SeaCrow Posted August 7, 2019 Posted August 7, 2019 Hey fella fishermen and women. I have a problem deciding on a new boat. I've look at several and would like any opinions on which options I really need. 24 volt trolling motor? max out hp? Where I'm located my choices are Tracker, Ranger, Crestliner,Lowe, and Vexus. What's y'alls thoughts? My budget is $30,000 Quote
cyclops2 Posted August 7, 2019 Posted August 7, 2019 My LOwe is a 1988 & still has no rivits leaking or cracked welds. Used May1 to Sept 30 Quote
Super User NHBull Posted August 7, 2019 Super User Posted August 7, 2019 I would add Lund to that list. they definitely have boats in that price range and I love my impact 1775 1 Quote
Big Rick Posted August 7, 2019 Posted August 7, 2019 23 minutes ago, NHBull said: I would add Lund to that list. they definitely have boats in that price range and I love my impact 1775 Lund isn't readily available in Ms. Neither do we need the tall sides and deep V hulls. Ms has few lakes that see big waves. @SeaCrow It really depends on the lakes you'll fish. If you're fishing stumps and trees you don't want a boat with grooves or channels in the hull. They'll hang up on EVERYTHING. Ranger builds a fine aluminum boat until you start fishing stumps....then you'll hate it and yourself. However, if all you fish is deep reservoirs I won't matter much. I have a G3 175 Eagle with a 90 Yamaha 4 stroke. It's a smooth bottom and handles very well. Fully loaded I GPS 42-43 MPH consistently. I also use a 24 V 80-lb thrust Ultrex. Best thing I've ever put on my boat. With your price range you can go a bit shorter and really deck it out or you can go longer with a bigger motor and have to be more of a spendthrift on your electronics, trolling motor, and such. Quote
SeaCrow Posted August 7, 2019 Author Posted August 7, 2019 Yeah, Lund really isn't a option where I am. I don't know whether get new or a good used boat. There's benefits to both. I'd rather have more function than flash. Quote
Shimano_1 Posted August 8, 2019 Posted August 8, 2019 Everyone is gonna tell u one is far and away better than the rest. Probably cant go wrong with any that you listed. Figure out what all u have to have or want. Is a bargain more important than anything else? I'm big on value. I hear vexus is top of the line. They are priced like they are. I traded my Triton 20x2 glass boat in on a new Triton 18tx a few months ago. I lost some storage and speed. I gained warranty, ease of use and hauling, lots of fuel economy. I had a cple small issues quickly and my dealer handled them and compensated me for my time. After owning it for a few months I will never own another glass boat. It fishes as good as my glass rig did. Things I worried about before I no longer worry about. I'm sure there are better boats but I think It would be hard to beat for what I paid for it. Definitely go with the 24 volt trolling motor and I'd highly suggest an ultrex simply because the aluminum rig does get blown around a little more than glass. As for the channels in the hull, all the lakes I fish are filled with stumps and I've been hung up once. Same thing happened with my glass rig. I honestly think the future of bass boats is aluminum. All the things we used to have to sacrifice going aluminum has been updated. There are things aluminum offers that no glass boat ever will. Good luck Quote
Super User Sam Posted August 8, 2019 Super User Posted August 8, 2019 3 hours ago, SeaCrow said: Hey fella fishermen and women. I have a problem deciding on a new boat. I've look at several and would like any opinions on which options I really need. 24 volt trolling motor? max out hp? Where I'm located my choices are Tracker, Ranger, Crestliner,Lowe, and Vexus. What's y'alls thoughts? My budget is $30,000 Think big. Go for that 24 volt trolling motor. You will not regret it. Have a three bank battery charger for all three batteries. Black absorbs sunlight so if you get a boat painted black anywhere you will get burned while fishing in the summer when you touch those areas. Keep some money for cushions, electronics, necessary and required by law boating equipment, and if possible, have the trolling motor pedestal in its tray and out of the way. Get a powerful thrust trolling motor, like 80+ pounds. Get the largest motor the boat is rated for and can handle. Put a pipe cleaner in the pee hole to keep the bugs out of it while in storage. Check the prop and get one that fits your type of fishing. Props are expensive so you can use the one that comes with the boat but think of upgrading to stainless steel prop in the future. Find out if the prop is aluminium or steel. Add an Oxygenator to your live well. Be sure the boat has the storage space you need, especially for food and drinks in cold storage. Go for a pedestal front seat. Add a back pedestal seat if you want. Good luck and have fun picking out your bass boat. Let us know what you get and what features are on the boat. 1 Quote
Troy85 Posted August 8, 2019 Posted August 8, 2019 I've never owned any of your boat options so I can't help you there. As far as trolling motor, I'd definitely go with the 24v, get a 3 bank charger so you can charge both trolling batteries and your cranking battery. I would also recommend maxing out engine HP. Quote
Super User Jig Man Posted August 8, 2019 Super User Posted August 8, 2019 If they are local test drive them all. I have owned 3 of the listed boats. Pluses and minuses on all of them. i have only seen 1 Vexus. I thought it was a glass boat. I talked to the owner he was happy and very proud of the boat. At least a 24 volt trolling motor with on board charger. Be advised that some brands of electronics and trolling motors are designed to function with each other for example motor guide/ lowrance and minn Kota/humminbird. Quote
SeaCrow Posted August 8, 2019 Author Posted August 8, 2019 Thank y'all for all the advice, I've learned alot I didn't know before, such as electronics working with each other. Always good to learn as much as I can before jumping in the deep end. This will be only the 3rd new boat ive ever owned. First being a 17ft Boston Whaler, and the one I have now 15ft Tracker jon boat with a 20hp 4 stroke Merc. All the others were 14ft fiberglass boats. This will be the first bass boat. Also, thank all of y'all for sharing your thoughts and for being kind. I just left a forum because of attitude. It was a forum where everyone had $500,000 boats, not for me. Quote
Ppennin986 Posted August 8, 2019 Posted August 8, 2019 You are right it definitely ain’t about how much you spend it’s about what fits you and works well for you I have a 16 ft Lund 1625 with 60hp fits me perfect I can store it easily I can take it anywhere I even fish Lake Michigan with it wind permitting lol some call my boat a walleye boat but I’ve caught more bass in that boat than anything I’m a multi species fisherman I even have a set up to use downriggers for trolling for coho try that with a bass boat ha so I all comes down to what works for you and what your willing to spend I’m not willing to spend 80k on a ranger my 20k Lund works for me Oh and by the way my Lund came from factory pre wire for 24 volt trolling motor but I have a minkotta pd 55 12 v Crest liner and Lund are made in factory right next to each other opened by same company 1 Quote
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