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I am currently fishing from an older P2 at Lake of the Ozarks. I would like to upgrade to a newer used Basscat. Which boat would be better for the rough water at the lake; Cougar or P4?
08 Cougar FTD. The new hull is amazing and it is hard to substitute for length when you are discussing ride. The P4 does a fine job in its own right but cant hang with the new 08 hull in my opinion. Plus, the FTD has a more nose up attitude which helps with those big rollers Take a ride in both of them on the same day if possible. Judd Lasiter
Compared to the older P2 either boat will absolutely blow you away with the improvements made in the last few years, and the 08 model of the Puma/Cougar FTD are a smoother riding hull than previous models,,,,BUT the P4 will hang with anything out there when it comes to ride, and in some situations i think actually rides better than others. Ive said before, “i think the P4 is the best hull BCB has built in years”. Its 195″ platform is the perfect size for most waters, the 200 hp rating runs great on this hull, and as a fishing platform it cant be beat. In BIG water the Puma / Cougar FTD is the boat, but the P4 will do anything they will do, and with a 200 Opti which will seem like its making gas instead of burning it ! D.
dbasketman wrote: but the P4 will do anything they will do, and with a 200 Opti which will seem like its making gas instead of burning it ! D. Except post a speed much over 70 No thanks basketboy… JL
RP has stated on more than one occasion the P4 is built for a different (older) user, and the older i get the more i agree ! 70 is fast enough for me, and i use my boat to fish, not race(although it will embarass most other 200hp rigs). You should try fishing sometime Judd ! Thanks for the opportunity for another goring there bass”chaser”,,,,no wonder its not basscatcher. I look forward to whuppin your butt again this year at the G.A.F. while youre out trying to get another mph outta that rig of yours !
The basketman was too busy puttin feesh in the boat yesterday to be runnin 70. It seems everybody wants one of those 250 rigs, but I have to tell you, if I dont drop the hammer, my merc 200 opti will sip on some fuel. I dont fish with anyone that has a big two-fiddy, so I dont know how they do. 70 be plenty o fast for me, you guys keep those 20 footers and two-fiddys. That may be jealousy talking. I am waiting for PA to chime in. -Lee basketman, your post had not hit when I wrote above.
Save a few bucks if you went withe the Cougar Advantage. Isnt the Advantage and the FTD the same hull just slightly lower cost?
You know what I look forward to at the GAF? Laughin (a lot of laughing), eating and seeing all my BCB buds…who cares about fishing that weekend, it sure isnt me. Nothing wrong with a P4, but it isnt the boat for me. I would run it over any other brand still though Lee – it sips too if you dont put your foot in it. Which isnt real easy and I still dont burn a ton in the motor…I always spend more getting the boat to the water than I do in the boat once I get there. Derek – the Cougar Advantage has the old Cougar FTD hull (pre 08) the 08 Puma and FTD both have the identical new hull. I never thought it would be possible to make it as much better as Rick and folks did this boat is REAL impressive. Anyone who says there isnt that much difference is crazy in my opinion or they havent spent much time in the new one. JL
LOZman wrote: I am currently fishing from an older P2 at Lake of the Ozarks. I would like to upgrade to a newer used Basscat. Which boat would be better for the rough water at the lake; Cougar or P4? LOZman, I also fish on ozarks. I dont know much about the cougar, but I am a new owner of a P4 and new to BCB. But I had mine out a couple of weeks ago, running in some 3ers becuase of the wind. I stayed very dry running against the waves and with them. But I did take some water over the bow, while fishing but that was some 4 off 3 cruisers running right behind each other. Good luck with your choice!
I live and fish on Lake of the Ozarks and have had both boats and ran both boats…. I ended up with the Cougar advantage for me it came down to price. I felt like I was getting more boat for the about the same price… But for the 2009 I cant see bcb holding their price down on the advantage.. All in all for me I felt like the pIV was over priced, compared to a classic… Also 19 boat rated for a 200hp…. Now I understand the differences in both boats… All in all they are both 19 or 19 5″ boat rated for 200hp..
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