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crawdaddy.
It has been pretty windy on Guntersville where I fish. The question I have does not have anything to do with waves but wind gust especially the ones that just pop up. I was running the protected side of the lake the other day which had liitle to no waves. I running about 70 which is well below WOT on my Cougar FTD. Had a wind gust hit me and it really scared me. It felt like I almost lost the front end. Needless to say I slowed down but was curious if anyone else has had similar experience. I have never had this experience before but I think a lot of it is I had a heavier boat before getting my cat.
Sounds like you may have been over trimmed at that speed which will make it worse. I know the feeling you are talking about and it is scary.Last edited by Bama96 on March 6th, 2011, 12:52 am, edited 1 time in total.
No you were probably lifted a little too high. The only boat significantly heavier than your Cougar FTD would be a Jaguar or the Z522 in todays world. The real difference is the way your boat lifts and the former brand we assume did not lift or have as much performance. Drop the nose down in those gusts and you will be running about the same as your previous brand in speed, then the nose will not drift. Part of a faster more efficient boat, not really a weight factor. BCB
I have never had a wind gust hit so hard I felt like I lost the front end but had a couple hit me hard enough to know what youre talking about. I think with these boats running higher out of the water makes them prone to getting knocked off mark by a wind wave coming from out of no place unexpected. Im pretty new to the Bass Cat experience and it is a little different than the old heavier days. One thing I have learned about these boats is I can go a bit faster on rough water. Fun, yes – but that also means I need to pay more attention and be more careful. You get use to 70 quick and thats when something can happen. The difference between 65 and 70 doesnt feel like much until something happens. If there are wind gust like what you say I will try and slow down a little. Thanks for the post to remind me about that!
I was typing while BCB was responding so just read theirs…saying the same thing sort of but explanation is better.
The surface( 1″) will tell you when those gusts are coiming and where they are swirling. Yesterday I was going easily 77-78 in a canal in south arkansas and I felt that nose start to get shoved left on me as well with gusts upto 30-35 despite being in a calm chute of water. The key for me is that superficial water will change out in front of you before you hit that stuff alot of times. It can look subtle but when you hit it it wont be on a real windy day. I ALWAYS look for the chop to change and if I see it I hit the left blinker down(not off the gas- that can get ugly- like nosehook ugly) fast if I think its coming. If you ever get right next to a Basscat (10-20 away) going above 71-72 at 5,000 rpms that keel will easily be 12″-18″ out of the water- its a wing.C.O.D. Jr. III
Its definitely time to slow down and enjoy LIFE. Ward, with D in the front , I would bet you get some real gusts when not expecting.BAYOU BANDIT
Sam I was doing so poorly yesterday in the wind and rain that the boat ride and performance was the only highlight!That puma ftd with a hydraulic plate you can floor in 4-5 waves against current sure is one sweet ride…Never loses grip and it lands so nicely all you can do is laugh and smile all the way home-C.O.D. Jr. III
Speaking of wind gust – I was able to fish w a buddy at Ky Lake yesterday who has a FX 21 , really wasnt sure what i was in for in that boat but it being a 21fter ,i figured wed be somewhat safe . We were idling out and he told me wed be ok just hang on,i thought to myself as we got closer to the river and seeing the rollers , i was like what the heck ! We took off got alittle wet and then he told me hang on , that boat got up on those waves like it was smooth as a babies ass . We rode those waves like it was nothing in that FX 21 ,when we came to our first stop all i could say to myself is Wow !! What a ride in those waves ,smooth as silk . The gust yesterday were rough while we fished and drove from spot to spot. Dont take wrong but if their customer service and warrenty was better ,well anyway. I dont understand what those boys see up there on that lake w their Rangers , evertime id hear a boat coming or going it was a Ranger and it was plowing and was taking a beating . I was fooled by the end of the day and i told my buddy that i was very impressed w his FX21 and 250 SHO the way it handled and rode alot better than my Cougar in the rough water ,and he replied yeah but the customer service isnt as good as yours as what i hear. All in all it was a good day on Ky Lake considering the conditions we had around 26lbs and some change in 5 fish, and yeah the wind blew also !Last edited by Deep Structure on March 7th, 2011, 8:06 am, edited 1 time in total.
Understand the rough ride in a Ranger but are you gonna say on this board that a Skeeter rides better than a BCB ,your going to open a can of worms with that statement…….and this thread get hi-jacked and probably locked as well.
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