Nitro 640 ??? Buyin a new boat... ANY GOOD ?

[Jd4lfe]

Hey everyone !
Well as the title explains. Im looking for a new boat. This will be my first boat EVER ! I posted another post saying i was looking for a small aluminum... but ive decided to go New
I was starting of getting tired as asking other people to take me out, so i decided to get my own boat.

Im looking at the Nitro 640. Its in my price range and is a sweet looking boat for the $$ .

Im at the stage now where i have to narrow down my options i want. so this is where i look to you folk on here.... what should I upgrade on the boat from the stock configuration ??

Should i go to the 4 stroke as oppose to the 2 stroke ?
What should i get for electronics ?
Battery charger ?


Any help would be GREAT !!!!! thanks everyone !

[bamabassman]

well my 2 pennies here pal. motor depends on what you will be doing most of the time, in my opion. ask someone else on that one,lol. gotta have 2 fish finders, one by the console, and another at the front. get the best you can afford is the answer for that question. and the battery charger....have one installed on the boat. then all you have to do to recharge it is plug it in. a dependable 3 bank system will do do that, again get the best you can afford my friend. i know this is kinda vauge but..... i ain't to keen on the brands and all. ol zooker and a couple of others can tell ya that. good luck and hope you get a great ride.

[zooker]

go 2 stroke opti -it's really a mercury moter-go as big as possable. with that boat the 4 strokes really suck. think it has hole shot problems from what i hear..if you troll alot 4 stroke is the way to go. but in the sense of bass angling -run and gun- the 4 stroke really wont give you better milage.

a 50+ pound troller would be an upgrade i would do. also get a depth finder up front..




zooker

[MIbasser]

Jd, I was looking at them as well at one point. But the one thing to think about is what type of water will you be on? I ended up going with the Triton 17 explorer with a 90 merc. With 2 people a pretty good load I can run 46 mph. The other thing to think of is how much storage you are going to want/need. With the 640 you don't get much at all.

Just my $0.02...

Oh, I did upgrade to an LMS-520 (GPS) and put the X52 up front.

[Lancer6]

JD4,

Avoid the 4-stroke at all costs. I've fished from both a 630 AND a 750 with 4-strokes on them, the most recent being a 750 at Lake Travis. That motor was "forced" on the buyer by the Tracker dealer. That boat, though owned by fine gentleman and fisherman, was a total slug. The problem was the extra WEIGHT and the fact that he settled for a 90HP motor on a hull rated (I think) for a 130.
The 640 is at best a decent (very)small-water boat. That said, if there's ANY way you can wait a bit longer and save for a larger hull, please do so, especially if you fish lakes that can get a bit "tall" when the wind comes up. The 750 is a marked improvement (get the max motor, or at least the 115HP). Until a year-plus ago I did a lot of fishing from a 750 and found it to be an ideal boat for the waters generally fished (mostly smaller lakes and with due consideration for the weather conditions.)
If you can, judge your boat needs by the waters you fish, the amount of tackle you carry, and with due consideration for your partners, especially if you want them to always be willing to go AND share fuel costs.
It may be wise to wait, be patient, save up, and buy a good used boat from a respected manufacturer AND find one in the 18.5 to 19 foot class...with the max allowable HP.
This site has a great used boat section, and forums dedicated to and frequented by, owners of the better-known brands.
http://www.bassboatcentral.com/
You can pose questions, garner advice, and meet some nice folks that will bend over backwards to help.
There are forums for the major motor, electronics, trollmotors, all thing bassboat. Take advantage!
I've known wayyyyy too many folks who've rushed into boat ownership and been miserable because of that. Take your time. Study, learn, then study some more.
Due to the fuel crisis, many fine and well maintained boats (and two vehicles) are on the market for less than previous market value. You can upgrade to a 2-5 year old boat for less than you might think. Try hard to buy one with a DFI system rather than a carbed or EFI motor (Fuel consumption issue.)
If buying used, be certain to have a certified mechanic do a complete engine check and an experience boater or boat tech check out the hull and accessories. If there is a transferable warranty...buy it!
Have the trailer inspected as well. A buddy of mine omitted that step a little over a year ago and he took a huge hit to the wallet to bring the trailer to safe standard.

Some brands I have experience with and confidence in, in addition to more recent Nitros: (Generally poor dealers, though. More like Wal-Mart.)
Champion (Ride, overall quality, reputation.)
BassCat (Really well-built. Probably the best customer service among major brands)
Stratos ("Sexy", good quality, weird graphics, a lot of boat for the bux.)
Ranger (The "Gold Standard", or at least they were. Excellent quality and reputation. Generally overpriced.)
Skeeter (Made in Texiz! Popular. Good quality. No fear.)
ProCraft (Major bang for the buck, like Stratos.)
Triton (Well-made. Excellent quality.)
Xpress (High end aluminum, best of the type.)

Go slow! Good luck!

Lancer6

[1FASTLASER]

The 640 is a great little boat at a great price but do yurself a favor. DO NOT buy it with the 50hp if you can afford to get the 90. Its safer and more fuel efficent with the 90. Opt for at aleast a 50lb trolling motor preferably the 67lb thrust. You NEVER have to much trolling motor. As far as electronics I rely heavily on them. I have looked at the list of optiions and I would put the X135 at the front of the boat and at least the X52 at the console. I really woiuld run the X135 at the console as well. Reason being they are EXCELLANT quality and if you ever run into a problem with one or the other not working you can swap back and forth if needed.As far as a charger is concerned you know your gonna have to charge the batteries. You either have to buy to Deep cell battery chargers or use the one installed in the boat. I personally love the fact when done fishing all I have to do is back in and plug in the extension cord that is already there. If you have stand alone chatgers you gotta drag them out hook em up and most of the time its either raining,late or your tired. Get the picture. Also on that rig they give you your choice of props. MAKE SURE you get the Laser ll prop. I KNOW that prop works well on that rig. The Optimax is a great motor but I can GURANTEE you that the ELPTO is a GREAT motor ,easy on gas if you keep a few things in mind. Run good fuel and use Seafoam as an additive and you can be rest assured you will have tons of hours of very good performance outta your rig. You need any more questions answered gimme a holler bud.