1992 Ranger 363v for first bass boat?

[calberry123]

Hi All,

 

I am considering purchasing this used 1992 ranger 363V with same year Evinrude Intruder 150 engine.  It would be my first bass boat and get me off the shore and onto the local lakes

 

https://www.kijiji.ca/v-powerboat-motorboat/kawartha-lakes/ranger-bass-boat/1358551908?enableSearchNavigationFlag=true

 

What do you guys think?  Is the 363v a good ride?  What are your thoughts on the Evinrude Intruder engine?  Is the fact that it has a new power head and all the work done on it a good thing or bad thing?  

 

I'm not afraid of a bit of work as I know the speedometer doesnt work, the trim guage doesnt work (trim works fine, he thinks its the sending unit) and bench seat needs recovering.  I managed to talk him down already to $5500 USD (note I'm in Canada)  It has alot of toys attached not currently in the picture (8 ft talon, 9" Helix DI GPS and Lowrance Gen 2 HDS with Structure scan on console and stainless prop)  

 

Looking for some opinions.

 

Tight Lines

 

 

[Fishingmickey]

Have the motor and hull checked out at a certified shop. If those two items pass muster you can worry about the fiddly bits yourself.

FM

[fishnkamp]

That Ranger model was a good hull. The engine series in general were very reliable.  Remember "new" parts for that engine are not being produced however there is a bunch of "new old stock" out there.

Keep in mind that  a used boat is not only the boat and engine but also the trailer so spend a little attention on that too. Find out when the owner last serviced the bearings, look at the tires, lights, and the entire metal trailer frame. Older trailers can rust out or crack. To replace a trailer is around $1000 or more. I just spent almost double that for a really good trailer for my boat. 

 

Let me share an article a friend of mine wrote several years ago on the subject of buying a good used boat. He wrote it as he was spit polishing a 17 foot Ranger and searched for a 20 foot Ranger. Bryan is one of the best anglers I have ever shared a boat with and he is a very good writer as well. I have his article with many of the members on here that were looking at a good used boat. He covers just about every aspect of what to look for and what to look out for. So get a glass of your favorite beverage and find a comfy chair, then just enjoy the read and many of your concerns and worries will be answered.

Go Here     http://www.baybass.com/node/200

Feel free to "im" me with any questions you may have afterwards as well.  My wife and I have owned 11 jon boats, canoes, and both aluminium and fiberglass bass boats over the last 40 plus years.

[WRB]

The Ranger 363V is nearly the same as 375V except more fuel with tanks (dual 18 gal) under the seat gives you more rear compartment storage area. Top of the line bass boat during it's era, very stable ride and fishing plateform.

The pictures look like it's been garaged and the engine recently rebuilt, looks good!

Tom  

[th365thli]

I have a 1987 375v. It's not a 21 foot star destroyer but I'll be damned if it doesn't get the job done. I recently restored it so I might be able to give some useful insight. 

 

Like a previous poster said, verify the motor and hull are good.

 

Unfortunately I don't know much about that motor model, but you should run a compression test on it and at the very least have the guy run it on the lake for you. Get a mechanic to come by and check it out if you can. You definitely want an on the water test. A motor behaves differently on muffs on the driveway as opposed to on the lake. Things to watch out for. Does it take forever to cold start? Once warm does it start robustly on first key turn? Have the guys idle it and run it WOT too. A good mechanic will be able to tell the general condition of the motor just by listening to it. 

 

My boat in particular was sitting on a field for 5 years. While cleaning it up and replacing the fuel lines I noticed that all the wiring besides the speedometer worked. Think about that, a 30 year hull sitting sitting out for 5 years had all it's original wiring intact. Unless the previous owners replaced every wire with the proper original ranger color codes (doubtful), it's original. These boats were very well built. Check for the obvious holes and cracks (this is where a water test is very important! You want to make sure there are no leaks!). If it has a transom saver, take it off, and trim up the motor. Put your weight on the lower unit and push on it, bouncing it and the boat up and down. You wanna be checking if the transom has any flex. Again, a mechanic would realllyyyy help. If the transom has any amount of flex, walk away. Not worth it. The good thing about that boat is that Ranger changed to fiberglass transoms after 1987, so you should be okay. Still check it. Walk on the boat too, make sure there aren't any soft spots indicating rot. 

 

Once you verify motor and hull are strong, you're probably good to buy it. You can worry about the electronics and little things on your own. Keep in mind, a boat intrinsically is the hull and the motor. Everything else can be easily fixed or replaced.  

 

Don't worry about the speedometer. Those things always stop working, plus your gps speed is more accurate. I don't think it's worth any time or money to fix it. You can use a multimeter to check if the trim gauge is getting any voltage. If it is, then the gauge is busted but shouldn't be hard at all to replace. If it's not, then it's the sending unit, though I don't believe those are too bad to fix either. Don't forget to verify the bilge pump (very important) and livewells too. Wiring a boat and the gauges is a pain, but it's not conceptually difficult, if you get what I'm saying. Those needles in the gauges move depending on how much electricity is getting sent to them. Do verify the RPM gauge is working, that one is really important. 

