Boat Suggestions?

[tbone1993]

As many young colleges students I aspire to make a boat load of money when I am older. Once that is done I plan on blowing a good chunk of it on a boat. Most of the guys on this forum have dealt with many boat companies and models. What is a boat that you would suggest for someone that has the money to spend? Would it be a legend, triton, ranger,lund,bass cat etc ? Which model? Would it have a 250 on the end? Which boat would give me the biggest bang for my buck with the smoothest ride and best storage ability? Kind of an opinion based topic so do not turn it into a "Ranger is better because I said  and your argument is invalid because I am always right"  kind of thread. 

 

I guess I was not clear enough , dream boat.

[slonezp]

That's a very vague question. Alot more information is needed for anyone to give you an answer. Type of water you will be fishing ie small lakes , large lakes, shallow rivers, stump filled waters etc., species of fish (strictly bass or will you be fishing for salmon or crappies, or walley etc.), Style of of fishing ie., a raised deck for flipping or deep sides because you have kids fishing with you. Are electronics important or extremely important, 2 stroke or 4 stroke, is it more important to go fast or have a more stable fishing platform and so on.

 

Or, Are you looking for personal opinions of BR members dream boats?

[Jig Man]

With a boat load of money I'd get the most expensive Bass Cat with the 12" touch screen Lowrances and 109 # MG trolling motor.  I'd put the biggest motor that I could find on the back.

[South FLA]

No boat is going to be perfect and some boats have advantages in certain categories.  As an example you will not find a Bullet that fishes as well as a Ranger, but you will never find a Ranger that can keep up with a Bullet or carve through waves as well as it.  Also, people tend to be very brand loyal and think that the boat they own is superior to others beyond objective reasoning, so take what they say with grain of salt.

 

If I were to buy a carpeted bass boat, it would come down to Ranger, Bass Cat, and Stratos Elite Series. With the Bass Cat Eyra or Puma on top of my list, followed by the Stratos 210 Elite, and the Ranger Z520c/Z521.  When purchasing consider accesories, and rigging, if comparing a Mercury rigged boat, with Humminbird all around and a 101 Motorguide on the front vs the same boat rigged with Yamaha, Lowarance electronics and a Minn Kota, the price can vary substantially. You will also want to consider proximity to dealer, especially for a new boat purchase.  You don't want to tow a Stratos to the dealer 110 miles away when I can tow a Ranger to the dealer 22 miles away, that can be a deal breaker. Another important aspect is the trailer, some manufactures spec bad trailers that turn into rust buckets in 3-5 years. If you can get an aluminum i-beam trailer with stainless steel hardware, oil bath hubs, torsion axles and disc brakes you are much better off than a painted trailer, with shocks, drum brakes or no brakes, and grease hubs. Also, make sure you can get like deals on engine warranty periods. I would rather take a Suzuki outboard that has a 7 year factory promotional warranty than a 3 year standard warranty from Yamaha for piece of mind and future trade value. All in all, its up to the buyer and his perception and needs, but so the best thing to do before buying a boat is ride/fish in as many different boats that you can and compare the details (layout, fit/finish, livewell function, etc.) between them.

 

Good LUCK!