There will be no lumbar support seats for 2008. The new seats are made of fiberglass with foam and the same type of material the current seats have on them. I had the opportunity to run several boats today and they seats are more comfortable and form fitting then the 07 seats if that is believable. They are great, with or without the speakers.
All boats will come with the boarding ladder, there are 2 models available. 1 with a spring loaded pin and 1 that you have to find the pin and put it in and tighten it down. The spring loaded pin is the one to get for sure.
Humminbird is the standard electronics for 2008.
Bob's and Detwiler will both be options for hydraulic jackplates. The Bob's guage seems to be better from what I could tell but both are great plates.
Speakers will be standard on all premium packaged boats that are ordered with a stereo as an option.
No wide bodied/narrow bodied hulls, there is just one hull for both the 08 Cougar FTD and Puma. They are the same from the rubrail down it just depends on which top cap you prefer.
I rode in a 250 Suzuki 4 stoke on a Puma today and while the holeshot wasn't quite what the 2 strokes provide it was a very impressive engine which wasn't quite as fast but rode great and they have a great guage cluster. You could literally take your hands off the steering wheel at 70+ mph.
I also had the opportunity to run a 4 cylinder 200 Verado on a PIV today and it will be a great package. It to was a little slower on holeshot speed (are you seeing a 4 stroke pattern here) while acceptable. It rode great and I was impressed by this little beast. While it doesn't sound like a beast it certainly is.
Again, I was most impressed with the 08 Cougar FTD rigged with the 250ProXS. This thing is nothing short of AWESOME and Rick and all the guy at BCB did a bang up job with this new boat. The only thing a new FTD doesn't have is net storage like the Puma. I know some will see this as a disadvantage others will see it as a great move. I wouldn't let the net storage keep me from having one.
Great day was had by all and BCB just keeps getting better and better and always a step ahead on the cutting edge of bring us the best boat on the market!!!! Sure I am biased
Judd Lasiter
Judd you made a comment about a “4-stroke pattern” in your original post referring to the new 250 Suzuki and the 200 Verado. Was that implying a motor trend based on the wider hulls or simply a performance commentary?
Will the regular, stainless steel folding ladder be available as an option? I’m not sure how easy this two step ladder on the engine will be for a lot of folks to climb into the boat?
From looking a Phil’s pictures, I can see what you hold onto as you climb up.
The best thing to grab for a handle while climbing the new ladder is the steering linkage(elbow connector on rod end), and should make climbing easy. D.
You can tell a lot of difference in the width if you look at the very back corner of the boat and draw a straight line to the fender step. The older hulls were practically straight and the imaginary line was approximately where the fender / trailer steel joined together. The new hull hangs over the fender step a good 2″. Therefore, I’m guesstimating 4″ wider give or take new vs. old.
Tex – yes it is raised. I don’t know if it is raised all the way to the top like the Puma is but it is much higher than the 07 FTD was. I like it.
Kev – Nothing in regards from a hull standpoint. The 4 strokes I have been in just don’t have the bottom end powerband that the 2 strokes do. Once up on plane they are super nice engines. The 250 Suzuki had a cool guage package and would almost drive itself at 75.
Actually the 4 ltr. Suzuki had plenty torque and a great hole shot with the 29 Tempest on it, though it stayed on the 6400 rev limiter. The set up that Suzuki choose was a 29″ four blade they had built and while it ran good on the top end, it was a moderate hole shot. Acceptable, though not up to many’s expectations.
Give them a bit of time to get some propellers and we think it will be a great bass engine.
.
