New to power boats and need advice

[parkprop843]

Hello everyone. As the title says i need advice. I have had many fishing boats from 14-22ft with outboards but never anything with an inboard. I have the opportunity to buy a pantera sport 24 from 1976 that cosmetically is in decent shape. I would give the hull a 6.5/10 and the interior a 6.5 as well. The part of the boat that concerns me is the engine setup. I have no idea what i am looking at. All the info the owner gave me is that its a 454 that was rebuilt last year with a holley 750 double pumper and should have around 400hp and 12 hours. Its a freshwater boat too. He also is stating that the transmission has been replace too. He also doesn't know what the outdrive is. All he knows is its a mercruiser. The trim tabs, i am assuming they are k-planes, needs motors rebuilt according to him. I have attached photos of the motor and outdrive.

Basically what i am try to ask is, what am i looking at in the photos? Does anything appear to jump out at you? What kind of outdrive is on the boat? I didnt realize boats need a transmission, any idea what kind it is? What kind of steering is in a boat like this? Is it mechanical or hydraulic? Is there anything i need to investigate further. I haven't had a chance to sea trial the boat yet but plan to in the very near future. Also, any info on the early pantera 24's would be greatly appreciated. Especially if you know the fuel tank capacity.

Thanks in advance for your help.

[Ing]

Post the same question on the Pantera thread on OffshoreOnly.com. You will definitely get the correct info.

[parkprop843]

Thanks for the advice. I originally set out to do that but i am still waiting on the confirmation email. Its been 2 days. I even tried setting up a different account with an alternate email and still haven't receive the confirmation email for that either. My time is kind of short because i am going to look at the boat Saturday morning. Its a few hours away from where i live. Thanks for the suggestion and reply though. It is appreciated.

[Scream And Fly]

Welcome to Scream And Fly!

I could be wrong, but that almost looks like an old TRS drive. That's a pretty old setup, and be warned that it looks like it will require a lot of time and money. No telling exactly what that engine is by looking at it - or even if it's a marine engine at all. Do you have any paperwork or documentation for its rebuild? I would be extremely cautious with this one - especially with the claim that it was rebuilt so recently with only 12 hours. Unless it's verified, I would not assume it's true. Just be sure that a boat this old, and in this condition will likely not be turn-key, and you will have to invest a lot of money into it - maybe more than it's worth.

Greg

[specboatops]

^ yes, that appears to be a TRS - I believe that can be swapped out with a speed master 3 or 3A ( if he wanted to upgrade )

To the OP, welcome, there are a ton of great guys that can help you along the way with anything and everything. Jump right in with your questions.

[parkprop843]

Greg, thanks for the input. That would make since. From the little info that i have gathered on my own the trs's required a transmission. Since trs's are old, is there a problem with parts availability?

[Scream And Fly]

Parts are available for the TRS, but getting pretty hard to locate. Nothing is currently being produced by Mercury for them. You would probably be looking for mostly used parts.
This could be a lot of work, depending on the condition of that drive.

Greg

[Ing]

You also may want to inquire with The Bravo Shop or Konrad has a Bolt-on replacement for the OLD TRS.

http://www.bravoshop.net/

http://www.konradmarine.com/8284.html

[Scream And Fly]

I think the drive unit is only part of the concern with this boat. Looking at the photos, that wiring worries me quite a bit. And unless there is documentation of this engine's rebuild, there's just no telling what it really is, how old it is, or what's inside. Taking into consideration that this boat is 40 years old, I think that unless you are looking at this boat as a possible project, be cautious. It will require a lot of work, whether it runs or not. Just my opinion.

Greg

[parkprop843]

Ive done a restore on a '76 hewes flats boat. I unfortunately understand how things can get expensive quickly. For some reason i like old boats. He is saying he has documentation on the motor rebuild and receipts for the transmission as well. I have yet to see it. If the engine rebuild was done professionally they sure did leave a big rats nest of wires.

[Scream And Fly]

Ive done a restore on a '76 hewes flats boat. I unfortunately understand how things can get expensive quickly. For some reason i like old boats. He is saying he has documentation on the motor rebuild and receipts for the transmission as well. I have yet to see it. If the engine rebuild was done professionally they sure did leave a big rats nest of wires.

I can definitely understand the appeal in older boats. But yeah, that wiring would certainly need to be replaced entirely. It's good that he has documentation for the engine and transmission. I would just look very closely at everything. That hull will likely need work.

Greg

[johnmiffco]

24 panteras were good boats in the rough,,,
been plenty raced back in the day
this 1 needs lots of love
if getting it for dirt and u want to do a total restoration
id be checkin motor leakdown right off the bat
have hull inspected for moisture
as them 2 items get real expensive real fast
there are 2-3 really nice 24 panteras for sale right now 18,000-25
so gotta take that into consideration
ur time and money spent to its worth when done
and yes is a trs drive with a nose cone on it with a chewed up skeg
headers are very old design,,,looks like an old automotive hei distributor
very rough shape on whole boat just in the few pics
but if like projects they were good boats with a good following

[delawarerick]

Does the engine have a water pump or is a cross-over? Trs drives are fairly bullet proof from my experience unless you are gonna jump waves. Look for like a wire screen on the alternator face and see if you can see marine written on the starter anywhere. Take some more pictures of the engine the one thing that scares me sometimes with an inboard is car parts. Always run the blower for a few minutes before you start or open the engine cover just in case car parts where used. Panteras are real popular down here and there are many take offs such as jaws pdf etc. Nice boat and good luck with the new rig. Rick

[parkprop843]

Thanks everyone for the input. Delawarerick, how do i check to see if its a water pump or cross over? Also, how do i flush the engine. I will be using the boat in primarily salt and brackish water along the ICW and ocean. Sorry for the lack of knowledge on inboards and how they work but its a brand new to me. Like I said Im used to outbaords only. I don't see a water pickup in the foot like my yamahas on my boats. How is the engine cooling taken care of? Attached is a pic of the last boat i fixed up.

[Go Time]

It appears that the water pickup is mounted on the port side of the transom (the white rectangular tubing).....definitely check the transom thoroughly for moisture damage before doing anything else. The I/O boats were notorious for transom issues....we had a 28 years ago that we replaced the transom on...it isn't easy or cheap.

[fatherb68]

the outdrive is a trs. Some one put on a nose cone. They are stronger then a bravo, but they rob a bit of power. They use a borg warner transmission. The more moving parts that you put between the crank shaft and prop will always use power. With that kind of power I would get rid of the trans and drive and convert it to a bravo. You should probably rewire the engine bay, you might find that more stuff (k-planes) might work. And it would look cleaner as well. Pantera makes a great boat and they are good in the rough stuff, but they are no speed demons. Looks like a fun project. Just be carful with what you pay for it.

[parkprop843]

Just an update. I went and looked at the pantera. I decided to pass on it. The hull was in pretty decent shape. Its been painted within the past 10-15 years. Minor nicks and rubs. Might shine up nice with some elbow grease. Transom appeared solid. I didnt do a small core sample with a drill to check moisture content. Everything ran and sounded fine. The trim tabs did not work amd only gas and oil temp gauges worked. Wiring was a mess. Interior was ok. I would say it was in usable condition. The cuddy was gutted. For me being in salt water the painted steel trailer may have lasted a year. Once i started adding everything up it just isnt what i need at the time. If anyone is looking for a small project, this boat seems to be a good candidate. Its located near greenville, sc. It was a cool boat though and plenty fast. I appreciate all of the help everyone gave me and thank you all again. Oh yeah the guy was asking $8500 and was willing to listen to offers.