Well, SHO owners lets hear it…

nope, There are no rose colored glasses on any brands here. There are problems with all brands. Yes the SHO is a very nice product, as is the Mercury. The Suzuki has an excellent reputation in the areas that the engines are running, and most all of the SS engines are in saltwater and not bass markets. The number in bass markets is very, very limited. BCB

Na, na, na, na….. WE all be in the “in group” and BassCat Strong!!!Just appreciate being a Dr. Pepper in a crowd Coke. I kinda like it that way. I have no problem being a coke but by gosh Ive got the best darn dealer one can ask for and he serves up a very tasty Dr. Pepper with a great BassCat chaser.

Well the boat has a lot to do with the numbers as well and I am glad my SHO is bolted to a BCB. I defend and promote my Bass Cat with as much passion as I do my SHO.

Ron,That invitation is always open to my Chi-town BassCat Brother.Coosa, Smith, Alabama River, Guntersville, and soon to be Aliceville Lake we are waiting on you. Soon Ill be getting my new 250SHO on my Eyra and will be connecting with Chris (gchagler) for a day on the lake and swap boat motor setup stories. Gosh I got to get to Weiss too with Jim. SEBCOG will be lots of fun as well if the OI doesnt work out. However, I got to work on our our good buddy Chet and get him to Teal point and experience the OI on Norfork. Comeon Chet… Bring your dad and get a cabin for three days. The two of you will really enjoy it!!!The emotions are a little elevated this evening being in the family but we all will be back to normal soon. At least I hope so. Ron, your Etec is one of the baddest two stroke power plants on the planet. Its my personal preference for several reasons (emotional roots to my dad). Doesnt mean Hammers or Mercs are bad but just I prefer the red/white and blue cowling. Also, I had over 300 plus hours on my Etec and was going strong before I sold my boat.. The motor end game is a roller coster ride because of our emotional investments. So perspectives going forward are colored depending on which side of the motor fence you have on the back of your Basscat. I know BassCat does not enjoy being in the middle but sometimes this can be cleansing. Also, its okay to have fences as long as we are respectful toward each other. Regarding colored glasses I dont agree with everything BassCat says about that especially when I read a post two days ago from one of their representatives openly posting with purpose to bring attention negatively on cost gap of the SHO that had “NO” relevance to the forum topic of MPG. To me that showed biased. I think its fair game for dealers to use that to their advantage but was surprised to read a boat builder participating. However, I do agree with tons more of their boat building customer service and motor support in general. Of course I have my biases but I am a consumer with a close relationship/friendship with my dealer so that perspective can cloud some of my perspectives too. Again, I am a consumer. We all have our emotional investments per our purchases. Reflecting on the current emotions whether your a Dr. Pepper or or Coke a lot of energy is being exacerbated by evolutionary transitions in the bass boating industry because of the VmaxSHO. Here is the timeline as I see it. Last summer there was a motor campaign to negatively discredit oil making issues for the SHO. Was there a wide scale motor performance break down causing on the water issues like coils or power head failures? NO…. Yet there was so much energy efforted to create this fear. Why? Can you imagine if there was a real issue??? Thats why Yamaha had to get it right out of the box with their initial release. They had to!!! Now we have attempts (Not from BassCat to be sure) to create a price gap to keep motor market share segregated on some OEMs bass boats. It may work but there is a growing wave of consumers that are understanding there is a performance difference. Will this price cutting keep enough consumers away until evolutionary response can effectively be offered to their customer base? I dont think so if its 3 years away. Market share in my opinion will erode. Not for all but it will erode. This is not a challenge or throw down for race. Anyone with an open mind get behind the wheel of a SHO on a properly setup up boat and youll immediately experience the difference getting on plane (hole shot). There is a difference. Now run at 35 mph and and punch it again. Youll experience another distinct experience not noticed on stock two stroke setups (midrange). Finally, punch it all the way and put the pedal to medal. Conservatively the SHO is going to be faster because of the 4.2 displacement and stock lower unit to get the motor high in the saddle. The SHO is faster. It really is. Now is there enough to sway some motor branding loyalist. Maybe not and that is perfectly okay because maybe that difference isnt enough for them to change. I respect that. However the straw breaking attribute of the four stroke engine is longevity and durability. This is a added selling feature combined with whole shot, mid range and WOT that is gaining more acceptance in the bass boat community. Thats not a in your face statement but a reality. Why do you think Mercury is cutting into their profit margin and creating the $3,000 difference for the only the 200SHO with OEMs. Its not just BassCat. I know this reality exists for Phoenix boats too. When the SHO was initially release there was only a $1,000 difference between the SHO vs. Etec and Merc motors. Go back and read the initial release posts. Today with BassCat its now closer to $3,000 for the 200SHO. Why is it higher now then a year ago? Right now I need to make a better effort to understand these dynamics. Thats the price Im paying to be an early adopter. To me I really want companies like Suszuki to step up, Come on Verado although better bring more game and of course my heart strings will always be with Evinrude. If any of you do Ill tip my cap. Those will only be evolutionary positives.I said this a year ago when the SHO was just getting started. Its the real deal and its their turn to be front and center right now. Soon their will be another player to co-op a better mouse trap for consumers. Once they do a new following of consumers will strongly consider that option. By no means are two strokes bad but there is a new technology out there right now and it has done nothing but impress anyone willing to get behind the wheel. Its evolutionary, it real and its available. For those interested in change youll be surprised what some dealers like Brech Marine in Selma, AL will do to eat their profit that make up motor cost differences so you can take advantage of the new technology. Oh, and did I mention NO MORE OIL” to be exhausted in our valued fresh water resources? That is not a smoking gun with the EPA. Also, How important is that to you as a fisherman.I be BassCat Strong!

