Pros & Cons of BassCat

[Sidetracked3]

I am new to bass boats, been in wakeboard boats. So I am trying to decide between boats. I have a local dealer that will work with me on my current boat. I have looked at Rangers, Vexus, tracker, bass cat. Or course the place was a big ranger place so he said they were the best. So tell me your pros and cons of owning a bass cat. Boat show is next weekend so I need to make a decision soon. Thanks for any info

[iron banks]

Go look at on YouTube for the bass cat videos on how they build them. Once you watch that you will understand.

[iron banks]

Here you go. There are several but this is in the transom.

[TDobb]

Best build quality of any of the bass boat manufacturers.
Best trailers under a bass boat, built in house.
Best materials possible.
Innovation
Fishing first and foremost design mentality.
Absolutely the best customer service in the boating industry.
And best of all, you are treated like family whether you buy brand new or a 20 year old boat.

[TNReb]

Go ask which is better in the Ranger forum and you'll hear everyone say Ranger. Ask the same question here and you will hear BassCat. Very few people are going to say "I spent $XX,XXX-$XXX,XXX on my boat, but I like another brand better!".

The man in the video above is Rick Pierce. Rick is the president of BassCat. His family started the company. You will often here Rick on podcasts discussing BassCat, the state of the industry, the Owners Invitational, other tournament trails, or just sharing stories. He's also been known to read and post here.

When you need a part, or an explanation of how something should work, you call the Arkansas phone number listed on BassCat's website. Someone will answer in 2-3 rings, and you'll ask for the parts department. Usually you'll be talking to Allen in less than a minute, and he's going to tell you exactly what you need to know. No waiting on hold, no being transferred to 100 people, no waiting a week for a call back.

I am not speaking badly of Ranger boats, but you will not get this level of service/communication/etc from White Water Marine (their parent company).


Let's forget the "big picture" stuff and talk about boats.

Things I like better about Ranger:

• the Ranger Ride system. I kind of like tech things and I like the Ranger Ride screen. It looks nicer than BassCat's control panel. It's powered by Lowrance, so it's probably going to be solid long term.
• the seats. I think the seats in the newer models look nicer than BassCat seats. Some people will say they don't like the plastic trim/back. We all have our own tastes.
• the big front deck of the 520
• better tool cutouts for pliers/etc than BassCat's foam slot thing
• passenger console - I think it has nicer trim and looks better than the BassCat passenger console

Things I like better about BassCat

• various models/layouts to choose from. Ranger basically gives you two options in the 20-21ft model - a 520 or 521. BassCat gives you Cougar, Puma STS, Eyra, Lynx, and Jaguar. (Caracal is real close to 20ft but I didn't include it because it only runs a 225). If you want the big front deck, the Puma STS may be perfect. If you want speed and handling, the Eyra may fit you best. There are choices!
• the Puma STS now offers a big front deck that is comparable to the Ranger 520.
• the trailer is as well-made as any manufacturer's - including the pole and steps.
• Latches are high quality and lids are snug/solid.
• Livewells are a better, deeper design in my opinion. It took me having fish flop out of a Phoenix livewell to truly understand/believe this.
• Very little, if any plastic trim used anywhere on the boat. Parts and materials are very high quality.
• Speed. A BassCat will run faster than a similarly sized Ranger.
• Carpet - if you go that route, BassCat uses a very high quality carpet in the boat.
• Reflex flooring - if you prefer it over carpet, it is an option in the entire boat and is nicer than the material in the Ranger cockpit.
• Storage under the seats - it sounds trivial, but it's a lot of extra space and I LOVE it.
• Puma STS has a better bow design for multiple graphs without the need for various after-market mounts

Everyone will chime in and say that BassCat's customer service is unrivaled. That seems to be the culture that Rick and his family have built. I'm not saying that to blow smoke up Rick's butt - I'm just giving everyone credit where its due. Besides having a top-quality boat, their customer service is one of the biggest reasons I ordered another BassCat.

Put the industry's best customer service along with one of the industry's best built boats - and the choice seems obvious - unless the visual appeal of the Ranger is your top priority. There are people who will argue that Ranger loses that battle also.

EDIT: You said the boat show is next weekend and you need to make a decision soon. It's your money, but it's not a decision I would rush. I'd hate to spend that kind of money on a new boat and then wish I had bought something different. Visit more than one dealership for each brand and see what boats they have in stock. Crawl around in them. See if you can arrange demo rides, or find other fishermen who are willing to take you out for a quick spin.

