Under the Radar Posted January 11, 2010 Posted January 11, 2010 SK, I've got the 176XT (2007) with the 70 Yammie. I moved the standard DF to the bow & put a Lowrance 522c at the console. The reason for the choice? Fit it the garage. I'm not a tournament angler so the 36mph top end is OK for my use. Stability is great. I do wish it held more than 2 7' rods in the locker. It's not a super rough water boat, theo the day I test drove it on E Lake Toho it was blowing 25 from the east and the boat handled it very well. Mama was comfortable with the ride so that settled it.(Bear in mind that I've got 25 yrs experience on the ocean as a licensed Captain power & sail Boston to Argentina Great lakes etc. What I'm trying to say is that there is no substitute for experience + common sense. Overall I'm quite satisfied with the boat. If you want more info PM me. Quote
Strike King Posted January 12, 2010 Author Posted January 12, 2010 the rod locker issue is the part i dislike right now i wonder if the 2009 model fixed that problem? thanks for the very good info. Quote
Super User cart7t Posted January 12, 2010 Super User Posted January 12, 2010 I don't own one nor have I fished in one. I've seen a couple guys fishing from them while on the lake. They're underpowered but that's not a big deal given what the boats are, a low cost, entry level opportunity for an angler to buy a new boat for use on smaller waters that provides a really good fishing platform. That was the thing that impressed me the most about that boat, that 2 guys can fish from that boat and it remains a very stable, flat fishing platform. Quote
southtexasbassin Posted January 13, 2010 Posted January 13, 2010 I know you're asking about the Stratos 176xt. I took a look at one and they are really nice, but I decided to go with the nitro x5. I have about 15 rods and a bunch of gear. The boat is very stable and runs like a champ. She does about 52. I had a 115 installed on it, but you can get it with a 90. The down side is that the boat still needed a lot of upgrades which I am working on right now. Like a bigger trolling motor. I need to add another battery to make it 24v. I just added humminbird 587ci indash and moved the other to the bow. My over all experience with the boat has been sweet. Take a look at one you might like. Quote
strick9 Posted January 14, 2010 Posted January 14, 2010 I also have a 2007 176XT with a 70hp Yamaha and love it!! I don't know if anything has been changed but the 2009 does advertise a 7' rod locker as opposed to the 6'6" on mine. The 40lb trolling motor is adequate in most situations but I would think about upgrading to at least a 55lb. Over all a very nice boat!! Quote
Bigs Posted January 14, 2010 Posted January 14, 2010 If you're gonna be storing your rods and reels on the boat then a big rod locker is important. But if you arent then dont worry bout it. I have 2 massive rod lockers on my 20 foot stratos and they have never seen a rod, I just use them to store life vests and random stuff. I strap 5-6 rods n reels on each side of the deck when I go out fishing. When Im done and I go home, I take the rods n reels inside with me, simple as that. And btw, you cannot go wrong with a stratos, its the most bang for the buck in terms of quality boats. You could get something like a nitro but it's not gonna hold up over the long run like a stratos will. Good luck Quote
Strike King Posted January 17, 2010 Author Posted January 17, 2010 thanks for the info! after weighing out things looks like i'll be going with a used Nitro NX 882 soon.. Quote
stratos 375 Posted January 17, 2010 Posted January 17, 2010 you'll always wish it was 12" longer. :-[ Quote
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.