BuckMaxx Posted January 19, 2014 Posted January 19, 2014 7500 new bass boats doesn't seem like very many for a single year. IMO There really is no sense in buying a brand new boat. There are soooo many really nice 5-10 year old boats out there for 1/4 of the chedder. They all might look pretty new but they don't catch any more fish then a used one. I have a 20 year old boat that is in fine shape and I got her dialed in with all the same features as a 50k job. Quote
wperry Posted January 19, 2014 Author Posted January 19, 2014 Thanks for the input. Majority of opinion is: used glass Ranger. Think I'll keep the bay boat a few years and this fall look for a well maintained Ranger 188 or Z118 with Mercury Optimax 150. Everybody I've talked to is really happy with that rig. I don't fish tournaments so that's big enough for these smallish bodies of water around here. Price range 15-20K. They bass fish most of the winter around here in the upper rivers, so buying it in the fall will hopefully help with pricing. In the summer I've been busier farming. My daughter lives 45 minutes from Okeechobee so I can use the 18 foot all year round. Quote
Super User WIGuide Posted January 21, 2014 Super User Posted January 21, 2014 If you buy a Ranger you won't have to worry about going back to a dealer because you won't have any issues with it. Also, if you buy it and for some reason don't like it, they have the highest resale value of any boat on the market. Quote
Super User Hi Salenity Posted January 21, 2014 Super User Posted January 21, 2014 I was looking for a used Ranger and found I could get a lot more boat for the money I wanted to spend. I ended up with a Triton several years newer than what I could afford if I was buying a ranger. Quote
Super User flyfisher Posted January 21, 2014 Super User Posted January 21, 2014 7500 new bass boats doesn't seem like very many for a single year. IMO There really is no sense in buying a brand new boat. There are soooo many really nice 5-10 year old boats out there for 1/4 of the chedder. They all might look pretty new but they don't catch any more fish then a used one. I have a 20 year old boat that is in fine shape and I got her dialed in with all the same features as a 50k job. if everyone stops buying new boats eventually there will be no used ones... I would buy new for the warranty and peace of mind. Now if i was planning on upgrading in a few years then i would probably go used but otherwise i want to get the boat and have it as long as i can. Quote
bknap Posted January 25, 2014 Posted January 25, 2014 Skeeter - guy in bass club bought one two years ago and had problems with electrical system and the Yamaha that came with it. Guys in bass club say Skeeter has had electrical problems in the past, too. They all avoid Skeeters. Ranger - avoid the Evinrudes and go with a Mercury. No one has had problems with the hull. One of the guys in the club has a 1995 Ranger still going strong no matter what he does to try to destroy it. couldn't have said it any better my self. dads had a skeeter our first boat and it was a good first boat, but had many problems with it and bought a ranger and you cannot compare the two boats. A Ranger blows the skeeter out of the water in every part of it. Like sam said, stay away from Evinrudes, get a Mercury! Everyone is talking about these Phoenix boats but they are hand to hand the same price as a ranger, but rangers have been around for 45 years. Rangers are known as the best boats on the water and id have to agree so if anyone is going to spend the amount of money for a phoenix id most def go with a ranger boat. Bought ours from Dixie Marine in Cincinnati Ohio, great service, cant go wrong Hope this helps Quote
Super User tomustang Posted January 25, 2014 Super User Posted January 25, 2014 I wonder if Rangers would be cheaper if they didn't always give one away each tournament. 1 Quote
Rangerphil Posted January 25, 2014 Posted January 25, 2014 This is my take! When you have good weather nice calm days all the little things in the boat make each boat different. You may like the looks of this one over that one or this cooler looks better than this one. Now, when the weather turns bad and you are on something like lake Erie with 3-5 foot waves and you need to get back now, I would not be caught in anything but my ranger! I know no matter what I am getting home! Quote
Super User slonezp Posted January 25, 2014 Super User Posted January 25, 2014 I wonder if Rangers would be cheaper if they didn't always give one away each tournament. Was at the fishing and boat show today. MSRP for a Z521 was $73k and the 621 walleye boat was $83k Quote
gobig Posted January 26, 2014 Posted January 26, 2014 Im a champion guy but IMO ranger is the best made boat on the market today. Quote
Smallie Hunter Posted January 26, 2014 Posted January 26, 2014 Had a 2005 Skeeter and I did not have one issue with it, they are fast but feel hollow and it had a rough ride. I purchased a new Ranger out of the showroom with the evinrude 250 e-tech. Boat is very solid handle big water with no problems. The motor however was a different issue. 6 months 1 injector went. 8 months later a second injector went the factory replaced the injectors and no problems until 6 months later and boom power head goes. evinrude replaced the entire motor with a brand new HD model and since then the motor is a beast. I would say ranger is the way to go but just be careful of the brand of motor you get with it and make sure that there is some kind of warranty. Quote
Trek Posted January 26, 2014 Posted January 26, 2014 Skeeter and Rangers are both good boats. Your not going to have any problems with either boat. I have a Z519 Ranger with a 225 Mercury and love it. But I also live a half an hour from one of Ohio's top boat dealers that sell them. Plus they have two master mechanics of Mercury working for them. Truth is that's what makes the boat. They are awesome to me and always keep my boat running well. Before this boat they use to sell Champion and I owned one of them because that is what they sold. I didn't like that boat as well because it fished nose high and I fished mostly inland lakes and like to flip. The big open water guys love them. Skeeter and Ranger both fish flat and I like them better. Now when it comes to Aluminum or fiberglass there is a big ( very BIG ) difference. The wind will blow an aluminum boat around more but it will fish more shallow. I like a fiberglass for that main reason. Now consider horse power. What ever the boats max rating is have that and nothing less or you will not like it. Nothing worse then a boat with a slow hole shot. You need to remember with gear, gas and full live well you need the power and the boat has a rating for a reason. Plus it always seems like you draw the biggest guy at the ramp. No matter what you choose look it over well. Quote
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.