Ive checked this forum regularly for quite a while now during the boat decision (indecision?) process, and I am totally comfortable with my (our ) selection even though I dont even have my hands on the boat yet. Not knocking other boat builders out there, because there are several good ones, but to say that Im already impressed is an understatement. You guys have got a good thing going here, and I look forward to many good memories in the making!PS: good idea there, gclayfam! I like the way you think!!!!John HelmsHot Springs, ARJohn Helms Hot Springs, AR
Thanks, Lee. My current plans are all about Lake O, since Im only 15 or 20 mins from the closest ramp. I work pretty heavy hours during the week, but with the long days I can still get down there for afternoons. Im hearing about 2.5 weeks from Danny, so well see how it goes. Ill probably take the week off when it does get here, or the following one to be able to take my time and break her in right Ill certainly see you there soon!John Helms Hot Springs, AR
Sorry, I mistakenly stated that I ordered the LCX 27, and I did not do that. I ordered the 28c hd, and thanks for the quick response!!John Helms Hot Springs, AR
Congrats on the great looking boat there, Scott! Thanks for sharing the pics, mine should come in next week Now get on out there on the water and tell us all about it when you get back Last edited by 2008 silver bullet on June 14th, 2008, 11:39 pm, edited 1 time in total.John Helms Hot Springs, AR
Thank you for clearing that up for me! (I was getting a little worried there for a minute)John Helms Hot Springs, AR
Thanks BCB! Im not familiar with this particular unit, so thats nice to know. Ill heed your advice and see how it goes. Have a great day!John Helms Hot Springs, AR
Congratulations TMB, and thats a great looking Cat. (You gotta love that silver flake!) You made a solid choice, and I hope you enjoy it as much as Im enjoying mine!John Helms Hot Springs, AR
dbasketman wrote: The PIV has too much storage, and you can literally lose lures if you dont organize regularly, or use enough to know where you place them ! Too much storage? Looked to me like you were utilizing all that storage very well when Mary and I were looking at (drooling over) your boat, Doug In fact, if you wouldve thrown in all the gear I would have bought it on the spot! John HelmsJohn Helms Hot Springs, AR
As a new to BCB owner of a super nice 08 Cougar FTD with a Merc. 250 Opti-XS-pro, I can tell you that all the above statements are very accurate. I am totally satisfied with my choice in both boat and motor . I did a lot (probably too much, if thats possible) of research before I took the “plunge”, and I was originally leaning heavily towards a 4-stroke. I hadnt owned a boat in the past 5+ years so I was very meticulous in my decision process. I have owned numerous boats over my 49 years of fishing, and all were different makes, models and engines. Im not discounting any marine outboards out there on the market, since all are competitive in todays market and have their individual strengths and weaknesses, but this Opti is VERY efficient on fuel at any reasonable operating speeds. Im still pretty conservative while operating my boat, and havent worried myself with WOT yet. Ill probably get to that eventually, but its so fast at moderate RPMs already that Im not concerned about a few more MPHs. Again, time will change that, and I just want to be sure that Im safe rather than sorry. A majority of the time Im seeing better than 5 mpgs, and thats “all good” as far as Im concerned. Of all the rigs Ive owned, I now have way more HPs at my disposal and better fuel mileage than anything Ive ever sat down in before! As stated above, getting the sucker to the landing is where Im burning the most gas!!!John Helms Hot Springs, AR
This is tragic and close to home as well. I and my wife Mary were out on Hamilton fishing the night before, and it is a lake that requires extreme diligence simply due to the high traffic and population of people, homes, and watercraft as you all well know. I dont know any more specifics than has already been mentioned here, and as already stated above it really doesnt matter at this point. Our hearts and prayers go out to our neighbors and community here in Hot Springs to both the victims as well as the survivors. Lots of folks affected by this. It serves as a sobering reminder of how careful we really should make every attempt to be while pursuing our passions. John Helms Hot SpringsJohn Helms Hot Springs, AR
john1112 wrote: IF you do a lot of structure fishing and vertical spooning itll be worth putting one on the TM. Glad that you mentioned that, john1112. Ive been considering adding a TM transducer to my Lowrance 520c on the bow. I like the glassed in transducer and the attention to detail in the installation of the electronics that BCB does, but Im thinking I would gain detail and overall noise reduction with a TM mount. Do you agree that it would be noticeably improved? John Helms Hot Springs, ARJohn Helms Hot Springs, AR
Two things come to mind concerning this that Ill chip in with. Im sure more knowledgeable and experienced folks will have plenty of advice on this subject for you, but here goes: I had a little problem with my 250 XS on the second day following picking the boat up new. I would get an over – rev alarm and warning while coming out of the hole, even though I was only in the 1 – 2K range when the alarm would go off and the limiter would kick in. My particular problem turned out to be a not – tight – enough cranking battery cable connection that was driving the “smartcraft” system crazy —- end of problem after tightening that up! I couldnt believe how a snug – but not really tight – battery connection could wreak so much havoc on an engine. And this took a trip to the dealer, diagnostic testing that showed NOTHING, and the dealer going to the lake with me to finally figure out! Big relief when a quick twist of the pliers was all it took to put the life back in that two-fiddy! 19 hours later and not the first hiccup since that incident! Ive also seen some posts regarding the engine oil injection system and the oil level sensor going crazy under certain conditions. If your main tank has plenty of oil and the small run tank under the engine cowling (which is the one that the engine actually runs off of) is full and the cap is good and tight, then Im out of ideas. Sounds like you didnt have any problems until you were on an incline trying to load the boat on the trailer, so check out both of these items first……theyre cheap and easy I havent noticed any overheating issues from idling, personally, so I sort of doubt thats the problem….thats all Ive got—good luck! PS: Youre gonna love that motor…………oh yeah! John Helms Hot Springs,ARLast edited by 2008 silver bullet on July 28th, 2008, 3:03 am, edited 1 time in total.John Helms Hot Springs, AR
Hot dang!!! congrats, Derek! Youre absolutely right about Gwinns. Danny, Dana, Mom and Pop Gwinn, “Doc” and all of them are really nice folks that go out of their way to help out in any way they can. Ill be on Lake Ouachita some over the weekend, and I sure hope I get a chance to see your new rig and shake hands Thats gotta be one sharp color scheme! (Im sure Danny loves your boat color choice. According to Danny theres only one color for a boat thats “purty”, and all the rest are just plain ugly—-but he sure seems to like mine an awful lot anyway! ) John Helms Hot Springs, ARJohn Helms Hot Springs, AR
Doug, In addition to Phils advice, I would suggest that you check out the “owners gallery” link at the top of this page. Its chock full of some really good photos of boats, and quite a few of the “family” were kind enough to post specific color names to go along with their pics! I found this to be an extremely useful tool in our color selection process (and Ive got to get some pics loaded and return the favor soon!). We also looked at as many Cats as we could to see different colors in person, but that can be time consuming. You will not be disappointed in a Cat, even if it is hot pink, purple and yellow (I havent seen an ugly BCB yet, and Ive been on the lookout for a good while )John Helms Hot Springs, AR
Congrats to you, Kyle, and welcome to the family! You did real good, and you can certainly rest easy in knowing that you bought a super nice and extremely well-cared for rig Post some pics with you putting some “fish stink” in it when you get a chance John Helms Hot Springs, ARJohn Helms Hot Springs, AR
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