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Skipjack68.
This week I took a ride in a new PT2 with a 200 Optimax. I had some issues that I would appreciate some input on from owners of newer Bass Cats. I have a 91 Sabre that is almost a member of the family and part of my problem is I like my boat. The new ones are not the same. I want to up-grade and what I was looking for is a slightly longer boat for rough water, quieter motor, hydraulic steering and ample storage. (I haul a lot of stuff). Blazing speed is not important, hole shot is. Here are a few things that I was not comfortable with: (1) The Optimax was loud and I thought it would be much quieter. (2) The bucket seat position was too far back and so I had to lean into the steering wheel. It had tilt steering but no in/out adjustment. (3) On the hole shot, there was a slight vibration from the Optimax, said to be normal. (4) I have a space in front of my console for a tackle box and I added a shelf to store my net below that. With the large boxes, do you put a whole tackle box in the storage compartment or just storage boxes and how do you organnize the boxes to keep order? (5) I took my wife fishing the next morning and we met a tournament fisherman launching his boat (Jimmy Todd) and he was running a 06 ETEC and we were impressed with how quiet it was. (I have had a bad taste for Johnson/Erude every since the FICT disaster.) He said he had always run Mercurys before the ETEC, but really liked it.) Anyone liking the ETEC? (6) I have twin Yamaha EFIs (2000) on my saltwater boat and they are quieter than the Optimax and have not had any major troubles. Does anyone run Yamaha 4 stokes on their bass boats? I know they are quiet and fuel efficient. (7) I was not confortable with the Hot Foot. I thought I wanted one on my new boat, but the spring was stiff (adjustable I was told) and having to keep your foot on the throttle was a negative to me. I know I am so use to the right hand shift, throttle and tilt and trim. I usally move around at 35 to 45 MPH and the only time I run fast, is just to see if I can still do over 60 MPH, short burst. How necessary is having a Hot Foot? ( Finally, this is just an impression: I felt like I was sitting on top of the boat instead of in the boat. I felt I was well over the wind shield, but impressed that my hat stayed on. I feel like I am siting down into my boat and I like that. I know this is nit picking, but I am trying to make a decision by the 15th to take advantage of the promotions and I am concerned and hesitant in making a decision. I have looked at one other brand of boat that has service near by. My closest Bass Cat dealer is 135 miles and the other one is over 200 miles, a concern during these high gas price days. Thanks for any constructive advise. Skipjack
A lot of the things that you mention youll get use to. Theres no perfect way to build a boat perfect for everyone. Yes the steering does seem to be a little farther from you than you may possibly use to. However, youll like it when you stand up out of the drivers seat and not have to slide out like most every other model on the market. The Optimax is a little louder than others, but its the most reliable, most fuel efficient, strongest engine on the market. If youre dead set on quietness, then I strongly suggest a Mercury Verado. By far the quiest engine ever built. If you plan on keeping for a long time, the Verado 4 stroke might just be the way to go. The vibration that you mention with Optimax is normal and all engines will do it as there is a critical speed around 3000 rpms that all outboards will go through. Hot Foot is not necessary. I prefer one since Ive used one since 1995. It allows me to keep two hands on the steering wheel at all times and I drive with a little torque on the wheel. As far as storage…………tackle boxes as you describe are “old school”. Tackle boxes today are seperated into smaller boxes and organized by bait style rather than all in one box. Take a marker and marker the contents of the box and store side ways. Much easier to get what you need then going through a large box. Lastly, sitting a little higher is something that is no big deal. You will get use to it and find that its much easier on the knees getting out of the seat. Hence, you dont have to get out of a hole! In addition, youre able to see more of what is ahead of the boat while driving because your field of vision is better. Good luck with your decisions!