Bass Cat Boats wrote:Just to be clear for all, neither Mercury nor Yamaha altered any pricing of engines since the inception of the SHO. The present disparity in MSRP of the 200 Opti or Pro XS has been consistent for years and the SHO pricing on 200 also is consistent. The 250 engines are very close.So to be clear and specific to potential 200SHO customers. Just because there is this price gap to dealers doesnt necessarily reflect that full amount difference to the potential customers final price. Shop around you will be surprised. Some dealers are willing to eat some of that hardship to help the customer get in the BassCat with a 200SHO to alter that disparity. This can become a slippery slope with mis-information. So potential buyers just check around and dont show your cards to competing dealers. Just a word to the wise.Steel Sabre, To answer your original I question. The SHO is one heckva a motor. I highly recommend it to any open minded bass boat enthusiast.

Bill good point but for certain if you purchase a SHO from Brech Marine the buyer will not see anything remotely close to a $3,000 surcharge vs. Mercs or Etecs with a BassCat boat. I know the family. They put a smile on their face and eat lots of the surcharge to sell boats at discounts to build RELATIONSHIPS that go a minimum three boats deep with their customers. I dont know how they keep a smile on their face to be honest. Thats how I got started with them. So to be sure any numbers being shared by BassCat is potentially not the same numbers being pass from dealers to their customers. Also, I really believe numbers are like reading glasses. You got to keep staring at them long enough you will get focus and clarity at the bottom of the bill of sale. Another words any surcharge numbers dealers are being hit with will not be the number the customer will see. Additional 200 SHO Realities:If any dealer is being hit that hard and they are a exclusive Yamaha motor shop (thats how they run their business so keep that focus) and if they cant eat the cost difference in the fuutre then they might have to consider carrying another product line to possibly fit that niche vs. motor price point disparity. The reality is we all live in a ever changing market place. As for the Brechs I know they will exhaust every avenue to be BassCat centric regarding 200SHOs. Hey, potential SHO buyers you need to exhaust every avenue to search for the best deal regarding the 200SHO and BassCats VmaxSHO pricepoint vs. Mercs and Etecs pricing. At least if you are considering a 200SHO you need to at least give them a call per your evaluations. Last edited by Flyswatter on April 1st, 2011, 3:51 pm, edited 4 times in total.

Yep and I have a house on the Alabama River near Selma. You are welcome there as well. The beer is always cold even if the fish dont bite.Um, directions please…. Its STILL snowing here!