Now What?????

[quenston]

Here about 3 weeks ago I had a accident coming back with my boat from the local repair shop, a guy hit me and tore my truck and my boat up! Well they totaled my boat and are going to fix my truck, I had a Z-7 and got a really good deal on it when I bought it (repo) well I have my eye on a ranger for alot less money and to me just as good as boat what do you guys think????

[carolina-rig-01]

i have a 19'6" ranger (ranger calls it a 20'er) with a 200 hp optimax and i can't complain at all. zooker will probably bust your chops about ranger but they are a great fishing platform. with a light load i can run 70mph and on a tourney load i can get very high 60's and that is quick enough to keep up with just about any tourney angler out there, and when i get where i am going i have a very comfortable boat to fish from. mine rides very well and is very stable in the water. i can hold my boat on a windy point or bank with little effort which is important as well. my advice is to take a good long look at how the boat is layed out and ask yourself if it fits your style well. little things like where dry storage or rod storage is located can make a huge difference and everybody likes their boats layed out different. when i get a new boat it will without a doubt be a bass cat, there just isn't a better boat out there but for now i am happy with my ranger and think you should for sure give this ranger a look.

[1FASTLASER]

My ole buddy rig has given some great advice. Dont care what boat it is for the most part anymore as long as it fits you. Pretty well all the major boat companies are building boats pretty well comparable to the next one just differences in hull design and layout as carolina stated. If the boat fits your wallet and your style then think hard about it. By the way I would like to hear how the Z-7 run and what motor ya had so forth and so on.

[Lilmoosecountry]

Just remebor one thing power to weight ratio. You can have a big old engine all day. But if she weighs a ton. The guy with the lighter boat & smaller horse power will always beat yeah there. Why because the smaller boat don't have to work as hard. The old 20ft lund was freaking barge. I had 150 merc on it. It needed a 250. But when i was in rough water. There was no bass boat as stable as my beast. You need to pick what makes you comfortable. As i speak i'm back at looking at lunds again. I sold my last because of my 3rd baby was born. I should have nevor sold it. But i let the fear of the unkown convince me diffrently.

[Bender]

I think that there are so many bass boats you can find one to fit your needs. Rangers sure are nice, but $$$. I fished out of a Z520 this fall once and it maybe be one of the best all around boats, that I have been in anyway. I like looking at the different boats and for the money you might want to take a look a Phoenix Boats 721.
For the shorter boats such as 18'6", I still like my Stratos 285. It's a great all around boat, well layed out, quick enough, etc.
Good luck!
What moose said is true, look at the Allisons that are running just 150s! It's also the hull design to go that fast, but they are light too.

[carolina-rig-01]

stratos does make a nice boat, in fact when we bought my ranger we were looking really hard at ordering a stratos. we just found a good deal on this ranger which was bigger than the stratos we would have ordered.

since you fish grand a lot you should know that you just won't fit in unless you own a champion hahaha. i have 2 buddies that have chamions, one is a 210 elite and the other one is a 196 elite. i haven't fish from the 196 yet because my buddy just bought it but i have fished several times from the 210. let me tell you that boat rides like a dream but i have ran the trolling motor all day on it several times and hate it. the bow of the boat sits very high out of the water, it catches a lot of wind and you feel like you are fishing uphill all day. like i said it rides great but personally i will take a descent riding boat that fishes very well over a boat that rides great but fishes poorly (you will spend more time fishing than running anyways). just keep these things in mind when choosing a boat and you will be fine.

also i was kidding about not fitting in without a champion. there are a ton of champions on that lake but i still wouldn't trade my ranger for one.

[zooker]

i think your goin in the better direction.. i loath nitro's rangers are a lead sled but are great fishing platforms.. if i was to get a ranger it would be a 361 series i would send it to the ranger factory to have them go over it which cost about $5000. and then hang a new moter on the back..

ranger factory resto's are some of the best. they basicly strip the boat remove the floor remove any junk foam, replace the floor and stringers add new carpet,new pumps new wireing, and re do the gel coat..i have seen a 95 they did.. belive me it is WORTH every penny of that $5000 cost..other than the upright windsheild you could not tell it from brand new..

zooker

[quenston]

1fastlaser, As far as the motor I had a 150 Optimax (factory) and I was satisfied with it and I gotta add I am a bigger guy and with me and my gear it ran about 60MPH but with my brother which is relatively smaller it would run 65 to 68 I was over all happy with the Nitro line and would like to go back but would like to go to something a little Cheaper.