My last boat had the Yamaha HPDI on it, its like the ETEC a very refined engine compared to the Opti. It also had some costly maint required on the high pressure filter the Opti does not. So far I am happy with the new Opti, but YES its louder than the HPDI or ETEC. There is very little difference in deck or storage space in the PII and the Sabre FTD. You may want to take a ride in the Sabre FTD and see if it “fits” you better. Most of the extra room in the PII is in the seating area. Personally, I like the hotfoot, IMHO its a safety issue, especially in rough water. Then again I have had one since way back when I got one out of Bennie Robertsons racing boat in the 80s when most bass boats were still hand control. At the speeds you are talking about the hand control may work fine, once again those speeds fall more in line with the new Sabre FTD than the PII. My hole shot is so darn quick the engine does not have time to vibrate LOL. I have not had my Sabre FTD in REAL rough water yet, I have had it out in barge wakes you literally could not see over without an issue. Ive had it out on the lake in some pretty heavy chop, maybe true 2 footers and nary a drop of water on me, rode in total comfort at 35 to 40 MPH. When I set out to buy my new Sabre FTD, I set out to get one with another HPDI, they are hard to find. I would look for the best servicing dealer and go with the brand of engine that they service with the hull you choose, they all have their ups and downs. I use the black plano storage drop in system found on the BCB web ppage to organize my 3700s in the center storage lockers. The first few trips out with one of these new DFI engines compared to your EFI or carb engines and you will be AMAZED at how effecient they are when running 45MPH!!! Good luck with the decision.
There is a spacer that I believe BCB can put on the P2 for you that would bring the steering wheel back further. The motor deal is personal preference. Resale on the Merc seems to be a little better on the BCB than the others just simply because it seems to me it is what more BCB (future or current want). Saying that if you keep it a long time as PA mentioned a Verado might be just your ticket. I drove a 200 4 cylinder Verado and while not the speed demon of its Opti counter part a great running engine. I too prefer a hotfoot but again as PA mentioned it isnt a necessity by any means, matter of fact most at BCB run without them. Good luck and I hope you get a new Cat you will fall in love with it. Judd Lasiter
the only thing you mention that i dont like is the steering ,but im only 5/6 the rest you will get used to there really is alot of storage one ride in rough water and you will see a huge difference .I love my p11 wish you the best .
I KNOW SOME OF THE CONCERNS THAT SKIPJACK HAS, AS I RAN AN 89 SABRE FOR YEARS. THE WHEEL IS MUCH CLOSER, BUT WHEN I STEPPED INTO MY 97 PII, I HAD THE EXTENSION ADDED AND IT HELPED. I NOW HAVE A 96 EYRA THAT HAS THE OPEN AREA IN FRONT OF THE CONSOLE FOR A TACKLE BOX/ ICE CHEST. NEVER USE IT EXCEPT TO STEP UP TO FRONT DECK(SHORT LEGGED). PLANO #3700 BOXES, LINED SIDEWAYS IN THE FRONT STORAGE WILL HOLD WAY MORE THAN A TACKLE BOX. YOU MIGHT EVEN LOOK AT A CLASSIC. ETEC IS QUIETER AND AT 150-200HP, JUST AS STRONG AS OTHER MOTORS. GAS MILEAGE WILL BE A LITTLE LESS. BUT IF YOU ARE NOT LOOKING FOR TOP END, NOT A BAD CHOICE. NEITHER IS VERADO, IF PLANNING TO KEEP FOR A LONG TIME. I RAN MY SABRE FOR YEARS WITHOUT A HOTFOOT, THEN FINALLY ADDED ONE. ON A VERY LONG RUN IT CAN BE TIRING TO KEEP THE FOOT DEPRESSED. WITH A 150 ON A SABRE FTD, PROBABLY NOT NEEDED. GOOD LUCK96 Eyra/12 Mercury 175 Pro XS with 2015 single axle trailer2017 Victory Gunner
Hi Skipjack, It sounds like you should try and Demo a 2008 Sabre FTD, we have sold several and everytime when given the “TRUE” facts these consumers picked the Evinnrude 150 High Output E-TEC, they wanted a very quiet motor, a very easy to maintain motor, very informative motor, no break in, very easy on oil and gasoline, no smoke,no smoke,no smoke, and no dealer scheduled maintenance, now, the Mercury faithful which I also have sold for a number of years will tell you on the 225 HO some boaters had issues with 1 of the cylinders leaning out and malfunctioning, others will tell you that after “jacking” the E-TEC up on the transom and running it like Bass Fisherman do, they would self destruct, what they wont let you know is BRP who owns E-TEC had a new fully dressed 3.3liter 225ho at their dealer on the average of 2 days, or a fully dressed L1 lower unit in 2 days, We have not had 1 problem with our 225 ho E-TECs but BRP is constantly evoloving their product, thus for 2008 they added more oiling points and a different CPU program, also added different internals that are far superior to the competitions, and designed a new gear case for their new 250 HO and for the highly used 225 HO, the coolest thing is on factual data it has been printed that so far out of the Merc Optimax, OMC F.I.C.H.T., and the Yamaha HPDI and Newer DFI Evinrude ETEC that the ETEC had the least problems as in # of motors vs.