Boat manufacturers...choices

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Mike Lukjanowicz on August 29, 2009 at 8:44am

Troy, so much info here, and all of it is very well thought out. My first "real Boat" was a 17.5 skeeter w/ a 135. Not enough storage, and not fast enough to keep up w/ anyone in a tournament.(but a great first boat) Eventually i upgraded to a skeeter 20i w/ a 200 Yamaha hpdi. fantastic storage! Fast as almost anyone, faster than many. I got mine at Nixons as well. It is well worth the drive. The level of service form Jeff and his team has always been above the bar, in person, and over the phone. I would reccommend buying any boat, new or used there for sure. My partner has an 18' Bass Cat w/ a 150, and we used it for years on the tournay scene as well. I have seen first hand excellent customer service, and it was all over the phone, as the boat came from california. He has had some unique issues, and they always were there to get it resolved quickly and affordably as possible. It is also extremely durable, and takes a beating. Ultimately the main reason i went with the 20i was because it is a very safe and comfortable boat for me, and my wife. she was not comfortable in the small boat on big rough water. Bottom line is that the boat will not make you fish any better. I was an average angler when i bought it, and was still an average angler fishing from a big fancy boat after i got it. Buy the best you can afford, or wait until you can buy exactly what you want. Dont go broke buying it. it takes all the fun out of using it. If you have the ability to go fish w/ friends, club members in thier boats, and get a feel for on the water use, do that as much as you can before you decide on a boat. Get some practical experience. I'd be happy to offer up a day on my boat if schedules permit. I love my boat, and i'm extremely pleased whith Jeff, and Nixons marine.

Permalink Reply by Robert Akers on August 29, 2009 at 9:59am

I have owned a Ranger, Champion and an older glass tracker.
All of the newer brand names are good boats. The secret is what "you" want out of a boat.
Speed, over all performance, access, storage, room and the beat goes on. All of the top brands have good qualities. Each has made vast improvements over the previous years. Your pocket book should and prorbably will be the your determining factor.
The top sellers are the Triton, Skeeter and Ranger. I have fished out of all of them. Each has its attributes. As far as a used boat, you will find more older Rangers than other brands, then comes the Skeeter. Used late models are more likley the bigger Tritons and Skeeters.
If you are looking for a newer model get the check book out. Not cheap. Best buy are 1990 - 1995 Rangers and Skeeters.

Permalink Reply by BARLOW on August 29, 2009 at 10:34am

I am very glad to see someone looking for a bass boat and asking questions before they buy... Now that's what I call a smart MAN!!!! I for one, not to blow my own horn try to live by this principal. I got my first bass boat this year and went with a Ranger Z20, I asked a lot of guys about the different brands of bass rigs, I've rode in a Skeeter, Ranger, Nitro, and a Stratos and all different sizes and HP. I chose a Ranger because I like the style, layout, reputation, re-sale value, ect. My Ranger is a 2007 Z20 with an E-tech 225.

Front' Deck:
Pro's:
Padded front deck, ops for recessed trolling pedal (I recommend having this on every boat). Sonar unit with live well and motor trim, acc. controls at your finger tips at the front. 1 compartment for rods on port and can have one on starboard for rods or gear lots of space. Your center box is very large for baits ect, all water tight

Con's: Not really a con just need to have the rod straps up closer to the bow just because the rods move in big water while running hard (maybe its just my driving).
Also they have LED lights in the compartment so you can see you stuff in low light but would be nice to have one more in each compartment for a bit more light. I think Ranger fixed this on the newer boats. The step from the front deck to center I had installed and now they have a permanent one and made use of the space with another compartment...

Driving/Passanger area:
Pro's:
Very comfortable ride with nice soft seats, very stylish instrument panel and steering wheel that looks like it came from a race car. The middle seat is not as comfortable as the driver and passenger but it does fold down and make a great step so your back seater doesn't walk all over you seats. If you elect for a passenger console and I recommend having one, in the northwest especially if you have a Gfriend, it is pre-wired for a stereo if you want and can also put you reg, prof of ins. ect.

Con's: Seats aren't adjustable like a Triton but work great for me and Im 6' tall and have lots of room. I don't like where they installed my Console Sonar unit but it will work for now (its bottom left of the steering wheel behind my trim switch. New models have it front and center up to an 8" unit now thats nice!!!

Rear Deck:
Pro's: very large space for your co-angler to fish from. Two large compartments for gear, good sized ice box, two large live wells, and again lights in every compartment. The rear-end compartment is your batteries, bank charger, oil tank with remote fill (very nice).

