Bringing an Old Cat Home: Classic Single Engine Sport Cats
Everyone likes a good deal and when it comes to boats I love a great deal. Boating and especially performance boating is not always synonymous with deals or budgets though. Because of this, I’ve always liked smaller boats, ones you can tow easily, put in a garage or just store easily. Small single engine boats can be economical. Of course, everyone’s budget is different but I think a good value for boats right now is older mid size sport cats. In the nineties and into the 2000s, there were quite a few builders making small cats in the 24’ to 27’ size range. Back then, sterndrives were more popular and these single engine cats were great hot rods for most lakes and rivers. Let’s go down memory lane and look at some of the good ones that you can find for great deals today.
Typically, the single engine sport cats were center pod designs and there were several manufacturers making many different models, so there are plenty of used ones out there. I think repowering a single engine sterndrive with modern power is a smart way to go. If you’re dead set on outboards, some were available as outboards and are also great repower candidates. The advantage now for the sterndrives is if you’re not trying to break 100 MPH and happy in the 80s or 90s, a rebuilt or new 425 to 600 HP naturally aspirated engine is turnkey and modern drives are more robust than they were twenty years ago.
Finding a good hull shouldn’t be hard. There are some boats that really stood out and many were really well made, although like any old boat, you need to inspect carefully. If you’re lucky, finding one that just needs some TLC or needs some minor repairs can be a great bargain. Trying to find one in that is less than 15 years old is probably best, depending on budget but overall use and condition is obviously an important factor.
Another great thing about center pod tunnels is they are generally very easy to drive, can handle the chop really well and often don’t have some of the issues small true tunnels can have, like a hop in the mid range. That’s not to say all center pods don’t have a hop, and not to say all small true tunnels have a hop either, but setup is really critical. There aren’t many true tunnels in the 25’ to 27 range either, unless you find a Skater or a variation of one; which is hard to find and a different animal. Center pods have a few issues too, including that the hull can become “hydraulic”, when water compresses in the small tunnel and can pop the boat up.
25 Talon
The 25 Talon is one of the most iconic small sport cats of all time. Like the other Talons, the 25’ had an almost futuristic look to it. With a sleek swept back wind fairing and a low profile, the diminutive 25’ set the stage for many other sleek center pod tunnels. Gary Armington started building the 21, and 18 models before the 22 and 25’ and I think the first ones were in 1988 but that could be off by a couple years. Known for quality and attention to detail, the 25 Talon still looks extremely sharp.
A Howard Custom Boats 26 Cat. Amazing build quality, classic design. What’s not to like. (photo: KKJ Media / instagram)
Since the 25’ cat size is popular and the Talon was a winner, it’s no surprise a few builders were heavily influenced by the design. American Offshore, Howard and a few others are very similar and all well built. If you can find a Talon, or a Hustler Talon 25 which is based on the Talon you have a great hull. The Talon version came in both outboard and sterndrive, whereas the Howard and American Offshore were single sterndrive. Personally, I really like the look and build of the Howard or the original Talon. I think Howard stopped building them about 5 years ago, so you might find a late model Howard 26’ Cat, and that’s a great option. The American Offshore 2600 NSX would probably be the best deals.
An absolute head turner back then and still is. An old brochure image.
The Talon 25 by Hustler, a modern take on a classic. Twin outboards are cool but a single sterndrive works really well on these.
Eliminator Daytona 25, 27
One of the more popular single engine sport cats of the time and for good reason. These are great looking boats and came in multiple configurations, including integrated canopies. The 25’ is small, at exactly 25’ and a 96” beam. From what I understand, you might want to opt for a two step version, where the early ones had a single step. The two step reduced any hop the boat had, and I believe the later boats had the center pod slightly higher. Like some cats, the faster you go, the better they run and past 80 MPH is a sweet spot for many in this size. If you run a 500+ HP engine, you should be well into the 80s. If you want to run insane power, these can really move but again, you’d be spending big bucks to get there. A 90+ MPH Daytona would be great and easily obtainable.
An older Daytona still looks really sharp and performs really well even with a moderate single.
The 27 Daytona is actually a nice size, it has the same bottom as the 26’ Daytona at 26’10” but has a different deck with both a full windshield and canopies as options. The canopy boats look wild but I really like the standard deck. With a 8’4” beam, the 27 is often almost as fast as a 25’, the extra length doesn’t lose you too much speed. For overall looks, I like the 25’, if you’re talking all around driveability and usability, I’d go 27. Since so many were made, you can find graphics from mild to wild. The 26 is great too obviously and has a different layout than the 27.
