3 Top Ranger Execs Resign

[scbassin]

One must wonder What Johnny Morris is up to. Randy Hopper, Keith Daffron & Mendel Hughes have Resigned from Ranger Boats.

[Catt]

Cutting fat!

[fishnkamp]

More like destroying the operations, preparing to shut down yet more competition and stealing better technology, just like he did when he bought ProKraft.  I was pretty sure he would do this, just not this soon!!!  Soon we will only be able to purchase his garbage boats.  Hopefully he never gets his hooks into Skeeter, Bass Cat,Legend, or Phoenix.  I guess Triton and Stratos will be gone soon also. 

[tomustang]

I like how Hopper confirmed the 3 but declined to say why...

[fishnkamp]

Probably was not allowed to comment for now.

[nosdog2]

You will see the Rangers right next to the Grady Whites in all the BP's.

[Al Wolbach]

Cutting fat!

Johnny Morris hasn't gotten where he is because he's a really nice guy.

[flyfisher]

It happens with any merger of any business.  And i love how everyone is ripping bass pro but remember they were the buyer. not the seller here.  If you owned a business and a big competitor said hey i am for sale and you were able to afford it and expand your own business and make more money, wouldn't you buy it too?

[BKeith]

In todays business world, it's not about the product, that they could really care less about, it's about the money they can make off the product. Investors don't invest in a company because they want to help that company make a quality product, they only want to invest where they are going to get the biggest return on their dollar the fastest. When that cow is milked, the sell it off and go for the next one.

[fishnkamp]

People need to support the few INDEPENDANT builders that are left so we do not end up with Johnny's crap as our only options!! My next boat will be purchased in two years and I intend to get a Bass Cat.  I just hope they can continue to exist that long and long after.  Personally, I had a ride on Johnny"s crap this summer at The Bassmasters tournament on the Chesapeake Bay.  I do not want it in my garage!  More importantly, I do not want to be forced to put that crap in my garage!

[slonezp]

People need to support the few INDEPENDANT builders that are left so we do not end up with Johnny's crap as our only options!! My next boat will be purchased in two years and I intend to get a Bass Cat.  I just hope they can continue to exist that long and long after.  Personally, I had a ride on Johnny"s crap this summer at The Bassmasters tournament on the Chesapeake Bay.  I do not want it in my garage!  More importantly, I do not want to be forced to put that crap in my garage!

BassCat was sold earlier this year to Correct Craft

[slonezp]

Johnny bought his competition. Happens all the time. Ranger quality doesn't need to change and Johnny will still profit.

[webertime]

People need to support the few INDEPENDANT builders that are left so we do not end up with Johnny's crap as our only options!! My next boat will be purchased in two years and I intend to get a Bass Cat.  I just hope they can continue to exist that long and long after.  Personally, I had a ride on Johnny"s crap this summer at The Bassmasters tournament on the Chesapeake Bay.  I do not want it in my garage!  More importantly, I do not want to be forced to put that crap in my garage!

Skeeter (and G3) are owned by Yamaha.

 

I wonder if 2015 and older Rangers will get the "Pre-Rapala Wiggle Wart" treatment?

[gulfcaptain]

People need to support the few INDEPENDANT builders that are left so we do not end up with Johnny's crap as our only options!! My next boat will be purchased in two years and I intend to get a Bass Cat.  I just hope they can continue to exist that long and long after.  Personally, I had a ride on Johnny"s crap this summer at The Bassmasters tournament on the Chesapeake Bay.  I do not want it in my garage!  More importantly, I do not want to be forced to put that crap in my garage!

 

I don't think you have to be worried about being "forced"  to put ANY boat you aren't willing to buy.  Free market will decide.  There are other brands and other older models to choose from.  Only one that will be deciding on what you purchase is you.

 

 And Bass Cat has been around a long time.  I remember seeing them put other boats to shame when they came out with the Pantera II around 1990.  Skeeters were heavy, Rangers were slow, Nitro was just coming into the market, Champions were close to the top but noting rode as nice as that Pantera II did especially in rougher weather.  I don't see Bass Cat folding in the next two years.

[Fishing Rhino]

Last year I fished with a friend on Lake Pickwick.  We alternated boats.  One day we fished out of his new Ranger and the next out of my piece of crap, garbage.  The fish did not seem to care which boat we were in.

 

I cannot imagine why such vitriol about an inanimate object.

