Why do Rangers have odd metal bars vs. a flat, useful pad at the back of their bass boat?

[tcbass]

I have a 2014 Statos 186 VLO and the rear of the boat has 2 flat, rubber pads at the back. They are useful for standing on when fishing, getting out of the boat, putting things on that I want to put in the boat that are heavy and can't be just put into the boat like a heavy battery, you can pick it up, put it on the pad, get into the boat, and then move the battery where you want it, and other useful things. Where the Stratos has a nice, useful, flat pad, Ranger bass boats have odd, metal bars that may look nice but are not useful for anything that I can think of (maybe they are). The pads may not look as cool, but they are far more useful. 

 

Why do Rangers have odd metal bars vs. a flat, useful pad at the back of their bass boat?

 

[S. Sass]

I am interested to know that one myself. My SeaArk has the pads with nonslip on them. 

[tcbass]

1 minute ago, S. Sass said:

I am interested to know that one myself. My SeaArk has the pads with nonslip on them. 

The pads are also good for standing and peeing off of when you are on the lake, lol. 

[WIGuide]

I'm only speculating, but I think they're there to add ascetic value to the back end of the boat. If you look at the design of the boats you mentioned, the transoms are completely different. Rangers have a set back transom built in where the Stratos have a straight transom. Design wise the transom on both Ranger's is lower than the deck of the boat and is sloped downward. You could fill in that space and put a rubber pad on it, it'd be heavily sloped and if it looks like it does in my head, it'd look pretty stupid.  You also picked the Z522D as your example photo which is a completely different hull than the rest of the Ranger bass boat lineup. My assumption on the Z522 since it's designed for big water, they decided to use more of the transom as a splashwell to handle the larger waves in the environment they were desinged to be fished in. Below is the Z520C

You can see in this picture how the splashwell runs almost the full width of the boat and looks as if it's shaped to direct water towards the center and off the back instead of being a true well like on the other bass boats. 

Just my 2 cents

[Logan S]

They are handles to help you get back in the boat if you happen to end up in the water (intentionally or unintentionally ).  Whether you decide to have the boarding ladder or not, the bars do make it easier to get back in.  

Getting back into a bass boat from the water isn't the easiest thing in the world.  

[Way2slow]

Having never owned a Ranger, I'm guessing it's part of the splash well.  Even in a 20+ foot boat, when you are coming off plane and conditions are right, you can still get a backwash that will run over the back.  In most boats, that means it washes right on up on the back deck, and even your back if bad enough.  With that recess all the way across, it looks much better than having the splash well all the way across but still functions as a splash well to stop the backwash, and yes it does give you some handle bars.  Even if you have a boarding ladder like the one in the picture above, it helps to have something to grab onto to pull yourself up.   You gotta remember, young guys can just climb right in, us old farts need all the help they can get.   I don't have a boarding ladder because I use the built in elevator that comes with the motor.  Get to the back of the boat, stand on the anti cavitation plate and use the trim button on the side of the motor and trim it up.  Don't care how big and heavy your are, it will pick your butt right on up so you just climb in the boat, you just have to be agile enough to ride it up. 

[DrMarlboro92]

Ranger has always been obsessed with metal bars. My 77 ranger has bars that run almost the whole length of the gunnel. I think it's mostly a ranger design choice thing.

[tcbass]

Answer: pull up bars in case you fall in the water.

I called Ranger and spoke with them. The bars are for pulling yourself out in case you fall in the drink. Unnecessary if you ask me, most of today's boats, including Rangers, come with emergency boarding ladders. So, a nice flat pad to stand on or rest heavy objects like boat batteries that you are loading into the boat.

And like Way2slow said, you can step on the motors cavitation plate and trim yourself up.

[Catt]

I would rather have the rubber step pad so I can have place to pee!

That is unless some idiot up front jerks the bow sideways with the trolling motor!