Con's: Rear compartment lids not a large as I would like. I do like how Skeeter's lid is full length across the back to get to everything without obstruction.

Motor: This E-tech is so quite my friends can't believe how quite it is you hardly know its on!!! It takes more then two full tanks of fuel and then some before you need to fill your oil up again. I use XD100 and that seems to be the best but cost $35 - $40 +
I have only had a couple issues with my motor, new power head due to a faulty fuel switch that is now fixed and two bad injector's all fixed under warranty. Also if you have an HONDA or EVINRUDE go to Tom's outboard in Olympia his is the best guy to work on your motor.

Trailer: Great Breaks no surge when breaking hard. Has great lights all LED and when your parked the back lights have a very light glow to them so those knuckle heads don't hit your rig because they didn't see it. Road Armor is great and protects your trailer from road debris. I think Ranger has some great Engineers to design the Torsion Axles they provide independent suspension on all wheels with the added benefits of a superior ride, greater durability, lower maintenance, and increased axle life. I really like the fiberglass finders with custom colors, the Cool Hub wheels almost no maintenance for 100K miles. Durning our heat wave I drove a good distance and stopped to check the hubs and they were very COOL. Another thing to consider when buying a boat and trailer if you can afford try to get a tandem axle trailer for two reasons. It distributes the boat weight better for towing and puts less weight on your receiver and rear of your tow rig. The only down side is you will end up paying more for tires down the road for four instead of two. One last thing on trailers if your muscle bound and want to push your boat around one axle trailer is easy to move in the dirt or gravel but if your on cement it won't matter to much...

I drive a 2006 Dodge 2500 with a Cummins and it pulls the boat great but you still know you towing something. Come one guys it's around 6K+ LBS with gear, fuel, oil, ect. I think i'm getting around 15-17mpg towing but haven't figured it out really yet. I also have 5" cat back exhaust, cold air intake, and chipped with Bully Dog PMT programer.

Most all the boats weight are very close maybe just a couple 100 + lbs difference.

I have been in the small 18+ft boats and they are ok for small stuff but I have launched that sucker out of water a lot and pierced some waves not fun getting wet. But if your going to tackle big water 2-3 ft + then you might want to look at the 20+ rigs. When you do buy a boat make sure you get the max rated motor you can on the boat!!! Now if you are going to fish Tournaments don't go over 250HP because most tournaments won't allow a 300hp. I know Skeete, Stratos, and Triton's are fast boats but you also should check out the new Ranger Z521 now thats a nice fast ride... I would recommend riding in every boat you can and don't let a sells guy talk you into something even if its a smoking deal before you know exactly what you want, cause your the one paying the BIll!!!!
Get what you can afford, payments, insurance, service, fuel, oil ect.

I am really glad that all you guys are putting in your two cents oh here, way to help a guy out!!!
If you have any questions feel free to reply or call me 206-724-6324, I can take you out for a test ride and have many friends that could do the same in the other brands... Take Care and good luck on your choice, tight lines!!!-Matt Barlow

Permalink Reply by Marc Marcantonio on August 29, 2009 at 10:43am

There aren't too many purchases that we make in life as big as a bassboat. It only makes sense to do thorough research and consider how you will feel about your purchase not only the lucky day you drive your rig home from the dealer, but also how you will feel many years in the future.

Since we are all passionate about our bass fishing, and spend years dreaming about affording a tournament quality rig, once we find ourselves financially capable it is easy to make an emotional decision instead of a reasoned decision. Over the years I have learned that owning a bass boat is like owning a car; probably the best one for you is the one that satisfies both your logic and your emotional needs.

We all have different ideas of "cool", of how fast we need to go, of how long we need a rig to last, of how sharp a boat looks, of how smooth it runs, of how much it costs to operate a rig year after year, of how important the dealer, regional rep, and the factory are, how the layout suits our needs, gimmicks and gadgets, tournament incentives, etc. We want a boat that can go into shallow water coves, and also take 4-foot waves on the Columbia. We want it to be the fastest boat out there, but it also has to be stable at rest while fishing, and not get stress cracks or fall apart after years of abuse. We want something that jumps out of the hole, turns on a dime, and can store 500 pounds of Yamamoto Senkos. It has to be big enough for two bubba's to fish shoulder to shoulder, but be great on gas and oil consumption.

Buying is a highly complex and personalized decision. There is no "perfect" boat model or brand, and nobody else can tell you what you should buy. We are lucky to live in an era where there are many excellent brands and models to choose from, in many different sizes and price ranges. Each boat though is different, and a model that excels in one feature is likely to be lacking in another. Boats are a blend of features, and you have to give something up to emphasize something else.

