What's Wrong With Nitro?

[BassnChris]

Today at Thanksgiving dinner I was asked what's wrong with a Nitro? Why does everyone say they are inferior?

The only answer I had was, "I think back a bout 10 years ago, they had issues with transoms and quality control."

So I thought I would come back to you all and get schooled on What's wrong with a Nitro and why do people bad mouth them?

Thanks

Chris

[Sam]

All I know is that the BPS Power Pros don't seem to be able to service their products as would be expected.

 

Personally, I have not heard any negatives about the Nitros.

 

Looking forward to reading the replies to get educated on Nitros.

[S Hovanec]

My biggest beef with BPS/Tracker/Nitro is the lack of motor choice. When I was boat shopping in 2005, I liked the Targa alot, but didn't want to be forced to buy a Merc.

[tnriverluver]

I think the biggest issue with Nitro boats is that in the early years they were much like the Bayliner brand.  Built cheap and sold to large numbers of mostly beginner boaters that either could not afford or did not know how to properly maintain their vessels.  Leave them out in the elements uncovered 24/7 365 days a year for years on end and stuff rots and breaks.  Just because of the shear number of boats sold compared to other brands also gives the opportunity for more negative feedback.  Their latest offering from around 2008 on up seem to be catching up with the competition in terms of both quality and also price.  I would not hesitate purchasing a new Nitro if I could afford a new boat or needed one.   

[Pa Angler]

Hello,

 

Check out the Hooked Hull post in this forum. I have a 2011 Z7 boat that is being replaced by Tracker Marine with a 2014 Z7 do to a hook that developed in the hull I purchased mine through a stand alone Tracker dealer and most of the dealer issues I have read about come from boats purchased through BPS. Before the hooked hull my Z7 was the best thing since sliced bread and I often tell my fishing buddies that if it were a woman I'd marry it.....LOL.

 

The way Tracker has delt with a warranty issue is incredible Tracker received the replacement paperwork on 10-29-2013 and the scheduled completion date is 12-11-2013.

 

The fit and finish of my Z7 was outstanding the battery compartment was gel coated not like the Nitro's of yesteryear. Without question I would buy another Nitro.

 

Tight Lines

Pa Angler

[Jig Man]

They are better than they used to be.  A couple of my friends are now running the Z8s with 225 Optimax Mercs.  They seem well built.

 

They used to be very low quality and didn't hold up well.  They also were completely under powered like they were designed for a first buyer who didn't know much.  That also made them the fastest depreciating boat on the market.  I haven't checked that lately and hope they are doing better.

[MacP]

Buying a Nitro or a Tracker is the equivalent of buying a car from Wal-Mart.  I know many other's will disagree, but they depreciate the fastest and there are more of them for sale in my area than any other manufacturer by about 3x.  There's got to be a reason for that.  Again, your mileage may vary.

[BassnChris]

So far, sounds like it was QC issue that might be put behind them?

Pa Angler has a good story about them standing behind their product.

The NADA seems to have them hold close to average resale value.

Maybe there are more available because there are more sold? Not say'in.......just asking?

They sure seem slick in the store and at the ramp.

As far as competent repair guys.......could always go where I wanted to go.

Thanks for the input......keep it coming.

[flyfisher]

The only problem i have with Nitro is that i don't have one in my driveway....

 

And yes, more will be available because there are more sold.  I am totally guessing here but i would bet they top the list of most boats sold year after year and since they are labeled as a "beginner" boat people are going to want to upgrade which makes more available.  

[Long Mike]

Buying a Nitro or a Tracker is the equivalent of buying a car from Wal-Mart.  I know many other's will disagree, but they depreciate the fastest and there are more of them for sale in my area than any other manufacturer by about 3x.  There's got to be a reason for that.  Again, your mileage may vary.

 

It's very simple.  If a company manufactures and sells three times as many boats as any other, it stands to reason that there would be three times more of them on the "used" market than any other.

 

BTW, Wal-Mart doesn't sell cars.  It would be great if they did.  I would love to buy a Ford, or Chevy, or Dodge Ram from them at their discounted, fixed prices.  For that matter, I would love to buy, a Tracker, or a Nitro, or a Skeeter, or a Ranger from them.  You are inferring that Wal-Mart sells low quality goods.  You are wrong.  Does Wal-Mart sell a lower quality ipad than any other store, or a lower quality flat-screen Sony TV?

 

As for your statement that a Tracker or a Nitro depreciates faster than any other boat, I would very much appreciate it if you could provide some factual information to support your claim.

 

Everyone likes to bad-mouth Nitro and Tracker, but no one ever talks about the fact that there are more Nitro and Tracker boats SOLD than all other companies. There's got to be a reason for that.

[MacP]

Cursory internet searches will show most people what they need to know.   

 

For every person I've met that's loved their Tracker/Nitro there's another that wishes they had something else.  I don't care whether it's any stigma associated with the company or that they are truly unsatisfied.  Don't care.  I'm going to be sure that my money is well spent.  The previously mentioned internet search would make me hesitate to purchase one.  I'd rather not have that kind of doubt when purchasing something that valuable. 

 

Many people still buy some car manufacturer's vehicles day in and day out - even though reliability indexes show that they are much worse than other manufacturer's offerings.   That's a bad bet.  I don't have the luxury of gambling with my money.  You may luck out, you may not.  I'm not going to make that bet. 

[zewski]

I'm a Nitro owner, and I really love my boat, that said, I never had a ranger or a bass cat. I think its just like Honda and Volkswagen. There is pros and cons for everything on the market. KVD is using a Nitro, it can't be that bad!? And never forget, boats dosent catch fish!

[Brian Needham]

.  I'm going to be sure that my money is well spent. 

 

 

I am too..........that's why I bought J Will's year old Z9!!!

