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Cajunhunter67.
Steve Doty, PM sent!
I’ve owned a dozen plus FTD models through the years and now an Eyra. An Eyra will surprise the hell out of you in certain rough water conditions!
PhilAddison:
I’ve owned a dozen plus FTD models through the years and now an Eyra. An Eyra will surprise the hell out of you in certain rough water conditions!
Phil
Did not realize you left the FTD’s. How’s the Eyra? Whats your take so far after running Cougar’s and Puma’s?
Don
I can’t speak on the Lynx and Jaguar since I have no time at all in either hull. I’m sure with their size and depth of the hull they are in another league with rough water performance.
The Eyra does a really good job in the rough for it’s size. Like Phil said, it will surprise you in some situations. I’ve been in some really big water with it in Toledo bend, locally here on the Louisiana Delta, The Mississippi river and even some short stints in the Gulf of Mexico.
What you have to understand about the Eyra is it does not excel in the same manner as some other hulls do. It is not a big, plow through the waves at slow speeds rig. Yes it will do that but that is not it’s strong suit. Where it excels is in it’s ability to maneuver and the ease of control. It’s a hull that goes exactly where you tell it to exactly when you tell it to. It’s responsiveness is what separates it in my opinion. Also, being a sub par rough water driver I really appreciate that this thing just flat out refuses to stuff a wave. I have not speared a wave in either of my Eyra’s even though several times I was like, “Uh oh, I just screwed up, get ready for the flood coming over the bow” and the nose just pops up at the last minute to save me. That is in really big water. I’m talking about water that you are not getting on top of and running.
In your average rough, choppy seas the Eyra does a really great job. At around 50 mph is where this hull has it’s natural lift and the built in performance characteristics take over. At this speed it will dance across water bigger than most would expect so long as you can line up with the waves. Where most rigs would have to slow down and plow at 35-40 mph this thing can be on top at 50 plus. Of course this takes some time to learn and you do have to drive it while doing this.
Last thing, as most all BCB’s can claim this is an extremely dry ride. It will not get you wet due to the design of the outer chines. Because of this when a big wave hits you at the right angle it will slap pretty hard on that outer chine. It’s a trade off and I appreciate being dry on long rough runs, especially when it’s cold out.
So in closing, The Eyra’s hull design that gives it the exceptional handling and turning ability also translates to rough water performance for the same reasons. The responsiveness allows you more control and quicker changes of direction and angle to avoid potential disaster. I hope this helps some who are wondering what the fuss is about.
Chris Coupel
Paulina, La.
@Chris Coupel, thanks for that detailed write up. I broke my back in Iraq and was leaning towards the Lynx and Caracal until I spoke to John Crews about his love of the Eyra. The responsiveness of this hull is amazing. I came out of an 06 Classic so I can’t speak for the other hulls. All I know is, with the Eyra, I have no fear of tackling big water when it gets rough. He said the Eyra would surprise me with how it handles rough stuff and your review backs that up. Thanks
I fish big water up in the northwest, I’ve owned a first gen Jaguar, PIV, Puma FTD, and driven the Eyra, and older Classic. When it gets rough my Lynx outruns them all. There’s no replacement for displacement!
Lake of the Ozarks is my home lake and you won’t find a better riding boat built for it than the 203 Hybrid. I’m going on 5 months and 30 hours in the new Hybrid hull and it’s the smoothest ride of all the BCB hulls presently being made and I’ve been in all of the including the Jag/450. It’s also a COMPLETELY different ride than the “typical” BCB hull. Cat hulls ride on top the waves, the Hybrid slices them. The Hybrid does everything it is intended to do as a crossover boat, performance in all conditions with a smooth dry ride ride and it does it extremely well.
The Cougar/Puma and Eyra hulls are straight line faster than the Hybrid equally powered but the Hybrid is the smoothest of the lot. And this is coming from one of the most hard core ChampioN fans on the planet. I swore I’d never sell my old Mt. Home made skinny 202 Champ as I could never find a hull that could beat the overall performance of it. This changed on my first ride in the Hybrid. It impressed me so much that I put my money were my mouth was and bought one.
There’s plenty of options to choose from with BCB. Find what best suits your needs for the style of fishing and water you fish. Take a ride in em all and you’ll fall in love with one of them.
Here’s my final write up of it. http://www.bbcboards.net/showthread.php?t=1012772&highlight=
Cajunhunter67:
PhilAddison:
I’ve owned a dozen plus FTD models through the years and now an Eyra. An Eyra will surprise the hell out of you in certain rough water conditions!
Phil
Did not realize you left the FTD’s. How’s the Eyra? Whats your take so far after running Cougar’s and Puma’s?
Don
Don
They all have pros and cons. There are things that I like about the Eyra and there are things that I like about the FTD models. If you ever have to choose, then pick the one you like best as far as lay out. I do think the Eyra is somewhat better than the FTD models when the trolling motor is in the water. If the seats in the Eyra was 1/2″ higher I would really like it a lot. Though that is likely me being accustomed to the higher seats in the FTD models and I am a little challenged height wise.
PhilAddison:
Cajunhunter67:
PhilAddison:
I’ve owned a dozen plus FTD models through the years and now an Eyra. An Eyra will surprise the hell out of you in certain rough water conditions!
Phil
Did not realize you left the FTD’s. How’s the Eyra? Whats your take so far after running Cougar’s and Puma’s?
Don
Don
They all have pros and cons. There are things that I like about the Eyra and there are things that I like about the FTD models. If you ever have to choose, then pick the one you like best as far as lay out. I do think the Eyra is somewhat better than the FTD models when the trolling motor is in the water. If the seats in the Eyra was 1/2″ higher I would really like it a lot. Though that is likely me being accustomed to the higher seats in the FTD models and I am a little challenged height wise.
Phil
Thanks for the reply. The FTD series is two I haven’t owned. I can agree with you on the Eyra’s seating. Being vertically challenged had me losing a lot of the HB 1198 display due to the steering wheel blocking it. If I had installed a Sherms mount I wouldn’t be able to see over it. Lol!
The struggle is real.
Don
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