# with huge issues……..I do not get paid buy the manufacturers that I sell, however I for 6 years have made people very happy with both the Evinrude ETEC and Mercury Optimax, however I hear more comments about the ETEC, probably because it is so shocking easy for the buyer, and so clean and quiet, yet very torquey and powerful, its been proven on the tournament trail….call me or email me anytime I can give you some ideas, for free of course, Brannon cell-920-295-2069 [url=mailto:email-worner_brannon@yahoo.com]email-worner_brannon@yahoo.com[/url]Your Signature …
I had an E-Tec 200 HO on my Ranger and it was a great engine. It had great power and was quiet (if you like that). I have an Opti on my Bass Cat and I must say that I like to hear the engine a little but that is my personal pref. You cant go wrong with either engine. Its a personal pref. Good luck with your choice
(2) The bucket seat position was too far back and so I had to lean into the steering wheel. It had tilt steering but no in/out adjustment. There is an adjustment, and seats are made taller for more support, the actual base placement is identical. (3) On the hole shot, there was a slight vibration from the Optimax, said to be normal. This one we are not sure of, though we suspect the propeller had a slight amount of vibration or ventilation. (4) I have a space in front of my console for a tackle box and I added a shelf to store my net below that. With the large boxes, do you put a whole tackle box in the storage compartment or just storage boxes and how do you organnize the boxes to keep order? They have made some suggestions, we personally often line them up without organizers as some of us use a variety of sizes. Plus those Hook & lead boxes need flat set. (5) I took my wife fishing the next morning and we met a tournament fisherman launching his boat (Jimmy Todd) and he was running a 06 ETEC and we were impressed with how quiet it was. (I have had a bad taste for Johnson/Erude every since the FICT disaster.) He said he had always run Mercurys before the ETEC, but really liked it.) Anyone liking the ETEC? The E Tec is quieter and runs well, and the Opti is more fuel efficient. Oil burn goes to the ETec, which offsets some of the fuel burn. It is a matter of dealerships and choice. We have no preference. Consult some of the data that is available on this topic. (6) I have twin Yamaha EFIs (2000) on my saltwater boat and they are quieter than the Optimax and have not had any major troubles. Does anyone run Yamaha 4 stokes on their bass boats? I know they are quiet and fuel efficient. The Yamaha is a good engine, though suffers on torque. It is not as stout on the bottom and top. Nice package though! We prefer a 200 Verado in this category. The 225 Yamaha is a great 4 stroke for the quiet ride lovers. It makes a nice set up on a Cougar Advantage Elite model. (7) I was not confortable with the Hot Foot. I thought I wanted one on my new boat, but the spring was stiff (adjustable I was told) and having to keep your foot on the throttle was a negative to me. I know I am so use to the right hand shift, throttle and tilt and trim. I usally move around at 35 to 45 MPH and the only time I run fast, is just to see if I can still do over 60 MPH, short burst. How necessary is having a Hot Foot? There is NOT ONE person at BCB that runs a Hot Foot. We prefer hand throttles for many reasons. ( Finally, this is just an impression: I felt like I was sitting on top of the boat instead of in the boat. I felt I was well over the wind shield, but impressed that my hat stayed on. I feel like I am siting down into my boat and I like that. Things have changed form preference of consumers in the console an seats from your Sabre. We too like the other way, though as Phil pointed out, it is easier to get up and down. There is a lot of geometry (A LOT) going on in the cockpit area to align knees, arms, wheel locations, throttles, hot foots, hips, thighs, body heights, head location and more. The bolt on consoles changes some of that as has consumer preference. We Hope this helps you to figure out what your needs are and we will be glad to answer more later. BCB
Thanks for the input. I am still shopping. Skipjack
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