Nitro? Ranger? So confused now

[RB 77]

They both seem like very nice boats and good luck and tight lines with which ever one you go with.

[PECo]

I was out on the Connecticut River in my buddy’s Nitro Z18, yesterday. The air temperature was in the high 30s and there was a steady 15 mile per hour wind raising breakers as it blew straight down the river, but the boat was solid and comfortable as we ran up and down the river. The Mercury 150 four-stroke sounds like a quiet diesel-electric locomotive, unlike my Mercury 115 Pro XS four-stroke, which always sounds like it’s working a lot harder, because, well, it does.

 

The boat needs better rod straps and the trailer fenders are a little flimsy, but you won’t go wrong with the Z18 if you’re looking for an excellent fishing platform.

 

Oh, although the redundancy of two axles might be great if you do a lot of trailering, it sucks every time you’re trying to maneuver the trailer in tight spaces. Plus, those fenders. . . . I’d go with the single-axle trailer. And Nitro offers the best front trailer step option I’ve seen on any boat trailer. Check it out.

[J Francho]

Anyone that recommends single axle trailers has never had a blowout.  They're fine for small boats, below 1500 lbs., but anything heavier, get a tandem.

[webertime]

I own one of the classic old Rangers.  I live on a body of water known for breaking boats.  I see a good # of Nitro's around, a couple pushing 20+ years.  Tons or Rangers too. 

I have seen transoms on Rangers crack from the hull to the top cap, heck I saw one sunk.  I've been in Nitro's that you could feel twist in 2-4 footers (2017 model).  Neither is perfect, especially now.  Where you USED to be able to get a lot of parts for Rangers they have stopped making parts and don't have sources anymore. (Front panel for a 300 series, Inserts for many models aren't made anymore).  That being said, that's really old stuff to stock or keep track of, so it's not anything I'd call a deal breaker.  Most recently the fit and finish of Rangers seems to be slipping.  I just don't see anything special about them anymore, and a lot of guys feel that way.  Especially with Pheonix, Bass Cat, Skeeter upping their games performance wise while being cheaper.

Nitro's remind me of Honda Civics.  Yeah they aren't the worst, and you can add bells and whistles to make them really fast/perform well.  But in the end, they are still Honda Civics.   I fished a BASS Open a few weeks ago with a Nitro guy.  He said, that especially now with electronics being so expensive, that owning a Nitro and loading it up is not a sound financial decision.

Where I live, there are NO bass boat dealers, there are guys that CAN GET Nitros, or Skeeters/G3's, or Lunds, but NO Dealers within 3 hours.  SO a lot of our guys go to Penn/CT/Kentucky for boats and have a shop around here that does the work on the engines.  It works out well for our locals.  I wouldn't be too tied to a dealer, but I would be tied to a got mechanic.   

 

[PECo]

3 hours ago, J Francho said:

Anyone that recommends single axle trailers has never had a blowout.

I HAVE had a blowout on a single-axle boat trailer. Actually, it was worse than a blowout, because my hub failed. A buddy and I had to swap it out on the shoulder of the highway.

 

However, I prefer to make decisions based on the 99.9 percent usage scenario. I’m a grown-up; I can deal with any problems as they occur.

[J Francho]

11 minutes ago, PECo said:

Actually, it was worse than a blowout, because my hub failed.

Ouch buddy! 

 

I just wouldn't want to deal with my 22' boat and trailer getting out of control at highway speeds.  They only time I have an issue maneuvering the trailer is when it's NOT hooked up to the truck.  It just doesn't move side to side.  When it's on the truck, it's just a bit slower to respond to turn input than a single axle, and that probably has more to do with length.  My other boat was an 18' Xpress, with a single, for reference.

[PECo]

2 minutes ago, J Francho said:

I just wouldn't want to deal with my 22' boat and trailer getting out of control at highway speeds.

I didn’t think a single-axle trailer would be an option for any bass boat much over 18 feet. It IS on the Z18 the OP mentioned, though. You gotta pick your poison.

