I second what Mike Dominick stated regarding the prop. I own a 2017 Cougar AE with a 250 optimax on the back. I have poles on it, 3 graphs, garmin trolling motor, a ton of tackle, 3 group 27 wet cell batteries for the trolling motor and a group 31 x 2 gel starting battery. I also have and run a 25 p fury that Ronnie Gilbert worked on. With all that being said, I had a person from the marina that I bought the boat from drive it with myself in the boat, full tanks of gas, empty livewells. With both of us in the boat it was going past 77+ when the driver asked me if that was fast enough, which it is. I have yet to really master driving this thing at speed. Ronnie Gilbert knows how to tune a prop and does know Basscat hulls. Your problem will be do you want it fast out of the bottom, fast at the top, fast with a bunch of weight in it, and so forth. And yes Ronnie will sit on the phone with you, and he does back up his work. He told me that if I do not like the prop send it back and he will re-work it to whatever I desire. Just watch your water pressure, and handling as you move that jack plate up and down, a 1/4 does go a long ways in changing handling characteristics of the boat.
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