Cory Doras

There is NO perfect boat. There is sooooo many, perhaps up to a hundred things to consider. Winds, waves, storage, HP, storage, budget, service, towing,deck size, leg room, single or tandem trailer, deep or shallow water...the list goes on and on. You really have to look at your true "requirements", then "wants". Bigger is better but that same statement is totally wrong as well. The bigger the boat....the less ponds you can fish. Make a list of the needs and wants, look at every boat and check or "X" the box and see which fits the bill. As far as purchasing,wait cause the market is getting very soft and I'd be looking at some steals as peoples money is getting tighter. Dont rule out a 20yo boat either, they were built far better then than now and you can get a really nice 20' garage queen rig for 15-20k

Use a $6 expandable mesh rod sock. I cut then end off and cut it to the length I need. Run all your wires thru it and secure both ends. Then use those clam shells pictured above. You can run a dozen wires thru them.

Great video Glenn! You hit all the points. Things we never consider when we're on the hunt for our first big boat. I'm on boat #13 at the moment and I never lost money on a boat which is in itself is a miracle. Buy something that everyone else wants! Basically, buy a boat that is desirable in the used market. There are dozens of 18' or 20' bass boats made but only a few are being sold for basically the same price they were new 10-20yrs ago. Another thing, buy used. Bass boats havnt had any significant changes in over 20yrs, motors and electronics have but hulls and trailers havnt. Follow Glenns advise and possibly mine and you'll have plenty of extra $$ for tackle and electronics.

Ask anyone who's ever owned a Suzuki and they will all tell you the same thing, the best outboard motors ever made.....by far. I've owned every brand, I live on the coast and surrounded by boats, and everyone will say the same thing.

Something else to think about, What significant changes have been made to fiberglass bass boats in the past 20-25yrs? Basically nothing. Just some updates panels or colors. The only real advancements that were made were in motors, electronics, and trolling motors. Every now and again, some manufactures hit a grand slam with one of their models. Those are the boats you want to buy because they will always be worth good money. Ive owned 14 boats in my lifetime and I never lost money on any of them. Only 2 of them were purchased new. Do your homework on which ones are great hulls and grab them while you can because they will only go up in value.

Interesting topic. Not sure if you guys have noticed the price of boats climbing before covid. A 20' fiberglass bass boat with some nice electronics, good TM, and power poles is now bumping the $100k mark. 5 yrs ago, they were $70-75K. Those boats 20yrs ago were....$35-40k?? This is why so many manufacturers are now selling aluminum's at a so called "affordable" price. I went on Lunds website and built a 20' pro v and when I was done it was getting close to $70k. This is another reason the used market is hot....especially good fiberglass bass boats.

Chauncy in Westboro! I fished that lake for years and almost never disappoints. I have 1 go to spot and 3 others that were productive. Also, Fort Meadow Res in Hudson/Marlboro. A lot of big bass in there both LM and SM. Another place that never disappoints.

It looks good but how long did it last? I see you posted this in July 2018. Did you have to reapply and how many times last season?

I use the minn kota MKA-51 slide. It does the job and gets the motor back for loading and unloading off the trailer. Im happy with it.

Ditto!

I feel your pain. I had the exact same situation. I tried everything and nothing worked. Never had what I needed, stuff lost and turn up weeks later. But finally, I figured it out. 1) Back to Plano boxes again. 2) a box for each type of lures. 3) Thin planos for all soft plastics (only carry about 5 of each color) the rest are stored in more planos at home. 4) All planos labeled 5) Planos for each species So, I have about 50 planos loaded, I take what im using by species and season. My bass planos are in my boat but only what im using for that season. My pike/musky stuff is in planos. My trout stuff is in planos but stored in large HDX containers My lake trout/salmon stuff is in planos and in large HDX containers. My fly stuff is in small planos in HDX containers. Waders and boots are in another HDX container. I have a water proof boat bag with pliers, sun screen, bug spray, water, granola bars, scales, binoc's, etc. I only have enough tackle for a day, the rest is kept at home in an old amour in planos. Also, I keep worm hooks and weights in with my worms in the plano, soft jerk bait hooks in the plano for soft jerk baits etc. So, when Im using plastic worms, im working out of 1 plano and not pulling out 3 (worm, hooks, and one for weights. I hate the bags that the plastic come in cause you cant see what your looking for quickly and they take up a lot of space. I have a resovior close to me that has smb, lmb, rainbow trout, lake trout, and landlocked salmon. No boats, all shore fishing, wading is only allowed in tributaries. I got for lakers, pull that HDX out and im off. Bite slows I move to the river and try for rainbows, pull that HDX. Then, move to the other river and chase the salmon run in the fall. Grab that HDX. And, Im wheeling about 20 different rods for my antics.