[J Francho]

Also options on the Z19 and Z519. Most companies put their 20+ footers on tandems.

[38 Super Fan]

I guess if I had to choose between those two I'd have to go Ranger... and throw a V-Max SHO on it.

[Cranjus McBasketball]

Maybe I'm in the minority here, but my 2007 Nitro 591 (18ft) has been d**n good to me.  No trailer problems, no Hull issues.  The only issues I have had with her is the Optimax loves to go thru water pumps.  One of the selling points to the 591 was the 96" beam.  Handles the rough water well and feels stable in the water.  I just don't think there is really a "bad" boat out today.  Do what you feel gives you the best deal.

[scbassin]

In 1974 I bought my 1st bass boat it was a new Ranger DTR-10. Since then I have owned 3 more Rangers. I up graded to larger boats each time & am now running a 2008 z-21. I sold the 1st 2 for more then I paid for them. My grandson is fishing out of the 3rd one which is a 2002 185 vs. A Ranger boat that is taken care of will last & have excellent resale value. Plus I have had always had excellent service from Ranger.

[tcbass]

On 3/14/2018 at 7:19 PM, Cory Doras said:

So many factors are involved here.

Hulls..Rangers are hand laid hulls. Nitro hulls are made with chopped glass shot out of a chopper gun. Not exactly the strongest hulls.

Warranty...Ranger wins this battle as well for the moment.

Motors....Big chunk of the cost of a rig is the motor. I've owned every brand, some are great and others I wouldnt take it if it was free. Merc is the most common and are pretty good motors. 

Resale....Huge when you want to get rid of it. Trust me, you will either upgrade or get out of boating.

Trailers...Channel is very strong. Tube is crap. 

 

Now, if those two were my only choices. Ranger all the way. Nitro's are nice but they are not made very well. They are really low end cheap boats but are affordable. 

Vexus is coming out this weekend with their alum line and glass boats in the fall. These will be the next generation of boats which we havnt had any major changes in decades. 

Im currently in the market for a new/newer boat. I have a ranger now and Im hapy with it as its a 2001. Built well but the newer ones.....starting to hear some negatives from owners. 

Vexus is on my radar as well as Bass Cat which is the best overall at this point. 

My recommendation, buy a good used boat and you'll get more boat for a lot less money. Plus, some are loaded up with good electronics and poles. Plenty of babied bass boats out there.

Another thing someone wrote on another board...there has been no major improvements in bass boats since the late 90's. Very true statement. Vexus may change that????

 

Ok, now you guys can attack me for Praising one brand and putting down another LOL. 

Yup

 

 

Think the Vexus will come out with anything truly new or better?

[Further North]

On 3/14/2018 at 7:19 PM, Cory Doras said:

Trailers...Channel is very strong. Tube is crap. 

Man...that's gonna be a shocker for the 10s and 10s of thousands of folks running decades old tube framed boat trailers around the Midwest...

On 3/19/2018 at 8:06 AM, J Francho said:

Anyone that recommends single axle trailers has never had a blowout.  They're fine for small boats, below 1500 lbs., but anything heavier, get a tandem.

I've had a blowout, on a single axle trailer...at 70 MPH...well, actually...the wheel came off...

 

I still prefer single axles.  Doubles are a PITA to move around, and heavy to tow...

 

But...and this is a significant point: my boat maxes out at 2,800# with every lure I own, all my gear, a full tank of gas and my buddy's gear on the way to Canada...

[Further North]

On 3/19/2018 at 10:56 AM, webertime said:

Nitro's remind me of Honda Civics.  Yeah they aren't the worst, and you can add bells and whistles to make them really fast/perform well.  But in the end, they are still Honda Civics.

I'm trying to figure what you're comparing Honda Civics to...

 

They are great cars, some of the best in that class of vehicles.

 

...for reference, We have three Fords, one of which is a Focus...

[Dumbbass707]

I went with the Ranger Z185. Having Lowrance Elite TI 7" put in the console and bow. Now comes the task of filling it up with "stuff."

