F-26 Tiger cat

[Tucker]

Ok es, 225's with jack plates?? You're thinking wayyy out of the box. Let's hear about performance numbers; speed, economy, etc.

 

[bbarenis]

I have recently purchased a 97 f26Cat with Yamaha 225 4strokes. Had the surveyor run it and did great. Glad to hear your post about the 225 engines. It is a beautiful boat and after talking to several owners, they love them. Dont understand all the controversy about these models like on the hull truth forum. I run the gulf of mexico and think the boat will be fine after the test runs I have read about . The boat is from the original owner and is flawless, looks brand new and has only 300hrs on the new engines. :dance

 

[billyttpd]

I have seen several F-26Tiger Cats for sale...BoatTrader and Ebay.... All are the Cabin model...I thought there was a center console offering...what is the model name of the CC??

 

[Tucker]

X26. There's couple of sweet ones fairly close to me. Very unusual lay out. Love hate thing. OK I'm checking ebay and boat trader.

 

[Tucker]

Ok, the X26's don't seem to be for sale anymore. The F25 up in Canada with the Etecs looks to be in great shape, bottom never painted and well equiped. And...probably flys with the 225's. At 30K it has reserve not met. Guy's probably asking a bit much to get his motor investment back. Problem is the boat is rated at 400HP and you may have insurance issues. I like the one in Mass with the stock 200's over the one in Largo with 175 Evinrudes. Both are competitive priced.

 

[bbarenis]

I have recently purchased a 97 f26Cat with Yamaha 225 4strokes. Had the surveyor run it and did great. Glad to hear your post about the 225 engines. It is a beautiful boat and after talking to several owners, they love them. Dont understand all the controversy about these models like on the hull truth forum. I run the gulf of mexico and think the boat will be fine after the test runs I have read about . The boat is from the original owner and is flawless, looks brand new and has only 300hrs on the new engines. :dance

Any concerns about the twin 225 hp . Gw says they will give you a certificate to have them will find out before the final purchase. I really like the boat and hope the motors do not ruin the deal.

 

[bbarenis]

I have recently purchased a 97 f26Cat with Yamaha 225 4strokes. Had the surveyor run it and did great. Glad to hear your post about the 225 engines. It is a beautiful boat and after talking to several owners, they love them. Dont understand all the controversy about these models like on the hull truth forum. I run the gulf of mexico and think the boat will be fine after the test runs I have read about . The boat is from the original owner and is flawless, looks brand new and has only 300hrs on the new engines. :dance

Any concerns about the twin 225 hp . Gw says they will give you a certificate to have them will find out before the final purchase. I really like the boat and hope the motors do not ruin the deal.

GW wiil not give you a caertificate, anyone here that said they did, I would like to know who they spoke with at GW. The boat is in such original great shape , I may just change the stickers for other issues that may arise other than that the boat rides awesome. :hmm

 

[bbarenis]

I own a 1998 G/W Tigercat, which I bought from the original owner back 2008 after a lot of research.
I have since repowered with twin 225HP ETECs along with CMC electirc /HYD jack plates...I use these like standoff boxes to move the CG aft.

I have run a lot of trailerable power boats over the years & can honestly say this hull beats them all for running hard over rough open ocean North Atlantic (4-7+') seas. Previous to this I was a firm believer in the 24deg (at transom) monohull philosopy, but in my opinion this twin hull trumps all those.

You MUST run the bow proud, or it will dig & dart. The twin 56deg entry hulls are very aggressive and wiil grab if you drop the bow. Who gives a Shoot? Run this baot as designed and you will be rewared with an amazing ride that beats most 32's & longer. The earlier post about the hull not liking 4-strokes is utter nonsense...this hull needs weight AFT.... or lots of trim......

This is my 2nd G/W and I'd buy a 3rd if & when I figure I need to. I toured the factory way back when...and have since spoke numerous times to the design team & testers. These guys know how to build & rig powerboats.'m told (and I beleive) the reason G/W quit this hulls production was slow market demand.......the cat never really caught on in N America.

Anyhow, good luck & safe voyage.

DBW

 

[Tucker]

bb what boat are you looking at?? The one with the etecs? Might be worth getting quotes from several insurance companies to see if they take issues with the 225's. I would really like to hear from esddi about the performance of those 225's on jack plates. Never heard of putting hyd jackplates on a cat. BB didn't mention what year his F225's were. If they're the older generation I believe they are much heavier than etecs. If he's not having any problems, you should be good.

 

[bbarenis]

the year is 2004 Yamaha 225 . They weigh 583lbs. The boat rides great. It is like it needed the extra weight. I would go past this in hhp. Thanks for your reply. BB- Brandon Barenis

 

[bbarenis]

the year is 2004 Yamaha 225 . They weigh 583lbs. The boat rides great. It is like it needed the extra weight. I would go past this in hhp. Thanks for your reply. BB- Brandon Barenis

Correction - I would not go pass 225hp. Have heard some people talking about 250's , that is crazy. By the way the motors are on an F26 Tiger.

 

[bbarenis]

Tucker,
Did you like your F26 TigerCat?? I am selling my Proline 251 and getting into the Cat.

