Home › Forums › Bass Cat Boats › Question about Bass Cat and Mercury
I bought my 2020 Bass Cat Puma FTD SP brand new back in July. It came with a Mercury Pro XS 250
Over the past month, I have had 3 different issues with the motor. From the actuator going out and being stuck in forward gear to now the Lower unit seems to be gone.
Has anyone else had issues like this?
Don’t get wrong, I LOVE my Bass Cat Puma and the customer service from BASS CAT and the dealer I purchased from (Bait Shack Marine in Gainesville Ga) is INCREDIBLE! THEY are phenomenal! But this is a 67000.00 boat and I didn’t expect issues 6 months in. I tournament fish and now it’s possible I could be missing the first few events.
Any suggestions?
Even thought about possibly trading it back in with the issues I’m having so close to purchase and the boat being brand new
Thanks and much appreciated
Tight Lines all!
Sorry you are having issues on the Pro XS and we appreciate the understanding that our products are separate of Mercury.
First the actuator is the one item there have been some multiple issues with. The gearcase is not a common issue unless it is related to bearing wear and that is a limited issue we have known of, and your dealership is the one dealership we know of which has seen that before. These are all issues only with the lower unit and shifting areas. The engine, ignition, trim and powerhead haven’t presented you an issue apparently.
The positive things is this is all lower midsection and down issues, which are an easy bolt on and bolt off part. That would be our suggestion and we will get with Bait Shack and make another suggestion.
BCB
MANY THANKS!
Bait Shack Marine is TOP NOTCH!! They are what Every dealer should strive to be! I couldn’t be more happy with their customer service!
As a follow-up, the problem was related to the Actuator and a couple of the teeth on the forward gear were chipped and one was completely gone. Bait Shack Marine, as ALWAYS, handled it swiftly and the issue will be fixed early next week! Can’t say enough about Bait Shack Marine and Bass Cat Boats. I know this is a OWNER’S BOARD but hopefully some owners of other manufacturer’s read this and realize what you are missing NOT BEING In a Bass Cat Boat and dealing with Bait Shack Marine in Gainesville Ga! It’s worth the 2 hour drive for the customer service and care Brandon his wife And his crew give!
Tight Lines All!
Oh they do read these posts. It’s a huge selling point. I know this (couple platforms ago) was one of the major reasons I bought a Cat. The support and help received is so important. I just posted on one of the BCB FB pages that more there should be asking their questions here for a better more educated response. Also BCB monitors this site and chimes in with help also which you are not going to get on the FB page. The intentions on those pages are good and usually helpful but for serious questions, this is the place to be. I told them to update their profile too as an old forum friend who like yellow/purple boats used to frequently remind us to do.
Sam Rush would have been the reminder… GWG and Swan would follow him up.
Just as schodackbassman said, I too am a Bass Cat owner because of reading the owners board here, and other boards, and seeing the consistent owner praise for customer support.
Yes, I remember well. Great men all.
Brandon and his crew are great folks to deal with.
© 2026 Bass Cat Boats

