mirage jaguar ski racer info

[blown]

i would like some opinions and thoughts on a mirage ski racer. pretty tuff boats? tater chips? can you walk on the sponson? handle rough water? what hp are they rated for? anyone run a 3 liter merc on one? anything i need to pay attention to when looking at one to buy?

thanks!
Blown

[2 De River]

I love mine, it's a 94 built by Collins, it depends on the weight of the person but I wouldn't recommend, taking a walk down the sponsons, I have a 260 merc on mine and it's a is capiable of 100 plus mph. They are great boats, in fact our group that I hang out with there are 7 Mirages. They are fun to drive. Good Luck in your search! Jimmy

[scawd the dog]

I had a Collins 94 mirage great boat had a 300X on it 120+ all day long with 2 , 115 with 4 people rode the chop as well or maybe little better than some others.... fun boat,

Brent

[jphii]

Mine is a 94 Collins boat too, but it's a Mod VP. It's pretty light, so walking on it requires some care. It runs pretty good with this tired looper on it. Me likes Mirages

[Jay Smith]

Walking down the pickle forks on ANY tunnel hull boat would be strickly according to the lay-up weights and the weight of the person walkin down the it...I've had GREAT luck racing COLLINS built Mirages over the years, I can't vouch for them after the molds left Kaufman, DUNNO how the ones Brad didn't lay up are as far as their quality AND OR duribility..

Enjoy the new ride,
Jay

[MODVP22]

All depends on how it was ordered. Mine is a 2000 and weighs 650 bare-can walk all over it (althought I don't). My brother's 1999 was ordered light at 525 and you can't lean on it in cirtain places.
When looking at buyin g a used boat it always comes down to what you're interested in, and doing your homework on the history of the boat. Do you have a particular Mirage in mind?

[blown]

thanks for the info guys. good stuff. just the kind of things i was wanting to hear.


so i wouldnt want to anchor in a cove and do a little swimmin and then crawl my fat azz up on a sponson to get back up in the boat?

[MODVP22]

thanks for the info guys. good stuff. just the kind of things i was wanting to hear.


so i wouldnt want to anchor in a cove and do a little swimmin and then crawl my fat azz up on a sponson to get back up in the boat?

Done it before. It's strictly a matter of the individual boat. IMO, a 650+lbs. bare hull boat would be fine for this.

[Raceman]

i would like some opinions and thoughts on a mirage ski racer. pretty tuff boats? tater chips? can you walk on the sponson? handle rough water? what hp are they rated for? anyone run a 3 liter merc on one? anything i need to pay attention to when looking at one to buy?

thanks!
Blown

You asked for opinions, so here's mine:

Some people like Mirages and have had good experiences with em........ I'm NOT one of those. I think they're flighty and more dangerous in comparison with other mod tunnel type boats and there've been WAY TOO MANY people hurt and killed in em around here. MOST OF the blowovers in that size/class boat that we've talked about here have been in Mirages.

In all fairness, Tom, Joe, Parker, & some others like em a lot............... Jay won multiple world championships when he was drag racin' with em. I guess it's like the Ford/Chevy debate, but I just don't feel they're NEAR as safe as an STV given the same power and speed, and the extra weight of a 3 liter on the back of one would be out of the question for me, and again, you've gotta look at the number of people that have been hurt in em.

[tunnelmike]

The '96 and 97's I had I (190 lbs) could walk down the sponson to the front with no problems. I would park bow in and walk off. I could even walk on the nose of the '97 without any cracking noises. The River Racer i have now you have to pick and choose your places. I can't stand anywhere on the flat spots of the deck.

Raceman and others , has anyone blown over a Ski Racer ? I have only had my '97 to 115 and it rode flat on the water. I haven't heard of any Ski Racers going over. Mike

[Raceman]

Raceman and others , has anyone blown over a Ski Racer ? I have only had my '97 to 115 and it rode flat on the water. I haven't heard of any Ski Racers going over. Mike

I don't know the answer to that question. I guess I don't know the difference in the Mirages, but thought until you get off into one of the specialty boats like the Pole Cat or the Quartermaster that the bottoms were basically the same between the rest of em. The one I had was a Jaguar ???-racer (maybe Riverracer?..... can't remember)

[RBT]

You asked for opinions, so here's mine:

Some people like Mirages and have had good experiences with em........ I'm NOT one of those. I think they're flighty and more dangerous in comparison with other mod tunnel type boats and there've been WAY TOO MANY people hurt and killed in em around here. MOST OF the blowovers in that size/class boat that we've talked about here have been in Mirages.

In all fairness, Tom, Joe, Parker, & some others like em a lot............... Jay won multiple world championships when he was drag racin' with em. I guess it's like the Ford/Chevy debate, but I just don't feel they're NEAR as safe as an STV given the same power and speed, and the extra weight of a 3 liter on the back of one would be out of the question for me, and again, you've gotta look at the number of people that have been hurt in em.

Raceman,

I am glad you brought that up. I have friends ( Tom is one ) that love there Mirage's. I think they are cool looking boats.... but won't get in one.
As best as I can figure, they have killed more people than all the other mfg's combined. I know some big name drivers/engine builders that won't set foot in one, and do there best to talk there friends out of them. These guys have gone over, and all say the same thing...... it was feeling great..... then GONE, no warning.
That is spoooooky.
Personally, I think you are better off with a QShot from Jack, an STV, or an Allison.

Zipping up my flame suit now.

[jphii]

Raceman,

I am glad you brought that up. I have friends ( Tom is one ) that love there Mirage's. I think they are cool looking boats.... but won't get in one.
As best as I can figure, they have killed more people than all the other mfg's combined. I know some big name drivers/engine builders that won't set foot in one, and do there best to talk there friends out of them. These guys have gone over, and all say the same thing...... it was feeling great..... then GONE, no warning.
That is spoooooky.
Personally, I think you are better off with a QShot from Jack, an STV, or an Allison.

Zipping up my flame suit now.

Looks like I'm just gonna have to come to the Rumble and show you the ass end of my Mirage.

[RBT]

Looks like I'm just gonna have to come to the Rumble and show you the ass end of my Mirage.

you can TRY

[MODVP22]

First, let me say that I have a tremendous amount of respect for Raceman and RBT and their experiences. These guys have more experience with their respected boats than anyone I've met, on and off these forums. Second, let's keep this thread on topic with information that Blown is looking for.

That being said, "Mirage's killing more people than all other manufacturers combined" has to be some of the most far off information I've seen on thses forums to date. Last I checked, the deciding variable to any performance boat is the nut behind the steering wheel. Case in point-if Parker Rabe should have gotten tossed from his Mirage's many times if that's the case-AND is the same guy who purchased one of Raceman's STV's and dislkied the way it flew going back to another Mirage, then another. If Raceman didn't want his old Mirage to be flighty, perhaps he shouldn't have tried setting up a Mirage like he did his STV's. After all, would you do the same things to your Vette's as you did you Shebly and expect the exact same results?
BTW, we all know that Jack Barsh's QuarterShot's began as nothing other than a splashed Mirage. To this day the basics of that design can still be seen in those boats-anyone who's been in a high school physic's class can see that.

On a side note: considering that the performance outboard boating sport is at an all time low, I love how we sit here and point fingers, bad mouth, and cut eachother's throats over petty issues like this, while people like Mercury and BRP sit back and watch us sabatage eachother-yet we wonder why we get so little respect from the rest of the boating world and no love from the engine manufacturers.