 

[Tucker]

the year is 2004 Yamaha 225 . They weigh 583lbs. The boat rides great. It is like it needed the extra weight. I would go past this in hhp. Thanks for your reply. BB- Brandon Barenis

Correction - I would not go pass 225hp. Have heard some people talking about 250's , that is crazy. By the way the motors are on an F26 Tiger.

I believe the stock 200's are 434 Lbs each. Those F225 are a bit heavier. BB are your scuppers out of the water?

 

[bbarenis]

the year is 2004 Yamaha 225 . They weigh 583lbs. The boat rides great. It is like it needed the extra weight. I would go past this in hhp. Thanks for your reply. BB- Brandon Barenis

Correction - I would not go pass 225hp. Have heard some people talking about 250's , that is crazy. By the way the motors are on an F26 Tiger.

I believe the stock 200's are 434 Lbs each. Those F225 are a bit heavier. BB are your scuppers out of the water?

Yes they are.

 

[bbarenis]

the year is 2004 Yamaha 225 . They weigh 583lbs. The boat rides great. It is like it needed the extra weight. I would go past this in hhp. Thanks for your reply. BB- Brandon Barenis

Correction - I would not go pass 225hp. Have heard some people talking about 250's , that is crazy. By the way the motors are on an F26 Tiger.

I believe the stock 200's are 434 Lbs each. Those F225 are a bit heavier. BB are your scuppers out of the water?

Yes . Scuppers are definitely out of the water

 

[teaklejr]

Tucker,
Did you like your F26 TigerCat?? I am selling my Proline 251 and getting into the Cat.

Hello. I have a 1997 F26 Tigercat and love it. Have owned it since 2006 and have put close to 6k miles on her. Cat's do take a learning curve compared to mono hulls. You have to have the motors trimmed right for the condition you are in. Took me awhile to figure out where to trim her but once I did it is easy. All the bashing on THT I think is mostly from people who have never been on a Tigercat long enough to figure out how to drive them or never even been on one. I love seeing people look at her and I can tell they are saying to themselves "I never knew Grady White made a cat" One thing I don't like is how they will pound in between the sponsons when slow trolling in steep chop. Not all the time but sometimes it will catch you off guard. On the other hand we had a trip off Ocean City MD in honest 4 foot sometimes bigger running 25mph for 55 miles and never once touched the throttles while sitting in the seat the whole time. It would come off some bigger waves and you got ready for the pound into the next wave but it never happened. At first I was weary of going too fast but figured out if you keep going a little faster they ride better. She's not a speed demon but fora 26 foot boat run's very good.

 

[bbarenis]

Tucker,
Did you like your F26 TigerCat?? I am selling my Proline 251 and getting into the Cat.

Hello. I have a 1997 F26 Tigercat and love it. Have owned it since 2006 and have put close to 6k miles on her. Cat's do take a learning curve compared to mono hulls. You have to have the motors trimmed right for the condition you are in. Took me awhile to figure out where to trim her but once I did it is easy. All the bashing on THT I think is mostly from people who have never been on a Tigercat long enough to figure out how to drive them or never even been on one. I love seeing people look at her and I can tell they are saying to themselves "I never knew Grady White made a cat" One thing I don't like is how they will pound in between the sponsons when slow trolling in steep chop. Not all the time but sometimes it will catch you off guard. On the other hand we had a trip off Ocean City MD in honest 4 foot sometimes bigger running 25mph for 55 miles and never once touched the throttles while sitting in the seat the whole time. It would come off some bigger waves and you got ready for the pound into the next wave but it never happened. At first I was weary of going too fast but figured out if you keep going a little faster they ride better. She's not a speed demon but fora 26 foot boat run's very good.

Sounds good. Im glad you like the GW Cat. I have the same model you do. Plan to go pick it up this week. I think we will love it and I have a big bay to practice with it before going into the gulf if needed. Thank You for your input and yes I agree with you on when you pull up in the GW and heads turn . It is a unique boat for sure and is one reason I bought it on top of saving hundred thousand dollars or more on a new WC. :nicethread

 

[bbarenis]

After having the tigercat for only four months I have to say I love it. I have made offshore trips in it and it will outperform a lot of boats for the ride. I love the four strokes. They definitely help the boat. Anyone who has a doubt about the weight do not worry the tigercat can take the 4 strokes. Like someone earlier mentioned after speaking to GradyWhite, the extra weight will help and I can tell you it does. Love the boat. :dance :dance

 

[SmelèCat]

Tigercat

I thought a lot about buying a Tiger Cat. If you really want a cat hull buy the World Cat. Its what they do for a living and GW doesn't. Especially if you think you might sell the boat down the road.

If you do decide to go with the Tiger Cat you have got to talk to some owners and get out on the water. There must be a few watching this thread.

Just got a 98 Tiger Cat sitting the winter, can’t wait for April to get here lol I’ll repost by 4/20

 

[SmelèCat]

Jet,
I'm in the market for an F26 and will be buying one this Spring (if I can find one). The World Cat guys say the Tiger Cat is flawed and the reason Grady stopped making them. This is certainly not the case. I've been on both, on land only, and I prefer the Grady. Though the spec calls for 400HP max you can't use 4-strokes, they're too heavy. If you find one with 200 OX66's disconnect the oil injection, premix and you'll be good for a long time.
Do your research, there's info out there you just have to find it. There is a huge stigma with cats because they're different so not much out there.

I just found a 98’ Tiger cat powered with 150’s 4strokes