Looking at 08 Triton 196/ Mercury 200 Opti

[Eyra1]

Hey guys, couple of quick questions about the above rig, but also a little background info.

Been running Bass Cat for 30 years, mainly older models. We’ve owned 89 Sabre/175(bought new), 97 Pantera II/ 200(bought new). Got out of boats for a year then picked up our boat we have now, 96 Eyra(17’ 11”) w/ 2012 175 Pro XS. Have had this rig since 2008. Have also run my brother’s boats, 2 Cougar FTDs and 2 Puma FTDs, all w/ 250 Pro XS.
The past 3-4 years I’ve been mostly fishing with my best friend out of his Triton Tr20/ 225. So familiar with layout and ride, just no driving experience in a Triton. I’ve passed our boat on to my son as our schedules don’t allow us to fish together much.
So there is a possibility that the Cat may be “out of lives”...rock jetty+hull= . Really like the boat but will absolutely never own another Bass Cat again if this one is put to rest. There’s a dealer that has an 08 Triton 196 / 200 Optimax for sale. Dual PP, HDS 9s x2, Ultrex 112 tm, 10 inch manual JP, tandem axle. Asking $24900.

So the “quick questions”are—
1. Pricing- ballpark?, too high?
2. Driving- Triton and Bass Cat are two performance hulls that have to be driven, unlike some other hulls- how sensitive is the Triton to trim? How much is considered too much?
Appreciate info and driving tips on the hull.

[runt4561]

i think the price is a little high. I would put it at 20-22k if hrs are 450 or less.

Yes, you have to drive it if you plan on anything more than 65 mph. That setup should put you low to mid 70s depending on prop. They are weight sensitive. You have to balancenit out or it will list to one side or the other. Its stable when fishing though. Great boats and highly sought after among triton fanatics. Im on my 2nd 196. Sure, i would like a 21 footer but for the price, the 196 is alot of boat. Ohh and as far as trim goes, i can trim mine all the way out and can still drive it so, i dont think its that sensitive however, i have a 6 inch jackplate. A 10 inch may be more sensitive

[Caddis001]

My '05 is single console. Great fishing platform. Fast. Rides pretty good in rough water. A pain to load solo because the bow eye is way down but you get used to that. And I had to learn to drive it. As Runt says, setup is the important.

[Cajun Pop]

I have a 2008 TR 196 with a 200 Optimax and toyed around with selling but haven't decided. Base NADA for that rig is about $18,500. Adding those extras boosts it but probably not that much. With a 25 Tempest you can let go of the steering wheel up to 60 MPH. You have to pay attention from there to 65 MPH. After that, you have to be younger and better that I am. I have run Champion, Ranger, Bass Cat, and others in the past - older model hulls. The Triton is faster than all the ones I owned and rides as well as all but the Champions. The hole shot with 2 people, a full livewell, and 1/2 tank of gas is slow with the 25 Tempest. It will be worse with the PP and extra battery. Fishing solo, the boat lists to the driver side up to about 35 MPH - not an issue but to me it is aggravating. I run a 23 Rev 4 now. I planned to keep the boat a couple of years then move to something else. Four years later, I haven't found anything I like better in my price range. It is a great boat and you will like it. The trailer has vortex hubs good for 10 years. The time is up. I had to replace my brakes, lines, hubs, and bearings - you might make sure there is brake fluid and no rust in the reservoir. With your experience you know to hammer test the back 1/3 of the tube trailer and I would check for hull blisters at the bunks. Good luck.

[BassCatBrad]

I had a 2004 TR196 with a 3.0L 200hp efi. I loved that boat. I hit a stump pretty hard in 2014. While at the shop getting that repaired we found thousands of Hull blisters on the bottom of the boat under the bunks. I sold that boat. I went to a Skeeter and missed the edge of you seat feel of driving a bass boat like the TR196 gave me. I then found BassCat. The Pantera 2 drives so much like the TR196 it's scary. I ended selling my Skeeter and bought a 2018 Pantera 2 with a 200hp OptiMax. I love it.

In my opinion Triton screwed up getting rid of the TR196. I would have bought another one 2014 if they were still being made.

[Eyra1]

@Runt4561, @Caddis001, @Cajun Pop, appreciate the input. Good to know about what hub Triton uses. Hammer test to trailer tube for sure as my friend’s has shown a spot right rear behind fender. Also, a couple of mentions on blistering at the bunks..was that an issue for a majority or possibly location? Were there certain model years that I should consider more than others?
@BassCatBrad, the P 2 that I ran had the 2.5 200 EFI...no rev limiter. The day I sold it the buyer asked if I had done an engine rebuild yet. I asked “why? Nothing’s wrong with it, I’ll show you on a run.” Then ran the boat up to 73 turning a screaming 6250 rpms on an 8 year old engine. I’m thinking a 196 can haul the mail setup properly.

[BassCatBrad]

Not sure how long the hull blister issue lasted, but my dealer told me the EPA mandated gelcoat ingredient changes in 2004. Hull blisters were an an issue on Triton's in 2004 and 2005, not sure of the following years. I know 2005 models were effected because a good friend of mine has an 05 TR 186 that has Hall blisters pretty bad.

[Jason Hale]

I have an 08 196 now, my second 196. They are great boats. I was in the boat business for 20 years and can tell you the 196 is one of my favorite boats. It does handle a lot like a P2 Cat as mentioned above. If you have any questions feel free to reach out.

[jljr]

2005 LE hull, 2006 opti. Fixed the hull blisters, installed new seats, carpet, ultrex and garmins in the last 2 years. Great boat, excellent fishing platform. All of the driveability comments are right on.

[Eyra1]

Great takeaway guys! Kind of info that helps with learning curve.

[CaymasRodney]

Been looking for a TA 196 for a while now, i helped design the layout of that boat, just loved it for crappie fishing! They are very hard to find.

[buster502]

the price might be a little high,i have a 2005 tr196 in great shape with 121 hours on the 200 optimax always garaged and i would not take less than 18k for it,they do act different to weight changes, i filled mine up with gas and trimmed it up real fast and got it dancing, it was my fault,i trimmed it up to fast before the boat had stabled out,mine will run 70s but at 65 years old i just mostly run mid 60