Home › Forums › Bass Cat Boats › I please need some advise regarding taking rough water
Shap from La.
I just bought a 05 Pantera Classic w/ a 200 Merc EFI and fully loaded-hydro steering, jack plate etc. Dont get me wrong I love my Cat, but I am a little dissapointed in the rough water ride. And even going over other boats wake on Tournament take offs. I got out of a 185VX Ranger and with everything I heard about the Cats ride was expecting more. I am thinking it must be the way I am driving it or the ways I am hitting the waves. Should I have the nose down or up in rough water. The first Tournament I fished the boat came completley out of the water when I hit a another boats wake on the take off and scared the ***** out of me and my partner. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated, because I want to stay part of the BCB family. Thanks in advance, Brian
Sounds to me like you might be trying to take on rough water at higher rate of speed compared to your previous boat. Youre likely going 5-10 mph faster or more and you dont even realize it. Theres absolutely no way your previous boats ride was better or close. I suggest slowing down until you get it figured out. Driving in rough water is similar to driving one to max top end speed. It takes practice! Different rough water conditions dictate different angles not only with tilt and trim, but the angle at which you take on the waves. Sometimes you want to trim up some and other times you want to tuck the bow. No obvious answer on handling rough water. Good luck!
Phil hit the first nail on the head. The Pantera Classic is likely doing anywhere from 5 – 10 MPH up on the same water as your 185. This should be a dry ride, and we are not going to get into comparisons. Though the 200 on a Pantera Classic has much more performance potential than the likely 150 on the previous 185VX. This rig can run 70+, and the last rig could likely run GPS at 58 or so. If you are launching the hull in rough water, then slow down. Also trim down. You do not use all the trim on a BCB. The boat has way more lift than you are used to. Trim it down till the nose breaks over, then slowly start trimming it up and let the hull pack air. This hull uses air as well as water to run. A Ranger hull tends to run down in the waves and busts them more. A BCB hull runs more on top of the waves, and thus you are running much faster in those conditions. Running rough water has no defined trim angle, just set it to where it rides best on the water you are running at the time. In the rough stuff, just try to back off and figure out what speeds you are running in this rig as a comparison to your last one. That will give you a better indicators. Odds are that 4800 – 5200 on this rig was full throttle on your last one. And it is through the ragne as you look at mid ragne and other speeds. 3500 here is not 3500 on your last rig in performance.
trim the nose down to let the v do the work unless the waves are big enough to come over the nose, bass cats are much more trim sensitive compared to rangers. I agrre that you are probably also going faster. There is a learning curve they are not a point and shoot boat. like good sports cars they reward the driver with supperior skills.
Thanks for the advise. I didnt mean that the ride is the same as my old Ranger, just thought the Pantera should take the rough water better than I experienced. And I agree that I need to learn the boat better. Hands down the Bass Cat out runs and performs better than my 185VX did. You were on the money about the Ranger running 58MPH and my Pantera runs in the mid 70s. I am proud to be a BCB owner and I know I will enjoy my new ride. Thanks, Brian
No worries about the tide comparison. We know what the difference is as your not the first. Brian we do find the difference in potential and speeds are the major factors on what you experienced. As you mention, the 58 in the R boat was top end, and at 58 you are cruising. Now think about how many times you ran that R boat in rough water wide open, or even at 5000 RPMs. And at 5000 RPMs on the rig you have now you are right with top end on the R boat. The R boat does tend to get down in the waves and stay there at a slower speed. The Pantera hull you have will be on top at a faster speed and you will have to learn to slow down some on the choppy water to get the ride you desire.
BCBs I appreciate the response and your time. I dont think you get that personal touch from “R” or anyone else. I am going to take your advise and find the right trim on top of the chop. I think you are right about my speed and I guess I thought I could fly through the rough stuff. Thanks,
The best advice is dont get in the race right off the start. Lower the trim & speed, find the angles to take the boat wakes that work best for you. Unless you are on a small lake you will have plenty of time to catch up when the water smooths out. It is still fun to hunt the R boats down from behind and leave them in your wake. Eventually, you will learn how the boat reacts and will be able to drive through and over all the initial boat wakes without a second thought.
Ive also noticed that those with R-boats tend to run with a _ton_ of trim. The Rs tend to be heavy and it takes a lot of effort to get the bow up. Family member owns one and on the rare occasion where he drives my boat, he makes that same mistake. Ive got my boat trimmed almost perfectly via the jackplate offset so that the motor requires no angle at all to hold the bow up. Running down the river at 80+ the motor lettering on the sides of the cowl is perfectly parallel to the water surface. Trim it up and you either blow the prop out or just make a rooster-tail that would make a teen-ager smile. Most every boat takes some getting used to. And this is a process that happens without your really knowing that it happens. The longer you drove another brand, before moving to a new brand, the longer it will take you to acclimate yourself to the changed operational characteristics. I drive an auto trans in most everything, but my son owns both a stick-shift mustang and pickup, and when I drive them, and am not paying careful attention, things get ugly when I come to a stop light and forget to get on the clutch pedal. One thing is for sure, rough water is the place for conservative driving until you get very familiar with how your boat handles. Some (not BCBs) exhibit a lot of bow steering, so that when you cleave into a wave you get abrupt movement right or left. Some turn gradually as you crank the wheel, up until a point, and then they turn _right now_ when the strakes/chine gets a good grip and the running attitude changes enough to stop slipping and start biting in. Any of that nonsense in rough water can get you into trouble in a hurry. Personally I like my kidneys and want to keep em for a few years longer. 2008 Pantera Classic2014 Mercury Pro XS 200
All great responses and these folks have much more experience than me in the rough stuff. I know the secret for me is 2 things. A Trophy prop instead of a temptest, and SLOW DOWN, SLOW DOWN, SLOW DOWN!!! I also have a Hydromotive prop that is the best rough water prop Ive ever had. It makes a huge difference. I just hate running it down here out of fear of messing up a $700 prop. Take your time and youll get the hang of it. Just a little seat time is all. Chris Coupel Paulina, La.Chris CoupelPaulina, La.
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