Home › Forums › Bass Cat Boats › More questions about the Margay…BCB please jump in
cjrich.
Im a person who researches things to death before purchasing so that Ill be sure and only have to do it one time. I owned a BC PII back in the mid 90s when I used to fish more tournaments and had a larger tow vehicle, but sold it all in about 99 when I got a new job that required more of my time. Im now 63 years old and living on a pension and SS, though I am working a couple of days a week for extra money. About this time next year I will be debt free (other than a car payment), so will be able to finally buy a boat. I live in Selma, AL, so Brech Marine would be the dealer for a new BC. My tow vehicle is rated for 3500 lbs (Mazda CX9 with tow package), but I do not want to max that out and would like to keep it around the 2500-3000lb range. The waters Ill be fishing will be the Alabama River System, Warrior, Tombigbee, Coosa (Lay Lake, Mitchell, Jordan), with the occasional trip to Guntersville and Lake Martin. I have driven on big lakes, so know the potential problems with big waves, high winds, etc., but I would pick and choose my days to fish those type lakes, and it would be maybe once or twice a year. I might fish the occasional local tournament nearby, but nothing regularly…mostly just fun fishing, and Ill be alone 75% of the time, at least. I like the Sabre FTD, but it is simply out of my price range, and borderline too heavy. So, I have 99% settled on the Margay with a Yamaha 150 HDMI or SHO (would actually prefer the SHO). I dont run wide open all the time from place to place, but do like the occasional speed that the 150 would give me….I can drive a boat through chine walking. But, most of my speeds would be 2/3 to 3/4 throttle, or somewhere in the 40-55mph range.So, here are my questions: 1) Is the Margay ONLY available with the middle part of the cap in white?2) Has BCB worked out the “kinks” in the boat with regards to water draining and not entering the compartments in the front and under the seats?3) Have the kinks been worked out with the latching? (damage to the fiberglass area where the latches contact)4) I would stay with the 3″ trailer, single axle, but would want brakes on the trailer, assuming that is available5) Do you think an upgrade to the Minn Kota Fortrex would be a worthwhile investment? I detest not having enough thrust when needed, and I want a rigid mount. I also assume the 45″ shaft would be plenty?6) Is the passenger console perfected yet? Even though I would fish mostly alone, my wife might occasionally join me exploring areas when we go camping, and I want her to be as comfortable as possible.7) All the “packages” are a bit confusing…would the Vision Package be a good idea, and what does it provide in extra features? Last but not least (for now)…I prefer darker colors, so was thinking a dark gray or black boot, either the Black Fox or Charcoal hull (its hard to tell what the Black Fox actually looks like on line), a Raspberry Bolt with Silver Mist trim, and Raspberry on the cap. If the center must be white, I would probably just stick with white consoles…if not, I would opt for Raspberry.9) Im getting older, so would probably opt for the front trailer step and pole, if available on the 3″ trailer.Any other suggestions or recommendations? What are your thoughts about the color combo I am thinking of? I dont do Blue anything. My tow vehicle is a burgundy/maroon color. Am I leaving out anything or forgetting something? Is it feasible to purchase this rig in the 25-28K range. I cannot go over 30K and would prefer keeping it more towards the 26 range.Sorry for all the detailed questions, but this will be my last boat, and I want to get what I need without going nuts with things I dont really need.2017 Sabre FTD AE DC2017 Yamaha 175 SHOMK Fortrex 80Helix 10 Mega SI in consoleHelix 7 GPS SI GN2 on bow
The Fortrex 80 (42″ shaft) primary feature is the “lift assist”. I dont believe it has any more thrust than a Maxxum 80.The Vision Tour package comes with, among other things, hydraulic steering. Im 60 and drive a 2012 Margay with an Opti 150 Pro XS. I enjoy both of these features.Last edited by cjrich on December 21st, 2014, 10:33 pm, edited 1 time in total.
The lift assist on the Fortrex is very nice
I am exactly the same age as you, and, the older I get, the more ease and convenience I want. My last Cat had a Motorguide, and, although it worked well and was basically problem free for the two years that I had it, it had no lift assist. My new boat has a Fortrex simply because the lack of lift assist was a deal breaker for me this time. The other thing I would not be without is the step up and pole, but, as you mentioned, may not be available on the 3 inch trailer. If not, you may want to consider the 4 inch just to have it. LIke you, I fish alone quite a bit, and it makes life much easier.
Only difference between the Fortrex and Maxxum is the mount and badging, same exact motor. That being said I love the lift assist in my Fortrex.
