Opinion on used Bass Boat..Hydra Sports

dbltap · 01-19-09, 11:54 AM

I'm in the market for a good used Bass Boat. Found one in my budget but have never heard of this brand before. 1995 Hydra-Sports 20' with a 200hp Evinrude Vindicator motor. Minkota 85lb Thrust Trolling, Eagle Electronics & tandem axle trailer. What should I look for as potential problems? What questions should I ask? Asking $10K

bamabassman · 01-19-09, 12:06 PM

from what i have heard they are good boats. and with everything on it, sounds like an ok price. i would try to chew em down some though. maybe $1000.00 or so. i have a 97 cajun i bought 2 years ago for the same price. 200 venom, 55#troller. finders front and rear. offer em 8 grand and see what they say.

oh yea ask if you can take it to have a compression check first. then have the folks go through it and tell you of any problems they see. if the seller won't do that for you, go to another seller.

woody · 01-19-09, 12:54 PM

Dbltap,
Listen to Bama, he's got some good advice there for ya.
One other thing, check out the NADA book value of the boat on http://www.nada.com your allowed up to 3 free price quotes per day, its a good resource to have around.

~Woody

zooker · 01-19-09, 07:47 PM

here is what i know. stratos was the flag ship, javlin was the mid range boat, hydrosport was the lower end model...hydrosport, stratos, and javlin all share the same hull molds.the interiors were set up a bit differant..but basicly you have the same boat as the 201xl stratos..

with the 200 rude vin. my buddy runs 72-73 with his on a 20 foot sprint..my guess is you'll run very close to that. take my word for this get a 4 blade prop if it don't have one.those big block omc's have a boggy hole shot with full livewells..

i would definatly have the compression check done on that moter..

zooker

BomberLures · 01-20-09, 08:49 PM

You just described my boat lol. I have a 1995 Hydra Sport LS 205 which is 20'. It has a Johnson Venom 200 on it and it will run about 74 to 75 and I have had absolutely no problems out of it. They are good boats and they handle rough water exceptionally well. In my opinion they handle rough water better than a Triton or a Ranger. One of my partners has a 2006 Tr 21 and the other has a 2005 520VX and I think the hydra sport handles rough water better than both but that is just my opinion.

Bob Smith · 01-21-09, 08:10 PM

Zooker, I ain't so sure you're right about the three having the same hulls. When I lived in Nashville during the late 80's they were three totally separate companies, not connected in any way. The Stratos was Earl Benz racing hull design and the boats were totally different in handling characteristics. In fact Hydro-Sports hulls were actually made with Kevlar instead of the traditional Glass construction.
As far as this topic is concerned, the rig you are looking at is probably about a solid rig as you could get. My greatest fear would be in the Vindicator. There was a period and I'm not sure when the break over year was, that Evinrude had problems with the piston "ring pins' backing out and causing the cyclinder to self destruct. The fix was to replace the pistons with the ones that the ring pin would not back out on, or "stake" the pin (most mechanics hate to use anything like the staking tool because you intentionally dent the piston surface). Everything else sounds OK, the electronics are usually the first thing the new owner replaces anyway.

zooker · 01-21-09, 11:07 PM

i did not say same hull bobber they share the same hull molds..

zooker

barkelypup · 01-21-09, 11:32 PM

heck man thats 10 grand for a 14 or 15 year old boat in these economic times. I myself would keep shopping or offer about 6 grand only if it was in great shape. And it would have to be in great shape. Check craigslist. People are wanting to unload boats right now. I would bet a dollar gainst a dime that you could find a newer model of about the same type boat for the same money. I might be wrong but I wouldn't jus jump on it. Thats just me though.

woody · 01-22-09, 11:57 AM

I would agree with Barkelypup. Hydrasport made 4 - 20 ft. models that particular year, would need the model name to look up its value on NADA. I would guess to say that they are way high though.

Mark

dbltap · 01-25-09, 04:22 PM

It's gone.. LS 205, Went for $10K. I'll keep sniffing.

dbltap

woody · 01-25-09, 05:05 PM

Dbltap, here is a 1998 Hydra-Sport 175dc with a 150 Erude, I noticed that they were asking $6950, it sounded like it would be a good deal to someone.

I noticed that he has other reasonably listed bassboats too.
http://www.boattrader.com/listing/19...175DC-92559876

~Mark

dbltap · 01-25-09, 10:46 PM

Yea, I saw that one too. the load capacity is around 495 lbs. I'm 280 and my fishing buddy is around 265. How accurate are load ratings? I interpret a load rating as if it says 495 and we weigh 545 then that's a problem. Right? We need to include gear also right?

