Magic 28ft Cat Open Bow

[Axcel]

I am thinking of buying one and would like owners opinions good & bad. I live on the east coast and I never see a Magic or Force Cat only Eliminator. I love the large entry to the pass thru mid cabin of the Magic-nice idea. Will a single Merc 525 EFI get me to 75mph? Do you need k-planes/trim tabs? How is the ride, handleing, quality...etc? Any other Cat that has the mid cabin open bow in the 26 to 29ft catagory I should look at also?

[boxscore]

Yes, Conquest

[Sandbar Mike]

We have a Force 29 that we are extremely happy with. Good performance and lots of room.
Here is the cuddy looking into the cockpit,
http://www.***boat.com/image_center/...000188-med.JPG
Here's a cuddy shot,
http://www.***boat.com/image_center/...000190-med.JPG
We went with the close bow.
I think there around mid 90's$ with 85-88 mph power.
Good Luck

[THOR]

The Magics are one of my favorites.
Talk to Doghouse here, he has one and its killer. I ran (actually tried to keep up) with him a year ago at Mohave and his boat is one of the best looking 28'ers I have seen.

[roln 20s]

Talk to Doghouse- he does have a 28 Magic Cat with the open bow- super nice boat. Its runs near 100 (best of my knowledge) with a 800hp Naturally aspirated EFI motor. I'm been in it going mid 90's--bad ass ride--like its on rails. I know he has toyed with the thought of selling it- send him a PM. His cabin space is HUGE.
This is a tough choice- both the Magic and the Force are awesome. The Magic should do right around 80mph with the 525, and I'd estimate the Force to be in the 76-80 range. Talk to Dano at Force Offshore- great guy. Also, for info on the Force 29- talk to Unleashed, NorCalCat, 79Hustler, Sandbar Mike (posted above). This is a ton of boat for the money--but get their Carb 540, not the Merc--it'll perform better and cost less.
Talk to all of these people- definately have good words of advice.
Roln 20s

[DogHouse]

Axcel, I sent you a return PM...
Some of my favorites in that size range are the Magic (duh!), Ultra Shadow 27, Lavey 27 (best built west-coast cat IMO), non-canopied Eliminators, and DCBs. They all have good points and some not so good; the fun part is shopping around and figuring out which one fits you best... Have fun!
-brian
ps: Thor & Roln, thanks for the plug!

[roln 20s]

Doghouse- I didn't know you loved the Lavey cat...good choice- definately a nice boat.
Roln 20s