New Boat Choices

[rollcenter]

In the market for a NEW bass boat. Would like to buy one in the Range of $30,000 to $35,000 fully rigged.

I live in a rural area, no boat dealers close, so would like some good advice before making the drive.

Only one I have looked at is the Nitro's Anything close to price of say a Z-8?

I "think" I would prefer a 4-stroke, I am aware of the added cost and weight and all out blazing speed is also not a concearn!

[South FLA]

Before you buy new, make sure you can't get a sweetheart deal on a left over model from the previous year or a used model that still has a motor warranty! You'd get much more boat for the money, MUCH MORE.....did I say much more, like in feet, HP and quality. With that said in my book these are the manufactures that would be on my list if I were in a market for a new or slightly used boat

1. Bass Cat

2. Ranger, Skeeter, Triton

3. Stratos, Pheonix, Legend, Champion

4. Nitro

Of course it is all dependent on the deal. You also want to make sure that you have someone reasonably near by that can service or warranty the outboard if something does go wrong. Most importantly be patient and don't jump at the first deal.

Good luck in your search and may the fish gods help you.

[Catt]

2011 183 Elite Champion/Stratos with a 175 HP

According to their catalog the suggested retail price $30,195

You will not find a better rough water ride

[rollcenter]

Going to shop around until mid winter, no hurry to impulse buy.Used is out of the question. To many possible issues.

[Chaz Hickcox]

Going to shop around until mid winter, no hurry to impulse buy.Used is out of the question. To many possible issues.

Don't be so quick to pass off used. You can find outstanding quality in used boats, and finding one which has been babied isn't all that hard. With that being said, in the same size/price range of the Z-8 look at the new BassCat Pantera series. The Classic and Pantera II are nice boats, the Pantera IV is a little bit more on the money side but you won't find a better fishing 19ft boat. I got a quality used Pantera IV last year and absolutely love it. It fishes solid, much like a 20ft boat in a smaller package. Rough water handling is awesome too. Brand new the PIV is approx $40,000 and the other two Panteras are in the $30k to $35k price range.

[South FLA]

On 8/2/2011 at 7:44 AM, rollcenter said:

Going to shop around until mid winter, no hurry to impulse buy.Used is out of the question. To many possible issues.

You can lead a horse to water....comes to mind.

Speaking from experience if you can purchase a used boat that has a transferable hull warranty and an existing engine warranty, what are the possible issues that merit the extra expense?

Also, consider possible issues that can occur with a new boat purchase, you are not immune to "issues" simply because its new. For example, engine break in period is considered by some the "engine break period", most issues if any that are going to occur with either the trailer, electronics, etc occur shortly after purchase. Its like a new rifle it usually shoot better groups after the first XXX amount of rounds. Ask some new Skeeter owners about how those new fancy 4 stroke SHO engines are working out for them? Most don't have issues, but a few have new engines that are making oil (fuel in oil). I know quite a few fellow board and non-board members that can attest to the fact that new boats have issues too.

Lastly, I can see that you can purchase a *** year old boat with an average if 15-30% savings over new with full engine warranties still intact and/or transferable hull warranty from the manufacturer. So by looking at the upper range of your budget ($35K) you can purchase a used 2008 Ranger Z21 with a 250HP Mercury Pro XS with a warranty going through 2012 for that, what can you get that is new and is even in the same ball field?

[rollcenter]

South Fla.Growing up and Being involved in the building of racing engines for over 20 has taught me one thing besides being mechanically inclined...NEVER trust anyone selling something used.If they are selling it, THEY don't like it for some reason, what that reason ACTUALLY is,,,, now thats whats tough to find out.A used engine.Who's to say it was broke in properly?Who's to say it has been treated "kindly"?Was the proper oil used at each fill up?Was all the services properly done?A new boat is no different than anything else new, the possibility of issues may/will arise, I just want to be the FIRST and ONLY owner of that particular boat to experience them.I appreciate your input, but I will NOT be buying used boat, PERIOD...I have requested info from Bass CAT, I do like the reviews these boats have.

[South FLA]

South Fla.Growing up and Being involved in the building of racing engines for over 20 has taught me one thing besides being mechanically inclined...NEVER trust anyone selling something used.If they are selling it, THEY don't like it for some reason, what that reason ACTUALLY is,,,, now thats whats tough to find out.A used engine.Who's to say it was broke in properly?Who's to say it has been treated "kindly"?Was the proper oil used at each fill up?Was all the services properly done?A new boat is no different than anything else new, the possibility of issues may/will arise, I just want to be the FIRST and ONLY owner of that particular boat to experience them.I appreciate your input, but I will NOT be buying used boat, PERIOD...I have requested info from Bass CAT, I do like the reviews these boats have.

Your point is well taken, you don't have first hand knowledge of how it was broken in. Nevertheless, consider last year left over models that dealers are itching to get rid of. Glad you like the Bass Cat reviews, they are awesome boats and are owned by an very reputable company with a great reputation for customer support and that is coming from a Ranger owner Good luck in your search and post pics of your new boat when you get it.

