Some thoughts on the Eyra – Long post (no pun intended)

Here’s some numbers that I’ve come up with on the Eyra. Spent 5 days in it last week on Grand fishing the Basszone.com Fish and Chips derby. Have had it out now on some flat days and a couple of days when it blew 20 plus. Feel like I’ve gotten a decent feel for what the boat will do and what it doesn’t do. Just FYI, the way the boat as loaded is fairly typical of what I would carry during an Elite Series event. As loaded, the boat has @ 115 pounds of tackle in the front storage areas. I usually carry @ 18 rod/ reel combos that weight in at approximately 12 pounds. Spare prop, tools, and miscellaneous stuff totals another 30 pounds. Power Pole and pump, as well as (4) AGM 31 batteries at 69 pounds each, all add another 300 pounds to the weight of the boat. Add another 30 pounds for HDS 8 & 10 units, along with a Structure Scan module and we’re getting close to what’s actually and factually in the boat in terms of weight. All totaled, I’m toting around approximately 487 pounds in addition to myself and whoever might be riding shotgun.Again, this is how I run the boat. All the numbers below were done with this load. Will it run faster? Sure. Drop down to (3)or even (2) 27 series batteries, 10 rods, half the tackle, no spare prop, smaller electronics, the list could go on and on with what I could take out of the boat to lighten it up, but… What’s in it now is what I carry to make a living by having everything I need to make the most of every minute of every day on the water. It’s a different load from Billy Badass in the local club wanting to beat everyone else down the river to the first lock. It’s a different load than Ivan carries on LOZ when he’s fishing docks 50 miles up the river. I’m still going to outrun at least 90 percent of the other Elite guys, because they’re toting a similar load (usually in a much slower hull).Okay, the numbers. Engine has @ 12 hours on it. Merc 250 ProXS with Torque Master lower Unit.These were all taken the same day, same load, and within @ one hour of each other. Two passes each direction along the same 2 mile stretch of river were made with livewells empty and livewells full to the overflow. Started with @ 40 gallons of fuel. Water temp was 59. Air temp was 59. Winds were 10 – 15 but across the river, so there was little chop. Speeds noted were the best that I saw on the GPS during any single run. Best speeds were seen with the jackplate raised @ 1 inch from the bottom. Any higher and all I was doing was losing water pressure.26 Trophy 78.4 dry @ 6012 RPM, 77.2 wet @ 596025 Fury 78.0 dry @ 6022 RPM, 77.3 wet @ 5980Holeshot on either prop was decent, with the Fury being the fastest out of the hole. Have tried (3) different Fury’s, 2-25’s and a 26 and this 25 is the fastest of the 3. The Trophy carries the boat a little better, but due to the smaller blade surface it winds up higher in mid-range (which is where we run them the most – @4500 rpm) and will cause you to burn a little more fuel to cover the same amount of water during a given day. Would like to try a 26 Tempest next to see how it compares to the Fury. Might gain a mile per, might not.Not Earth shattering numbers, but I have to say that they are better than any other BassCat hull that I have run the past 5 years, which includes (4) Puma’s and (1) Cougar FTD. Again, the load as noted above is similar to what I’ve carried in each of the 5 previous boats, with the exception of a spare trolling motor. The Eyra appears to be faster than any of the previous BassCat’s I’ve run. Will be interesting to see how well it performs when it heats up and the water gets thinner.Enough with the speed. Here’s how it rides, fishes, and does everything else. This is not a boat for everyone. It won’t replace anything in the BassCat line as we have now. It is a perfect boat for someone wanting a big boat ride that will perform with any motor from 200 – 285, depending on how much a guy wants to spend on ponies. If you’re a big feller, you need to get behind the wheel of one – with a lifejacket on – BEFORE you order one. Not picking on the big guys, just sayin’. Due to the lower seat pan and the new console, you actually sit down and in the Eyra. You don’t just plop down in the seat, you have to get down and under the console to get behind the wheel. You’ve been warned. By the way, the new console (available on all Premium models) is the BOMB. Best designed console on the market with one minor flaw – an HDS 10 unit will not fit in the console. The 1197 will, but not the HDS10. Something to do with depth issues. Hopefully something that can be corrected easily for future models.One of the few things I’m not crazy about is the fact that the seats are extremely vertical, to the point where it is almost uncomfortable. I’ve discussed this with Rick and he’s working on putting a little lean in the seats to get some relief there. The seats themselves are extremely comfortable, it’s a combination of the fact that they are so low and the backs are so vertical.Love the front storage compartments. How we’ve put up with horizontal storage compartments for all these years is beyond me. The amount of space is very similar to any of the FTD boats; it’s just running a different direction. I think it might be easier to access the storage in the Eyra, due to the fact that you’re opening up a longer lid. The rod organizers on the port side have steps for the rod butts to rest in. These steps are offset so that the reels on the lower rods are @ 4 inches forward of the reels on the upper rods. Great feature, but both steps need to be raised 4-6 inches in the box so that extra combos can be laid on the floor of the box. While on the rod boxes, you’re going to struggle getting rods longer than 7’8” in the boxes. I have several rods that are 7’9” – 8’ that I can fit, but I would strongly suggest they be in a sleeve or a sock before you try it. The reason? The front deck on the Eyra is shorter than the 20’4” hulls. That simple.The Eyra fishes as well as any other BassCat. Tracks well on the troller. Even with the bulk of the weight in the rear, the boat still sits fairly level in the water. It drafts @ 19 – 20 inches as I have it loaded with myself and a buddy that weighs @ 170 pounds. The ride in rough water has probably impressed me the most about the Eyra. I was more than a little leery about giving up the great rough water ride that we have in the Puma and Cougar hull, but I have to say that I don’t think I’ve given up a thing in the ride department. It might feel a little stiffer, but it is definitely not anywhere near a rough ride. In fact, I think the Eyra hull might do a better job of cutting through waves than the 20’4” hulls.Overall, I’m impressed with the Eyra. It’s more responsive than any other BCB that I’ve driven and it’s pretty fun to drive. Other than the seating and rod length issue, I have yet to find anything that would make me not want to get another one next year.Heres a link to some pics of how its loaded.http://www.facebook.com/a…6805353&l=56cde74c18Hope this helps with anyones future decisions.