[Brian Needham]

I own a nitro and its a great boat as far as I can tell.

 

I read all the "horror" stories and with each one of them there was something that didn't feel right about the story............ then I watched who was actually buying a new or used nitro, and I found it was some people I really respected and their opinion.

 

the resale myth is bunk too...... if I buy a nitro for 40K, and you buy a ranger for 60k of course you are going to have "higher" resale... but when I sale mine for 35k and you sale yours for 50K in a year who really comes out ahead? the NITRO........ plus that 20K buys a lot of gas, tackle and hotel rooms.

 

I am not saying Ranger, bass cat, Triton, ect ect do not make a great boat because they do.

 

What I am saying if 98% of the people that bash nitro have never rode in one, much less owned one, so you got to take it for what its worth.

[flyfisher]

Yeah the whole resale thing is tough to say really.  I looked for reports and without going and compiling it myself i didn't find anything.  resale should be more looked at percentage of MSRP that it is worth 5 years down the road not what the value of the boat is.

 

I personally don't buy anything based on resale value.  If i am anticipating selling it then i should get something else in the first place.  I look for value for what I am getting and while I do not own a Nitro or any bass boat other than my kayak a Nitro would be high up on my list should i ever decide a glass boat will be in my future.  

 

I have a feeling a river Jet boat would be bought before a glass boat though  

[Brian Needham]

 

 

I have a feeling a river Jet boat would be bought before a glass boat though

 

I am glad I learned how to run a trolling motor in a tin boat, that's for sure! LOL.

[flyfisher]

I am glad I learned how to run a trolling motor in a tin boat, that's for sure! LOL.

Where i live now a jet boat would allow me to go many more places that a glass boat couldn't go....especially when heading up to the susky

 

of course i don't see myself leaving the kayaking realm any time soon.

[Fishing Rhino]

In 2010, I bought a 2009 Nitro Z-7 for 19,300.  It was a leftover and had a slight blemish, the blemish being a slight "hook" on the side of the boat.  For that, I got a boat whose original sticker price was 25,000 dollars.  During the heat of the summer, that "hook" disappeared.  Apparently, some type of pressure caused the depression.  However, fiberglass has a memory, and given some time and heat of the summer, that depression disappeared.

 

From the outside, the finish was A1,  However once you opened hatches there was something left to be desired.  Partitions were plywood, tabbed into place with fiberglass, and painted a battleship gray.  These are not structural components, and in no way affect the performance of the hull.  It is merely a cosmetic difference, and, a case of you get what you pay for.

 

Two years later, I traded in the Z-7, for a Z-8, and they gave me 16,000 dollars for it toward the Z-8

 

The Z-8 was a leftover 2011 which was stickered at 33,000 dollars with a 200 hp (underpowered, some would say) Merc, tandem trailer brakes, retractable tie downs, and a ratchet cord custom cover.  It was marked down to 29,000 but it came with a thousand dollar BPS gift card which made the price 28,000 dollars.  Came standard with hydraulic steering, lighted storage lockers, and the plywood dividers were gone, replaced with molded fiberglass compartments.  The "rigging area" which is the battery, charger, and oil reservoir compartment was also molded fiberglass, with a nice gel coat finish.

 

The lingering "gripe" that remained from the Z-7 rig was the matter of the trailer wiring, which ran through holes in  the trailer frame.  I got rubber grommets from the hardware store for less than three dollars, and fit them over the metal edges of the holes to prevent the wires from being chaffed, and eventually shorting out.

 

For an additional three grand, I could have gotten a 225 horsepower engine, or a 250 horsepower for an additional five grand.  Most of the time I cruise forty to forty-five mph.  The boat gets up on plane quickly.  Yes, another brand might be a finer boat, with nicer appointments, but as someone has already stated, "Boats do not catch fish, people do.", or something like that.

 

My opinion is that for the money, it's tough to beat a Nitro.

[slonezp]

Almost bought a new 2010 Z9 this spring. It was almost $10k off the 2013 list. I was more turned off by the BPS sales dept. than anything about the Nitro, which is why I opted not to buy.

[Brian Needham]

Almost bought a new 2010 Z9 this spring. It was almost $10k off the 2013 list. I was more turned off by the BPS sales dept. than anything about the Nitro, which is why I opted not to buy.

 

I really don't know too many people that ARE fans of BPS, it without doubt hurts boat sales.

 

from what I gather through my readings, it "most" happy nitro owners have bought from an independent dealer.

[BassnChris]

At this point I have decided to buy a Nitro.

But I am now trying to decide if I can make myself wait. The boat gorilla is a formidable adversary indeed.

I am thinking I will wait a year...maybe two to buy it.

We'll see if I can resist........it is very difficult and in fact, almost impossible for me to resist once the fever has set in..............thanks for all the input everyone.

Chris

[slonezp]

If you choose to buy from BPS, the best time to buy because of incentives is usually January-March. Hope you have a better experience than I did.

[Brian Needham]

Chris, if you don't have to buy new, there are always great used deals on 1-2 year old boats, you can steal a boat if you are patient.  

 

and if you can wait that long, Mike, Tom and I all have nitros. Z7,Z8, and Z9, in fact.....so I am sure you can "demo" all 3 at the road trip if you want.

[FD.]

Chris, you should be looking at everything in the barely used dept. You have seen my boat and I only have 25k in it. I looked for two years before I found it. Having cash in your hand also will get you awesome deals from private sellers who need the money.

[Bluebasser86]

I think some of the older Nitros were pretty slow to get up on pad also, at least the ones I've ridden in. 

 

I had a '92 Ranger 451V for a couple years, motor never ran right for more than a few hours the entire time I owned the dang thing. I would have traded it for a Nitro that ran in a heartbeat.