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FishinCustody.
Really like to hear the pros and cons of this rig from owners that have them? If you had to do it again would you go a different model? This is a very lot of money and if i get me a new boat it will be my last for many years.
Ive only had my Caracal a couple months but what I didnt know is Ive been waiting for this boat for several years. I got my first 20 footer in 1996 (Original Jaguar) and I had a 99 Cougar and a couple Pumas. The 20 ft Bass Cats are awesome boats but I was ready to down size. I just wanted to downsize to something smaller and I didnt want to go all the way back to a Pantera. I had 4 or 5 Panteras and they are great boats but I thought it was to big a change to go all the way back and I loved my Panteras they are what sold me on Bass Cat boats in the first place. Then along comes the Caracal ( WOW ) perfect. Smaller but not to much. It was just what I was waiting for and I love it. It seems to handle rough water as good as all the Cats, as matter of fact if slow down to about 40 it kind of drives it self through the bad stuff. The storage lay out is fun. The center rod locker is perfect, I keep 10 rods in there ready and I don”t have them all over deck. I can get to one there almost as fast as loosening a rod strap. Ive had as many as 12 rods with sleeves in the port rod locker. The Caracal is not about the price, the 20ft Bass Cats and the Caracal are to close in price. its about where you want to be. As I said up front Ive had several Bass Cats and I loved them all and the Caracal is where I wanted to be and i love it.
I have had mine since November. I love the boat. The big water ride is excellent and the front deck is large enough for two large adults. The lay out of the boat was well thought out. The boat runs 72 loaded w/25 Fury and 74 if i really work on it in the cool weather. I would buy the same boat again as long as the lay out stays the same. This is my first Mercury (225 Pro XS) and i love it. have about 20+ hours on it. This thing uses hardly any fuel or oil. Not sure if its the boat design or the motor but it takes away allot of pain at the pump. Not sure where your located but im 30 miles south of Atlanta if you want to go for a ride. Pro-Tec Productswww.protecproducts.com
Nice posts and we are glad you guys enjoy it. Posts like this are really rewarding, DuramaxMans comments are extremely nice as he has only posted here 14 times and he was inspired to comment on this topic. Obviously he has been a very long term BCB owner and we have hundreds of those who are like him. They dont post often and many read this forum frequently without comment. cat19 and he are the backbone or our Bass Cat Family and thank you all for the input. It is very nice to hear you are both pleased.
Ive only had my Caracal for @ 5 weeks and I feel it is the perfect boat for me from bow to stern. I previously owned a 2006 Classic which I loved and didnt really want to sell, but had a buyer ready…Ive rode, drove and fished out of a friends cougar FTD and thought very highly of it. This winter after selling u boat I was torn between an Eyra or Caracal. A couple of visits to Sherms and sitting in the Caracal nailed it for me. Im overly impressed with the ride and handling of this BIG 19 class boat! 75 is definitely hauling in a boat this size with a 225 plus 10 blades…its a boat that once you drive it and fish it, you realize it was designed and built by bass fisherman for bass fisherman…serious rig. )))
Thank u all. As u all know boats are very expensive. I am trying to evaluate if I would go enough to justify and I really like the layout and width. Thanks again
I am in the same boat (ha!) as you on this one. I am heavily looking at the Caracal myself. Seems like an awesome boat. In fact the only thing that worries me a bit is reports I read a while back on perhaps some difficulties with holeshot. I love the deck width and layout of this rig.
Holeshot vs top end is a see saw on almost all hulls. I have driven a 25 promax and a 25 fury on the caracal. Both had good holeshots loaded- maybe a little blowout but nothing problematic. I think lift when loaded and top end were the main differences i saw with a real tackle load, 33 gallons in belly tanks and 10+ in rear DUAL tanks and two guys(450 lbs) between the two props.I think if you run the bravo with the pvs holes you can find your “sweet spot”. I think the boat is 71 with a load, 75.? with no load. My puma FTD and 250 was 74-75 with a load and 78-80 without. Typical spread. Add power poles itll be less.I know that if the caracal ran as fast as a puma or eyra Id own one. Fishing platform is really secondary to none. The speed was the only(albeit stupid) reason I dont prefer it.Last edited by clownshoes on June 1st, 2015, 4:50 pm, edited 1 time in total.C.O.D. Jr. III
Im glad this topic has come up.I am on my third Bass Cat, and getting ready to make a new Caracal my fourth.I crawled all through the Caracal at the Classic and thought, “man what a boat”. Bass Cat really, in my opinion, rewrote the play book with that boat in regards to innovation and design. As someone already pointed out, its designed very well. I really like that front deck, and its perfect for taking my son fishing.It was really a curve ball for me because I had planned to naturally progress to a Cougar FTD once my son had decided he likes to go too and has more than just a passing interest. (The kid LOVES to go fishing, who am I to dissuade him from that ) Interestingly enough, the days I was at the Classic it appeared to me that the Caracal drew more of a crowd than the Cougar FTD they had there. The only other boat at the Bass Cat display drawing more attention was the vertical Jaguar display—of course, it was kinda hard NOT to pay attention to that thing standing on end like that.
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