BASS CAT

[shiftworker]

I WAS WONDERING IF ANYONE COULD GIVE ME THERE OPINION ON BASS CAT BOATS... IM LOOKING AT BUYING A 19FT BOAT WITH AROUND A 200HP MOTOR.. I WOULD LIKE SOMETHING THAT IS SOMEWHAT FAST, BUT STILL FISHES WELL. I HAVE A TRITON NOW, BUT IT IS HORRIBLY SLOW, BUT IT DOES FISH WELL.

I WOULD APPREICATE ANY INFO YOU COULD GIVE ME... OR ANY OTHER SUGGESTIONS FOR OTHER BOATS ON THE MARKET

THANKS

 

[Creekrock]

I've got a 05 295 pro xl Stratos with a 200 hpdi yamaha for sale. It will run 70 give or take a mph or two depending on the load. Would you be interested in that or was you looking to buy a brand new one??

 

[jbh3]

Bass Cat has a VERY good reputation for quality and customer service. They are certainly worth serious consideration. We have a member on here that just bought a new Kitty and should be along to offer his experiences. I happen to have a great Triton dealer up here, so that's what I'm running. If your Triton is "horribly slow", and your running max rated HP, you may have setup issues that can be corrected to improve your performance. Triton and Bass Cats are good performers, but, of course, will not run with the lighter hulls, i.e. Bullet/Allison/Stroker/Norriscraft. Good luck with your search.

 

[fischnrod]

Tritons, Stratos, Champion,fish great and are fast with the right set up. I fished out of a skeeter this year and i must say the ride and stability of the Skeeter totally impressed me. It was an awsome ride and ran around 70 with a 200 h p motor,20ft long. It also cornered extremely well. I am sure the bass cat would be a good choice also.

 

[beetlespin]

Fast doesn't mean it fishes bad. I have an XB-21 Allison and it fishes as good as any boat out there. Probably better than most. Basscat makes great boats. If you want decent spped and good fishability a stratos is a good compromise. What model triton and engine do you have? I may be able to help you make it run better and save some money.

 

[sdfd504]

We just got a new BassCat Pantera II in June and it is an awesome boat. I looked at numerous other brand boats over the past year and we have ridden in just about every brand boat and I have to say the quality of the Cat is amazing and the ride is great. The best thing that you will get when purchase one is that you truly join a family when you are a Cat owner. We had major problems with a Cat dealer down in Alabama and not only did Rick Pierce, the owner, help me with the problems, he had the regional rep and Reed from Riverside Marine in Nashville help us out as well. It turned us from not looking at BassCat's anymore due to the awful service from the dealer in Alabama to a owner due to the amazing service from the factory and Reed from Riverside. You will never get an automated message when you call the factory looking for some help or when you need parts. They pride themselves in customer service and it shows by winning the JD Powers award for the past 4 of the 5 years they have entered. I had sent Rick Pierce an email on a Sunday afternoon during the per order process and I had expected to get a reply back from him maybe Monday or Tuesday the next week when he got time to read it. Later that night I checked my email and there was an almost one page reply back from Rick that he had typed out on his iPhone because he was on the road. We didn't have the boat on order yet and he didn't know me at all but he took the time at 10:45PM to type out the email on his phone because he prides himself in amazing service. Could he have sent me one back on Monday and made me happy, yes but by sending it back that night it reassured me that if we ever did have any problems down the road that he would be there to help us out.

Tritons and BassCats will be close to the same speed, with the 19' Pantera II with the 200 Optimax getting in the low 70's when loaded. There are two PII's on Chickamauga including ours and there are several more of the Cougars around as well. I could type more out but feel free to send me a PM and I will be glad to give you a call to discuss it with you more.

 

[Guest]

I am a bit curious here Blake. If Bass Cat is all about service then why do they put up with a substandard dealer in AL? Looks like they would pull the bad dealers franchise.

 

[sdfd504]

The problem was with a salesman really and not the whole dealership. I would have spoken with the owner when we were down there but he was out of town at the BassCat Owners tourney and when he found out about the problem he called me as well to make things right but it was too late and I wasn't about to drive back down there when I knew I wasn't going to buy it from them. Rick was very sorry about the problem and I know that he has had a good long talk to them about it because of how we were treated.

 

[Jmax]

Bass Cat is an excellent boat. I am a Ranger man myself however my dad is a Bass Cat man, he has been for years, still is. I have used his boats over the years and they are very fast for their size and will fish well. The main problem/concern I have with them is rough water. They tend to really bounce on rough water. They will also skip at high speeds and sharp turns. They ride very well on calm to just choppy water. The lay outs are well designed and the graphics are very nice. The one time I recall my dad ever having a problem with one was he had one start to spider in the fiberglass. He called Bass Cat and they immediately took it back and fixed it at no cost to him. Very good people and the owners are bass fishermen so they build them to their own liking to fish out of. Hope this helps...good luck.... emoThumbsup Jmax

 

[shiftworker]

i have a 2004 tr21x with a 225 opti.....it will run maybe 62 loaded....and doesnt come out of the hole very good.

thats not the only reason i am thinking of buying another one.
. i am moving and going to have a smaller area to keep my boat, so i thought about downsizing to a 19ft boat with swing away tounge, knock a few ft off.
. also my warranty expires next summer on my motor
. i really like the triton, but figure i might try something else for a while.

 

[sdfd504]

Comparing an older BassCat to the new models is like comparing an apple to an orange. Most of the new models are on brand new hulls with the exception of one so they will ride much better and get better gas mileage as well. We have been getting around 4.8-5.2 mpg cruising at 60 mph per the Mercury SmartCraft gauge. We are still in the testing mode with ours but a buddy of mine up in Athens has his setup right and is running 72 mph loaded with his PII and 200 Optimax with a worked 27 Tempest.

 

[Luketrician]

I tell ya what, those 21xd bullets seem quite popular. Heard alot of good thins about them, and from what I hear they will handle rough water better than a ranger and fish just as well. Oh yeah, and will do 80+ easy if set up right.

Goood luck with the search!

 

[Triton4Bass]

A slow Triton? Something must not be right on the boat, does it have a jack plate, are all the cylinders firing, what kind of blade?

 

[beetlespin]

I agree. I would keep the Toon. They are nice boats and run fine.