Who is in charge of the Bass Cat Engineering Design?????

[TonkaCat]

JPCAT, I’m on my 5th BassCat and have not once had an issue with any water intrusion in any compartment that is deemed watertight. I know a few  have had water come in thru open latches or when the boat I’d left parked in a bow down position some water could get into rod lockers but that’s and easy fix,just don’t park boat bow down and make sure latches are closed.  I have fished in pouring rain and never had water get in rod lockers thru the holes for passenger rod butts/holders. I believe those holes simply drain into the bilge.

One of the main reasons I like BassCat so much is because of how well these things are thought out. Everything has a reason, and usually it’s a really good reason.  Personal preference is different for everyone.  Some like hotfoot position high some like it low, many don’t like it at all.

I think you will find that those on this board want to help. I’m thinking any of the issues you brought up are pretty easy fixes with the exception of lowering the hotfoot but I’m guessing guys will have a fix for that too.

im pretty sure that your suggestions/comments are being read by the design team right here on this board so no worries about them going unheard.

Enjoy your BassCat!

 

[PhilAddison]

JPcat you should know there is no perfect boat for every single individual. Your water leaks are fixable. As far as the hot foot being too high go to the throttle on the side old school. If every persons idea was implemented then bcb would have a real pile!!

[Bass Cat Boats]

The templates you mention are laid out where reel handles and Rods can be stacked, for example on the Lynx only two holes are for 9’ rods. They don’t just say do this space, they actually lay the rods in to maximize space. If it were up to us they would be big cavernous rod boxes you only use a rod sleeve in as we have done for 35 years.

 

 

On spacing, often Twisting the rods 90 degrees will accommodate the larger reel sets and some with the magnum reel handles are compacted some. As designs change, For example power poles in the late 2007’ish era, Wynn grips and many more items, let alone the next 20” graph, or maybe two (2) of them. We must evaluate those as they develop. Thus instantly a 2019 model becomes different than the need on a new widget introduced in 2021. Let alone the guys that use a 10’ crappie rod, all spinning reels or a 300 Or larger Series Shimano for swim baits.

 

 

As we told an OEM Charger company this week, Mercury increases the size of a steering pump housing and it no longer fits the design space we intended. Same holds true for that battery charger as they increased case size and now we have a problem. We can spend tens of thousands on what fits today. Still these are built almost singly as you now know, and it’s not mass units we can mold parts for like your vehicle

 

 

We also spend a lot of time on water leakage, we test one in random sets. The screws all have neoprene washers, the lips have trims seals and we put foam in the lids. Then we come back on Premium Series boats with the stainless steel Marine Town compression latches.

 

We get dozens of suggestions and just today more than a dozen were offered by that many parties, only one OEM contacted us with something we are considering.

 

 

You are more than welcome to offer an idea, though there’s more to it than most realize.

 

[C130]

I always wonder about those with water in their compartments, are these boats left outside in the elements, is it happening just out fishing, there never seems to be any details given? I am not saying it’s not happening or not important, just wonder what the conditions were. I have never had any water in any of my compartments and have fished in some very heavy rain quite a few times. I keep my boat inside all the time when not being used so it’s never sat outside. I always open every compartment after fishing in the rain once I put the boat in my garage just to get any moisture out that may have gotten in, never seen any water in them.

 

Per the Op’s comment, the front cup holder has a drain tube, so how is that an issue, same as the area with the recessed trolling motor foot pedal, drain there also. Are people not using the bilge pump and its just filling up with water, I just don’t get it. Just asking, not meant to argue your opinion or suggestions.

[JPCAT]

  Keymaster,

You must have misunderstood.

The drain holes in the trolling motor foot pedal recess and cup holder just drain through into the hull. Nothing stops the water from going into the side lockers. I did not say anything about lid seals and even though there might be an issue with them, you avoided answering about the obvious design flaw with draining water into the hull from the front. It is not a big dollar item to implement a design to fix this. The water in the pictures came from the front, not the seals leaking.