[Ski213]

I guess it's anybody's guess as to what he will do with ranger, triton, and stratos. There may be no change other than whose bank account the profits end up in, or the brands may disappear.

I totally agree with trying to support the smaller manufacturers. In my opinion they have more to gain by paying attention to quality and detail. It's harder for them to sell cheaper so they better have something to help justify the higher costs.

I can't really speak to the quality of boats that Morris is putting out, since I've only been in a couple, but as far as fish ability and performance I didn't have any issues with them at all.

Don't be mad at BPS though. As was said, they bought it, it was for sale, they didn't take it by force.

[flyfisher]

I don't get the whole support the smaller independent manufacturer deal.  When i spend my money i want the best value i can get for the product and service etc....i don't care if it is the mom & pop shop down the street or if it is a larger corporation.  In case you didn't know, most companies didn't start out as he mega corporations.....they started out small and grew their business to be where it is.

 

All that being said, I have fished out of quite a few tracker boats and one nitro and i can say they did the job nicely and i wouldn't hesitate to buy one when the time comes.

[BassnChris]

Its just business as previously stated....BPS bought up competition as it was for sale.

They bought Procraft back around 1999 (I think that was about right) and Procraft continued until 2009.

When I look at the Nitros, even today's, I see a lot of Procraft in them.

I think he will keep Ranger and phase the others acquisitions. Just my guess.

[slonezp]

I don't get the whole support the smaller independent manufacturer deal.  When i spend my money i want the best value i can get for the product and service etc....i don't care if it is the mom & pop shop down the street or if it is a larger corporation.  In case you didn't know, most companies didn't start out as he mega corporations.....they started out small and grew their business to be where it is.

 

All that being said, I have fished out of quite a few tracker boats and one nitro and i can say they did the job nicely and i wouldn't hesitate to buy one when the time comes.

and Johnny started in his garage selling bait

[fishnkamp]

I think you are missing my point, I do not CARE that Johnny buys them or owns them, only if he destroys them!!  His history each time he buys a boat brand is to PROMISE they will continue independently, and history shows he removes their better technology and soon kills them.  The ProKraft example I gave (and I know of personally, because I did go to the factory when I bought my 205 Pro Combo in 1999) is typical.  He bought them, promised to keep them running separately, then magically redesigned his crappy Nitro's (beginning with the fish and ski's first). The resemblance was unmistakable.  And yes he did shut them down around 2008-9. ProKraft is not the only brand he has eaten up, there are some other fresh and saltwater boats as well.  YES, I know Yamaha owns G3 and Skeeter.  Just how much turmoil have you seen at Yamaha or Skeeter recently? I do not expect them to go anywhere soon,   As for the Bass Cat, I had heard the ownership had changed, but to my knowledge they are still run the same. That was why I said " I hoped it would be still around in two years".  My home will be paid for by then and I can then "invest" the kind of money it takes to purchase a new boat with all of the goodies these days!

As for the Bass Cat, they still make some fine boats.  I have a friend with a two year old Cougar, that is a fantastic fishing machine. GulfCaptain  has already praised the Pantera II,  Its' interesting B/C has made 4 different Pantera floor plans, yet the company has sold more PIIs than any other boat model in their history.  If they are still available I intend to order a new PII with a Yamaha 200 VMAX SHO.  After 11 boats with Mercs it will be my first Yamaha powered rig.  After riding in a Nitro\Merc ProXS combo and a Skeeter\Yamaha SHO this summer I will order the Yamaha SHO, I was really unimpressed by the ProXS.  Both my wife and I agreed there was no comparison between the Skeeter/VMAX SHO and the Nitro\Pro XS. The Skeeter out performed the Nitro in performance and rough water ride hands down!  Believe me, to take a ride in the Upper Chesapeake Bay during the BassMasters Elite tournament, we had a rough water demo!

I guess time will tell if I am correct on his next moves. It is a shame because I liked the Ranger Z118C and Triton TR189's floor plan and would consider buying one but can not trust the companies future existence.

If you disagree with me on the Nitros that is fine, just be honest with yourself! Turn on Major League Fishing.  Watch those Nitros struggle to get on plane when they take off. I even asked Dean Rojas at the tournament about them.  He said the Z-7 (the 18.8 footer) were dogs even with max horsepower. He would know he fishes on that circuit.  Remember that is Nitro's competition to the PII, Ranger Z118, Triton 189 or TX18 etc.

