Quote:
Originally Posted by conor
hello, just wondering is there a phantom or ring that will out handle a 27 cougar in rough sea?
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The following are comments from Paul C when I had a discussion with him regarding the 225 Cougar.
Paul C
“Totally agree a very under rated hull. I will go so far to say that there is nothing out there that will come close to competing with this hull in rough conditions accept something a lot bigger and heavier! Make no mistake this hull comes with a health warning. It is an extremely technical boat to handle and rewards those who get it right and punishes those who get it wrong. Marmite springs to mind..! you will love it or hate it.
I've raced these hulls in brutal seas & strong beam on winds, in those conditions yes trim tabs would have made my life easier. But that said these hulls are unbelievably good in rough weather; fill the bow tank, trim down and they fly true and level although there are many photo's that will contradict that. I found they suffer in strong beam on winds at any speed, they can list heavily. Over long distance cruising that would be uncomfortable so in that situation they are a must have. By fitting an inboard you have already improved things, you also have one of the heavier hulls so unless you are planning to go out when it is rough and windy on a long cruise don't waste your money.
As for the one in Norway, it can't really be compared with our Superstocks. It accelerates quicker, is at least 10mph faster, has a different prop, adjustable engine height, extra fuel tank in the rear, it's roughly 100Kg heavier and of course it has those trim tabs. This particular set up takes driving these hulls to a new level - If you find the sweet spot the stability is unbelievable. I have driven this boat at over 75mph with both hands off the wheel for several hundred meters before my bottle went. Do that for for a few seconds at high speed with the Honda and over you go.! On the other hand it can be far more wild than the Honda if you get it wrong. As the owner found out.! In his words."
freddy21
I have to honest and say that although I own one I have not yet had it in the water as I have spent 2 years converting it to inboard. I did a lot of research and in my humble opinion and this is only my opinion would say the following.
I don’t think there are many 27ft boats that with a 225 will do 69mph. This is due to the fact that it a stepped plane hull which will give 10-15% more efficiency and for a boat of this length they are very light due to the foam cores, balsa cores and aramid fiber (Kevlar) construction.
They are very long and narrow (6ft wide) which gives which gives it low aerodynamic drag. The down side of this is with it being narrow and with the four stoke Honda mounted high up they rolled over when racing (too higher C of G). From what I herd they were a lot better with the lighter 250XS.
Some as in mine had a problem with the chine’s delaminating. I believe as in the case with mine it was driven like a banger race car with lots of contact and went over the top of another. When I bought it although it had been repaired and it had failed again. I believe this was mainly due to the fact that it was repaired mainly with polyester resin. The hulls were made from vinyl ester, nothing sticks very well to it other than epoxy. I have removed most of the repairs and redone them with epoxy. Some repairs I put a screw driver behind and the popped out like it was a non stick frying pan. Over all for a boat that had 8 races a season for 7 year it was in good shape. Provided you keep no contact they are very strong.
I love it and would not change it apart from a Phantom, may be. As Paul C said, it’s a technical boat to drive and I think it’s a technical boat to repair but worth it.
MARMITE !!