[WStorey]

I am new to bass boats, been in wakeboard boats. So I am trying to decide between boats. I have a local dealer that will work with me on my current boat. I have looked at Rangers, Vexus, tracker, bass cat. Or course the place was a big ranger place so he said they were the best. So tell me your pros and cons of owning a bass cat. Boat show is next weekend so I need to make a decision soon. Thanks for any info

Airport Marine?

[basshole51]

Go ask which is better in the Ranger forum and you'll hear everyone say Ranger. Ask the same question here and you will hear BassCat. Very few people are going to say "I spent $XX,XXX-$XXX,XXX on my boat, but I like another brand better!".

The man in the video above is Rick Pierce. Rick is the president of BassCat. His family started the company. You will often here Rick on podcasts discussing BassCat, the state of the industry, the Owners Invitational, other tournament trails, or just sharing stories. He's also been known to read and post here.

When you need a part, or an explanation of how something should work, you call the Arkansas phone number listed on BassCat's website. Someone will answer in 2-3 rings, and you'll ask for the parts department. Usually you'll be talking to Allen in less than a minute, and he's going to tell you exactly what you need to know. No waiting on hold, no being transferred to 100 people, no waiting a week for a call back.

I am not speaking badly of Ranger boats, but you will not get this level of service/communication/etc from White Water Marine (their parent company).


Let's forget the "big picture" stuff and talk about boats.

Things I like better about Ranger:

• the Ranger Ride system. I kind of like tech things and I like the Ranger Ride screen. It looks nicer than BassCat's control panel. It's powered by Lowrance, so it's probably going to be solid long term.
• the seats. I think the seats in the newer models look nicer than BassCat seats. Some people will say they don't like the plastic trim/back. We all have our own tastes.
• the big front deck of the 520
• better tool cutouts for pliers/etc than BassCat's foam slot thing
• passenger console - I think it has nicer trim and looks better than the BassCat passenger console

Things I like better about BassCat

• various models/layouts to choose from. Ranger basically gives you two options in the 20-21ft model - a 520 or 521. BassCat gives you Cougar, Puma STS, Eyra, Lynx, and Jaguar. (Caracal is real close to 20ft but I didn't include it because it only runs a 225). If you want the big front deck, the Puma STS may be perfect. If you want speed and handling, the Eyra may fit you best. There are choices!
• the Puma STS now offers a big front deck that is comparable to the Ranger 520.
• the trailer is as well-made as any manufacturer's - including the pole and steps.
• Latches are high quality and lids are snug/solid.
• Livewells are a better, deeper design in my opinion. It took me having fish flop out of a Phoenix livewell to truly understand/believe this.
• Very little, if any plastic trim used anywhere on the boat. Parts and materials are very high quality.
• Speed. A BassCat will run faster than a similarly sized Ranger.
• Carpet - if you go that route, BassCat uses a very high quality carpet in the boat.
• Reflex flooring - if you prefer it over carpet, it is an option in the entire boat and is nicer than the material in the Ranger cockpit.
• Storage under the seats - it sounds trivial, but it's a lot of extra space and I LOVE it.
• Puma STS has a better bow design for multiple graphs without the need for various after-market mounts

Everyone will chime in and say that BassCat's customer service is unrivaled. That seems to be the culture that Rick and his family have built. I'm not saying that to blow smoke up Rick's butt - I'm just giving everyone credit where its due. Besides having a top-quality boat, their customer service is one of the biggest reasons I ordered another BassCat.

Put the industry's best customer service along with one of the industry's best built boats - and the choice seems obvious - unless the visual appeal of the Ranger is your top priority. There are people who will argue that Ranger loses that battle also.

this hits all the points!

I will add this -

Most BCB are "enthusiasts" hulls. they are built to be driven and require some seat time to learn how to drive them to their built capabilities. If you enjoy motorcycles, quads, sports cars, airplanes, etc you are going to enjoy that aspect of a BCB. the Ranger is a plug and play rig it requires almost no skill and effort to truly drive it. To some this is a huge plus for the Ranger whereas it is a huge negative to me. A BCB is going to perform better in most aspects of Bass Boat driving applications IF PROPERLY DRIVEN.

[MMosher]

Make a trip to Northwest Arkansas and tour the BassCat, Vexus, Ranger, Triton factories. You could legit tour them all in a day. When you’re done o betcha you’ll choose a Cat.

[bassfisher444]

Bass Cat all day over a Ranger, the hull performs far better and gets you more speed. If you are looking at getting one with a 250 hp max I would go with an Eyra, that is the best performing boat with a 250 on it.