[K_Mac]

Last year I fished with a friend on Lake Pickwick. We alternated boats. One day we fished out of his new Ranger and the next out of my piece of crap, garbage. The fish did not seem to care which boat we were in.

I cannot imagine why such vitriol about an inanimate object.

I have spent many enjoyable and productive hours, in all kinds of conditions, fishing from my partners Nitro Z8. Yes it lacks the fit and finish of some of the others, and the trailer is not as good as it could be, but it was many thousands cheaper. I don't know anything about Morris other than he has built a very successful empire giving reasonable value and selection to sportsmen. Like the old commercial using, "don't hate me because I'm beautiful", some hate Bass Pro because they are very successful. I will wait to see what, if anything changes at Ranger.

[scbassin]

A friend of mine some what in the know(50/50)said quality issues were the problem & that they will have a new company within 7 years.

[tomustang]

My guess is he will do what the auto industry has done which is learn that having too many brands was making them compete with themselves. Time to cut out multiple types and have two models, luxury/high class and blue collar.

They can do that with ranger and nitro, but as far as having triton and stratos in there they have both been meant to slowly disappear so ranger can look better from their previous owners for a while now.

[Fishing Rhino]

I have spent many enjoyable and productive hours, in all kinds of conditions, fishing from my partners Nitro Z8. Yes it lacks the fit and finish of some of the others, and the trailer is not as good as it could be, but it was many thousands cheaper. I don't know anything about Morris other than he has built a very successful empire giving reasonable value and selection to sportsmen. Like the old commercial using, "don't hate me because I'm beautiful", some hate Bass Pro because they are very successful. I will wait to see what, if anything changes at Ranger.

 

I bought my first Nitro in 2010, it was a leftover 2009.  It had a slight hook in the starboard side, just ahead of the stern.  I bought it for 19,500 dollars with a few options, the trailer brake package being the most important, and a Nitro ratchet boat cover.

 

It did struggle to get on plane, but a prop change cured that.  Someone had put the wrong prop on the motor.  Not enough pitch.  In the heat of the summer, that "hook" disappeared.  And yes, the fit and finish left something to be desired.  Open the hatches and the center forward storage area was fiberglass covered plywood, painted a battleship gray.  That was more cosmetic than structural. 

 

Two years later I traded it in for a new leftover Z-8.  The original bottom line price was 34,000 dollars.  Options were trailer brakes on all four wheels, a Nitro boat cover, and retractable tie downs for the stern.  The boat was reduced by 5,000 dollars.  And I got a thousand dollar BPS gift certificate which brought the price down to 28,000 dollars.  It has the standard 200 hp Pro XS. 

 

It has the, then new, rapid planning system.  It jumps right up onto plane fully loaded with two big guys (about 500 pounds total).  The fastest I've seen on the GPS is 62.8 mph with just me in the boat.  Plenty fast since I generally rarely cruise faster than forty mph.  Massachusetts has a speed limit of 45 mph on all state ponds and lakes.  The ride is much better than the Z-7.

 

The center forward compartment is now a "tub" molded into the one piece deck and cockpit.  The "rigging area is huge, easily accessible and can handle five batteries with room to spare.

 

I have no illusions that it is as good as a Ranger, or Bass Cat, or fill in the blank when it comes to quality or goodies.  But I would not catch one more fish out of a nicer boat, and I liked having that extra twenty or thirty thousand dollars in my pocket. 

 

My two lobster boats were "slabs" compared to most of the boats that fished out of the same port, but I caught more lobsters than those with their nicer, better, bigger and faster lobster boats.

 

I subscribe to the theory that the man in the boat is more important than the boat the man is in when it comes to catching fish, either recreationally or commercially.

 

1971  Cape Cod Bay out of a 15' wood work skiff, fishing alone. Stripers and bluefish.  Caught on a 6" Rebel, mackerel finish.

 

A typical day out of my 38' old Novi lobster boat. Circa 1978

 

 

 

[EvanT123]

My guess is he will do what the auto industry has done which is learn that having too many brands was making them compete with themselves. Time to cut out multiple types and have two models, luxury/high class and blue collar.

That would probably be a good business strategy. I had a washing machine repair man the other day tell me there are 8-9 brands of washer that are basically the same and interchange parts.

The brand you buy probably depends on the store you shop at.

I just finished the series the men who built america and I would say the consolidation of industry is not a new phenomenon.