Bass Cat vs Phoenix...

[Slayer412]

I posted this in the Bass Cat page and a few people recommended to post it here as well to see opinions from owners of both sides.


I've owned 2 Skeeter Bass Boats and I've had that dream for a few years now to step up to a Bass Cat.

I made a 3-day trip down to Guntersville a few weeks ago, and it seemed like 80% of the boats were all Phoenix. There were a few Tritons, a Stratos and a Skeeter.

We also met up with a buddy who had a Phoenix and just swore by their hull design and the ride quality. His boat was also pretty refined and had a fair amount of well thought out features. I fished out of it for a few hours and didn't have any complaints.

What's the deal here? Why is the popularity so extreme with those (Phoenix) boats? From the research I've gathered, they have about a 3-month turnaround time whereas some of the Bass Cats are taking 6-9 months or longer. They are also priced slightly lower for comparable models, especially in the used department (depreciation seems significantly higher).

From somebody with experience in both, how does the ride, build quality, fishability, and speed compare?

Yes, I understand there are a ton of factors into what suites me and the water I fish on. I am just looking for overall opinions here and I guess I'd like to be convinced into why I should get a Bass Cat over a comparable Pheonix.



The answers I've received from the Bass Cat page have been basically that the Phoenix boats show wear a bit easier, have lesser quality carpet, and have 3rd party trailers. Features, fishability and customer service seem to be quite even. I'd like to hear from the Phoenix guys why they chose Phoenix boats over everybody else. It seems hard to beat their ride quality and the price.

[haus9393]

I bought a Phoenix back in 2016 and it’s the only brand bass boat I’ve owned but I fished as a co angler from 2010 until 2015 and rode in all the major brands. My team partner was in a triton tr20 back then as well so a lot of time in that boat. Nothing seemed to compare to the ride of a Phoenix back then. I remember the first time I rode in a bird and it got above 70mph and popped up on pad. It literally felt like the boat took off like a plane and I had never rode in a boat like that before. I will also say a lot of guys I rode with never really pushed their performance boats that hard either. I think a lot were afraid to run that fast due to chine walk handling. I just love the layout of the boat and everything seemed to be what I wanted. They really are setup great for a tournament fisherman. 50 gallon gas tank. 44 gallon livewells with a split system. Decent battery compartment that can easily hold 5 batteries and power pole pumps. There are things I don’t like such as the crappy shroud designs which are now getting fixed on the “elite” models and I don’t like how the rod locker doesn’t have a wall between the passenger rod locker and the main rod compartment. Extremely hard to get to the pumps and bilge. But I pretty much love everything else about the boat. Very fast and smooth ride in choppy water. It navigates huge waves extremely well also. When I say huge I mean 4-6ft waves on the Great Lakes that require a 12-20mph speed. Also just sitting in the cockpit seems so fluid. Like I’ve driven the new triton boats, nitro and skeeters all in the past year and they all just seem alittle off compared to Phoenix. Like the seat heights and dash positioning just doesn’t seem as comfortable. I feel like not a lot of people talk about the Phoenix cockpit but to me it seems well thought out and sized perfect and I’ve got like 1500 hours on my 2016 and 646 hours on my 2021 and I’d say 50-60% of those hours were idle time. I can sit for 16 hours behind the wheel and not feel uncomfortable.

Imo they really started getting extremely popular right in that 2015-2018 range as I barely saw any Phoenix back then and now half the bass boats on lake Champlain seem to be a Phoenix. What really gave them another boost was when they took over the MLF sponsor boat in 2020 I think it was. Now anyone fishing BFL to MLF PRO level events pretty much has to be in a Phoenix to get their contingency money if they win. I feel the carpet on my 2021 is better than my 2016 boat was. My 2021 trailer with the c channel is better than my 2016 tube trailer as well. But what you stated is probably true. Basscat probably has a better trailer and probably shows less wear than a Phoenix over the same amount of time. Also basscat has a better build quality with their fiberglass but some say Phoenix is on par but idk basscat seems to have it dialed in with the way they build their hulls. I have to tighten screws on my boat quite a bit.

[Phoenix Ed]

I am on my second Phoenix, my first was a 2013 721 which I sold and tried a different style of boat, that lasted a year. I am in a 2022 819 now and love it as much as the 721. I looked at the Bass Cats in the 200hp range but I could not fit under the console at 6'4. After 3 back surgeries and a neck fusion this year I will take the ride in my boat over any on the market.

