Caracal or Lynx

[John__S]

I currently own a Z521C and plan on replacing it soon with a Caracal or Lynx. I had the opportunity to drive a Caracal this week. The winds were blowing around 12 mph on big body of water. When driving into the wind the Caracal rode much rougher than my Ranger. I may have not had the trim or jack plate at the optimum settings. When running with the wind between 40 and 50 mph the boat required constant steering correction. I might have been expecting too much from a boat that is 2 ft shorter than my Z521C. It was a handful to drive and required constant steering correction. It felt like the direction of the bow was affected by the waves. Again I may have not had the trim or jack plate at the optimum settings. The Caracal had a G2. If a Caracal is set up properly (prop, trim, jack plate) should I expect that the boat will track perfectly and not require much steering correction at 40 mph? The fit, finish, and gloss was exceptional. I really like the layout of the Caracal more so than the Lynx. I spent some time on the trolling motor and felt very comfortable with the forward position of the trolling motor. I will be checking out a Lynx soon on the water,

[BASStex1988]

They are a different boat to drive and once used to it it performs exceptionally well for a less than 20’ boat. It’s not like a 21’ ranger (which is a good boat) that you can point aim trim up and go. Spend some more time in the caracal if you can and I think you will grow to like it more. The lynx is an awesome rig too. 21’ class boat I believe they call it but designed for the bigger water. Good luck with your experience.

[Luke]

a much better comparison to your Z boat would be the Lynx
BCB are a little different to drive, they just drive different once you figure that out they are an awesome boat.

[billius]

I've had my Caracal for almost 4 years. I've never noticed any difficulty in keeping it tracking where I wanted it. To me it drives quite a bit like the CougarFTD that I traded in, just not as fast.

[ZeroSix]

John S - PM me if you are still on the fence. I did the same investigations that you are doing now and landed in the Lynx (from a 520C). Too much to put in tis message on Monday morning but will gladly share my thoughts and finds.

[GrayZ20]

I myself went from a 520C to the Lynx after 2 rangers. Two completely different boats with the Cat getting the upperhand with quality and buildmanship. Besides the Cat is just a badazz boat period. Choose a Cat and welcome to the cult

[John__S]

All, still trying to decide which way to go. With the Ranger Cup packages on the Z520L/Z521L the cost difference with poles is around $4000 Less than a comparably equipped Lynx. I do think the Ranger boats are better looking. I had a Lynx demo ride last week. The driver showed me how well the Lynx steers. I drove the boat and it drove well. The winds were light. The hole shot with a Mercury 250 2 stroke was slow compared to my Ranger Z521C SHO. I really wanted to go with Caracal but didn’t care for the ride or it’s handling. It seemed to plow and hit waves 1 ft waves hard all of which could be blamed on me not knowing the best jack plate and trim settings. I my leaning towards the Bass Cat because I’m convinced that it is a very well built boat with top materials. One thing I really like about the Rangers are they are point and shoot and not as sensitive to jack plate and trim settings.

[Phil Addison]

I can’t speak to the pricing of the boats you’re comparing but I will guarantee that top end performance is as much as 5-7+ mph in the lynx compared to a Ranger. I’ve driven a 521 several times over the past couple of years and it struggles to make 66 mph regardless of the driver input. If you target 66 mph in a lynx it will likely be a point and shoot drive as well. You can’t compare a caracal is it is 2 feet shorter. However biased I am but I’d take a caracal at 72 mph over a Ranger at high 60s max. Lastly any bass cat hull is going to be drier than any comparable Ranger hull. Good luck making your decision!