which boat to upgrade to and why???

[tmoney]

I'm biased, but I would highly recommend Phoenix. Just go over to the Phoenix board and check out some of the commentary. I was on the fence as well between Phoenix and Basscat, and I ultimately landed with Phoenix. Best decision I ever made. Nothing against any other brand; it just worked out for me in terms of price, need, fit & finish and customer service. Good luck!

[dean c]

Good choice your leaning to with Basscat

[jarhead175]

Wait till after the first of the year when Charger releases the 198 Elite.

[TAKFishing]

The Caracal will take care of all of your wants with plenty of room.

im biased of course but based on your wish list I would agree. Go to BCB forum or BCB owners page for more info or q's you may have

[limitlong]

I would go Bass Cat and another suggestion is to ask yourself if you are going to want a larger boat in the future. If so, go ahead and buy the largest in your class so you will not feel the need to upgrade in the future. Good luck.

[willwork4fish]

I've had 5 boats in my life and 3 of them have been Cats, I'm currently in a P2. If it were me and I had the money for a new Eyra or Caracal I'd got with the new Pantera Classic and spend the rest of the money on stuff like an Ultrex, Lithiums, Poles and premium electronics and probably still have some left over. I love the layout of the new Classic, the storage and the wide deck. I'd easily trade the little extra speed and storage for those options in a heartbeat.

[jmonty256]

I've had 5 boats in my life and 3 of them have been Cats, I'm currently in a P2. If it were me and I had the money for a new Eyra or Caracal I'd got with the new Pantera Classic and spend the rest of the money on stuff like an Ultrex, Lithiums, Poles and premium electronics and probably still have some left over. I love the layout of the new Classic, the storage and the wide deck. I'd easily trade the little extra speed and storage for those options in a heartbeat.

the classic is on the short list for sure... but the deck is still pretty narrow even in comparison to my little 189 TRX. but the classic is a longer over all boat. my local dealer has one on the way, and he has promised to take me out for a couple hours and put it through the motions... even hinted to wetting a line as well while we are out.
i truly like the looks as the present online in the photos. he has an Eyra in stock now and that is a wonder looking boat for sure. Haven't seen a caracal up close but want to for sure.
the local dealer is also a Legend dealer and has some real sweet close out available as well. but the BCB products just look so dang good. Plus there is some uncertainty surrounding the Legend brand being they are now owned by the JM corp and triton hulls are now being made in the Legend plant in TX... so that is something too consider also...

[Zoomworms]

bass cat tyler, do you have experience with the caracal?

I own a Caracal feel free to pm with questions.

[basscat tyler]

I personally haven't rode in one. Have seen them and they are large for a 19'8" boat. All reports I have seen guys are running low 70s with Merc or Yamaha

[billnorman1]

Used Basscats are like every other boat, things break, things wear out, and things get fixed by stupid people and don't work like they should. I have owned two Basscat Eyras, and would own another one in a heartbeat if the price was right.
You can fix all the maladies above on any boat, but initial design excellence of a Basscat is hard to beat.

[jmonty256]

basscat great choice if you have local dealer support

yes it is the closest dealer to me is a BCB and then the next one would be Charger,also have a triton and phoenix dealer near as well

[abianca99]

yes it is the closest dealer to me is a BCB and then the next one would be Charger,also have a triton and phoenix dealer near as well

Love my Charger 496. Fishes great, handles rough water awesome, and runs upper 70s. Mid 70s loaded with 2 people. Great quality boat with great customer service. I highly recommend you take a look and a ride

[jmonty256]

Well I have it narrowed down to the following brands and models
BCB Cougar SP, or Eyra with 250 merc

Phoenix 721 XP, or 920 XP with either a 250 Merc , Rude G2


any advice on this guys and gals???

[Aruss1984]

I'm living vicariously through you but lately I've been loving the idea of the Eyra. Drives like a sports car and handles the rough water well well. Although I love my Cougar

[Milehibird]

My .02, I'm not thrilled with some of the BCB stuff. Ironically I have the Phoenix and BCB brochures on my desk next to me. The Eyra layout is love it or hate it. Some things that stand out to me...the center "coffin style" storage would annoy me, the triangle livewell lids I don't understand. They also seem narrow. The Cougar isn't much different.
I personally am a fan of Phoenix. My next boat when I upgrade from my Champion will be a Phoenix. The 919 with a 225 and the 721 with a 250 are probably the fastest boats in the Phoenix line. If it were me, I'd get a loaded 919 and run right next to an Eyra or Cougar with a 250, maybe past them. But for about the same money you can get a 721, have the extra length, extra power, and a couple power poles. Can't say I know what the 'cats will run price wise though, similarly equipped.

[Lape0019]

Only Cat I have ever liked is the Caracal. I’m a fan of symmetry in bass boats and the Caracal seems to be the most symmetrical design Cat has made. I love the storage in it as well. It was just a bit too costly for me to buy.

[Aruss1984]

The purpose of the triangular live wells is for fish care. Rather than a rectangular tank where water is able to move equally off of the 4 corners of the tank, the triangular design was made to help reduce the amount of "sloshing" in the tank while transporting fish. Just like the wells have front clips rather than in lid locks. They found that with direct sun, the latches were bringing in more heat to the well, thus increasing the water temp for the fish. Moving the latches to the front of the lid has reduced that issue. You'll notice they also put them on the ice chest to reduce heat transfer there as well. The live well tank size is massive as well at 27-30 gallons I believe. I understand BCB isn't for everyone but one of the things I like most about their design, is everything has a purpose and was built for a reason. Just my opinion

My .02, I'm not thrilled with some of the BCB stuff. Ironically I have the Phoenix and BCB brochures on my desk next to me. The Eyra layout is love it or hate it. Some things that stand out to me...the center "coffin style" storage would annoy me, the triangle livewell lids I don't understand. They also seem narrow. The Cougar isn't much different.
I personally am a fan of Phoenix. My next boat when I upgrade from my Champion will be a Phoenix. The 919 with a 225 and the 721 with a 250 are probably the fastest boats in the Phoenix line. If it were me, I'd get a loaded 919 and run right next to an Eyra or Cougar with a 250, maybe past them. But for about the same money you can get a 721, have the extra length, extra power, and a couple power poles. Can't say I know what the 'cats will run price wise though, similarly equipped.

[BroWhoop]

It totally depends on your needs and wants. Think about what these are, then look and ride in several. It did this for several years, you can see below my choice.

[Sparky292]

Id go with a 920 pheonix, that was the nicest boat Ive ridden/drove in rough water. It was so soft re-entering waves. And like stated the layout is your classic bassboat layout.

The 2 cats Ive been in were sweet boats and definitely fast but just not a fan of the layout.

Either way you cant go wrong with those options

[jdbassman]

I bought a 2015 Caracal this past July. Came out of a 2010 Ranger Z518. Huge difference between the two boats as far as ride and storage. The basscat wins hands down. You would love the storage and ride of the Caracal, very soft ride when rough. Feel free to reach out if you have any additional questions.