Thanks
dbltap

woody · 01-25-09, 10:53 PM

I'm not exactly sure about that, but someone here should be able to give you a better answer. Anyways I hope you find what your looking for.

~Mark

amace85 · 06-14-11, 12:02 PM

A couple months ago I bought a 1995 Hydra-Sports LS 185 20' with a 175 Johnson, 80lb thrust Johnson trolling motor,2 depth finders (not working) dual port charger etc. and a single axle trailer. The price I paid was 4500.00. Kinda far off from 10k. I'd check around more or at least talk him down some. Sounds a little. over priced.
Also- On potential problems, I have had several. To name a few, The company no longer is in the bass boat business. They now build saltwater fishing vessels. So if you need to contact the company for any reason you wont have much luck. Mine had a boat cover, but was ripped and I am having a tough time finding one to fit the boat properly and cover the trolling motor. The main thing is that since it is not a largely popular brand such as ranger, nitro etc, it is very hard to find parts for or work on. Kind of reminds me of a foreign product. Hope this helps. All in all it is a great bass boat and does a great job on the water. Just run into some small difficultys once in a while, but what bass boat doesnt. I like mine, but will be looking forward to being able to afford a new one. I'll stick with something more common next time. Good luck

bamabassman · 06-14-11, 06:18 PM

amace........ummm this was about 2 yrs ago buddy. not riding you or nothing, but the economy has change a lot since this came up. good luck with oyur new boat though. post up some pics for us, we love seeing others rides.

amace85 · 06-15-11, 09:42 AM

bassman, haha. My apologies. I had not payed attention to the date. I see that now though. I'll pay more attention next time lol

bamabassman · 06-15-11, 08:04 PM

not a problem buddy.

01-19-09, 11:54 AM	#1
dbltap BassFishin.Com Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 44	Opinion on used Bass Boat..Hydra Sports I'm in the market for a good used Bass Boat. Found one in my budget but have never heard of this brand before. 1995 Hydra-Sports 20' with a 200hp Evinrude Vindicator motor. Minkota 85lb Thrust Trolling, Eagle Electronics & tandem axle trailer. What should I look for as potential problems? What questions should I ask? Asking $10K

01-19-09, 07:47 PM	#4
zooker BassFishin.Com Premier Elite Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: denton nc Posts: 13,441	here is what i know. stratos was the flag ship, javlin was the mid range boat, hydrosport was the lower end model...hydrosport, stratos, and javlin all share the same hull molds.the interiors were set up a bit differant..but basicly you have the same boat as the 201xl stratos.. with the 200 rude vin. my buddy runs 72-73 with his on a 20 foot sprint..my guess is you'll run very close to that. take my word for this get a 4 blade prop if it don't have one.those big block omc's have a boggy hole shot with full livewells.. i would definatly have the compression check done on that moter.. zooker __________________ the godfather.. aml in remission since 7-20-09

01-21-09, 08:10 PM	#6
Bob Smith BassFishin.Com Super Veteran Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Cartersville, Georgia Posts: 1,472	Zooker, I ain't so sure you're right about the three having the same hulls. When I lived in Nashville during the late 80's they were three totally separate companies, not connected in any way. The Stratos was Earl Benz racing hull design and the boats were totally different in handling characteristics. In fact Hydro-Sports hulls were actually made with Kevlar instead of the traditional Glass construction. As far as this topic is concerned, the rig you are looking at is probably about a solid rig as you could get. My greatest fear would be in the Vindicator. There was a period and I'm not sure when the break over year was, that Evinrude had problems with the piston "ring pins' backing out and causing the cyclinder to self destruct. The fix was to replace the pistons with the ones that the ring pin would not back out on, or "stake" the pin (most mechanics hate to use anything like the staking tool because you intentionally dent the piston surface). Everything else sounds OK, the electronics are usually the first thing the new owner replaces anyway. __________________ Bob Smith a.k.a. "Porko" (vintage Strike King variety!)

01-21-09, 11:07 PM	#7
zooker BassFishin.Com Premier Elite Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: denton nc Posts: 13,441	i did not say same hull bobber they share the same hull molds.. zooker __________________ the godfather.. aml in remission since 7-20-09

06-14-11, 06:18 PM	#15
bamabassman BassFishin.Com Premier Elite Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: cedar bluff, alabama Posts: 15,292	amace........ummm this was about 2 yrs ago buddy. not riding you or nothing, but the economy has change a lot since this came up. good luck with oyur new boat though. post up some pics for us, we love seeing others rides. __________________ so many lures, so little time.

