Panther Jets??

[sandblasted]

I've got a chance to pick up a pretty nice 19' Hawaiian jet boat from my brother-in-law....454 engine and interior are in excellent condition, gel coat is a little dated.Its a 1977..The one thing that's giving me second thoughts is the Panther jet..I don't know squat about Panther..Everyone I know with jet boats has a Berkely or Dominator and they all say Panther's are crap...Does anyone have some insight on Panther's? Apparently they make a jet-o-vator for them now but does it work? How easy is it to install?...Should I keep looking for another boat..The price is $4500 and all it really needs is a paint job...

[dankirk]

My boat has a Ford 460 and a Panther Jet. You can find pics at:
http://home.socal.rr.com/kirkpatrickcove/
I like the Panther jet, it moves my heavy boat just fine. As long as the clearances are tight it will work great. All Panthers have stainless impellors, and Panthers put out more thrust then the other jets. Panther is still in business and they are very helpful when you call. You can find them at:
http://pantherjet.com/
I have also heard negative comments about Panther jets, but they have come from people who have no experience with them. People who own Panther jets are usually happy with them.
Good luck on your boat purchase, Dan

[Brendella]

I have a panther and it runs well you will only get about 75mph. I have over 500hp and can't get it to move any more. but it is tight and launches good. I am considering a berk or aggressor update when the pump goes out, but will require glass work. Oh the diverter from panther are no good if you want one for the panther go to adm boat works they retrofit a diverter from place or some where but it has more angle. I pick one up from a friend . but they are costly for the better one from adm. I say buy the boat but exspect to upgrade in the future if you are looking for 80+mph. but for relibility. you'll never change the pump if it is maintained. just my thought
One more thing Panther is axel flow.
Most others are mix flow
study up and then make your decision!

[lostlake]

My friend has a 17' jet boat, 360 AMC motor stock with a panther, He has had it for 7 years not one problem, the boat does 65 mph, and has even suck some rocks and it spit them right out and still goes 65, he blows away most 454 by 3 or 4 mph..

[flat broke]

Sandblasted,
I had a 19' mini day cruiser with a Panther for two years. The first thing I will say about the pump is they ARE reliable. They come stock with an SS impeller, and as long as you don't run em in sand or dry, and keep your front bearing oil resevoir toped off, they will run forever.
As far as performance, they are an axial flow pump which means they work off of volume not presure like a berk/dom/agg. The benefit of this, a stock Panther will holeshot a stock berk/dom/agg in the same hull. However, the post about going 75 is partially correct. If you want to run top speed with a Panther the axial flow design starts to hurt you on the top end.
In regard to the diverter, I might take some flack for this, but I have heard from Panther, and two other pump guys that the ADM diverter will give you trim control, but will hurt overal performance. I can't say if is true as I never owned the mod, but when the tech that tells you that is regarded by other pump guys as "the panther guy", I would lend it some credence. The Panther diverter leaves something to be desired for the price. It is effectively a piece fo square tubing inside the stator housing that pivots to re-direct the thrust. Despite its simplistic design, it does work. I picked up about 5 mph on my boat with it and could actually feel the boat get loose when the nozle was up (similar to upshifting and accelerating feeling in a car).
Steve at Panther is realy helpful and personable, but the rest of their staff was a bit odd. The diverter setup runs about $900, but the handle they give you is just a standard Morse control, and you have to pay shipping (about $40-50 from CA with insurance) for the trip up.
The downsides... Parts are expensive. There is much less in the way of aftermarket support. You cannot disconnect the driveline to tune in your driveway without pulling the pump. There is no wear ring, the impeller is clearanced against the housing and once it goes you have to get the housing sleeved. The sleeving works great, but costs some $$. And least important, you will always catch shit for running one from the Berk crowd.
Bottom line, $4500 isn't a screaming deal for a 19' jetboat. The fact that you might know the history on the boat makes it worth more, but there are probably some good options around in the same price range. Since your brother in law owns it, take it out, GPS it and see how bad the speed is. Then you will at least know how much $$ you might have to spend to get to the numbers you want to run. Sorry for the long post, but I hope that helps.
Chris.
And if you need more info on the Panther diverter, shoot me an email.

[77Spectra]

Run as fast as you can!!!! I have always been a Berkley Guy. One of my friends had a panther and I have to agree with a previous post that it is a good pump for a lake boat. All pumps are dependable. When you later feel the need for speed is when you will wish you had another pump. Another friend of mine owned a Hawaiian. Some models, including the one my friend had, were desighned by the owners son who new nothing about boats. The pumps in some were set with 2 degrees down angle to make everything work. Even with ajustable trim if the basic angle is not correct, the more power you give it , the more the nose wants to dig in. 500 hp gave him 68 mph. He later ripped the pump out, moved the motor, put in a berkley and corrected the pump angle. The speedo topped at 80 and he was beyond that.
Check the pump angle in relation to the hull. Decide if 70 is fast enough with peformance mods. Hope I helped....

[sandblasted]

To all: thanks for the input..I'll be test driving it at Lake San Antonio or Naci in late august. My sister and brother-in-law don't want to sell it until after summer anyway so I have some time to decide.

[jusjetting]

I have a 19' Brendella. With a 468 BBC and a Panther w/ a jet-o-vator and it run 84 MPH.
About 600 HP. Panther Marine rebuilt my pump.
They did a performance upgrade. I'm real happy with it.