Infor about the pantera 3

[john1112]

BCB stopped making the P-2 also, and others, but reintroduced them this year. It looks like all this is based on marketing decisions. Ive never heard anything negative about P-3s, and in fact, it seems P-3 owners are as happy as most of us are with our rigs.

[reelfast]

No complaints with mine. They are actually a lot of boat for the money! Lots “extras” that were standard for the P3. As for ending production, simply a marketing factor to make room for the new and improved P4 I would guess, but not b/c of it being an inferior boat. Good luck on your decision!!

[jignpig]

The Pantera line is continuing to evolve. It is the premier 19 foot boat and most popular line ever produced by BassCat. As with everything else that evolves, the Pantera line gets “tweaked” or improved periodically. Thus, the Pantera, Classic, Pantera II, Pantera III, and Pantera IV. The Pantera III was the introduction of the rounded euro styling for the Pantera group. Then, the Pantera IV was developed to further update the line with the modular console and big boat layout. The reintroduction of the P II was to celebrate the companys anniversary and introduce another styling change, the absence of rails and other enhancements.Much like the original Cougar, then Cougar FTD, now including the Cougar Elite….Sometimes the names are retired for future development. One day we may see another Jaguar……..96 Eyra/12 Mercury 175 Pro XS with 2015 single axle trailer2017 Victory Gunner

[angler557]

I had a 1999 PIII and it was a great boat. Very comfortable , stable and a great ride. I only had my PIII for about 7 months and found out the engine hadnt been maintained properly and was about to lose the #6 cylinder. If werent for the motor issues, I would still have the boat. I traded it off a few months ago and Im already missing my Cat. Brian

[BoBo]

I love my P3…it is definitely a one of a kind in the 19+ foot class. Took a little while getting used to it, but the big-water ride is great and it really jumps up and planes out in a hurry. One of the nuances of it is that it is a “nose-up” boat, which means that you have to trim it back down when slowing down to avoid backwashing over the back deck. I believe the primary change in going to the P4 was the downsizing and moving of the gas tanks to underseat locations, with the option of adding the small “saddle” tanks for those that still wanted a full 50+ gallon capacity (the P3 has twin 26-gallon tanks). I think with todays more fuel-efficient motors and with the price of gas these days, perhaps that type of gas capacity is a bit overkill for most guys, and with those big gas tanks, the P3 loses some potential storage room over the newer P4. Hull is also a bit different on the P4, in accordance with different weight distribution of the gas tanks. But the P3 really has plenty of storage, especially if you get the deck insert. JMHO. Sorry to hear of your loss, Brian…Last edited by BoBo on November 7th, 2007, 2:42 am, edited 3 times in total.

[1stinLA]

I have an 01 P3 and can say I would put it against anyones boat in a comparison. It has a smooth ride and is pretty fast to boot (in the fall thru spring 75-76mph, in the summer 73-74mph). Plus it will still get into some pretty skinny water where I like to fish in the marsh.

[basscatbat]

I had an 03 PIII and loved it. It was a great boat and sometimes wish I still had it. The only complaint was the hole shot. The 2.5 EFI Mercury did not have quite enough punch on the low end. Otherwise great.

[Bass Cat Boats]

I also have an 01 P-III and can find no reason to upgrade/update. Personally, Im not a big fan of the new modular consoles or in-dash electronics, just a couple of reasons why Im still happy with my 01. The P-III has a superb big water ride for a 19 bass boat, has a good fishing platform, and for me, plenty of storage (esp w/ the deck insert)! P-IIIs run especially well with either of the 3.0 big blocks from Merc & Yam, as they have the low-end torque to push the rear-end heavy P-III up and on plane. On a lessor note, most, if not all of the BC boats manufactured between the years 99-02 were constructed with some of the best resin (vinyl ester) ever, until new EPA govt regs forced a change. Vinyl ester being one of the most blister resistant and resilient resins ever produced for the marine industry (Im sure BCB will chime in and elaborate here). Nonetheless, almost seven years later after fishing and running many of the larger wind-swept impoundements here in Texas, and not a single stress or spider crack anywhere! I love the BPB101 digital dash, though there are some that have scorned them. The P-III came with many, many standard features which will now cost you extra. A gently used, well kept P-III, will keep you on the water fishing for many, many years to come. When and if the day comes, Ill likely re-power my P-III rather than buy an entire new rig, just speaks to how much I love my P-III. Good luck whatever you decide!

[Bass Cat Boats]

That 01 P3 is likely an all fiberglass model and will out last you. It is also made of that Vinyl Ester resin as you stated, which is superior to anything we can build a full boat out of today legally. Which is where you asked for a “chim(n)e in”. And we will be happy to do so. While we can not build boats out of that VE resin any longer, we have moved to the next best step in recent months, on 2008 models. After waddling around with the best resins we could buy and use legally, and not being at all satisfied with the results, we changed and worked to develop another VE product. We now use a full Vinyl Ester Barrier Coat on the surface layer of the gel coat, between the gel coat and the fiberglass laminate. This is a much superior product to the resin we were using in recent years. It also is a fidget better than the VE Resin we used in 1998-2002. We hope this works as the test did, and protects us further from blistering hulls and stress fractures. It should do so! Again we are using the very best raw material products we can to build your (our) BCBs from! BCB

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