Your right on. No way that boat does 77. How are you checking your speed, GPS or Mechanical?

Wow, how close is that? My Allison with a 150 opti has been 74 but only without tackle and light gas in the winter. My summer speeds with tackle and partner are closer to 65.

Pat knows his boats.

yes sir. most cats are awesome boats in rough water. they are definatley on the top of my list. Those Pantera's are tough to beat for what you'll spend on one. The puma is the creme of the crop and the jaguar is not bad either.
The bass cat's are fast, and fish great. the companys reputation speaks for itself.

My last 2 boats had 225HPDI's on them and my current boat has a 250ProXS. The 250 burns less gas and oil than the previous HPDI's not a bunch but there is differences in fuel consumption. They both do different things...the Yamaha has the bottom end of the power curve mastered but you get the two engines above 3K RPM and that midrange to top end is where the Merc shines. It is incredible the midrange power that Merc is generating. All 3 of the engines mentioned have been good ones and none were in the shop outside of routine maintenance.

I am of the belief that if you run manufacturer oil and additives you have a lower chance of having problems, I know some will disagree and that is ok too.

Boats...I am biased but there is only 1 boat for me and that is a BassCat. I have a Puma and would be willing to take ya out in it if you are looking that direction.

without a doubt the evinrude etecs are the most efficient and cleanest burning two strokes out there they in many cases will run with the mercs unless you get into the racing ones, bombardier has commited millions to two stroke technoligy while others are moving to fourstrokes, two strokes have less parts and produce more hp per cubic inch the only exception are the mercury verados they supercharged and weigh about 25 percent more and fuel coinsumption is about the same , dont be fooled all engines anr pretty reliable eteks are cutting edge at the top of the heap by the way they require no special break in ,they do it on there own, ps there emiisions are so close to four stokes its negledgable

as far as boats if you wanna go fast go allison, bullitt,or stroker you pay, but you wont be outrun. if you want ride go charger or champion , if you want to split the difference go stratos, all are good with simular warranties , stratos gives you the most boat for the buck,

pats right the best i ever heard o a allison running was 77 with a xr6 but with a reworked prop i belive it was a 29 spinellinot shure how you friend determined his speed but with a water pickup type speedo 3/32 drill bit works wonders, by the way alliison warranties tha boat only up too 150 even though my cousins had a 280 hp merc that could hit 108 with no2

For those that have commented that their selection would be a Bass Cat. I have only had the occasion to ride in 1 of them. I know very little about them other than it sounds like they back up their product and my friend who has one loves his.

I am looking for a 19 or 20 ft. with dual console.
Can anyone break down the different models or give insight to what is the diff between a Jag, Puma and Pantera I and II.

What are the price ranges one can expect to pay? As you have read I looked into the Skeeters and have a ballpark figure of what they run. Comapred to the Skeeter SX models where are they in price?
I once had a Merc, 2 boats ago but it was older, it sounds like Merc has stepped up their technogy. I am still undecided more than ever now. I have heard so many good things about the new Merec XS as mentioned earlier. Everyone who has one has remarked how much more powerful they are that any other motor their size.

I will start with the 20ft'ers (both 20'4") since you mentioned the Jag and Puma. They have completely different layouts and the hulls are different. The Jag was built 1996-2004 and was the top of the line boat as the Puma is today. The Puma was released in 2005 and took the Jag's place as the top of the line boat and is still in the production line in 2008.

The Jag had a unique deck layout with a rod storage on the back deck for the passengers rods and one rod locker up front with multiple smaller boxes and a lowered floor in front of the drivers console, most prefer the flippin deck insert to cover this up and provide a longer front deck. There is storage under the seats and besides a smaller compartment behind the drivers seat and the rod storage there is no rear storage, atleast how we know it today.

The Puma is a more modern boat w/ modular consoles, lighted handrails, more of a traditional deck layout w/ 2 rod boxes but it does have a super cool net storage in the front center of the deck. Also has fuel under the seats vs in the bilge area of the boat as the Jag has. The Puma also has rear storage.

The Jag is a little more nose heavy based upon the fiberglass lids vs the aluminum the Puma has so the Jag is heavier on the nose.

On to the Pantera's. There are currently 3 Pantera's and they are the Pantera II (referred to as the P2), the Pantera Classic and the Pantera IV (also referred ast the PIV).

The Pantera Classic (19"1") is the cheapest of the 3 and it is different from the P2 in deck layout. The Classic has handrails and a single box up front w/ 2 rod boxes. The rear storage was introduced in 2004 (might have been 03, I am going from memory here). A flippin deck is a great addition to this boat, it will be fast and nimble. You will pass some boats w/ 225's and an occasional 250. It is a fun boat to run.

P2 - at 19'1" the P2 was reintroduced in 2007 and has a full deck w/ a huge setup cooler and the 2 front storage compartments are flanked by 2 rod boxes. It too has rear storage and gas under the seats. This was the first modern day era boat that BCB released with handrails. It received mixed emotions...the old school BCB guys wanted and missed the rails while the younger crowd seemed to want the rails either lighted (like the Puma) or gone. This boat is real close to being the speed of the Classic with a raised deck (meaning low gunnel when compared to either of the PIV or Classic) and additional storage.

PIV - this is a 19'5" that fishes like most competitors 20ft'ers. It doesn't have the nose in the air attitude of almost all the other BCB's. It is more of a whole boat lifting than more nose, it is different but this thing just eats rough water up and it is the widest deck in the bunch. It has a deck layout identical to the Puma but without the setup day box and the cooler is slightly smaller. It is not a speed demon and high 60's to 70 is about what you should expect.

That pretty much describes the current model boats if you have other questions let me know...also Rockwall Marine is located just east of DFW and has everything but a Sabre FTD and a Pantera Classic in stock right now so they have a pretty good selection to look at.

Visit www.basscat.com or impactfishing.com for more info on Basscat.

I have an 04 Pantera Classic if your interested in going for a ride.

you know my fishing partner has a puma and with all the bells and whistles it has you have to get up go to the back and manualy change from one fuel tank to the next, has three tanks all for 42000

stick, that is correct the Puma has a 33 gallon tank under the seats and 2 10 gallon saddle tanks in the rear. They have to be filled as 3 independant tanks but the 2 rear saddle tanks are the "right" tank and pull as one big one. Over time they will level themselves to the same level too if you get a couple gallons off.

jmak19 in December i picked my brand new pantera classic with 200 optimax hung on the back. Judd is correct the classic is alot lighter than the P2 or the P4 and it will scream on a cool day with water temps cooler i have had it to 75mph with a little more trim to go but during the summer months this boat will run 70 to 72mph all day long water condition dictating and that is with a full tank of gas and all touny gear and two chunky boys in it. I have beat 225's several times the storage on that boat is great for how BCB builds them. Two front rod boxes and you can get 2 or 3 7' rods in them if kept towards the inside, huge front storage with the ice chest in front of it, the flippin deck insert is a must have, two nice storage compartments behind the seats, a huge livewell for those big pigs to fit in. The classic also runs real well in rough water and all three of those hulls the classic, P2 and the P4 are max 200hp. I couldn't be anymore pleased with this KITTY!!! hissing across the water. But test drive what is going to fit you the best and make a decision based on what you like in boat. GOOD LUCK!!!