[rollcenter]

<br />Your point is well taken, you don't have first hand knowledge of how it was broken in.  Nevertheless, consider last year left over models that dealers are itching to get rid of.  Glad you like the Bass Cat reviews, they are awesome boats and are owned by an very reputable company with a great reputation for customer support and that is coming from a Ranger owner  <img src='http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/public/style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' /> Good luck in your search and post pics of your new boat when you get it.<br />

<br /><br /><br />

Now those leftovers are a STRONG option!! Leaving tomorrow from Here in KY towards Panama City to spend a week or so with the family, hopefully I can take a look at a few boats while on vacation! Shoot, may even wet a line while at the beach!! Thanks for your advice!

[scbassin]

In 2008 I bought a 2008 Ranger Z-21 with a Yamaha 250 HPDI That was a loaded dealer demo. Minn Kota 101,recess foot control, 4 bank Minn Kota on board Charger 15 amps per bank,10" Bobs Machine Hyd Jack Plate. Power Pole, top of the line Lowrance electronics, plus more. It came with a 5yr. warranty on the motor, lifetime on the boat & if I sell it a 10 yr. for the buyer, 3 yr on everything attached to the boat. 26K below retail. I just happened to be in the right place at the right time for I was not looking for a boat As I had a perfectly good Ranger 185vs which I sold in 2009. In this market you can find many good deals. By the way I have no problems with my rig except for the customer support from Lowrance Electronics. With the help of a couple of my fishing buddies we got it figured out. Operator problem, but the tech would not help. He told me the hds had just come & there was no service on any other units. Mine were 6 months old. I will upgrade at the end of this year but it will be 2 high end Hummingbirds. I will use a lead line before I ever buy another Lowrance unit.

[Chaz Hickcox]

BCB's Transferrable LIFETIME warranty for when you go to sell. One thing about BCB is that they are the ONLY boat manufacturing company still owned by the original owners, not as S FLA said about them being owned by a reputable company. It's semantics I know, but an important one if you ask me. Rick Pierce is the son of the founder and they have been in business for 40 years for a darn good reason. Customer service is their #1 priority. I say this and I didn't buy mine from a dealer or the factory, just another private owner. Reguardless the folks at the factory still treat me like I special ordered the boat directly from them whenever I have a question. I will give an example, I was installing an LSS-1 and an HDS-7 in my console. I wanted to put the power on the LSS-1 through my accessories switch so I didn't have to have it constantly running and using battery power when I wasn't using it. When I was doing this I called the service department at the FACTORY in Mountain Home, Ar, put the guy on speaker phone while I was under the dash and he walked me through the wiring to make sure it worked. Try calling the factory at GM and getting that kind of service. I won't/can't speak about Ranger, Skeeter, or Nitro, because I have no experience with them. However, even without those experiences I won't own anything but a Bass Cat as long as I can afford to own a boat. I'm at the point now where if presented with a brand new Z521 with a SHO or Pro XS 250 for less than a new Pantera IV, I would choose the PIV. Unlikely situation, but I am serious when I say that.

[South FLA]

BCB's Transferrable LIFETIME warranty for when you go to sell. One thing about BCB is that they are the ONLY boat manufacturing company still owned by the original owners, not as S FLA said about them being owned by a reputable company. It's semantics I know, but an important one if you ask me. Rick Pierce is the son of the founder and they have been in business for 40 years for a darn good reason. Customer service is their #1 priority. I say this and I didn't buy mine from a dealer or the factory, just another private owner. Reguardless the folks at the factory still treat me like I special ordered the boat directly from them whenever I have a question. I will give an example, I was installing an LSS-1 and an HDS-7 in my console. I wanted to put the power on the LSS-1 through my accessories switch so I didn't have to have it constantly running and using battery power when I wasn't using it. When I was doing this I called the service department at the FACTORY in Mountain Home, Ar, put the guy on speaker phone while I was under the dash and he walked me through the wiring to make sure it worked. Try calling the factory at GM and getting that kind of service. I won't/can't speak about Ranger, Skeeter, or Nitro, because I have no experience with them. However, even without those experiences I won't own anything but a Bass Cat as long as I can afford to own a boat. I'm at the point now where if presented with a brand new Z521 with a SHO or Pro XS 250 for less than a new Pantera IV, I would choose the PIV. Unlikely situation, but I am serious when I say that.

This is what I love about Bass Cat boats the number one promoters are their customers, so that is why they are on the top of my list if I were shopping around. Sorry about the company issue, I didn't realize they were a sole proprietorship. Nevetheless, just about everyone I have heard has a favorable opinion when it comes to customer support.

[Chaz Hickcox]

This is what I love about Bass Cat boats the number one promoters are their customers, so that is why they are on the top of my list if I were shopping around. Sorry about the company issue, I didn't realize they were a sole proprietorship. Nevetheless, just about everyone I have heard has a favorable opinion when it comes to customer support.

No worries S Fla. Also to boot the consecutive five time JD Powers and Associates winner of Highest in Customer Satisfaction with Fiberglass Bass Boats.