[Russ E]

8 minutes ago, Dumbbass707 said:

I went with the Ranger Z185. Having Lowrance Elite TI 7" put in the console and bow. Now comes the task of filling it up with "stuff."

Congratulations. I bought a Z175 last year. Love it.

have fun filling it with "stuff"

[Redlinerobert]

You're in my neck of the woods, although I'm a little south of you. 

 

I recommend Ranger.  C&C Marine has two local dealerships.  Great service.  I've bought 3 new Rangers from them and they've always taken good care of me.  I've never had any issues with any of my boats, at least nothing they couldn't take care of. 

 

I've dealt with Richard in the Modesto store.  He's always been fair. 

[Further North]

19 hours ago, Dumbbass707 said:

I went with the Ranger Z185. Having Lowrance Elite TI 7" put in the console and bow. Now comes the task of filling it up with "stuff."

Enjoy it...and filling it up!

[Redlinerobert]

19 hours ago, Dumbbass707 said:

I went with the Ranger Z185. Having Lowrance Elite TI 7" put in the console and bow. Now comes the task of filling it up with "stuff."

Nice floating tackle box.  That's the fun part.  Fillering her up!

[JDFMTX]

I struggled for a year looking at all of the boats out there. Skeeter, Nitro and Ranger were my three finalists, I ended up with a 2018 Nitro Z19 Sport. It has the same hull as the Z19. It has a Mercury 150 4 Stroke. It will top out about 57 mph, but at 60 years old that is more than fast enough for me. Trailering the boat is so easy, I don’t have to worry about going in off the mark it straightens out great. The ride is so smooth and dry. Since it is a fish n ski I don’t have the rod storage like I would with the regular Z19, but I fish local tournaments and haven’t had much issue with that. It handles the big water lakes of Texas just fine. If I was 10 years younger and had to make this choice, I may have gone with the Z19, but I am not at all disappointed with the Z19 Sport. I also added a MK Ulterra iPilot Link and two Humminbird Helix 7.

 

Ranger and Skeeter were tied for second as both were definitely more expensive. 

[Fishing Rhino]

Congrats and best of luck with your new vessel.  May she serve you well.

[RHuff]

On 4/13/2018 at 9:42 PM, Russ E said:

Congratulations. I bought a Z175 last year. Love it.

have fun filling it with "stuff"

 

 

 

 I'm looking at the Ranger z175 myself for next year. I currently fish from a 2007 Triton VT-17 with 50HP. This would be my first leap from aluminum to fiberglass. Would you mind giving me your thoughts on it? Is the 115 a big enough motor? I like the z185 with 150hp but I don't know if I can justify the extra $8,000 for one. 

[Russ E]

They are about the same boat only difference is z185 is rated for 150 hp, it is a foot longer and a lot heavier.

I pushed both of them around on the cabelas floor. The 175 was much easier to move around by myself.

That was a big issue for me with a suburbia garage and I usually fish alone.

Plus the largest lake I fish is 10,000 acres. Most are much smaller.

I have the 4 stroke mercury pro xs 115. It will run 48-49 mph. I switched from the factory 24 pitch fury prop to a 23 pitch tempest prop. It gave me 2 mph and brought wot to 5800 rpm. It also has a lot more low end power.

Talked to a guy that has the 185 he gets 52-53 mph. Mine burns a lot less gas.

In my opinion the extra 4mph was not worth the extra cost. 

After 2 1/2 years, I still have no regrets.

 

[RHuff]

Thank You Russ for your feedback! My wife gave me the green light for the spring of 2020. Gonna be a long year to wait! I’m gonna trade in my Triton Aluminum plus put back a couple of thousand this year to go down on top of the trade in. I’m gonna start a savings fund and if I get any tournament winnings this year I’m gonna put down with it. 

[NorthernBasser]

On 3/14/2018 at 11:26 PM, nosdog2 said:

Kevin Van Dam fishes a Nitro........

 

 

 

**sits back and waits for comments**

Did somebody say....Van Dam(me)?

 

 

Sorry, I have nothing else to add. This mere mortal fishes out of a Crestliner.