.My new Puma STS was delivered last Monday. After a week of crawling through every inch of the boat I am incredibly impressed, it’s hard to believe but this boat is a step above the last 2 Cat’s I’ve owned. The colors are even more beautiful in person than in the pictures.
While the fit and finish of the boat is great, I was most anxious to get her on the water and see how she road. I picked a great day for break-in with 15-20 MPH winds and lots of boat chop on one of our notoriously rough lakes (Stockton). To say that my partner and I were impressed with the ride would be a huge understatement. It handled the rough water nimbly at break-in speed and later at full throttle. The ride was completely dry and very comfortable. I just can’t say enough about the design and how Rick’s team have executed the build. I will not embarrass anyone by comparing the ride, speed and comfort to any other brand but having ridden in new boats from nearly every manufacturer I can assure you, this platform will be extremely popular with guys loyal to many of the other brands.
P.S. Just to head off the questions from the BCB faithful. Top speed was 71 MPH (50 degree water) with full tournament load, rough water, 2 anglers, dual consoles and full livewells. She had a lot more to show with a little tweaking (jackplate, trim and seat time) but didn’t want to stress the new motor. Realistic expectation would be 75-76 MPH without ease.
If you want more pictures, the build photo’s were just posted on Facebook yesterday!
