Stratos VLO 189

[dwatts2010]

Thinking about purchasing one with a 150 evinrude. 

Anyone have any pro and cons or reviews?

[Bluebasser86]

I have a 2012 with a 150 Pro XS. I've got a solid year of use with it now and have been happy with it so far. I haven't gotten the prop I need for it yet to get it to full potential. Right now I'm running the 24 pitch Lazer 2 that came with it but it needs a 23 pitch to get to full performance I believe (It doesn't spin the 24 fast enough but I have a 21 that sets off the alarm at WOT). It isn't quite as fast as I thought it might be (low 50's), but a different/better prop would bump it up a bit if that's an issue for you. It is a very smooth and dry ride though, which was my biggest concern due to the fact that the wind is always blowing here. Even in rolling white caps I can run and not shorten my spine in the process. 

The rod locker was too small, until I took the dividers out. With the dividers it holds about 12-15 rods with a max length of 7.5 feet. Without the divider like I have it now, it holds over 30 and I have rods up to 8' long and there's still room. 
I wish the step up or the center storage between the seats was a cooler instead of storage and the cooler and the starboard side storage were combined into one big storage area instead. The cooler is nice if you're packing a Thanksgiving dinner for 20 with you, but mostly I feel like it's just wasted space which is so precious in an 18' boat. I like the snap out carpet and keep mine out all winter and put it back in during the hot months to protect my dog from the extreme heat in the bottom of the boat. 
The textured finish on the floor and interior is a pain to clean, but it looks nice when it's cleaned. 
The center storage area holds quite a bit of tackle and a few rods if you want but I don't use it for rods.
The flip up windshield on the passenger side is a great space saver and actually does about as good as a console does with blocking wind and spray.
The livewell is huge, big enough my son gets inside of it and splashes around when it's hot.
The 2 back storage areas have a lot of room and the bins are easy to remove if you need to access something inside the hull of your motor (made running the wires for my Garmins very easy). 
Plenty of room for batteries, tools, extra oil, whatever in the back storage and it's very open so accessing it is easy. 
The built in boarding ladder is nice and easy to use when in the water (we use it all the time when it's hot and jumping in the water is almost required to make it through the day). 
The trailer is good but I really feel like it should almost be a dual axle, just seems like a lot of boat for a single axle.
I really think the boat should be rated for a 200hp at over 18 1/2' long, but obviously they did their homework and felt a 175 was big enough and I'm not going to upgrade anyways. 

Overall, glad I bought it. It's been a great first step into the world of bass boats and I wouldn't have a problem recommending it to someone else. 

 

[gardnerjigman]

I will second the ride and comfort of this boat. We have gone across some rough water and I've always stayed dry and didn't feel like I was going to pee blood afterwards. 

[Zachary Nute]

Go with the Triton 189 TRX.... Stratos sells their 2016 189 VLO for 31K (Base Model) and Triton sells their 2016 189 TRX (Base Model) for 28K... Both boats have 150 H.P Mercury Pro X.S's. Triton has a 1" beam advantage which may not seem like much, but when you get in the rough water, it makes a difference... Just putting the option out there, that is all! Hope this helps a little!

[dwtaylor]

16 hours ago, Bluebasser86 said:

I have a 2012 with a 150 Pro XS. I've got a solid year of use with it now and have been happy with it so far. I haven't gotten the prop I need for it yet to get it to full potential. Right now I'm running the 24 pitch Lazer 2 that came with it but it needs a 23 pitch to get to full performance I believe (It doesn't spin the 24 fast enough but I have a 21 that sets off the alarm at WOT). It isn't quite as fast as I thought it might be (low 50's), but a different/better prop would bump it up a bit if that's an issue for you. It is a very smooth and dry ride though, which was my biggest concern due to the fact that the wind is always blowing here. Even in rolling white caps I can run and not shorten my spine in the process. 

The rod locker was too small, until I took the dividers out. With the dividers it holds about 12-15 rods with a max length of 7.5 feet. Without the divider like I have it now, it holds over 30 and I have rods up to 8' long and there's still room. 
I wish the step up or the center storage between the seats was a cooler instead of storage and the cooler and the starboard side storage were combined into one big storage area instead. The cooler is nice if you're packing a Thanksgiving dinner for 20 with you, but mostly I feel like it's just wasted space which is so precious in an 18' boat. I like the snap out carpet and keep mine out all winter and put it back in during the hot months to protect my dog from the extreme heat in the bottom of the boat. 
The textured finish on the floor and interior is a pain to clean, but it looks nice when it's cleaned. 
The center storage area holds quite a bit of tackle and a few rods if you want but I don't use it for rods.
The flip up windshield on the passenger side is a great space saver and actually does about as good as a console does with blocking wind and spray.
The livewell is huge, big enough my son gets inside of it and splashes around when it's hot.
The 2 back storage areas have a lot of room and the bins are easy to remove if you need to access something inside the hull of your motor (made running the wires for my Garmins very easy). 
Plenty of room for batteries, tools, extra oil, whatever in the back storage and it's very open so accessing it is easy. 
The built in boarding ladder is nice and easy to use when in the water (we use it all the time when it's hot and jumping in the water is almost required to make it through the day). 
The trailer is good but I really feel like it should almost be a dual axle, just seems like a lot of boat for a single axle.
I really think the boat should be rated for a 200hp at over 18 1/2' long, but obviously they did their homework and felt a 175 was big enough and I'm not going to upgrade anyways. 

Overall, glad I bought it. It's been a great first step into the world of bass boats and I wouldn't have a problem recommending it to someone else. 

 

Like many bass boats around that size with the same/similar engine, a 23 tempest plus is the prop.

Do you have a jackplate on that rig?  How about a water pressure gage?  It may be a propshaft to pad height issue for you.  

I have a hard time seeing just low 50s with an 150 Opti ProXS with that boat.  

I guess it all depends on how picky you are, fwiw.

 

[Bluebasser86]

6 hours ago, dwtaylor said:

Like many bass boats around that size with the same/similar engine, a 23 tempest plus is the prop.

Do you have a jackplate on that rig?  How about a water pressure gage?  It may be a propshaft to pad height issue for you.  

I have a hard time seeing just low 50s with an 150 Opti ProXS with that boat.  

I guess it all depends on how picky you are, fwiw.

 

Yes, it has a manual plate that I have set at the height that Stratos recommended. 

Yes it has a water pressure gauge as well.

I carry a lot of gear, so it's moving a lot of weight and I really feel the right prop would put me more around high 50's/low 60's, but the biggest lake I fish often is 7,000 acres so a blazing fast boat isn't really needed. I'm still planning on getting the exact prop you mentioned because it was also what was recommended for my boat and motor. I've heard the Lazer II is not a very good prop so hopefully a switch will make a big difference once I get the chance. 

[DodgeRamWax]

 

[dwatts2010]

Thanks for all the info! I should be picking one up this weekend!