue with the motor. When my dad bought it, the previous owner let him know a mouse had crawled up the exhaust and built a nest. No problems though, it had been cleaned out and "all is well". However, the mechanic tore it down today (not sure what took so long, he's had it for 4 weeks and said "I've checked everything.") and found more next/dog food in the engine that was never cleaned out. Must have been OK, because it ran for 2 years before it had an issue. Now it has to be completely torn down to make sure its clean and "all is well."

I have found one problem, for me, with this boat. No storage on the back deck. BassCat didn't add it until 2004. Everyone keeps telling me don't worry about the coangler. He will just have to use a tackle box. Only problem is that I will have a regular coangler. My son. I fished in the middle of the boat growing up. Sat on my tackle box because it was a 16' aluminum boat with no seats in the middle. Had to move my stuff every time we went down the water somewhere. It was the only thing that really soiled the experience a little. Anyone know if you can cut into the deck of a boat like this and add some storage?

Great boat! Really good ride for a 19' boat, and the layout is very fishable. Keep an eye on the hull, especially if you are in a lake with lots of stumps. The Sabre and Classic gelcoats are not as durable as some of the other Basscat models (Per Mike at Lake Fork Fiberglass).

Thanks. Good to know. Don't fish many stumpy lakes, but do fish some.

sounds like nice cat, ifyou cant stand the layout, call me make a deal on it

Got a response from a BC rep on another forum. Factory won't do it as that's where the flotation is at. So I'm not doing it either. I'll fish as is.