I brought up the co angler rod holder holes location and you avoided that answer as well. There is enough room to move them 1 1/2 further apart sideways, and maybe 1/4 inch between each vertically and make it more user friendly to fit the baitcaster rod and reel positioning.  This would not cost the company anything more. Just make a new template and the guy drilling it will be doing the same thing in a better design. You commented on rod locker hole locations, I am referring to the holes outside of the locker by the co’s feet. I provided a picture for this. I would think you put someone on this with 5 baitcaster rigs and you could improve the template in an hours time at most.

The hot foot issue, you are just making excuses. I don’t understand why you have to put such a thick piece of whatever it is under the hot foot. I can’t even put my foot into the hot foot because the dash restricts me from it.  It is an unsafe condition, especially for a performance boat that runs almost 80 mph. I have to put my foot sideways just to use the pedal. Why not use a stainless steel plate with stainless steel studs facing up so you can bolt the hot foot down and gain 1 1/2 inches of space for a 6 foot tall person with size 14 feet to fit their leg under the dash? Someone on here mentioned a side throttle but that is not something I would want for the speeds of 70 plus mph I drive the boat at.

I worked in engineering and process development for my career. I understand more than you might think about design and manufacturing. The things I am bringing up are not big dollar changes, just improvements to obvious oversights that might be known but just ignored.

Don’t get me wrong, I love my cougar, I just think your company could put in some effort into some simple fixes that bug the heck out of me everytime I use my boat. It would be nice for you to recognize my suggestions and offer to implement them. If not, why.

Regards

[JPCAT]

C130,

I keep my boat stored inside most of the time. If it is outside It is almost always covered. I cant speak for others but water gets in mine from the front foot pedal recess for the trolling motor and the forward cup holder. When I got back from towing my boat from Arkansas, I left it out uncovered in the rain for 2 days because I burned up a vault hub and did not want to try and put it in the shed. The side lockers got the water you can see in pictures from my reply to Keymaster. It was sitting in my yard on a slope leaning to one side. I did not get water in any of the other lockers and it was not from water coming from the rear because the boat was bone dry when I left the plant with the drain plug out. I have heard the excuse of water in the bilge.

[C130]

So, where does every other boat drain their water in to? Where else, besides the hull, would it go? Was the front tilted down? Water has to go somewhere, I would think if the front of the boat was up so it would drain to the rear, with the plug out, it wouldn’t gather up front. Heck, I’ve had waves come over the front from wakeboard boats while fishing and fill that front recessed area completely full and have never had an issue with it not draining. That would have to a lot of water that got it to the boat to put some in the rod locker. at least to me it would appear that way.

 

I’m just speaking for myself but the co anglers rod holders work great for the rods I use, I have had them completely full.  I’m 6’1″, size 13, and have no issues with my hotfoot in my Eyra. I’m not discounting your issues, just that nothing will suit everyones desires and wishes. Sometimes I think we just need to get outdoors and fish, enjoy nature, and quit nitpicking every single little issue and enjoy our boats.

[JPCAT]

c130,

This pic is where I parked it when I got back. The lockers were all closed and latched tight when it was raining and the water was not from there. Water draining down into the hull would not be an issue but when the water is capable of going somewhere other than down to the bilge is unacceptable. They could put up a small wall to divert the water or drain hoses to get them past the portion of the locker that allows the water to flow into them.

It is not nitpicking when you keep in mind the price we are paying for these boats. I worked hard for my money and it is not nickels and dimes I had to spend to own this boat. I bet you never saw the piece of furniture foam in a thin plastic garbage bag they put in the floor in front of the floor drain. It is a complete disregard for a design that actually should be rethought. Mine shifted and ended up blocking the floor drain and flooding the hull to the point water was flooding above the drain. The foam was completely water logged because the cheap plastic bag had holes in it and it soaked up all the water it could.

