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The extra foot of length the pantera II has over the Sabre is found where? In the front deck, rear deck, cockpit? I am thinking about making a switch. Would it be the same for a classic?Thanks
It is in all three locations as they have a similar floor plan.
Is the rod locker any longer on the 19 boats? Would you say that you are able to fit more rods in it than a Sabre?
My father has a 2004 Sabre and I just bought a 2008 PII. After having fished tournaments out of the Sabre for a long time, here are a few comparisons/comments about the two boats. Once again, jusy my opinion and not bashing either as both are great boats. The biggest factors that drove me to getting out of the Sabre and into a PII were: 1) The front deck is shorter and narrower than the PII which really comes into play while fishing. In the Sabre, I really could only lay rods on one side or the other of the deck because the reels and handles basically are under your feet. Stack the rods on both sides or have pedistal seat in and you dont have much room to stand. 2) Rod boxes are too short to accomodate many of the 7+ rods (especially spinning rods). Your basically have to put your longest rods closest to the keel as the tubes seem a little longer there. I think it holds a total of seven or eight rods in the box. I still had one spinning rod that would not fit in the box period. 3) If you do go with a Sabre I would definately not reccommend a second console. Gets pretty tight getting between the two no matter how small you are which can get hairy when net get called for. 4) Speed – top speed is 61 mph (150 merc XR6, 59 mph loaded) which was a little slow for me. 5) Single storage box in center front deck – really nice to be able to split your gear up between two boxes simply for organizational purposes. Having said all that I realize that most of these comments are simply related to the fact the boat is an 18 boat and its not fair to compare to a larger boat. The boat is great for an 18 boat and I dont think youll find a better riding or built boat in that class. I have no issues with any of the prior comments on the PII. Lots of front deck space, 9 full length rods fit in each box, no second console so I cant compare, top speed 73 mph, and two center storage boxes up front. The back deck and storage boxes really dont feel much larger IMO.
Just noticed you mentioned the classic as well. Main reason I went with the PII as opposed to classic is that even though the overall beam width is similar, the front deck on the PII is raised and wider than classic. My understanding is that the width of the front deck on classic will feel more like the Sabre and PII more like Sabre FTD. Not 100% about this so correct me if Im wrong BCB.
wjh wrote: Is the rod locker any longer on the 19 boats? Would you say that you are able to fit more rods in it than a Sabre?You can fit a lot of rods into either. While the rod storage system is nice and built into the top cap, there is plenty of area under the system. Just use some stick jackets(BassCat monogrammed preferred) and place in the bottom of the rod box.I have an older Eyra and thought about adding a rod system aftermarket, but the socks are a nice way to go. I have 6-8 rods over 7 with several more in the 69″-7 range. When fully loaded, probably close to 18 rods in the box. The only one I cant store(havent tried) is the 8 rod that I break out occasionally.And this Eyra is 1710″, shorter than both……….Yes, the DC on a regular Sabre does take up space and makes maneuvering rods in and out of the box a little more tedious, but I have fished out of JStews Sabre DC with 150 EFI and had a good time, easy to use and probably over 550lbs of humans in the boat it still scoots to 62-63 by gps.P.S…..dont tell Jeff that I still like my Eyra over his or he wont take me fishin anymore! 96 Eyra/12 Mercury 175 Pro XS with 2015 single axle trailer2017 Victory Gunner
I owned a Sabre FTD and fished out of Texabamas PII. Both are for sale, one at Sherms and I think Kelly still has his PII? The PII front deck is a tad wider, maybe a couple inches? I want to say the front and rear deck are both 3″ longer with 6″ difference in the seating area than the Sabre FTD for a total of 12″. That may not sound like much but the seating area is a big difference if you are a big guy! The rod locker was a hair wider and deeper though nothing like going to one of the 20s which swallow 15 rods like a big gulp. The Sabre FTD will fit in a 20 space straight back where the PII took 22 straight back, took both home to try them out. Not sure where the extra foot on the trailer came from, suspect a bunch of it is in the 3L motor vs the 2.5 on the Sabre. The only way to really answer is the move worth it for you is to go get in one. Inches on paper or monitor are not the same as laying your stuff on the deck and seeing how it feels to ya. If I COULD have fit the PII in my original garage that is what I would have bought and likely still owned today. Its about the perfect balance of speed and size for most people. The Sabre FTD did EVERYTHING I asked of it.
Alan I also have an older Eyra (1994). The previous owner must have added a rod system in the locker. I can fit 19 rods, with 76″ rods fitting with no problems. Maybe I can get some pics up of my rig. Ive owned it for 2 years now. Its probably time I do so!
Well….get those pictures up! Love to see the old school, original rounded styling, wrap around lightning bolt, original recessed tm pedal basin Eyras!96 Eyra/12 Mercury 175 Pro XS with 2015 single axle trailer2017 Victory Gunner
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