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Bama96.
I am a new BassCat Owner. After several years of owning Rangers, I made the switch. I recently sold my 520. Because of the price of a new Ranger and a decline in customer service, I opened up my search to all brands. After weeks of research, I decided BCB would be a good fit. What Im about to post arre my personal opinions regarding the swtich. Keep in mind, this is my personal opinion, good and bad. The reason for my post, is to get feedback/direction from others in case BCB owners can relate. Please comment, your thoughts are appreicated.I purchased a 2011 P II, powered by a Mercury Pro XS 200. As for the trolling motor, MotorGuide Digital Tour Edition, it is probably the worse TM I have ever owned (Ranger had a MK Fortrex) to date. The first time out, the pull cord broke. I replaced it with the wire one that has the plastic coating…….it broke also. I have to push the head of the TM down (to reduce the tension) when placing the motor in the water. And, when lifting the motor back out of the water, I have to step on the mounting arm to take pressure off the cord. I know this is a MotorGuide issue. But, the vendors that BCB selects, they are a direct extension of your product. The MG also is loud and vibrates, and this apparently has no fix, just a few bandage remedies.The livewell system is the best in the industry. I am amazed at the power of the aeration when in use. As for the gauges. I love the way these are set up on the console. One major improvement needed, would be the accuaracy on the trim gauge. Even at full up trim, the gauge needle remains around the down position.The boat handles like a dream. It is a totally different ride as compared to the Ranger. And, Im not knocking the Ranger. My 520 was a great riding boat. The P II sits up higher on the water when running. I always thought Ranger had the best seats. But, the comfort of the running seats in the P II are incredible. This was also noted by a couple of partners that have fished with me for years. As for BCB customer service, I was surprised that this has been a little lower than expected. I changed out my locks from the Perko to the SouthCo. The price I was quoted was different than what I was billed. I called to ask why the charges were different, and, it became a “he said, she said” situation. So, Im out over $100. Parts also sent the wrong latch arm for my cooler, which caused a large scratch on the cooler. BCB is sending me the right one now, but the damage is done. I did receive a hand written letter and jacket/hat. I thought that was really cool. However, I went to order the BCB rainsuit bibs, but, they would not sale just the bibs, which I thought was strange. So, I will keep wearing my Ranger bibs.As for top speed, Im only getting 69 on the GPS. That is with only me (230 pounds), 1/4 tank of fuel, and a very light load. From what I have read, this is about 4 to 5 mph slower than what I should be seeing. I will probably need some help tweaking my set up.I am very happy overall. The boat is beautiful. I purchased the boat from Hideaway Harbor, located in Cottondale, AL. They gave me a $100 BP gas card at purchase, but it was invalid. They were recently hit by the horrible tornados. So, I thought it would be thoughtless of me to call about the card not working. Any feedback from the above comments would be greatly appreciated.Thanks,Richey Bolton
Richey,The TM might be in bind and not allowing you to stow and deploy at ease. Mine did the same thing until I adjusted the frame. Also, they are very noisey!!! What I did to decrease the noise when deployed was foam weather stripping on the front end of the frame and it almost eliminated all of the noise. It should not be that way, but it is! Replace the weather stripping once a season and you are good to go. The customer services is second to none, sorry that you had an issue with the southco latches, that stinks. The rain suit itself is the same price as a top or bottom from cabelas or BPS, so in essence its half the price for the full suit. I kept my old Cabelas set as a back up and bought the BC set. I understand what you are saying, but the are good suits, I really like mine. My fishing buddy has a new Z521 and I have an 09 Cougar, and you are correct the ride is completely different in the 2 brands. My cougar swooshes on top of the waves and his new boat still slaps and plows through waves. You have to ride in both boats to understand the difference. The seats are great in the Cougar. In my opinion my boat rides WAY better then his new boat. He has also admitted it!
