Corky wrote: Ranger says the boats after 2010 no longer have trouble with blisters on the hull, and with Bass Cat returning to the Vinyl ester (sp?) resins I am confident that they wont have problems in this area either. I know customer service with Bass Cat can not be beat. Corky – To me, the dry ride would make all the difference in the world. When youre fishing, you can change your on-deck habits to suit the platform, but there isnt much you can do about a hull that gets you wet. I had a chance to fish and drive some a few years ago in a 2010 Puma FTD, and it was a glorious experience. The Puma FTD now has the newer striping, the hull was tweaked a bit, and the console is redesigned, but isnt otherwise much different than your 2009 model. I think its great that youre considering making the purchase during boat show season, because this is the easiest time to compare build quality between boats (at least as far as a visual inspection can go). I dont get to fish out of brand new Bass Cats like I used to, but every year at the Winter boat show I can scrutinize every detail of every new boat on the market, and the few Bass Cats that are ever at the show up here in KC still show up every other bass boat there, hands down. Rangers are nice boats — no question. But touch, push, lift, open, feel, and scrutinize everything on both models. Feel the thickness and knap of the carpet on both. Run your fingers behind the finished edges of fiberglass areas, look at the depth of the gelcoat and the cleanness of the trim lines, feel the step and strakes on the hull — too round at the edges often means poorly laid and badly maintained molds, look at the quality of the hardware used, and of course consider the ergonomics of both models. Also, if you havent seen it, watch Bass Cats Factory Tour Series of videos on YouTube that covers, in detail, the construction of their boats: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=P … IHv3NE_l1R Put your mind at ease about blistering — VE resin or not — I have literally never seen blistering on a Bass Cat boat. Surely one must have somewhere along the line, but never in 32 years of being around Bass Cats have I ever seen one blister, so theres no need to worry there. And, of course, Bass Cats have got the best warranty in the market.I envy your boat shopping task, Corky. I wish I was shopping for one right now, too. Much luck with it. Hope you find the model thats right for you.Cheers,ScottLast edited by Scott Crumpler on August 26th, 2014, 5:17 am, edited 2 times in total.
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