As far as co angler rod holders, I actually used my boat as a co angler a number of time in tournaments. My baitcaster rods and reels do not fit in such a way that I can get access to what I want or put away in a matter of seconds!!!!

[Bass Cat Boats]

In these production images you can see the drain in the Vee channel, they do not show the dam on each side of the main air channel, though one exists to route water to that area. The water in your front end should drain into the Vee.  Those “dams” are small walls in the bow as you can see in image #3. The fittings also have hoses routed to the Vee area. Most of the water is sloshing forwards and especially if the foam block is removed or became dislodged, which we know many do.

 

The foam was vacuum and lock in place, though when it became moisture laden over time the foam would shift in the sump, and yes we knew that was there. It also had a piece of PVC tubing attached to the block, that allowed the water to drain through the Vee and through the ballast are to the sump.

 

https://scontent-dfw5-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/118963667_4345465155495301_8816037263239545082_o.jpg?_nc_cat=108&_nc_sid=cdbe9c&_nc_ohc=mjAIw4zVEJwAX_koGGm&_nc_ht=scontent-dfw5-2.xx&oh=7ecc0507a22cc8df0b9314ac17d659fd&oe=5F9AF68C

 

Pantera Classic

https://scontent-dfw5-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/118935547_4310136339028183_5880255461968722037_o.jpg?_nc_cat=105&_nc_sid=cdbe9c&_nc_ohc=oSpFwhUlSsIAX_eRwgu&_nc_ht=scontent-dfw5-1.xx&oh=544b05bbb23a3201a43353278cb2f11b&oe=5F996811

 

Puma FTD with dams and drain before clean up.

https://www.facebook.com/BassCatBoatsbySerialNumber/photos/ms.c.eJxNj9ttAEEIAzuKwLz7byw6ryD5HWF7cFNRmM4Ixqd~_nMCNwGqB6cASbbrAOnJSPTbywUT5XMRe5DpQjEQucLwOvQ5~;HXvh3gSCE5MvImHbkUr1WA8Lzta~;X4JA76KfaZ5pv0huBJNfaUBuhe9Xrymc78PiIv4iZypNMentmKc~_f~_rO93U90DTtvNJIruDEClxxX5DDCz1Q8S7ONMDS6TNVzg5~_AVT4ZdM~-.bps.a.4310122199029597/4310124012362749

[Hemifun]

JPCAT is raising some very real and valid issues here.  There is no excuse for water getting in the rod lockers as seen in his photos.  This and other issues I am aware of recently are primarily due to poor quality control.  Basscat QC has seriously gone downhill .  I wonder if those of you who are defending BC and complaining about nitpicking would accept similar issues with your tow vehicle after spending $60,000 to $80,000 for it??

[TonkaCat]

Sometimes, it’s how things are presented that brings different reactions. All I know for sure is that Bass Cat Boats will do what the can to help. Telling a very successful company how to design and build boats better may or may not be welcomed.  Let’s try to help JPCAT get fixed up. And JPCAT I know of a few who drilled right thru the bottom of the boat installing their Hot Foots, I think that may be part often reason it’s thicker there.

[JPCAT]

Keymaster,

Who are you anyway? What is your real name? What is your role in the company?

I don’t know why I have to keep proving things to you. You have shown me a design of a boat that is not what I am talking about. This is a 2016 Cougar FTD, Look at my pictures there is no wall, nothing to prevent water from going into the side lockers from the front drains. The carpet is not even glued in place properly on the starboard side and you can see it is glued directly to the hull up front. I indicated to C130 I picked up the boat at the plant and it was bone dry with the drain plug in the rear out of it. This crap you are giving me about water coming forward from the bilge could not happen because I never got the boat in the water since a vault hub burned up on the way back from your plant and I am waiting for the warranty replacement to arrive from the manufacturer. I put 2400 miles in bringing my boat down there having it worked on and bringing it back, I sure as heck am not coming back for this.

