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I am finally going to become member of the “family”. Picking up my NEW to me Basscat later this week. I know this rig has extremely low hours on motor (under 40 hrs.) and motor has not been touched since delivered, all on orig. factory settings. Is there a good place to start with on the manual jackplate to set it at??? It has a 25″ tempest prop that was on it when orig. picked up at the dealer.Any set up info. would be appreciated and any info. as to what speeds I can expect from this. 200 hp Optimax and is that prop, in general, the best one to use for overall performance???? Thank you…
Bob,You absolutely cannot go wrong with the Classic. Great boat and the OPTI will be nice with that rig. Get it checked out though to make sure it all checks out. 37 hours is just a walk-in the park. My 2001 model engine has approx. 250 hours on it.As far as the hot foot, I had a slide plate put on Cougar. I am 6 tall and there is plenty of room to slide forward and backward from my comfort zone. I highly recommend the slide plate. Do some searching here for there should be some guidance on how to install and make sure the bolts dont go thru the hull.Good luck with your decision! A nice GPS can be had for a song and a dance. Check out http://www.boatersworld.com see http://www.boatersworld.com/product/319392619. … nder-comboYou can get a color eagle gps/fishfinder for $399.Thanks,BassCatDan
This is avery nice rig, very fast. The motor seems to have low enough hours on it. The hot foot…..If I were you, I would look into getting the new type hot foot by T&H Marine. It has a slide feature, you could mount it in the existing holes and use the slide feature to move the pedal part farward while the base stays in the same location.As far as my experience, the Smart Craft guages are pretty accurate on the hour meter, they may not be dead on as far as RPMs and fuel. (Had them on my 2002 PIII)
Basscat Dan must have sent his in while I was typing
It must be an aftermarket hot foot, as all Foot Throttles mounted by BCB are on a Slide Plate.BCB
Maybe I misworded my post. Last line says it is mounted on a slide plate. I was just concerned about taking the screws out of slide plate and moving it as far forward as possible to gain about 2 inchs. It is presently set as far forward as it can go on the plate but could use better if set forward a little more. Thanks
The Slide Plate should be on a slight angle if it is BCB Installed, and they are patterned to toe down within 1/2″ of the front wall at full forward on the slide. If yours is not, then we either made a mistake or it is again, aftermarket installed.The holes under the slide plate should be filled with a polyester resin base material, and it can be injected until you seal them. The screws are also supposed to be supposed to be set in resin also. When you remount the plate, be sure your old holes are sealed, and we would set those screws in resin to seal them, and add grip strength.BCB
We hope you enjoy the rig and get it set up. Those 02 Opti 200s have a bit more torque than the newer engines do we think. It sounds like you have found your self a cherry. Be sure to transfer that warranty and register for Quest. BCB
I have a 2002 classic, but mine has a 200 Yamaha VMax. I can only get mine to about 68 by myself, but the Mercury should beat that. Ive heard several people report numbers in the low 70s are easily attainable with that combination. I just havent seen it with mine. Im using a 25 trophy, but ive heard others using 25/26 tempest or trophy. There are a lot of variables involved. We will need some numbers when you get started, and that will help everyone give better advice. Im sure youll love it. I would suggest getting the flippin deck if you dont have it already. It makes a huge difference.KentKent Charles 2002 Pantera Classic & 200 Yamaha VMax
Other than gps I cannot think of anything this rig does not have…from breakaway tongue, extended deck, ladder, great stereo, hydraulic tilt strg., in dash graphs front and rear, smartcraft gauges, new unused MG trolling motor, hot foot & steering wheel trim, Ski Pole setup, etc….when I pick up later this week will get some pictures and post (if I can figure out how)….Thanks
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