One thing to look at is the width of the boat. My boats have never felt "tippy" with my big old butt in it. Fished as a co in a couple of Cats and can not say the same thing. Bass Cat builds a great boat, and I looked hard at them but went to another Phoenix.

[Rich1]

Bass Cat. nuff said. No better customer service, no better quality

[boomow610]

I had a 2011 Bass Cat that I ran for 5 years. Fit and finish may have had a slight edge over the Phoenix, but, it was a marginal difference. The carpet was heavier in the Cat. It wore really well but took much longer to dry. I had a constant gasoline smell in the rod locker of the Cat that I never could fix. That was ultimately the reason I sold it. Also, BCB owners love to brag on their trailers. Mine came with a bent torsion axle and an improperly fitting step on the swing tongue. I prefer the storage layout in my 721 over the BCB models. This is my second Phoenix. I’ll give Phoenix the clear advantage in rough water ride.

[Jasonrs]

I think the whole "phoenix looks old quicker" thing is entirely dependent on who is taking care of the boat. Ive seen poor maintenance on alot of different brands, none of em look good after a few years if not taken care of. I love my 721

[parkj5]

I am a new Phoenix owner myself. I am coming from 520 Ranger to a 920 phoenix. I really wanted a Basscat Cougar or even a Caracal I looked for over a year before making the decision on phoenix. They are both great boats with the ride definitely going to Phoenix. Fit and finish Basscat. Price is one of my factors in choosing phoenix. I can tell you 100% the 920 rides light years better than my 520 Ranger but is alittle narrower at the trolling motor area. The Cougar and 920 front deck width are very close. Most basscats I looked at were in the 90-100 thousand dollar range and the 920 in the 80.

[ThomasD]

Is Basscats carpet better, yup. Is their fit and finish better, a little bit but Phoenix is every bit as structurally sound, Does it not show wear and tear better, debatable at best. Not the big question. Is it worth $20k more, that's for you to decide.

[mactlman]

Is Basscats carpet better, yup. Is their fit and finish better, a little bit but Phoenix is every bit as structurally sound, Does it not show wear and tear better, debatable at best. Not the big question. Is it worth $20k more, that's for you to decide.

add in better carpet, no plastics. way better trailers and boat components and re-ask yourself that question

i saved 15k getting a 2022 ranger vs a 2023 caracal and boy do I regret it already and ranger has not even has gas in the tank yet! sold a 20 yo basscat to get the ranger also

[Sputnee]

I am a new Phoenix owner myself. I am coming from 520 Ranger to a 920 phoenix. I really wanted a Basscat Cougar or even a Caracal I looked for over a year before making the decision on phoenix. They are both great boats with the ride definitely going to Phoenix. Fit and finish Basscat. Price is one of my factors in choosing phoenix. I can tell you 100% the 920 rides light years better than my 520 Ranger but is alittle narrower at the trolling motor area. The Cougar and 920 front deck width are very close. Most basscats I looked at were in the 90-100 thousand dollar range and the 920 in the 80.

90-100 thousand, this is what I have been seeing https://www.rossmotorsports.com/defa...&condition=new unless you go w/ the Caracal and then if you equip it differently than the "Special Price" it goes up drastically. Both these boat brands are awesome and from what I have been hearing from some of my friends who own both, customer service at Phoenix has been great to them. Basscat is legendary for their customer service.

For me, I don't mind the plastic on the Phoenix, when it comes time to repair, it is much easier and doesn't require a fiberglass shop. My friend has a 2022 920 Elite and another has a Puma STS and I fish with them weekly. Both are awesome. I prefer the ride and layout of the Phoenix better, especially the switches (don't like push buttons). The fit and finish on the Basscat is better IMHO and the trailer is too. But I have an opinion on that, Marine Master make trailers for many boat brands, which mean they sell more. If you are selling many more units, there are bound to be more problems, doesn't mean they are not good trailers.

Its funny, my friend w/ the Basscat boat is a 2020? and its trashed. My friend w/ the Phoenix takes care of his and to be honest, sold his previous 2014 Phoenix that looked better than the friends Basscat , which even he admits.

Like I stated on the Basscat Forum, I am leaning and hope to have one on order within the next 1-2 months, leaning towards Basscat, but haven't ruled out Phoenix. Remember, this is just my opinion, I have owned neither, so I am educating myself also. Have been on this forum for a long time, hardly ever post, just listen to you guys who know what they are talking about.

Hopefully the posted advertised pricing is wrong. I want a Cougar or a Puma, but, 120k, although doable, can't see it.

[A.J.]