As Tonka Cat mentioned, I would think you would respect me as a customer and set me up to fix the problem and not argue with me about it. It would be great if you send me the fittings and tubing for the to drain holes in the trolling motor recess and a cup holder with tubing that the water can be directed down into the center of the hull past the side locker walls. I removed the plug receptacle plate and put my hand in there. The bulk head fitting in the well is cut off flush to the nut so a tube can not be attached to it. The small hole in the well just has a plastic grommet in it that a tube will not attach to. The cup holder does not have a tube or fitting to attach a hose to that either. Bsides I cant even get my hand it to get to the underside of the cup holder.

[TonkaCat]

JPCAT, A can of 3m spay 77 adhesive will be a 30 second fix on the carpet that came loose and pop the Cupholder out from he top side.  I think that the more you look around in there and work thru some fun these things you will find that any corrections needed are pretty simple in a BCB.  That is really one of my favorite things about BCB.

[JPCAT]

Tonkacat,

Yes it there might be some simple fixes and believe me I can do them. I have patents for things I have designed. I done design work for Ford, GM, Opel, Warner…. I have built race cars.

My issue is the unwillingness to accept suggestions, acknowledge design flaws and offer a way to fix them. I worked with people like this and they thought since someone does not work in the same field, they don’t know what they are talking about. People that never worked in the corporate world and don’t have an understanding of who the customer is and that they should be satisfied. Instead they think what they are doing is their business, and the hell with the customer. One day they are going to find they are making a product for themselves and will be out of business because no one will buy the product.

You might enjoy fixing issues with your boat but I do not. I have 2 bass boats and a tin boat. Something always needs fixing. I am restoring a vehicle, maintaining 3 other vehicles and 2 tractors, building a house, maintaining 15 acres of land. I don’t feel it is right for me to have to order an adhesive to fix a carpet issue that should never had happened because of a sloppy carpet installer. I should not have to figure out the tubing and fittings I need to force the water to drain down the center of the boat because of a design oversight. I live in the country and it is 12 miles just to get to this tiny little town. Until a couple months ago we did not even have a hardware store. Ultimately I order almost everything online since the next town with any population is 30 miles away.

I spoke my peace. It just makes me so mad!!!!

[Cajunhunter67]

JPCAT

BCB did show you a picture (link) of your exact hull. Yes it was a Puma, but they share the same hull. Only the cap is different.

The location of the drain for the Recessed pedal should drain it down the center or near it, even without a hose. Those dams should not allow the water to ride UP the hull into the lockers.

I have owned 4 BCB models. Only 2 have leaked. The 98 Jag would leak thru the old latches. I replaced them and it corrected the water entry issue. The other is my current boat, 2016 PII. I tried beating a storm and lost. I had the boat beached with Power poles down. Trailer down the ramp when it hit. All hell broke loose. Winds got up to 70 mph. Branches from trees were flying by my truck. Truck was rocking. Mean while, my boat is filling with water because Mr. Genius here forgot to hit the auto bilge button. In the end I had big branch laid across my trailer (no damage). Boat had filled with water to the bottom of the seats. It was also FULL of cypress tree needles. UGH! The one extra fish was not worth it. I did get water in my two center lockers. It had come thru the latches. I removed my Plano boxes and wiped it out with a couple paper towels.

My PII does not have the nice Southco Latches your Cougar uses. Even then, occasionally one will leak.

At 5’8″ I like the lifted support for the Hot foot. At size 14, you have quite a bit of leg (and foot) to get under the console. I believe BCB has tried to find balance for everyone. At 5’8″ I have the hot foot placed further aft. Any shorter and I would need a cushion behind my back. Lol!

I do like your idea of separating the co-angler rods holder holes. It would allow easier storage of the rods and reel clearances. I’m the only one that uses that side of the boat, unless my wife fishes with me. Its by no means a deal breaker. My buddies boat (different brand) is even worse. Separating the holes would beneficial and don’t believe it would impact the co anglers sitting area.

Being your boat is a 2016, is this the first time you have experienced water in the lockers?

Don

 

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