Home › Forums › Bass Cat Boats › What happened to the Lynx?
Bass Cat Boats.
The Lynx did very well since it was introduced and sold well in 2022. As the Puma STS gained popularity, the Lynx slid backwards. We love the Lynx floor plan and it’s a great big water boat, though people shifted to the Puma STS. It cannibalized the Lynx and sales of the Lynx were docile in 2023.
That’s also true of the Hybrid 203 hull on the Cougar FTD. The Hybrid 203 is still available in 2024. And if sales don’t expand on that hull it also will risk an end of life. The Puma STS ate into both of those products sales. We expect the same to happen to models in our present offering. And the model line above 20’ is all fresh now, in which the demand will funnel those decisions.
The Lynx became the new 20′ 2″ Project X Caracal. https://basscat.com/bass-cat-models/caracal-sts/
Will Hesch:
The Lynx became the new 20′ 2″ Project X Caracal. https://basscat.com/bass-cat-models/caracal-sts/
Not really, we just needed to stream line the offering as the Lynx was eaten by those Puma STS sales. The affinity to the Lynx was area driven. One areas dealership wanted to order the last three (3) if we were ending it. There are areas (K Lake and larger lakes) where the Lynx was shining, just not bright enough to maintain significant share.
I will say this. I just purchased a new Lynx and that boat is a must for big water. It’s a beast.
Im not to familiar with the Lynx, but People want wide front decks and i can see why the puma sts has taken hold of that market share.
Coming from a Ranger and being new to basscat, the first thing i had doubts about is how narrow my puma ftd is, i had the boat for nearly 2 months before hitting the water (i live in the great white north) and everytime i looked at it, i wasnt sure.
Having said that, i love this boat and will absolutely buy another, but it will be an STS model because i do miss the big wide front deck, there is just no going away from it, space is nice to have.
I can see the caracal STS edging out cougar sales now because its now long enough and carries width along with it.
After riding in the puma sts I can’t imagine a person wanting a better riding big water boat. It had a very soft ride! I can see why the lynx struggled as well as the 203 hybrid. I rode in a cougar ftd and the caracal sts as well. Both were great rides! The length of the deck in a cougar is still impressive. But the width and lift of the caracal sts was stellar! After owning both an eyra and a caracal, I told folks if only you could put a caracal deck on a 20’ eyra hull they’d have a real winner! The caracal STS is just that!!! Handles more like and eyra, which I liked that hull much better! Fishes big like a caracal! Only thing I didn’t like was the front box layout and the way the lid opened. I’d like it better if it opened from the front of the lid and was all open in there to fit longer items easier. If it was open you could fit much more than just a net.
Although I’m one of the only squirrels that still wishes I could get a G2 250 HO evinrude on a caracal STS, that 300R merc really drove nicely! My debate would be whether to get the 250R or 300R merc. Now I just need a slightly darker blue than sapphire to match my Altas blue Ford truck! Bottom line, caracal STS is a grand slam and I think will be a #1 seller for the 2024 model year! Great work to the design crew! Excellent product!
1rudebee:
After riding in the puma sts I can’t imagine a person wanting a better riding big water boat. It had a very soft ride! I can see why the lynx struggled as well as the 203 hybrid. I rode in a cougar ftd and the caracal sts as well. Both were great rides! The length of the deck in a cougar is still impressive. But the width and lift of the caracal sts was stellar! After owning both an eyra and a caracal, I told folks if only you could put a caracal deck on a 20’ eyra hull they’d have a real winner! The caracal STS is just that!!! Handles more like and eyra, which I liked that hull much better! Fishes big like a caracal! Only thing I didn’t like was the front box layout and the way the lid opened. I’d like it better if it opened from the front of the lid and was all open in there to fit longer items easier. If it was open you could fit much more than just a net.
Although I’m one of the only squirrels that still wishes I could get a G2 250 HO evinrude on a caracal STS, that 300R merc really drove nicely! My debate would be whether to get the 250R or 300R merc. Now I just need a slightly darker blue than sapphire to match my Altas blue Ford truck! Bottom line, caracal STS is a grand slam and I think will be a #1 seller for the 2024 model year! Great work to the design crew! Excellent product!
You wouldn’t want a 250R as it’s just a 250 Pro XS with a Sportmaster lower unit and stiffer mounts being it’s designed for 85+mph boats. The 300R however is a different engine than the 300ProXS and makes more power.