I had an 04 Pantera was a great boat then went to a Skeeter and two Phoenix’s 2016 721 and my current 2021 920 Elite. Before I ordered my 920 I looked really hard at going back to Bass Cat. The STS wasn’t out yet and I wasn’t a fan of the Lynx layout so I was really interested in the Cougar. In the course of comparing the two boats I probably made 10 trips to both dealerships. I took a tape measure over every inch of the two boats inside and out crawled through them both to get a fishing and operating feel of the two. For me the Phoenix won out. The Phoenix had a wider front deck also the triangle boxes in the back seemed they would be a pain for a co to put their stuff in with out having to take it all out of their bag. I didn’t like how you have to stack dual graph on the front of the Cougar vs down and out of the way on the Elite. There were other personal preference things that edged the Elite up for me. From crawling all around both and really diving into the details both do some things in areas a little better than the other but my opinion was both boats fit and finish is comparable, construction comparable, customer service comparable. I’d recommend going through both boats and see what works for you. Both boats are top of the line brands and you can’t go wrong with either the difference is really just personal preference.

[TritonJT]

I wish there was a way to confirm my observation but there is not. If it could be proven, I would be willing to bet Phoenix owners are younger and more active in bass tournaments than any brand out there. They put more hours per year in extreme conditions than some of the other brands. Their customer is not some old guy that takes his garage queen outdoors 6 days per year. Therefore if you look at two different brands at a boat ramp, and one has 70 hours on it, while the other has 400 hours, which is going to look the most pristine?

[haus9393]

I wish there was a way to confirm my observation but there is not. If it could be proven, I would be willing to bet Phoenix owners are younger and more active in bass tournaments than any brand out there. They put more hours per year in extreme conditions than some of the other brands. Their customer is not some old guy that takes his garage queen outdoors 6 days per year. Therefore if you look at two different brands at a boat ramp, and one has 70 hours on it, while the other has 400 hours, which is going to look the most pristine?

absolutely the case.

[mjdjr18]

I wish there was a way to confirm my observation but there is not. If it could be proven, I would be willing to bet Phoenix owners are younger and more active in bass tournaments than any brand out there. They put more hours per year in extreme conditions than some of the other brands. Their customer is not some old guy that takes his garage queen outdoors 6 days per year. Therefore if you look at two different brands at a boat ramp, and one has 70 hours on it, while the other has 400 hours, which is going to look the most pristine?

Sounds to me like a lot of folks would answer the question with "whichever one is the Bass Cat".

To me this is kind of like arguing about which supermodel is hotter. Sort of pointless.

Any new bass boat is nice when all the stuff works properly and all the pieces stay where they are supposed to be. Most people buy Phoenix and Bass Cat boats for the same reasons. We all know what those reasons are.

Set a budget, do your research, make a choice, pay up and enjoy.
.

[BroWhoop]

Personal preference is what it boils down to and budget possibly. Both are good boats. When I bought a looked and studied a long time. I just like the Phoenix better. Is it not perfect, contrary to popular belief none are perfect. However the Phoenix does most everything extremely good!

[Mark Perry]

I wish there was a way to confirm my observation but there is not. If it could be proven, I would be willing to bet Phoenix owners are younger and more active in bass tournaments than any brand out there. They put more hours per year in extreme conditions than some of the other brands. Their customer is not some old guy that takes his garage queen outdoors 6 days per year. Therefore if you look at two different brands at a boat ramp, and one has 70 hours on it, while the other has 400 hours, which is going to look the most pristine?

I believe you make some very valid observations.

[parkj5]

I just wished I could put a Basscat steering wheel on my bird lol.

[Meleagris1]

Lots of good info here - Basscats are well made rigs. I really like the layout and features of the Phoenix. Phoenix customer support is second to none, and I would say Basscat is second, very good. The downside to Phoenix is the as mentioned the pleather shrouds on some models (now fixed on Elites and PHX). I really like my trailer and have no issues with the carpet. The biggest thing I noticed between the two brands is RIDE. The ride of the Phoenix is the initial reason the took off up on our northern waters IMO.

[opaleski]

Bass Cat makes a great Boat, as does Phoenix. I have had three cats and now have two Phoenix’s. One PHX and one Elite. I like the ride better in my Phoenix.

[MichPhoenix77]

I think the whole "phoenix looks old quicker" thing is entirely dependent on who is taking care of the boat. Ive seen poor maintenance on alot of different brands, none of em look good after a few years if not taken care of. I love my 721

100% agreed.