Erya

GoofyI think youll have to wait for your answers. The hull that you saw was a prototype and is not complete in design or function.

Thanks Phil. I know you have ran Cats for a long time. Can you give me some insight on driving one? I always ran Rangers and Champions except for one triton that I hated. It was a 196 tr and it rocked and started chine walking about 67. Everyone said you just have to drive it after that speed. It would do 73 but I could not drive it past 68 because of it got out of control. My Rangers and Chamions which were all the wide bodies not the older Champions only did around 72 but you could drive them easy but that was top speed. I even drove a Skeeter at about 74 and it drove easy. I know this boat will be fast and will be capable of 80 plus but will it be just like the Triton where it will start going crazy after about 70? Like I said I had a p4 in 04 with a 200 ho on it and it would do about 71 and started to walk at about 68. It was squirlly at 70. All I read is you have to drive a boat if it can do speeds above 70 but I know my friend says his z520 with 250xs will do 76 and you can drive with one hand. Can you help with this question?

Dont know performance numbers on the erya but i am sure BCB will help out there but i can tell you the Cats will drive as easy as the Champ but its a completely different animal. Remeber one thing I can give you right off is that when you drove your champ you trimmed it up all the way and put your foot on the floor. The Cats have a lot more lift built in and require much less trim to get the lift and speed. The biggest thing i have seen with my buddies who have them was over trimming them. I had one friend we picked up 2-3 mph in his just by showing him where to trim it to versus what he was doing.

GOOFY wrote: Thanks Phil. I know you have ran Cats for a long time. Can you give me some insight on driving one? I always ran Rangers and Champions except for one triton that I hated. It was a 196 tr and it rocked and started chine walking about 67. Everyone said you just have to drive it after that speed. It would do 73 but I could not drive it past 68 because of it got out of control. My Rangers and Chamions which were all the wide bodies not the older Champions only did around 72 but you could drive them easy but that was top speed. I even drove a Skeeter at about 74 and it drove easy. I know this boat will be fast and will be capable of 80 plus but will it be just like the Triton where it will start going crazy after about 70? Like I said I had a p4 in 04 with a 200 ho on it and it would do about 71 and started to walk at about 68. It was squirlly at 70. All I read is you have to drive a boat if it can do speeds above 70 but I know my friend says his z520 with 250xs will do 76 and you can drive with one hand. Can you help with this question?Well Goofy youve driven the worst chinewalking boat that Ive ever driven. Not a Tr196, but a Tr21. If you can drive one of those, then the Cat with a 250 should be a breeze. However, there will be some chine walking in all performance hulls and a Cat is no exclusion. It too will chine walk, just not as bad as what youve driven. Its all a matter of learning to drive and the learning curve should be much shorter in a Bass Cat. The problem with those older Tritons was to get the top end out of them, the engine liked to be high. Therefore, not only were you having to fight chinewalk, one had to fight steering torque to nth degree. As youve experienced, Champions and Rangers are more or less point and shoot rides that have very little top end performance to them. And yes you can trim those out until the motor wont trim no more and nothing has really changed. Your friend says he can drive a Z520 at 76 mph with one finger and this is about all a Z520 has in it. Driving with one finger doesnt really surprise me as I can tell you that I can drive any Bass Cat at 78-80+ with no hands or fingers. This doesnt mean everyone can do it and I certainly wouldnt recommend anyone to try unless they really feel comfortable with the hull and their surroundings. Its all about learning how to drive, balancing the hull on the pad, and knowing when you can let go of the wheel. And trust me when I say this, there is a world of difference doing 74-76 mph and doing 80+ mph. Again, the key is learning the small tricks that will become 2nd nature in learning to drive and again, the learning curve can be shortened in a Cat vs. the other that gave you fits. And to shorten the curve a bit more, spend some time in a boat with one that knows how to drive and have them explain exactly whats going on and the corrections needed to keep the boat balanced on pad. Lastly, you wont pick up the driving thing in one trip, but over a period of time youll get better and better until one day you wont even know that youve got it kicked. Turning slightly to the left at all times will help too!Do not let chine walking be a deterent to your choice of boats. Drive and drive and ask questions and youll get the driving thing picked up in no time! Theres not a better boat on the water right now than that Puma FTD and Cougar FTD for all out performance and it will not only smoke most of them it will ride with the best in the rough stuff as well! Going back to the original question about the Eyra…………………hard to say what the top end will be, how it will ride, etc. etc. as there has been no time on the water with the final design!If you have other questions, dont hesitate to keep asking!

Height was changed almost immediately on production and older models were upgraded minus 2.

I have a 13 Cougar and to me its like riding in a caddy, a feeling that at my age, I really appreciate. I spent 4 days in an Eyra fishing a tournament with a friend and it has more of a sports car feel. The cockpit area is not quite as roomy as the Cougars and you sit a little higher if I recall. That said, we were on giant Lake of the Woods and the Eyras performance in rough conditions was impressive!

The Eyra sold pretty hot for the 3 years or so after its re-introduction, and since that buzz has dies, it is more of a niche boat. I currently own a 2015 Eyra, and while I love the layout, I do realize that its not for everyone. To me, it is the ultimate river boat, for those who are usually making casts from all angles off the bow. The front deck is slightly smaller than the Puma and Cougar, due to different geometry, and the console being shifted forwards a few inches. That results in a little better holeshot, acceleration, and tighter handling on top end. I never fish in big waters, but Ive heard that a couple of the Elite pros choose the Eyra, mainly for the rough water ride.