Has the regular Caracal been discontinued as don’t see it on the website anymore? Also does the Eyra really weigh the same as the Caracal STS as the website shows?
Thanks for the info on the 250R. Only reason I’d want the 250 over the 300R is due to a few tournament circuits still capping at 250hp. Otherwise I’d want the 300R no question. I believe the regular caracal will still be available as an SP model only, not premium package. I really liked my caracal with the 225 HO G2. It was a great fishing platform and ran mid 70’s loaded with ease. Rough water I’d still prefer the bigger boat and hull from my prior eyra. I think the new caracal STS will be very close maybe even better in rough water. Based on the website specs the hull weight of the eyra and caracal sts seem to be the same. I’d say they will be very very close. Both great boats!
Rick commented on another medium and said the Caracal is not discontinued but in the future will only be sold as SP package. You won’t be able to just or boat and trailer. Will still be a premium model but with better electronics and so on. It appears that soon the only models that will have the rod locker left middle or center will be the Caracal SP and Classic unless BCB decides on a Lynx SP model like the Caracal. Personally I would not go back to conventional deck lay out. Not having rod locker buried under rods on deck just makes so much sense and makes keeping deck uncluttered so much easier. BTW – If anyone is looking for a late model Lynx in mint condition that has had kid glove care contact Paul at CR Marine in Schenectady (they are a BCB dealer). Believe it’s listed on here under boats for sale.
There are a few 2023 Lynx models in dealership inventory also. One dealership wanted to order three (3) for stock if we were discontinuing it. We did not think that to be wise, and they feel it fits their market well.
schodackbassman:
Rick commented on another medium and said the Caracal is not discontinued but in the future will only be sold as SP package. You won’t be able to just or boat and trailer. Will still be a premium model but with better electronics and so on. It appears that soon the only models that will have the rod locker left middle or center will be the Caracal SP and Classic unless BCB decides on a Lynx SP model like the Caracal. Personally I would not go back to conventional deck lay out. Not having rod locker buried under rods on deck just makes so much sense and makes keeping deck uncluttered so much easier. BTW – If anyone is looking for a late model Lynx in mint condition that has had kid glove care contact Paul at CR Marine in Schenectady (they are a BCB dealer). Believe it’s listed on here under boats for sale.
I just recieved my 2023 Caracal. I picked the Caracal for two reasons, beyond the overall Bass Cat quality. The 19′ 8″ fits into my garage, and the deck layout. If I could fit a 20′ boat I would have selected the Lynx.
Looking that the Caracal STS layout, I would have done the following: Put the rod locker down the center. Then the two side deck hatches would be for tackle and other storage. The side hatches that allow for rods to remail in place on the deck is outstanding, so keep the offset.
It would be interesting if BCB would offer two different deck options. One as currently designed and one designed as I suggested.
Also, it would be great if the Caracal STS with trailer be no longer that the Caracal SP or the Eyra.
I can totally understand Bass Cat’s decision to focus there limited production on their most popular model as a business decision, but it is a shame to see the Lynx discontinued. It was a boat that you had to ride in and fish out of to totally appreciate. The ride on rough weather days was totally amazing, the newer Lynx boats with the revised hull were also handled exceptionally well. Yes the Puma and Cougar were a little faster , but mid 70’s with a totally loaded boat was very competitive. And when the wind kicked up, you went by everyone!
The Storage in the Lynx was exceptional-the center rod box would hold 25 rods easily with room for 8 3600 sized boxes also. The day box was super handy, and the rear storage boxes were absolutely huge! The front deck was so spacious that you could have rods on the deck on both sides of a pro pole and still walk around. To have a net always in the boat in a special compartment is always handy when you need to net the big one.
Everyone seems to forget that these are all our products and thus we have a stronger emotional connection to every model than anyone else. Some are more emotional here as those are their own creations.
The Lynx floor plan was awesome and we do think that floor plan could be modified and improved. Those that have them do like the fishing platform and the newer hulls do ride better.
With every model there comes a time that the production shifts and follows a newer model. In 2005 we ended the Jaguar for a while, as the Puma FTD ate into that market. That Jaguar was a very preferred platform, and all sorts of questions around why existed, in reality we only built single digit numbers of that model the final year of production. Thus the consumer was shifting and we have to shift with it.
BCB
© 2025 Bass Cat Boats