C-Rig I think that Grand is probly the Champion boat home water I have seen alot that needed hauled back also??? Coincidence I dont know I looked at a Stratos at Marine Center in Joplin was a nice boat but just not what I wanted and have looked as some boats and found a nice Ranger that I am looking at in Oklahoma City that I am going to look at Friday so everyone cross yer fingers!!!

[Tall]

Well I am no expert, but I did learn a lesson the other day. I went with a buddy that has a 2002 Blazer with a 225 Yamaha. The boat will fly 80's but I learned when taking a leak don't shift your weight from on leg to the other. I was surprised how much you can fill the boat sway. My 2000 Ranger 488 VS is very stable and I can move around with out a constant worry of my balance. I almost got wet in more ways then one. A couple of times I had balance issues when the boat was turning around with the trolling motor and my buddy would shift his weight. I am tall 6' 7" and over 300 pounds and my center of balance is high enough to appreciate the stable Ranger platform after my experiences the other day. So to back up what is already been posted, get what fills right. My Ranger may be slower and heavy, but for me that is the way to go because of my size. Just something to keep in mind if you may have a preference for speed or stability.

[t1365]

The ranger is gonna be a step up in quality and resale. I'm not a ranger guy, I run a Champion, but I've fished in quite a few Rangers and Nitros and I'd say the Ranger is the way to go. Sorry about your loss and glad you're ok though. I'm a cop and had to work a crash a while back where a guy got broadsided in an intersection (or his boat did) by somebody running a red light. Knocked his three year old ranger right off the trailer onto the pavement. I would have shed real tears if it had been my boat.

[carolina-rig-01]

Originally Posted by quenston

1fastlaser, As far as the motor I had a 150 Optimax (factory) and I was satisfied with it and I gotta add I am a bigger guy and with me and my gear it ran about 60MPH but with my brother which is relatively smaller it would run 65 to 68 I was over all happy with the Nitro line and would like to go back but would like to go to something a little Cheaper.

C-Rig I think that Grand is probly the Champion boat home water I have seen alot that needed hauled back also??? Coincidence I dont know I looked at a Stratos at Marine Center in Joplin was a nice boat but just not what I wanted and have looked as some boats and found a nice Ranger that I am looking at in Oklahoma City that I am going to look at Friday so everyone cross yer fingers!!!

marine center went out of business a while back. they had an auction that i would have loved to have gone to but i went to st. louis instead to watch webb city play in the state championship football game at the dome. you might also check with center city marine in springfield and ulrich in old branson if things fall through with this boat you are looking at. all i can tell you is i bought my boat from stillwater marine and i won't go back. i had no problems with the boat or even with the sale price for that matter. but they had the paper work all jacked up and were real aholes when we needed them to straighten out the mess they created. i have had center city do all my maintenance and have been really pleased with them. i don't know much about ulrich but i know guys who have bought boats from them and all but one was really happy. the other one was upset with something a mechanic did or didn't do but still wasn't too unhappy about their sales department.

[quenston]

CRig I am talking about the Marine Center that is located by Petro and Pilot there by the Liquor store, but I decided about that boat and finally got me one... well actually 2 one is for bass fishing and the other is for white bass catfish etc... the bass boat I bought was from Tulsa from a individual and it is 07 Nitro 591DC it has a 135 Optimax Dual Console it was a ex-tournament boat but seems to be in great condition and is all set up for what I need. The second one I bought was a 89 17' Landau flat bottom with a 35 hp Force not a big fan of the motor but for a $1000 I couldnt pass it up!

[carolina-rig-01]

congrats on the new boats, really hope you like them.

oh and i thought you were talking about mid america marine on 7th street in joplin. i always forget about the place you are talking about out on 43 highway. anyways congrats again on the boats.