[Bass_boat_boy]

this hits all the points!

I will add this -

Most BCB are "enthusiasts" hulls. they are built to be driven and require some seat time to learn how to drive them to their built capabilities. If you enjoy motorcycles, quads, sports cars, airplanes, etc you are going to enjoy that aspect of a BCB. the Ranger is a plug and play rig it requires almost no skill and effort to truly drive it. To some this is a huge plus for the Ranger whereas it is a huge negative to me. A BCB is going to perform better in most aspects of Bass Boat driving applications IF PROPERLY DRIVEN.

This is very accurate... I'm a new bass cat owner with a cougar/merc 250 v8 combo and come from a ranger (z118) the bass cat is not easy to drive fast. I can get her to 73-75mph but not much more and I know there is more. It's not a complaint I think it's a testament to a very engineered hull design. I love the simplicity of this rig with high quality materials and fit and finish. The tackle storage is just unreal and the deck layout was made for bass fishing. Love the little day box and the rod storage is endless. Some may not like the narrower hull, me personally that's what I wanted. Actually, my first choice was the eyra and cougar a close second. I really liked my ranger z118, it was build before ranger was sold. It was a solid boat and I really like how compact it was yet had some really solid storage. I wanted a larger rig for Great Lakes fishing, but still a nimble rig for smaller lakes fishing for largies. After one season in this bass cat I am very impressed. Solid solid ... solid rig you won't be disappointed.

[krindgen]

Make a trip to Northwest Arkansas and tour the BassCat, Vexus, Ranger, Triton factories. You could legit tour them all in a day. When you’re done o betcha you’ll choose a Cat.

Just watch Ken Smith's video interviews with Rick Pierce. Those alone almost had me trading up for a Cat. For years I couldn't get past the console design. Just thought it didn't look good. That has changed.

[Rebel1]

What part of Alabama do you live in? You are more than welcome to look at my 2023 Eyra.

[PMantle]

My last three boats were Ranger/Cat/Cat. The only thing I liked better about my ranger was trailer loading. I am now on my 5th brand of boat, and my newest Cat is the most finicky to load of any of them. I pretty much have it figured out now, but some ramps still give me some side to side wiggle when powering up which can lead to a miss of the roller.

Another thing. I do not know what series you're looking at, but just know the Advantage series(P2 and Sabre) have different front ends than the other two series.

[BassCatSC]

There are a lot of boat manufactures out there. All have their pros and cons. All the touchpoints in dealing with BassCat make the total experience of owning a boat the best experience in the market.

[Rick H]

Look up the youtube channel from Ken Smith bass boat search.

He did a nice job with it. A Ranger owner 3rd, 4th, 5th I forget. When he was finished bought a new Bass Cat.

Ranger is only living off of name recognition. I've been looking for a while now covid has added time to it. But ranger fell off my list a while ago. Cat, Blazer, Charger my top three.

[mactlman]

i have a brand new ranger, came out of a basscat. I made a mistake not going back to BCB to save some bucks and wait time and regret it although I have a sharp new boat!

[TNReb]

i have a brand new ranger, came out of a basscat. I made a mistake not going back to BCB to save some bucks and wait time and will regret it to my grave

You still have a nice boat. Focus on the things you like and enjoy it!

[Sidetracked3]

Yes went there and saw many Rangers, Vexxus, bass cat. The Vex looked the best but too showy for me. I liked the Rangers too. The bass cats I like besides the cockpit. I wish it was done differently. But I’ll probably be down b/w Bass Cat, Ranger, Skeeter, phoenix or nitro. Boat show is next weekend so I will have a better idea of what I like. Who has top electronics? Hummingbird, Garmin,?????

[Bass Cat Boats]

Electronics we go all ways on. Garmin live scope, Humminbird side imaging and mapping, Lowrance for a compromise between all.

Do your research and determine which features are important to your style.

BCB

Yes went there and saw many Rangers, Vexxus, bass cat. The Vex looked the best but too showy for me. I liked the Rangers too. The bass cats I like besides the cockpit. I wish it was done differently. But I’ll probably be down b/w Bass Cat, Ranger, Skeeter, phoenix or nitro. Boat show is next weekend so I will have a better idea of what I like. Who has top electronics? Hummingbird, Garmin,?????

[mactlman]

You still have a nice boat. Focus on the things you like and enjoy it!

i do have the sharpest loaded up 519 out there!!