Nice looking boat, but I'm not quite ready to buy just yet.

65 is plenty fast for me. At this speed the boat rides and handles very well. Just my comfort zone.

Tubby does that legend get to the speed easily??

Been looking oh so hard at them boats and thanks for the return email on them.

i agree my champion says it does 76 i dont think i would want to risk my life going any faster than that i jumped sideways one time i had to pull the seat out of my u know what i think a boat is alot like a motorcycle once u get use to the speed and want more u better be careful

Matt,
It will get to 72 real quick. I just prefer 65. No stress!

That is soooooooo true! My boat says that it will go 71 on the speedo but by gps it only does about 64. Empty, 67. Its hard to see a boat as heavy and big as a bass cat go that fast! Not saying it cant happen but hard to believe?

I call them "Fly fishermen"...fish a hole for 5 minutes, fly to the next hole, fish it for 5 minutes and fly to the next hole.

When my dad used to race boats and someone would brag about how fast they were "supposedly" going he would say "I don't want to buy his boat, I want to buy his speedometer!"

Shane T.,
I would not put a 150 on a Pantera Classic. It is hard to resell an underpowered boat, and most are unhappy with the lower horsepower in a very short time. I don't doubt your friend's numbers. The Classic is a light, fast hull, much lighter than say the Pantera IV rated for the same horsepower. With a 3.0 liter Merc 200 EFI or Opti, the Classic is a mid to high 70s boat. With tweaking on your friend's motor, if he's really putting out 260, I believe 84 is possible quite easily. The Classic is awesome with a 3.0 liter Merc. Super fast hole shots, great top end, and great handling. For a true 19' boat, not much else beats it performance wise.

Just so I understand, it sounds like you're suggesting that all boats should have the maximum rated horsepower on them. Is that correct??

Since I'll be buying used, I will probably take whatever motor is on the boat that I decide to buy. However, I still think that 150 is plenty for what I would want out of a boat...and by the time I get around to selling the boat it will be pretty well used up anyway. I plan to get one that I can keep for a LONG time.

As far as top end speed, I would probably be happy with the minimum recommended HP for the Classic, which is 115. I'm sure that would push the Classic at 40-45 mph, which is plenty fast for what I do. I wouldn't get a 115 though because I think it would be sluggish on that boat.

I guess I just don't consider 150 hp to be underpowered for a 19' bass boat. Sure, it's not the MAXIMUM power, but underpowered??

That being said, I would LOVE a 200 hp engine on a Classic, but a lot of it will depend on what kind of deal I can find when I get around to buying (which won't be any time in the immediate future).

Shane,
We sell a lot of boats here. A LOT.

I also used to work at a tracker dealer. Sold a scad of boats there also.

After you do this a few times, there are some things which become a pattern.

Newbie boat owners are very confused about what is and what isn't important, and tend to repeat mistakes made by other newbies.

Now you're in the #1 mistake. Underpowering your new boat.

If I was good enough to convince you to put the rated motor on your new boat, your satisfaction level will be very high. If I couldn't, because you "don't need it" or "too much" or whatever reason, chances are about 85% that within sixty days, you'll be back, wanting to trade in your motor on the correct one. Believe me, if you try to do that, it'll hurt.

Thanks Pat. I'll definitely take that into consideration when I do get around to buying. Just like most other guys, I love the thought of having the most power and speed I can get out of a boat. But, my logic was that I could make do with less in order to save some money.

Anyway, I have plenty of time to think about it.

You won't save much money with the smaller motor. A 200 is not an "exotic" motor and is probably more readily available than the 150. You have to keep in mind the extra effort spent trying to balance and fine tune a boat. Remember, a motor has only one gear. The prop is allowed to ventilate at the lower speeds in order to help keep the motor from bogging, but other than that, one gear it is. Each boat is designed around a motor family's parameters and attributes (i.e. 3.0-3.3 liter 200s for the Pantera IV). The Pantera Classic was designed around the 2.5 liter Merc 200, so the 150 would perform okay for planing and top speed, but I bet you'd have a harder time finding the right setup with that combo, and it would be more finicky. The 3.0-3.3 liter 200s are just icing on the cake for that boat. They make it super easy to set up. Usually hole shot is a concern when setting up a boat for the top end, and there's always a compromise. With the larger motors and their seemingly infinite grunt, the Pantera Classic shoots out of the hole allowing more flexibility to adjust at the top end. Gas mileage would be fairly similar to the 150. Gone are the days of carburators. It takes a certain amount of gas to produce a certain amount of horsepower, period. The only small factors are additional engine weight and reciprocating mass. A 3.0 liter Merc should be less of a maintenance issue, since it would hardly need to be dogged out, because the boat gets up and scoots so well. If you want more advice, visit the BassCat site and pose this question on their forum. You will get similar responses to mine.

Thanks for the info Bass Hog. I've pretty much decided that the Classic is what I want. When I get closer to purchasing I was planning on asking "what engine", but you folks have already given me a good start in that department.

It sounds like you aren't quite ready to make the purchase yet. That's probably a good thing for you considering what these big boats with big engines might be worth in a few months or a year if gas goes to $3.00. You might just find a steal---or repo.

I'm just glad mine is paid for. I am just going to enjoy the boat and forget what happens to the value.