Alright, the moderator later this evening will be able to answer most all of your questions and we will get a memo to them so they are prepared. Look for an answer later to most all of your questions BCB
Rider, if you want to see a raspberry and charcoal mist boat, take a look at my P4 in my profile pics. Ed
Midnight Rider, you have a tall order in this one. Let us see if we have a few answers for you. 1) Is the Margay ONLY available with the middle part of the cap in white?White is the only color in the middle portion of the boat. It is because of the design and box integration which allowed it to cost less. 2) Has BCB worked out the “kinks” in the boat with regards to water draining and not entering the compartments in the front and under the seats?They have a seal trim that should solve all problems under the lids coming in soon. This was thought to be in transit and apparently it was found later to be another custom order part. Thus the delay on the upper trim seal. The seats are a different situation and believe they have solved most of those unless parked wrong or the corner drains are plugged. 3) Have the kinks been worked out with the latching? (damage to the fiberglass area where the latches contact)We do not believe there are any kinks in the latching. The latching has some striker plates and the latches do come in contact with the lower lips. IF you pull up without twisting the latch ring then yes you can crack or damage that area as it is gelcoat contact to metal. Though if you twist the latch we have not found an issue. 4) I would stay with the 3″ trailer, single axle, but would want brakes on the trailer, assuming that is availableThe 3″ trailer is available and suggested with brakes, which are required on a 150 engine also. 5) Do you think an upgrade to the Minn Kota Fortrex would be a worthwhile investment? I detest not having enough thrust when needed, and I want a rigid mount. I also assume the 45″ shaft would be plenty?The 45″ shaft is more than you will need and the ForTrexx could be upgraded. 6) Is the passenger console perfected yet? Even though I would fish mostly alone, my wife might occasionally join me exploring areas when we go camping, and I want her to be as comfortable as possible.The Passengers console is available and there have been images of one shown. We think the dealer meeting photos had one and there have been other images of the console. There may be on in our albums though we did not look. 7) All the “packages” are a bit confusing…would the Vision Package be a good idea, and what does it provide in extra featuresThe Vision Tour package is no charge in 2015 as a dealership promotion. Bay Star Plus Steering (150 rated) and jackplate, plus more. 8 ) Last but not least (for now)…I prefer darker colors, so was thinking a dark gray or black boot, either the Black Fox or Charcoal hull (its hard to tell what the Black Fox actually looks like on line), a Raspberry Bolt with Silver Mist trim, and Raspberry on the cap. If the center must be white, I would probably just stick with white consoles…if not, I would opt for Raspberry.You can go to Raspberry consoles and keep the white center. There is an upcharge as they have to shoot the consoles in a different sequence. 9) Im getting older, so would probably opt for the front trailer step and pole, if available on the 3″ trailer.That is available on the 3″ frame and the step is as well. We would upgrade the tires and we think that might be required to go 15″ on the 150 engine.There also is not a package for the 150 HPDI on a Margay and the pricing is going to have to be formatted. The 150 HPDI is no longer a production offering though Yamaha does have inventory of the engine. It is a nice engine also. Thank you for looking at a Bass Cat!BCB
Midnight rider,I will try and lend my opinion here as I have a DC margay and also went a different route on the color scheme. As far as the dual console is concerned I think the positives are that it makes the boat look nicer as it covers up the asymetrical rod box, I also love having the deep glove box as it is perfect for all the small stuff that seems to float around my boat. I will say that from a protection standpoint it doesnt offer much. The other issue is that it is tight in the seating area when rigging rods.I also did not like the way the color schemes looked with the center white section so we actually did the whole top cap all white which I think looks really good, I actually think it makes the boat look longer than it really is. I had a small issue on the rod box but had it fixed with a metal strike plate from basscat, I also had some water issues in the compartment when water was coming over the bow but I have fixed that as there was a gap in the fiberglass where the 2nd console met the water channel, Some silicone took care of it. Overall the boat is very comfortable to fish out of and for 1 guy would be more than enough boat.I have the 3 inch trailer with no brakes and I have a 150 proxs. I pull the boat with a v6 dodge durango crew and have had zero problems trailering without brakes, it really is a light package for a fiberglass bass rig.Honestly if you fish alone 75% of the time and want a fiberglass rig this is the perfect boat, only other boat I thought was in the same league in this class was the charger 176.Hope this helps.
If you are going to upgrade ANYTHING … get brakes on the trailer.You will not regret it.Last edited by cjrich on December 23rd, 2014, 12:48 am, edited 1 time in total.
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