01-19-09, 12:06 PM	#2
bamabassman BassFishin.Com Premier Elite Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: cedar bluff, alabama Posts: 15,292	from what i have heard they are good boats. and with everything on it, sounds like an ok price. i would try to chew em down some though. maybe $1000.00 or so. i have a 97 cajun i bought 2 years ago for the same price. 200 venom, 55#troller. finders front and rear. offer em 8 grand and see what they say. oh yea ask if you can take it to have a compression check first. then have the folks go through it and tell you of any problems they see. if the seller won't do that for you, go to another seller.

01-19-09, 12:54 PM	#3
woody BassFishin.Com Super Veteran Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Jonesville, Indiana Posts: 3,597	Dbltap, Listen to Bama, he's got some good advice there for ya. One other thing, check out the NADA book value of the boat on http://www.nada.com your allowed up to 3 free price quotes per day, its a good resource to have around. ~Woody

01-20-09, 08:49 PM	#5
BomberLures BassFishin.Com Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Robbinsville, NC Posts: 12	You just described my boat lol. I have a 1995 Hydra Sport LS 205 which is 20'. It has a Johnson Venom 200 on it and it will run about 74 to 75 and I have had absolutely no problems out of it. They are good boats and they handle rough water exceptionally well. In my opinion they handle rough water better than a Triton or a Ranger. One of my partners has a 2006 Tr 21 and the other has a 2005 520VX and I think the hydra sport handles rough water better than both but that is just my opinion.

01-21-09, 11:32 PM	#8
barkelypup BassFishin.Com Active Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: I'm a Hillbilly in Kentucky Posts: 223	heck man thats 10 grand for a 14 or 15 year old boat in these economic times. I myself would keep shopping or offer about 6 grand only if it was in great shape. And it would have to be in great shape. Check craigslist. People are wanting to unload boats right now. I would bet a dollar gainst a dime that you could find a newer model of about the same type boat for the same money. I might be wrong but I wouldn't jus jump on it. Thats just me though.

01-22-09, 11:57 AM	#9
woody BassFishin.Com Super Veteran Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Jonesville, Indiana Posts: 3,597	I would agree with Barkelypup. Hydrasport made 4 - 20 ft. models that particular year, would need the model name to look up its value on NADA. I would guess to say that they are way high though. Mark

01-25-09, 04:22 PM	#10
dbltap BassFishin.Com Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 44	It's gone.. LS 205, Went for $10K. I'll keep sniffing. dbltap

01-25-09, 05:05 PM	#11
woody BassFishin.Com Super Veteran Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Jonesville, Indiana Posts: 3,597	Dbltap, here is a 1998 Hydra-Sport 175dc with a 150 Erude, I noticed that they were asking $6950, it sounded like it would be a good deal to someone. I noticed that he has other reasonably listed bassboats too. http://www.boattrader.com/listing/19...175DC-92559876 ~Mark

01-25-09, 10:46 PM	#12
dbltap BassFishin.Com Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 44	Yea, I saw that one too. the load capacity is around 495 lbs. I'm 280 and my fishing buddy is around 265. How accurate are load ratings? I interpret a load rating as if it says 495 and we weigh 545 then that's a problem. Right? We need to include gear also right? Thanks dbltap

01-25-09, 10:53 PM	#13
woody BassFishin.Com Super Veteran Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Jonesville, Indiana Posts: 3,597	I'm not exactly sure about that, but someone here should be able to give you a better answer. Anyways I hope you find what your looking for. ~Mark

06-14-11, 12:02 PM	#14
amace85 BassFishin.Com Member Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Missouri Posts: 17	A couple months ago I bought a 1995 Hydra-Sports LS 185 20' with a 175 Johnson, 80lb thrust Johnson trolling motor,2 depth finders (not working) dual port charger etc. and a single axle trailer. The price I paid was 4500.00. Kinda far off from 10k. I'd check around more or at least talk him down some. Sounds a little. over priced. Also- On potential problems, I have had several. To name a few, The company no longer is in the bass boat business. They now build saltwater fishing vessels. So if you need to contact the company for any reason you wont have much luck. Mine had a boat cover, but was ripped and I am having a tough time finding one to fit the boat properly and cover the trolling motor. The main thing is that since it is not a largely popular brand such as ranger, nitro etc, it is very hard to find parts for or work on. Kind of reminds me of a foreign product. Hope this helps. All in all it is a great bass boat and does a great job on the water. Just run into some small difficultys once in a while, but what bass boat doesnt. I like mine, but will be looking forward to being able to afford a new one. I'll stick with something more common next time. Good luck

06-15-11, 09:42 AM	#16
amace85 BassFishin.Com Member Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Missouri Posts: 17	bassman, haha. My apologies. I had not payed attention to the date. I see that now though. I'll pay more attention next time lol

06-15-11, 08:04 PM	#17
bamabassman BassFishin.Com Premier Elite Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: cedar bluff, alabama Posts: 15,292	not a problem buddy. __________________ so many lures, so little time.

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