Home › Forums › Bass Cat Boats › P11 compared to a P IV
SuicideNemesis.
Quick question, coming out of a ranger Z20, 225 proXS, my 4th Ranger I am considering a smaller boat, mainly for garage reasons. Im getting too old to “back and forth” a tandom trailer to get the boat in sideways so as the garage door closes. Once Ranger sold out I no longer have a loyality to that boat and want to stay with a family owened company so I have looked at bass cat, ledgend, and Phoenix so far. My tourn, Partner is in a Cougar, the other fishing partner is in a Pantera Classic and I was always the ranger man. I do not want a 20 foot boat and I am not a speed freak and by the way, the Panteria Classic is the fastest boat I have ever been in but I got sea sick fishing in it on Clear Lake, most unstable platform Ive ever been on. I have never been on a p2 or a p4 and the Cougar is a good ride but Im back in the 20 footer range. I have a test ride in a Phoenix 719 pro sho 225 this coming week. What are the big differences between these two boats and which has the better resale, both have 200 optimax engines.
My team partner had a Classic and I have an 09 PIV, I can tell you that the PIV is more stable and big water friendly than the Classic is. Since the Classic and the P2 share the same hull, they may be comparable, but I dont know. My 200 hp PIV is comparable to the 20 Cat with a 225 I had before, but 2 mph slower on top end. The ride and stability are about the same. Bobby Barrack, the guide, should be near you, he may still have a PIV, you ought to call him and go for a ride. Mike
I have fished out of both a classic and a p4. I owned a 04 p4 with a 200HO evinrude from Clear Lake regular. Own a puma ftd now. Wanted more speed at a time I had money to spend.I have a friend that has a z19 with a 225 and I fish out of that boat a fair amount as well.Friend also with a legend 19- havent fished out of that one but a number of friends have.Regarding the classic versus p4- the p4 with fish more stable in my opinion- but it should- wider and heavier. I think you would be very happy with it although the deck width in a p4 will feel narrower to you because of gunnel heights- however it is substantially wider than a classic.A good friend of mine ran multiple P4s in Cali for years and loved it. Plenty of nasty waves from Clear Lake to Oroville to Mead. Plenty of skinny water in the Delta- loved it. I believe Mr. Barrack has one as well.As opposed to what you are leaving the p4 is imho also what youd be most happy with in comparison to your current standards. I think the p4 will be more responsive than what you currently drive as the lift and running position will be much better in my opinion based on the time I spent in a z19 and some time in a z21.As for the phoenix I have no comparison data to share.As for the legend the individual I know that owns the 19 version is very happy with it and this gentleman is HORRIBLE on a boat.To me however the biggest things in a boat are- will it hold up beneath you, will the company support it.40 years in business with a single owner speaks volumes toward these two issues.As for resale I believe all lines resale the best with max hp on a boat and a black motor. ( I own a blue one). Couldnt begin to tell you what resale values are on 19 boats to date across brands. C.O.D. Jr. III
By your comments === P4 for you without hesitation!
Thanks for the input, even by checking the website I could not tell that the classic and the p2 were the same hull. A stable platform and ride are much more important to me than speed. I saw way too much blunt force trauma and sharp force injury in my past life as a Forensic Pathologist, plus Im older now and dont have much cowboy left in me. Given that, I think Strike King hit it on the head. I live in NC now and while I am out in sacramento alot most of my fishing is in NC and SC now. Unlike Clear lake and the Delta there is not alot of big water to manage other than Norman and Santee Cooper and I only fish these lakes 2-3 times a year. You dont see alot of Bass Cat boats back in NC, maybe Greenes Boats over in Spindale can change that. For the most part Ranger and Triton have the Market in the Carolinas. As for as managability and speed my 2nd Ranger a 2001 518 DVX and the 200 opti was the best Ive had. It is no longer made and is not the same as the current 518 which is going to be discontinued next year by Ranger. I will post how the Phoenix rides/handles.Again Thanks for the input, suppose I could get a bigger garage and put a Puma FTD in it..
If you are up north near Va Bch let me know. I will take you out on one of the sounds with my PIV. Hell I will be prefishing in Elizabeth City on and off for the rest of the month. PM me if youre interested. I have an 04 PIV.- Chaz
If you were pleased with your 519 then you should like the P4.
CurtI picked up my P4 that I got from Andy Greene in May of last year. I live in southeastern NC and fish everything from large impoundments, tidal rivers and small lakes. It has all the storage you will need and then some. Very stable boat while fishing or running in rough water. It fishes very well around boat docks, piers and laydowns because it is very nimble. I am not a speed deamon and dont need to be so the 72 mph is fast enough for me. I like the console on the new P4s as they will handle larger sonar units. The are making a single axle trailer available for the P4s and I will opt for that on my next one because of some of the places I like to fish have primative boat ramps. The dual axle trailer does ride very well though. You cant go wrong with this boat.
Had my P4 at Choke Canyon this last weekend. Sat/Sun had some 5/6 foot rollers. Went against, along and with the rollers both days back to the ramp…. Never got wet, not even water spray on sunglasses. Can not say the same on two other brand boats we had in the club….
Check out this rough water video of the PIV. This may give you an indication on the PIV rough water abilities. However, I am curious on why the DRIVER is the one taking the video while driving what looks to be 35 to 40 mph over 4 footers (pause it at 37 seconds when you get a glimps of the GPS, says 30 something to the right of the 27ft depth). The link may help huh?http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xDNwGYKB5Q8- Chaz
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