Yes they are. They use the same carpet, seats, all fiberglass construction as the big boats. Like you posted they dont have ALL the bells and whistles, but you can add most of them on when you order.I really like my new Sabre, and would buy another in a heartbeat. One thing ill add, be sure to get a tilt wheel! The fixed wheel is to close to the seat, and unless you have no legs its cramped.Last edited by xpress spanky on August 29th, 2015, 4:22 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Welcome Andy! I hope you enjoy your new BassCat.
I put a pair of 8 blades on before I ever took my Sabre out for the first run. While I cant say exactly what it cost in speed, I dont think it was much at all. Factory setup with a 150 4 stroke Merc it runs 63.5 gps with me and my normal load on the rev. limiter which I felt was pretty good. I sent my Tempest off to Mark Croxton Monday to have the pitch increased 1″ to a 24″, and let him balance and blueprint it, so hopefully ill pick up a little more top end.
I never ran a Predator on my old Pantera, but I had one on my old 184 Champion which was a 23″ 3 blade that ran really well on that boat. When I traded that boat in I got a 361V and tried several props on it. A 24″ Predator 4 blade was the best all around prop on that rig that I found. I sure hated to see them go out of business, and wouldnt mind getting my hands on a good 24″ 4 blade for my Sabre if I could find one in good shape.
There is really no correlation. All it really shows is how much the plate itself is raised. What I did, and I really like it like this, is to use a piece of masking tape over the top of the current sticker. I then let it all the way down and measure prop to pad. With a ink pin I write actual prop to pad numbers on the masking tape, and even inches on the tape, and quarter inch increment marks like the original tape. ( I hope this makes sense) That way you can look at the tape and see exactly what your prop to pad is, and like on my Sabre all the way down is 4 1/4″. I know when the gauge is on 3 that my prop to pad is 3 1/2″ being each number on the gauge is 1/4″.
For trailer tires ill have to agree with captjerry. Maxxis is the best trailer tire that we have sold in the last few years. For my rig personally, I pull the made in China trailer tires off before you can blink your eyes and put a good American made passenger car tire on. My 15 Sabre single axle trailer came with 10 ply made in China trailer tires, and ill admit I was impressed to see 10 ply rating. I was more impressed with the 4 ply B.F.G. Radial T/A sidewall thickness that I put on that was thicker. I have run good quality car tires since the early 80s, and never even had a flat.
Personally id ship it to Mark Croxton in Indiana. He has a very fast turn around, and does top notch work.
I agree with grybrd. Most people will say they want max hp the boat is rated for, but Ive had several that was rated for a 175 that had a 150, and ran good. Of course that was back in the day of the 150 hp limit, but they all ran out very well. Those consisted of a 184 Champion, a 361V Ranger, and a Pantera classic which was rated for a 200. The Pantera classic would rip any one of the 175 rated boats, and several others a new one with a 150. Heck my new Sabre is rated for a 175, and I went with a 4 stroke 150 Merc that so far has posted 65 gps with dual power poles and my normal load this last week. Im very happy with that, but I think I will see just a little more out of it once I try a few more things.
My rig is just the Sabre with the Merc 4 stroke so hopefully my info will help you. My boat came with a 23 Tempest that hit the limiter pretty easily, but ran 63.5 mph gps. I sent the prop to Mark Croxton and had it bent to a 24″ and balanced and blueprinted. It runs 65 mph gps with my normal load, and with just me in the boat. It also just touches the limiter. I have a 23 Trophy that Ive ran, and it will hit 62.5 mph HARD on the limiter. I am either going to send it to Croxton and have it bent to a 24″, or just buy a new 24. It seems to have a little better holeshot than the Tempest, but not by a huge amount and it handles a little better. I dont think it will run as fast as the Tempest on top, but will be pretty close and will handle better. I havent ran a Fury on my rig yet, so I have no info on that. I also have a Hill Marine SL4 that was originally a 24″ and got reworked to a 25 because it was hitting the limiter just barely, and I think I liked it better before it got reworked even with it hitting the limiter. Its supposed to be a copy of a Bravo 1. I can tell you my worked Tempest will out run it now from holeshot to top end, but the SL4 handles better. My next 2 props will be either my 23 Trophy bent to a 24, or just buy a 24, and possibly a Bravo1. I do have a 25 Tempest a member on this forum loaned me to try, but I havent ran it yet. I really think it would do great on top end, but would be a turd on holeshot. Thats what seems a little odd on these 4 strokes, is that they dont have a killer holeshot but they will pull good on the top end. I personally think you need to prop the 4 stroke so it just bumps the limiter for the best all around performance, or your holeshot will suffer. I should also note I have a Hyd. jackplate and 2 powerpoles on my boat.
Dan, was yours a 4 stroke or 2 stroke? The 2 strokes have a slightly higher gear ratio than the 4 strokes and that WILL make a difference. Heck I have no problem hitting it on my 23 turned into a 24 tempest or that SL4 that was a 24 before it got bent to a 25. My Trophy that is a 23 hits it hard. The gear ratios are like a 1.87 for the 2 stroke, and 1.92 for the 4 stroke. Also the extra weight on the FTD will have an effect on hitting the limiter. Now my SL4 that is now a 25 will only turn 5900, and doesnt hit the limiter. Also my prop to pad is from 3 to 2 1/2 under pad depending on which prop.
I just placed my order for a couple of items.
Did you have to change transmittor from analog to digital on Merc?Being its a 150 4 stroke it was pretty well plug and play. Even the trim sending unit is digital from the factory. Thanks for the complements guys.
My understanding is you just have to change the sending unit which isnt bad at all. I think all you have to do is tilt the motor up and pull 2 or 3 screws out after unplugging the sending unit, then install the new one in its place. The last part is calibrating the trim on the MercMonitor which is easy as well especially if you have a angle meter. I have one for driveshaft angles so I calibrated mine in the shop.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
Happy Thanksgiving!
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