Lund all the way. The deep v Rangers are built in the Tracker plant.

I can tell you this, Suzuki's in my opinion are the best motors hands down. I've owned nearly every brand and my 2 suzuki's were head and shoulders above the others.

Im debating on selling my Ranger, right in your price range. I live in Mass

Suzuki, best motors I've ever owned. And I have had a lot of boats and all brands. Even submerged on in salt water.

Im guessing over 8lbs

Pretty slick Dude!

Hey guys, Got a few questions about these lil boats. 1) There seems to be a few brands but all look similar except the cockpit layout. Is one better than the other? 2) How stable are they? I want to do some stand up spin fishing and some fly fishing. Im getting old and wobbly . I got a bass boat now but I've always seen these things and thought they would be awesome for small ponds and places where gas motors are not allowed. Thanks

A trout can see a fly in the air and leap up to pick it off. Can it see us on the bank? Probably. Can a bass? Possibly. I try to wear camo when I do bank fish and leave the 70's disco get up back in the truck. As far as in my boat, I caught them 50' feet away and some almost under the boat in 4' of water. I can say that I dont catch many close to the boat. Also, my catch percentage is way low when Im casting a shadow. As soon as I move and cast in the same spot, my catch ratio increases.

Its hard to compare the Vexus to a Ranger aluminum but I went on the Ranger website and "built" a boat with similar options and its right there if not more than the Vexus.

As someone wrote on another thread about Rangers, "Tanks"! They are not the fastest boat on the lake but who cares. I'd rather have a well built functional boat any day over a rocket.

They were hand laid but now that BPS owns them, Im not surprised. There are videos on youtube of the factory but I believe they were shot awhile back.

So many factors are involved here. Hulls..Rangers are hand laid hulls. Nitro hulls are made with chopped glass shot out of a chopper gun. Not exactly the strongest hulls. Warranty...Ranger wins this battle as well for the moment. Motors....Big chunk of the cost of a rig is the motor. I've owned every brand, some are great and others I wouldnt take it if it was free. Merc is the most common and are pretty good motors. Resale....Huge when you want to get rid of it. Trust me, you will either upgrade or get out of boating. Trailers...Channel is very strong. Tube is crap. Now, if those two were my only choices. Ranger all the way. Nitro's are nice but they are not made very well. They are really low end cheap boats but are affordable. Vexus is coming out this weekend with their alum line and glass boats in the fall. These will be the next generation of boats which we havnt had any major changes in decades. Im currently in the market for a new/newer boat. I have a ranger now and Im hapy with it as its a 2001. Built well but the newer ones.....starting to hear some negatives from owners. Vexus is on my radar as well as Bass Cat which is the best overall at this point. My recommendation, buy a good used boat and you'll get more boat for a lot less money. Plus, some are loaded up with good electronics and poles. Plenty of babied bass boats out there. Another thing someone wrote on another board...there has been no major improvements in bass boats since the late 90's. Very true statement. Vexus may change that???? Ok, now you guys can attack me for Praising one brand and putting down another LOL. Yup

A map of the lake or pond your fishing. Fishing without knowing the structure is like fishing without a rod

There's been a lot of great boats built over the years but never got traction and end up going out of business or bought out by the competitor. And then we're left with the market flooded with sub-par boats. I will say this, the big players are building the worst boats. Once you peel off the bling, its horrifying whats beneath.