 

[Way2slow]

If you have and old farts prostate and can hardly pee past the toe of your shoes, you need a boardwalk to keep from peeing one the boat.  Since that's me, I keep one of those plastic urinal cups/pitcher looking things they give you in the hospital in the boat or a quart plastic milk jug with part of the top cut out but leave the handle.  That way I don't pee on the boat, can do it a little more discretely, and don't have to worry about the TM or boat wakes sending me swimming.  Pee in it, dump it, rinse it out and throw it back in the compartment with the TP, another critical item. 

[WIGuide]

11 hours ago, tcbass said:

So, a nice flat pad to stand on or rest heavy objects like boat batteries that you are loading into the boat.

How often do you find yourself swapping batteries in your boat? Or putting something heavy in? Both designs offer you a flat pad to set something on...it's called the deck haha. 

[tcbass]

1 hour ago, WIGuide said:

How often do you find yourself swapping batteries in your boat? Or putting something heavy in? Both designs offer you a flat pad to set something on...it's called the deck haha. 

Tackleboxes, gear, lots of stuff, not just heavy stuff. The boat has a high rim so being able to put it on the pad first helps. 

Plus I fish off it a lot, and pee. lol. Luckily I don't have any prostrate problems like Way2slow. 

I use it far more often then I'd use bars for falling out of the boat. Knock on wood that hasn't happened yet. 

[S. Sass]

On 10/10/2016 at 10:45 PM, tcbass said:

The pads are also good for standing and peeing off of when you are on the lake, lol. 

Haha I wasn't going to exactly explain that one excellent use of nonslip pads.

14 hours ago, tcbass said:

Answer: pull up bars in case you fall in the water.

I called Ranger and spoke with them. The bars are for pulling yourself out in case you fall in the drink. Unnecessary if you ask me, most of today's boats, including Rangers, come with emergency boarding ladders. So, a nice flat pad to stand on or rest heavy objects like boat batteries that you are loading into the boat.

And like Way2slow said, you can step on the motors cavitation plate and trim yourself up.

 So what Ranger is saying is its customers are accident prone? Or it's customers don't have enough sense to use the cavitation plate? 

[WIGuide]

1 hour ago, tcbass said:

Tackleboxes, gear, lots of stuff, not just heavy stuff. The boat has a high rim so being able to put it on the pad first helps. 

Plus I fish off it a lot, and pee. lol. Luckily I don't have any prostrate problems like Way2slow. 

That's quite interesting. I'd be guessing you're in the minority when it comes people who use that area for a whole lot other than maybe taking a leak which you can do just as easily over the side of the boat. It must be quite the sight seeing you out fishing though, you've got the whole boat to fish out of but there you stand, in the back but not on the deck even instead you're on a 1'x1' section of rubber haha. 

[tcbass]

41 minutes ago, WIGuide said:

That's quite interesting. I'd be guessing you're in the minority when it comes people who use that area for a whole lot other than maybe taking a leak which you can do just as easily over the side of the boat. It must be quite the sight seeing you out fishing though, you've got the whole boat to fish out of but there you stand, in the back but not on the deck even instead you're on a 1'x1' section of rubber haha. 

 

Yeah, pee off the main part of the boat and drip on the gunwale and your carpet. lol.   

[gim]

Its possible that its just part of their protruded transom design too, with metal bars used as reinforcement?  Someone already mentioned earlier that their transoms are different than most other boats anyways.

[K_Mac]

I think we've answered the bars question. The answer for peeing off a boat is simple, but not cheap: Talons. The mounting brackets are perfect for standing on with the outboard to lean against. Works even for old guys!

[Redlinerobert]

My '07 Z22 had the bars.  My new '16 Z522 does not.

[tcbass]

41 minutes ago, Redlinerobert said:

My '07 Z22 had the bars.  My new '16 Z522 does not.

Interesting. The current pics of the Z522 show bars. Got a pic of your boat? Does it have a pad?

[Redlinerobert]

No bars.  2016 Z522. 

[tcbass]

1 hour ago, Redlinerobert said:

No bars.  2016 Z522. 

Nice boat. 

This maybe a stupid question but why is the motor two tone?

[gim]

That is an awesome rig by the way

[NTRTNR]

Back when I was working at Ranger, I asked the engineers the same question. I was told that they are mostly for looks but serve as an alternative to a ladder should you fall in.