DCB Mach 26
These don’t seem to come up used very often and you don’t see many F-26’ either, which is the twin canopy deck version of the small DCB. These are awesome boats. What really sets them apart is the fit and finish and rigging. DCB boats are meticulous from the factory, even back then. Gel work is second to none and the boat will perform. Sure, some are faster but in this category, the top number isn’t the only thing and these little cats can get scary fast with enough power.
This is the only picture I had of an older DCB, it’s an F29. But you get the idea.
I imagine many used DCB’s in the 8 to 12 year old range will still be in great shape, not many people abuse these boats. They might run them hard but will probably take care of it. I do like the Mach, but the F looks pretty cool with the canopies. The hull is 25’8” with a 8’5” beam and usually weighs about 3,800 Lbs. If you pull up old tests, a big power Mach 26, with 1,000 HP will run about 120 MPH. That’s impressive, and even with a 500 to 600 HP engine you’re going to be close to 90 MPH. If repowering, I’d probably pony up for a 600+HP engine and shoot for 100+ MPH boat. If you have the budget, these are great boats and will hold their value quite well.
Nordic Thor 27
This boat is still made and has had multiple hull updates along the way. I think in general, these are really nice looking and don’t look dated at all. Some of them had a cool triple bucket rear bench seat and the canopies. First produced in 2006 I believe, means there should be quite a few out there. These were price really well and you’re going to get a really well built boat that performs well.
A really modest deadrise on the sponsons and a high center pod make this a pretty fast cat. Single color looks great.
The first two years they redesigned the hull, and apparently after 2008 the third generation performed better. Reports have the Thor pushing 90 with a 525 and can really fly with big power. At 27’9” with a 8’5” beam the Nordic Thor is pretty big, but performs well. If you look, the center pod is quite high and because of the length, this cat should be quite good in a chop. Great boats, good value.
RPM Redline
Back when these came out, they were known as budget performers. Not a low profile boat but very practical overall. A deep cockpit and with a full windshield, the RPM Redline was a bargain and is a good family boat. In fact, I would say this might be the best pick out of all the older sport cats for a few reasons. Back in the day, these would run 95 MPH with a stock HP 525 engine and the design is really modern and timeless. The 26 foot cat was priced really well new and I think because of how fast it is with reasonable power, it makes an economical repower boat. In more recent years you can find the odd twin outboard setup but I think this suits a single big block nicely. These boats are manufactured by Lavey Craft now, so the quality on the new ones is excellent.
Beautiful lines on this Redline 26’. (from laveycraft.com)
Lavey Craft 27’ Sabre
I really like Lavey Craft, they really do bring the craftsmanship to boat building. The 27 Sabre is a really clean design, with straight lines and a sleek low profile. I believe all of them were vacuum bagged and built solid. At 27’2” and close to 5,000 Lbs, they are solid but still fast. Gel work is exceptional. If you can find one, I’d be all over these. I think this is one of the best of the bunch. Lavey started making the Sabre in 2000, so I’m sure there a few out there. If you have the money, you can order a new one too.
These are beautiful boats in every way. A great buy used if you can find one. (laveycraft.com)
HTM, Carrera, Warlock, Awesome
The list above is meant as more of a guide when looking, there ware quite a few different hulls I missed because there are just too many. But in general, the ones above are some of my favorites. It’s worth mentioning the Carrera 257 Effect, one of the best looking sport cats of the time and really fast. The deck profile is super sleek and is a great boat, probably not easy to find. The Warlock, super low volume, not too many out there but a really fast boat. HTM were also known to be really fast. I don’t know much about the company but when I go back through tests and reports it was definitely fast, maybe a little dated now.
HTM were fast (High Torque Marine), you can see the stepped hull and high center pod. Little pads on the running surface too,
From the nineties and two thousands to recently, the small sport cat category was so popular and especially out west. Out east, many prefer true cats and bigger ones for bigger water. But so many boaters run lakes and rivers or reasonably calm bays, the center pod cats are great overall for many boaters and are easy to drive. Most of these are custom built and you’ll find almost all had the colors in the gel, you can probably cut and polish an older to look great again, which is great about gel colors.
Reading Powerboat and Hot Boat growing up, it seemed like every second issue was comparing different sport cats and their was some kind of speed war, to see who could out do one another. Seeing single engine sport cats getting into the 130+ MPH range seemed insane. Some of the bigger manufacturers offered outboard versions too, so that might be worth looking at. But in this time of huge outboard demand, great deals can be had on stern drive single engines.
