Hi guys, I am in the market for my first bass boat and I really need some advice. I have some concerns and deal breakers which I will list first. After that I will cover things I would like to have but are not must haves. So I have a 21'garage and I need to be able to store it in there so the way I see it that limits me to a 17'6" ish boat. I really need to keep the total cost below $22,000 (out the door), and I would like to go new, however I am flexible there if it were just a couple of years old or left over un sold stock. I drive a full size dodge ram so towing won't be a concern, and I am not that worried about gas mileage for the truck or the boat motor. Both of the above boat models max out at 75 HP and I plan on getting the ETEC 75. The biggest difference is the fiber glass vs the aluminum. I will be strictly fishing lakes and I will fish a couple of large (5000+ acre) lakes near lake michigan so wind could be an issue on those lakes. Most lakes will be between 500 and 3000 acres. I'm not planing on fishing too shallow where I would have to worry about hitting things with the boat but you never know. I am ready to take good care of either boat so thats not an issue. I will have the wife and son with me sometimes so ride is important. I also dont want to be rocking back and forth while fishing because because the boat isn't stable. I have read so many forums and it just seems people are so split. I really need advice on buying new, that way we can skip the advice on testing for compression, and wood rot, soft spots, etc.. So I am leaning towards the glass boat (which weighs 1200) with the 75 hp 2 stroke Etec which should make it hit the low 40's. I really love the idea of owning a Ranger boat, but I also love the idea of owning a glass boat. Since I cant do both I have to choose. Any advice would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance.