I prostaff for Ranger Boats and Evinrude Motors, so obviously I am biased. I won't tell you they are the best for you, but I will tell you what makes them the best for me (and they are), and give you honest information to help you decide what you want and need. I don't want you to buy a boat just because I drive it; nor should you because anyone else has the same model. I would wager that I have driven and ridden in more bass boats and models than probably anyone in Washington, but that doesn't mean squat since virtually all of today's bassboats are better than yesterday's, regardless of brand. Where "seasoning" does make a difference is in helping to understand what can and will go wrong with a boat, and more importantly help you balance your "emotional" decision with a more "reasoned" decision.

I can't post all you need to know regarding bass boats. But I will mention here a few things that make me happy to own a Ranger and Evinrude.

To me, the single most important thing I need from my boat is for it to be ready when I want to go fishing. All boats and motors will eventually have a problem that keeps you off the water. This is where the value of having a network of people who can help get you back on the water fast is important.

I have a local Ranger dealer (Pacific Boatland in Vancouver, WA) that understands how important it is to me for my boat to be ready. Being on this side of the mountains, and within a 2 hour drive, service is never a problem when needed. If I were on the other side of the mountains, or am fishing a tourney on the east side, I have Spokane Valley Marine who is ready and capable of providing quality, fast service to keep me on the water.

Ranger and Stratos boat owner's in the Pacific Northwest are also extremely fortunate to have the boat factory Rep be a local who is also a tournament bass fisherman. Willie Nelson is the best Rep I have ever had in almost 40 years of bassboat ownership. He understands how important it is to keep us on the water, and happy. If a complex problem ever were to come up with an insurance claim, or a warranty claim, or even a gremlin that is creating havoc, it is nice to know that Willie understands and works harder than anyone to fix the problem instead of shifting blame or making excuses.

I also have to mention how Ranger Boats supports buyers of their product. Ranger and Skeeter have been around the longest, and you don't stay in business this long without learning how to take care of customers. Ranger takes customer service to clearly the highest level of anyone. They keep on file a database of information about your boat. When your coangler tears your vinyl seat, or cracks your windshield with a tungsten flippin weight, the factory will get you what you need to restore your rig. With other brands you are SOL, and your boat is no longer cool and you are no longer happy. Look on the internet forums, and talk to Ranger Boat owners, and you will see a brand loyal group who are proud of their boats because they keep them on the water forever and still enjoy owning a rig even when it is years old. The factory treats the customer better after the sale than any company I have known; they understand what it takes to develop brand loyalty.

Why Evinrude? Exactly the same reason I own a Ranger; it keeps me on the water and not in the shop getting serviced or repaired. Sure, they initially cost a little more than other brands, but when you project the costs of the motor over its useful lifetime, there isn't a more economical engine on the market. Compare warranty and service requirements, and add the costs of the manufacturer's required servicing and see for yourself. More importantly, consider how much of your valuable fishing time is wasted with the service requirements of other brands. I also love the way the engine is quiet at all speeds, and how it performs. What happens when you do have an unexpected problem? Evinrude gets you back on the water faster than anyone. I did have a part fail in my lower unit that was a warranty claim. The part failed on a Saturday, and I was competing in my next tourney the following weekend with a brand new complete lower unit. They didn't jack me around and make me wait for parts, and for the shop to have time to fit me in; they overnighted a complete, factory brand new lower unit from Wisconsin to Tom's Outboard in Olympia, my closest Evinrude service center, and he put it back on my motor within hours. Believe me, I didn't get any different treatment than anyone else gets; this is how Evinrude keeps us fishing! BTW, Tom's Outboard is another reason to go with Evinrude...this man is amazing and you will not likely ever find a better service or repair center anywhere for any brand. He alone is reason enough for west side guys to buy Evinrude; he not only can find any problem and fix it properly, but he does so quickly and with the least expense. Ask anyone who has every had the pleasure of dealing with Tom at Tom's Outboard in Olympia and you will see what I mean.

OK, one last thing, as some of you know I have my 2008 Ranger/Evinrude for sale so I can order my new model. I am pricing my rig at $20K less than a comparable new model. Contact me if you are interested in that tournament quality rig without having a big budget. Financing is available through Pacific Boatland as well. I am likely to not have this boat for sale beyond this fall, because if I don't sell it soon I will want to keep it for myself since I like it so much. I am passing on all my prostaff discounts, and I have rigged and pimped-out the boat better than you can get from any dealer.

ciao,
Marc

Permalink Reply by Misanthrope on August 29, 2009 at 12:18pm

Interesting FIRST POST from BARLOW. There is no doubt that some Ranger owners love their boats and people do have an emotional attachment to decisions they make.
There are some issues I haven't seen addressed so far.