richieI made the switch like you from owning rangers (20+ yrs) 4 years ago. They do ride better (and different).My personal preference for TM was also MK. The one thing I realized years ago, it is much more cost effective (in the long term) ordering the boat the way you want it, rather than buying a dealer floor model due to the upgrades and changes you will eventually make. I am sure you were familiar with the MG issues before you bought the CAT, but the MG has a larger following among the general fishing population. It also is a little less expensive for a comparable model, with more servicing dealers. This may be the reason a lot o the Cat dealers get their floor models equipped with the MG.AS far as the southco latches issues, you may have been quoted the upgrade price (when ordered new with them), Im not sure whether you ordered them from BCB or through the dealer. I have a feeling if you ordered them directly from parts, you would have been given the correct price, as they usually charge your card when you order. Im sorry to hear about the cooler latch, but glad to know BCB sent you the correct one. Once again this may not have been a problem if you ordered directly from parts.As far as the rain suit goes, Ranger contracts out their clothing (outdoor direct handles that, if I remember correctly), and their volume is certainly much higher than BCB for clothing and accessories. I can understand BCB not wanting to be left with just a parka, hoping they can sell that as a single item. My guess is they might not sell a rain suit mixing sizes either, probably due to having to purchase the suits as a unit rather than individual pieces.As far as the speeds not meeting your expectations (yet), its probably prop/setup related. Did you request the prop, or was it dealer supplied? I dont have a PII (cougar and sabre), but from what I read, the 25 fury would be the best prop on that boat. You will most likely have to experiment with engine height (1/4 in at a time) to find where it performs best for you, as all loads/individual preferences are different. You have to remember, its a cat – not a ranger, and small tweaks to the setup will make a greater difference as opposed to the ranger. You wont find 5-7 mph differences on a ranger no matter how much you tweak the setup, without upsizing the motor!All in all, it sounds like you are very happy with the Cat. Just take some time trying to dial it in and have fun doing it. Then catch a bunch of fish.Jim Your Signature …
The T/M mount needs adjusting and will get better as it wears some of the paint off where the pins lock in. I am not a big fan of Motorguide myself and both have there good and bad points but overall from my experience Minn Kota has the better trolling motor, but its heavy. There are people out there that disagree with me and thats why you can get either brand on your boat from BCB, they kinda have to offer both.As for the trim gauge, I think there is an adjustment at the sensor on the motor bracket but I would have to look at one to find it.As for the customer service issue, that is very uncharacteristic of BCB and Im sure if you were to let them know that you are unhappy about it they will do all they can to make it right.As for the performance issues, to get the top performance out of your rig it will take time playing with your set up and seat time learning to drive your boat. Every boat /motor will perform different at different settings and climate, elevation will also effect this. Im running about the same setup as you and will be happy to help you any way I can, Ive pulled some real good numbers out of mine. Call if I can help 662 769 0869 my name is Chris.
I have had the same problem with my trim gauges on both my cats. I hate it and if you figure out how to solve it PLEASE let me know (other than dropping $300 for a dealer to look at it). But other than that I have loved both my rides and have ridden in a bunch of different boats and was also involved in a major boating accident in my cat and walked away unharmed. By far I feel that BCB makes the best boat on the market.
If you have the smart craft SC1000 gauges they can be calibrated.I had to do mine on my PIV.It was really easy,it only took about 5 min.If you dont have the manual for the gauges that came with the boat you can get them off Mercurys website.
Sounds to me that you, like me, are very satisfied with your switch from another major brand to BCB.I know I am.. TM issues.. well, that is another reason I left Triton and got me a Cat!! With Genmar (I think now own Triton, ranger, motor guide and mercury outboards) I heard nothing but good things with the Minn Kota Fortrex.. and so far, I am beyond satisfactory with it. It was little time to get used to that big bracket and all, but it is simple,, lite, and has plenty of power. Rain suits… yea.. I would lean toward this being a volume or a supply and demand thing. I wanted a BCB rain suit as well, but could not justify the cost of replacing my BPS 100MPH suit.. Those things are pricey.. Customer service.. has been AWESOME!!! Another reason why I chose BCB.. and when others come and gawk over my Eyra, they can then see the QUALITY, the DETAIL that was put into the boat along with the seats, cleanliness and attention to details. The only only thing I would like to see change was the batteries that came with it, and I am confident that is a dealer thing. I have never run anything else other than Continental and Trojan Cranking batteries, and I have already been impacted by not having those already.. So.. small lesson learned there.your set up… as mentioned above.. is something you can tweak and play with all you want.. and the friends you make from other BCB owners is just flat out awesome… Enjoy the ride sir!!! have fun getting the most out fo your PII… and remember.. Sore lipem, and then put them back!!!Mo
good points on the posting. Only thing I can add, you got a jacket and a letter????? got none of the above. Customer service is pretty good, never had to ask a second time, everything was as good as can beexcept my jacket and letter dang
I just got my 2011 PII a 10 days ago; Minn cota fortrex 80# and its great. Plenty for the boat. I got 74.4mph loaded tourney style n half tank gas Saturday morning with factory set up and 26 fury @5600rpm. U just can not trim yhis boat up all the way. there is a sweet spot bout 75% of the way up and there she just takes off; no chine; any higher n i lose speed and control. I agree with the seat and livewell statements; they are fantastic and both better than my previous in a triton. Congrats on the switch!!
Glad you like your Cat. You should be seeing better top end numbers. What prop are you running and where are you as far as plate height? I am running a 200 SHO but saw 75.5 Sunday with a full fuel tank and every box filled with tackle at 2″ below pad. I am turning a 26P Fury at 5800-5900. I have seen 77+ but that was a little lighter on tackle and at 1″ below pad. You should be easily 72-73 even with a Merc 2 Stroke.Last edited by Bama96 on May 16th, 2011, 11:33 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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