Super User retiredbosn Posted March 19, 2015 Super User Posted March 19, 2015 One boat is a 2015 Stratos VLO  dual console with a Merc 115 four stroke.  Second boat is a 2007 Nitro 911 CDC with a Merc 225 Optimax.  Ok for the particulars, engine warranty the same on both boats five year cover to skeg, the Stratos is 18' 9" and a 89" beam, the Nitro is 20' 2" and a 8' 2" beam or 98".  Stratos single wheel trailer, aluminum rims, steel fenders, Nitro tandem axle, fiberglass fenders.  Electronics the same, the Stratos has 0 hours on motor and the Nitro has 127 computer verified. Price on Nitro is less than the Stratos just because the Stratos is new, the Nitro when new was around 42k, the Stratos the way I rigged it was almost 27k.  So that's your choice, New Stratos 186 VLO or used Nitro 911 CDC, what say ye? And why? BTW the first three pics are the Nitro second three Stratos  BTW I am picking up my boat in the morning and your answer will not sway my decision, just curious what other anglers, boat owners, and hopeful boat owners would choose. Honestly I don't think there is a wrong choice, I'm just interested in your thoughts and opinions. Quote
Smokinal Posted March 19, 2015 Posted March 19, 2015 Honestly, I feel it depends most on what type (how big) water you usually fish. Those are very different boats tbh. Obviously the Nitro is going to be better in bigger water. Personally, I don't fish big water so I would choose the VLO (plus I love BlueBasser's). The other thing to look at is maintenance on the dual axle with brakes. My current boat is a 16' Nitro; obviously no brakes and that thing is just a great little boat; hardly requires any maintenance at all. But I'm dying to see what you got!!! 1st to congratulate you! 1 Quote
Super User retiredbosn Posted March 19, 2015 Author Super User Posted March 19, 2015 Honestly, I feel it depends most on what type (how big) water you usually fish. Those are very different boats tbh. Obviously the Nitro is going to be better in bigger water. Personally, I don't fish big water so I would choose the VLO (plus I love BlueBasser's). The other thing to look at is maintenance on the dual axle with brakes. My current boat is a 16' Nitro; obviously no brakes and that thing is just a great little boat; hardly requires any maintenance at all. But I'm dying to see what you got!!! 1st to congratulate you! To give more info to help you out, I fish Murray, Clarks Hill and Santee Cooper Chain. To me these lakes are fairly large, several thousand acres smallest one about 48000 acres, plus the coast is only a couple hours away Quote
Ozark_Basser Posted March 19, 2015 Posted March 19, 2015 Definitely depends on what type of water younare going to be fishing. Also look at how much you are willing to spend on gas. With the throttle wide open, the 115 will consume ~11.5 gallons per hour roughly, while the 225 will burn about twice as much at ~22.5 gallons per hour. However, if you plan on fishing tournaments, I'd go with the bigger boat. Quote
Super User slonezp Posted March 20, 2015 Super User Posted March 20, 2015 Based on my needs, the Nitro. As a daily driver on small to medium lakes the VLO may be a better choice. Quote
Matthew2000 Posted March 20, 2015 Posted March 20, 2015 What is up with the layout of that nitro ? Never have seen a boat like that. To me it would be a time will tell thing because I fish large and small lakes. But I would choose the nitro, it is just bigger over all. That would be the main selling point for me. I like to have quite a bit of room between me and my partner. Being cramed into a little deck sucks. Quote
Super User Jeff H Posted March 20, 2015 Super User Posted March 20, 2015 Go big! I always liked the CDC layout. Quote
Super User retiredbosn Posted March 20, 2015 Author Super User Posted March 20, 2015 What is up with the layout of that nitro ? Never have seen a boat like that. To me it would be a time will tell thing because I fish large and small lakes. But I would choose the nitro, it is just bigger over all. That would be the main selling point for me. I like to have quite a bit of room between me and my partner. Being cramed into a little deck sucks. It's called a center dual console (CDC),I love the layout. Makes sense when you think about it, keeps driver passenger weight centered when running, seats are set just a little higher more comfortable for us old guys. Allot easier to get around in and frees up additional fishing locations for those days when multiple ppl want to go. They made both the Z8 and Z9 with this configuration, but the front deck came all the way back to the console. Quote
Matthew2000 Posted March 20, 2015 Posted March 20, 2015 It's called a center dual console (CDC),I love the layout. Makes sense when you think about it, keeps driver passenger weight centered when running, seats are set just a little higher more comfortable for us old guys. Allot easier to get around in and frees up additional fishing locations for those days when multiple ppl want to go. They made both the Z8 and Z9 with this configuration, but the front deck came all the way back to the console. Huh, never knew about those. Do they sit the same in the water ? Quote
Super User S Hovanec Posted March 20, 2015 Super User Posted March 20, 2015 Not familiar with either boat, so I don't know what the Stratos is rated for, but to me, 115 seems underpowered for a almost 19' boat. Quote
Dogmatic Posted March 20, 2015 Posted March 20, 2015 Bigger is better, either way you've decided you're a lucky dog. Congrats. Quote
Super User retiredbosn Posted March 20, 2015 Author Super User Posted March 20, 2015 Huh, never knew about those. Do they sit the same in the water ? If your profile info is correct, I'm not surprised. That layout was discontinued about 5-6 years ago. Here is a picture of the boat sitting still in water, the 911 seems to me to have a little bit higher freeboard (distance from waterline to top of gunwale) Â Quote