First: Ranger's parent company, Genmar, is bankrupt. This does not make me confident that Ranger will survive or even if they do that they will be operating in a full capacity manner that allows them to properly service warranty issues.

Second: There are many people who have complained about the new Ranger bow hooking in high speed turns. This is extremely dangerous and potentially fatal.

Third: Ranger boats support a certain type of arrogance that makes their owners difficult to tolerate. Who wants to be that guy? And no I am not talking about Marc. He is essentially getting paid to use the product and to his credit is very forthright about it.

I am pretty sure I will go with Triton or possibly Skeeter for my next boat.

Permalink Reply by Marc Marcantonio on August 29, 2009 at 3:21pm

PigPuller, if it is a Triton or a Skeeter you want, then by all means go for it! They are both excellent boats in their own ways. But since you say nobody has addressed the points you make about Ranger, I feel compelled to do so even though you were obviously not attacking me (which I respect and thank you for).

As far as the bankruptcy issue, I won't pretend to know all of what is going on about it, nor do I like it one bit. But I won't berate Genmar for their business decisions when I don't have all of the facts. I have been in business management long enough to know that bankruptcy filing is done for many reasons, including for the long-term health of the product line. Genmar owns many brands of boats, many of which are luxury lines that simply are not selling in today's economy. On the other hand, the Ranger brand continues to be profitable for Genmar. Why should Genmar close their doors because of product lines that aren't profitable? If you don't think this economy is hurting other boat lines even more, then you better do your homework. Check out and see who has closed their production lines, and delayed introduction of the 2010 model line because of the economy. Not Ranger. They are producing more bassboats than anyone, and they are even investing in new models, such as the new Z521 for those guys who want big and fast. As far as warranty issues, Ranger has and continues to honor all warranties, pre and post Chapter 11 filing. I won't pretend to be able to predict the future, especially in today's economical and political climate, but I don't know anyone else who can either. If you are concerned about Ranger's financial future, then don't buy Ranger. I simply do not share that concern after doing my homework.

And for the bow-hooking issue you raise, I can cite and show pictures of claims of the same thing with all the brands you mentioned you want, plus two others. I can make any 21 foot highspeed bass boat bow hook, and I have done so by accident with another brand not even mentioned. It isn't rocket science. Anytime you take a long and heavy rig like any of today's 21 foot boats with a 250 hp and up motor on the back, and come down off of plane while turning the boat, and at the same time hit a cross-wave with the keel of the bow you are setting up for a bowhook situation. It doesn't happen often, but we all have to learn that there are risks when we take big rigs and fly them at high speeds. You have to learn to compensate, and drive them differently than you did a smaller rig or lighter rig or slower rig. Drive a Ranger and drive any other brand and let the drive speak for itself. Look at the You Tube videos and you will see all brands up on the bank...its not the boat, its the way people are driving them. I have more hours in the seat of bassboats than I want to admit, but each time I buy bigger and heavier and faster I have to learn new skills and I experience new driving issues I have never before had to deal with.

Now on your last point about "arrogance," again, I appreciate that you didn't throw me in that category, but let me assure you that every brand has its arrogant owners. Just look at each of the BBC boards owner's groups. I do, and I see the Skeeter guys trashing the Triton guys, and the Triton guys trashing the Ranger guys, and the Ranger guys trashing too. I guess it is human nature that when any of us spend the kind of coin we do on a piece of fiberglass, we all want to think we made the smartest purchase. Who ever admits that they made a foolish decision, because after all, that points out who the fool really is? If you were to buy the brand that doesn't have arrogant owners, then you are back to fishing in the prams I started out in.

As far as "getting paid" by Ranger I can tell you that I get "paid" less than I did by other boat manufacturers, including one of the brands you mentioned was your choice. I don't depend on any of my sponsors for the bread on my table, so I won't pimp myself out like even top name pros in this sport. I won't represent any product that I don't believe in. If Ranger changes how they treat their customers (not likely) then I would not tout their product line. I have dropped several sponsors in the past, including free boats, because I became aware of issues that did not represent how I want others to think of me, or they simply did not make fishing as much fun as they should.

ciao,
Marc

PigPuller said:

Interesting FIRST POST from BARLOW. There is no doubt that some Ranger owners love their boats and people do have an emotional attachment to decisions they make.
There are some issues I haven't seen addressed so far.

First: Ranger's parent company, Genmar, is bankrupt. This does not make me confident that Ranger will survive or even if they do that they will be operating in a full capacity manner that allows them to properly service warranty issues.