 

With the bench seats, there are a couple options. You can call ranger and they should have the covers. With a boat that old I'm not sure they make the actual seats anymore. You can either strip the old covers and staple the new ones yourself, or get an upholstery workshop to do it. OR, you can by replacement seats off bassboatseats, I have seen those installed on these older Ranger 300 series. The installation should be very straightforward. This is probably the route I'm going to go when my seats kick the bucket. 

 

It's IMPERATIVE that you look at @fishnkamp link, it was essential in helping me verify any potential issues and goes much more in-depth. Read it, then read it again. Print it out and bring it with you if you have to. 

 

 

 

[calberry123]

Thanks so much for the helpful assistance guys!

 

I will definately read and re-read fishnkamps Link.  I have before I even started looking at boats and can't believe what a valuable resource it is when looking for an older model bass boat

 

th365thli - thank you for your comments.  I have followed your restore and cannot believe how well these boats come back to their original state with a little bit of work.  Its also amazing that Ranger will still stock parts for these old girls.  I guess that is why they have such a good name.

 

fishnkamp - the trailer appears to be in good condition as well per the seller.  He is a mechanic of 27 years and knows his way around both a boat and vehicles.  Newer tires, bunks, bearings redone recently.  I'll keep an eye out for rust and stress cracks when I go and see it next Sunday

 

 

Feel free to chime in with any more info on either the 363V or Intruder 150.  

 

I'm going to see this old girl next Sunday and if all goes well, she is coming home with me.  Can't wait

[crypt]

very nice boat.....can't go wrong.

[WRB]

Test drive the boat before making a final offer.

The boat has been restored to some degree, the driver console metal face plate gages isn't original?, the passenger console windshield is missing, seats covers are not original and not sure what is going on with blue gel coat metal flake. The boat looks clean, does it have a cover? The transum has a large metal bracket for something? The trailer doesn't look great and has been painted, rust maybe from salt or brackish water use and that is a red flag. Change the wench cable to a flat strap and add extra wide front bow roller kit.

The engine has a 4 blade prop in lieu standard 3 SST. Make sure the owner is honest and check everything out including serial numbers. How many owners has the boat had over the years? 

Rangers are well biult and this boat doesn't have a glassed over wood transom to dry rot.

Way2Slow is the BR site expert on this engine, PM him with questions.

Good advice offered, keep your eyes wide open, good luck!

Tom

PS, check the pedistals and seats, front pedistal can be difficult to replace.

[calberry123]

WRB - thanks for the great advice and looking it over.  The owner has agreed to make me out on the water to run the boat through its paces as a test drive.  We are meeting at his house first so I can do a dry inspection of the transom, motor, and hull to make sure there is nothing concerning.  This was his current boat that he used until he upgraded to a 21ft ranger. 

I know that the current owner has replaced the carpets (said the decks are strong with no soft spots, carpet was done as it was ratty, will check when I go and see it)

You have pointed out a few thing I have already seen (wierd gel coat, hoping this will come back with some work, seat is rough and will likely need some upholstry work)  The bracket on the transom is for a talon which is not attached (but included in the sale) and will be installed for our water test next week.  Some electronics on the boat as well which will be tested when we are going to see it  Boat has a cover and is stored under it regularily  along with a tarp in the winter when not in use.  THanks for the advice on the trailer.  Current owner says its mechnically and structurelly sound but will double check he's not trying to pull the wool over my eyes.  (unlikely salt water issue as there is none around where we are)

 

I'll definately contact @Way2slow in relation to questions on the motor.  Out of curiosity, whats the concern running a 4 blade vs 3 blade prop?  (Sorry I'm new to this and haven't done much research on it)   

 

Thanks again for your detailed analysis  

[webertime]

Great and very popular hull.

Glass Transom and potentially stringers at that age.

Has the Ranger deck insert.

Pro-Tec products should bring back that gel coat.  It's a 26 year old boat it'll have a bit of haze.

4 Blades are popular on the 300 series (and MANY other) boats in the North/Big water areas as they bite a bit more and help in chop. 

Windshields are still available for something like $60-100 I can't remember for sure.

I can see the aftermarket stuff that shows the guy cared about it's fishability (Ninja Grassblade, Aftermarket TM handle).

The bench seat is $$$$$$$$ from Ranger, the skins are like $300-400.  Bassboatseats.com has a black Friday sale where you can get a pair of buckets and coin box for less that the Ranger skins.   I'd just run the seats until then.

I paid $3k for my 88 374 with no Talon and Hieroglyphics for graphs (but a Merc XR4) 4 years ago.  Assuming there are no issues the $5500 is a good price.

[WRB]

4 blade props are usually used to get a better hole shot ot simply to get up on plane with heavy boat. A freind of mine had this model Ranger and changed his 3 blade 175 hp Merc prop to a 4 blade OMC prop and claimed it performed better on both ends, hole shot and top end speed.

Something Way2Slow may know? The 363V isn't known for speed, maybe low 60's, rides great and is a dry hull.