Super User Catt Posted March 20, 2015 Super User Posted March 20, 2015 I own & have fished out of Stratos for years, they handle big water as well as any. The VLO is very under powered & even more so in big waves where power is needed to keep the bow up. Quote
Super User retiredbosn Posted March 20, 2015 Author Super User Posted March 20, 2015 I own & have fished out of Stratos for years, they handle big water as well as any. The VLO is very under powered & even more so in big waves where power is needed to keep the bow up.   I've been working on this for several weeks now, you can get an Evinrude Etec 135 HO on the stern which makes allot of sense. Also Boaters world did a boat test on the 186 VLO top speed just shy of 50 with a 115, quite a bit better with the Etec 135 HO, which I was told is basically a "detuned" stock Etec 150 with different stickers..I would bet the farm you can change the power pack and exhaust baffle and pick up more hp  https://youtu.be/pgzgq92AIrc Quote
Matthew2000 Posted March 20, 2015 Posted March 20, 2015 If your profile info is correct, I'm not surprised. That layout was discontinued about 5-6 years ago. Here is a picture of the boat sitting still in water, the 911 seems to me to have a little bit higher freeboard (distance from waterline to top of gunwale) Â nitro at rest.jpg Yeah I was 7 when your boat came out. The gunwale does look a little high, it could be the lack of gear as they were just doing a photo shoot. Quote
Brian6428 Posted March 20, 2015 Posted March 20, 2015 I voted for the Stratos but thats cause I don't go very fast anyways and wouldn't mind saving on fuel (150 Merc EFI). If you like to go faster and don't mind the fuel costs I'd go with the Nitro. Either way you're getting a great boat. Quote
Super User Catt Posted March 20, 2015 Super User Posted March 20, 2015 I've been working on this for several weeks now, you can get an Evinrude Etec 135 HO on the stern which makes allot of sense. Also Boaters world did a boat test on the 186 VLO top speed just shy of 50 with a 115, quite a bit better with the Etec 135 HO, which I was told is basically a "detuned" stock Etec 150 with different stickers..I would bet the farm you can change the power pack and exhaust baffle and pick up more hp https://youtu.be/pgzgq92AIrc Running 50 mph in calm water aint the same as needing power to quickly lift the bow in rough water. Check out how much the VLO weighs, then add fuel, a livewell full of water, batteries, tackle, & 2 anglers. Quote
Super User A-Jay Posted March 20, 2015 Super User Posted March 20, 2015 Love the set up on the Nitro ~  Congrats in advance Boats  A-Jay Quote
Super User tomustang Posted March 20, 2015 Super User Posted March 20, 2015 I've always like that particular nitro setup, its also bigger. I do not like the layout of the stratos, the motor seems too underpowered. Quote
Jiggy With It Posted March 20, 2015 Posted March 20, 2015 I'd rather have it and not need it then need it and not have it. Quote
Super User Fishing Rhino Posted March 20, 2015 Super User Posted March 20, 2015 I've had a Nitro Z-7, which is about the same size as the Stratos you are considering. I now have a Z-8, and there is no comparison. The Nitro had a 150 EFI Merc and the top speed I saw on the GPS was just over 58 mph. The 8 has a 200 hp Optimax (standard engine on the 8) and I've seen just under 63 mph on the gps unit.  The main difference is size and stability. The 7 was skitterish at top speed. It had the sensation that it was about to take off. The 8, has shown no tendency to "dance" on the surface when on the pad. The 8 is also much more stable when someone moves around on the deck.  Given the waters your going to be fishing regularly I'd opt for the Nitro. On smaller waters probably the Stratos simply because it is new, though the smaller engine gives me pause.  I'm not a horsepower freak. Most of the time I cruise between 35 - 40 mph. I do like the four cycle. They purr like a kitten. Quote
Al Wolbach Posted March 20, 2015 Posted March 20, 2015 I'm not a big fan of Nitro but in this case I would choose the CDC because of size and weight. I have not fished Clark Hill but I have the other two and they can get violently rough. Normally I would choose the new boat but not so in this case. Congrats either way. A friend of mine had a CDC a few years back and I loved the layout but they were not popular for some reason, probably poor marketing. Good luck with either........Al Quote
jbh3 Posted March 20, 2015 Posted March 20, 2015 Don't think you will like the second console on a 18' boat. Takes up a LOT of usable space. If you could take both to the lake, I believe you would like the bigger CDC a lot better. As an old bosun, you probably know bigger is better in a blow. Good luck!. Quote
Trek Posted March 20, 2015 Posted March 20, 2015 I use to own a Stratos 17.5 with a 115 motor and they make a very nice boat. That boat was rated for a 150 hp and was way under horse powered. But for a 18.5 foot boat a 115 seems under horse powered too. That boat should be able to handle a 200 hp. Just my opinion but your hole shot is going to be very slow. I have learned from the past to never by a boat that isn't maxed out on the motor. You don't have to run it wide open but you need that power to get the boat on top or you'll be adding whale fins on the motor to help you. Quote
Smokinal Posted March 21, 2015 Posted March 21, 2015 You're killin me! Whadya get? Whadya get? I always get a little pleasure hearing someone getting a new boat. I think it's because I want a newer boat but it just isn't in the cards for me right now. 2 Quote
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