Second: There are many people who have complained about the new Ranger bow hooking in high speed turns. This is extremely dangerous and potentially fatal.

Third: Ranger boats support a certain type of arrogance that makes their owners difficult to tolerate. Who wants to be that guy? And no I am not talking about Marc. He is essentially getting paid to use the product and to his credit is very forthright about it.

I am pretty sure I will go with Triton or possibly Skeeter for my next boat.

Permalink Reply by Willie Parsons on August 29, 2009 at 7:30pm

I am kind of curious about the speed issue, from the guys that have boats in the 70+ mph group, how often can you really open them up and take advantage of the top end of the speedometer? With the crowded conditions on most of the tournament lakes I have been on it seems that the race to the weigh in is downright scary, I have been in boats at that speed that both slowed down and didn't, for me the cautious approach was much easier to handle. Granted I am not 20 years old and fearless but making it home safe should be a high priority to all of us. I know that bigger boats that can handle the h.p. are more stable but how much are you able to take advantage of the speed?

Permalink Reply by Eric DeLay on August 29, 2009 at 8:14pm

I run my boat as fast as it will go, for the given conditions, at all times.
I don't drive in a manner that terrifies my besty and I don't like jumping out of the water so those factors help serve as a guidline for my speed.

While we are on the speed factor I want to point out that Ron Mace has got one of the fastest boats I have ever seen (excluding Bullets and other super-light boats) and he is running a Skeeter. That boat was FAST at the FLW event.

I heard about the bow hook issue with the Rangers too when Gary Dobyns almost killed himself on the Delta and from Ron Hobbs Jr who thought the boat was a little unpredictable. This was an important factor for me because I have my kids in the boat sometimes and I don't want them chucked out at 65+MPH.

Willie Parsons said:

I am kind of curious about the speed issue, from the guys that have boats in the 70+ mph group, how often can you really open them up and take advantage of the top end of the speedometer? With the crowded conditions on most of the tournament lakes I have been on it seems that the race to the weigh in is downright scary, I have been in boats at that speed that both slowed down and didn't, for me the cautious approach was much easier to handle. Granted I am not 20 years old and fearless but making it home safe should be a high priority to all of us. I know that bigger boats that can handle the h.p. are more stable but how much are you able to take advantage of the speed?

Permalink Reply by Misanthrope on August 29, 2009 at 8:29pm

Marc,
I just want to be clear that while I noted that you are essentially paid by Ranger, I credit you for disclosing that right up front. In no way was I questioning the integrity of your opinions, but by your own admission you are slightly biased. That being said I believe your advice is remarkably fair and unbiased and unquestionably backed by a tremendous amount of skill, knowledge, experience, and undeniable integrity.

Thanks for your contributions and opinions.

I am slightly disappointed that there hasn't been more bashing of each other on this subject but I hold out hope that it might still happen. I may have to resort to more specific attacks of individuals if it doesn't get going.

What kind of dork would buy that gay looking BassCat Jaguar? It looks like a 1978 disco sled version of a bass boat with a Star Wars windshield-less console.

Permalink Reply by Eric DeLay on August 29, 2009 at 8:36pm

LOL, I was thinking something similar about the BassCat.
It is not something that is aesthetically appealing to me. The color they picked for that video is like a bad joke. It is just horrible looking, no offense if you like it (Wolsky).

Are you going to trade in your Triton for one Jon?

Permalink Reply by Ben Holten on August 29, 2009 at 9:05pm

Ya the bass cat did look dorky, but too me it did seem like they put in a lot of thought into storage. I would say that their storage looked better than a Triton. I don't know if I like the rear light pole being powered like that. It seems like something that will go out over time and be a pain to fix.

Eric DeLay said:

LOL, I was thinking something similar about the BassCat.
It is not something that is aesthetically appealing to me. The color they picked for that video is like a bad joke. It is just horrible looking, no offense if you like it (Wolsky).

Are you going to trade in your Triton for one Jon?

Permalink Reply by Troy Pattillo on August 30, 2009 at 1:09pm

As far as the biggest baddest boat, It isn't in the cards right now. Not being independantly wealthy and having no experience driving a boat keeps me looking for something a little less powered. Hurting or killing myself would be one thing, doing that to anyone else would be unacteptable.
My comments towards Sparky were merely light humored jabs, I was also well into the suds. All the input here is being digested and the search will continue.
Pigpuller, your taking yourself too seriously and someone somewhere made you believe that cool was applicable to you. Very far off the mark were they. I'm taking my functioning half of a brain to go figure out how to use the Peter T smart pegs.

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