I am too somewhat new to Basscat after owning several other boats. One of my best friends owns a similar sized Champion to my Margay. Both with Merc 150s. I have fished in his Champ and others, a lot.
If the Sabre runs anything like my Margay, you’ll just have to forget the Champ way of getting on plane. My boat runs fairly flat with very little trim very well. At about 48 mph, I can slowly start adding trim. I then feel it hook up and it’s on. I can trim higher after that without loss of pressure. If you trim before the bow lifts, you’re just raising the prop without raising the bow.
I would suggest that when you measure prop to pad mark your trim gauge at the point the pad is level and the anti-cav plate is level. I predict your boat is going to like that spot for general running. and getting up to speed for the hook up.
My prop to pad is about 4.25″ which seems low, but nothing about my performance suggests anything higher. While I do not like the lower speed plowing, I absolutely love this boat when it hooks up and the bow lifts. I am currently researching props to see if there is a 4 blade out there that will get the bow up before 48 MPH. I can tell you the Trophy Plus is not is.
I am about to order a Razor 4 22P with added cupping as soon as Mark calls me back. I have read the Solas Scorpion really lifts, but I do not like what I read about their quality.
I may be of a little help. Early this year, I sold a 2008 Ranger with 150 Opti and bought a 2015 Margay with Pro XS. So, the newness of the Cat may make a big difference. Anyway, yes I do notice the weight issue with a passenger, but it’s only during the first few seconds of hole shot. After that, it’s non-existent. The differences in performance between my two hulls came down to a few things. Hole shot was outstanding with both. Ranger got up on pad way faster that the Margay which has “plowing” issues-meaning, the bow doesn’t get up until you’re going fast enough to get air under the hull. I HATE this. OTOH, I never got the porpoising issue on the Ranger under control, and I tried various props an engine heights. Zero porpoising with the Margay. Having said the above, I finally found a prop that significantly helps the Margay hull which is the Croxton Razor 4XL. Totally transformed my boat. In fact, without that prop, I probably would have sold this boat by now. I now get the hull up in the low 40s instead of 48 with Tempest and Trophy.
Other than the porpoising, I also had issues with the Ranger layout. No idea if the boat you’re looking at had these. No storage for wallet/keys/etc. No ice chest. Margay has lots of this type storage and a well placed ice chest.
Another major difference. I hate the Margay livewell system and “switches’. There is no basic power switch. I have no idea how to add accessories. There is no timer on fresh water, only on aerate. While the system does a decent job of pump out, it doesn’t pump out every ounce. The single divided well drains into the bilge. I had no idea the first time out, and I nearly filled my boat with water.
Last comparison. Trailer. Ranger trailer was vastly superior. It was thicker, and had brakes. No brakes on the 3” Margay trailer and it is flimsy AF. When I lower the engine and engage the transom saver, the bottom part of the trailer bends like mad. The whole trailer can be flexed an amazing amount.
I am considering selling my boat because I really think I could fit a PII in my garage.
What did you think about the Sabre, especially as compared to the Margay?
May want to ask this in the comments of some of the youtube videos because basically no one has them. I think I have the owner’s manual downloaded, and it may mention this. If I find it, I will let you know.
The manual has instructions for both 3″ and 4″ mounting hole patterns.
I just ran your boat/engine combo on the prop selector. Assuming you have the standard gear case, both overall performance and top speed resulted in Trophy Plus 23P. Tempest plus was never listed which is surprising to me because I would have thought it to be the best prop for that combo.
Any of you have any inside info on Tour Pro release? Any clue what retailer would get them first?
donnieyork251@yahoo.com:
Any experience with the Motor Mate?
I have one on order thinking the transom saver will go away?
The transom saver will never go away. It’s currently the only device that does anything at all for the transom. Motor Mate type devices simply attach the motor to itself. They do nothing for the lever type motion that can be harmful to your transom.
I love that feature. Never had a passenger complain about it, and I use it to step to the back.
I cannot get the information to format right here, but that information is in this thread,
The people with direct connections to MG are getting theirs already. It’s looking like late January from dealers. Bass Pro and Tackle Warehouse will be first on that list.
Love my Precision Sonar mount. I have a Carbon 12 on a Margay and can still see all my gauges.
Bass Cat Boats:
Actually on the Pantera II we would suggest a 23” Fury first. The 22” Fury we suggest be tried on a Pantera Classic.
Is the 23 Fury what comes with newly ordered P2s? Can a Bravo be ordered instead?
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