Ranger bass boat

[DJ_Callahan_27]

I'm looking at a 1988 18' Ranger Shadow tunnel hull bass boat? I don't know alot about this boat and was hoping you guys might be ablr to help me out. I haven't gotten to see the boat in person yet but have seen a couple of pic.s. In the pic.s I seen you couldn't really see how the boats deck was laid out. Has anyone had or fished out of this boat before? Are both livewells in the rear of the boat? Are both the front and rear fishing decks big enough to fish from comfortably? Will it handle rough water? And will a Johnson GT 150 push this boat alright? All other info, and opinions are appreciated.

DJ

[zooker]

the ranger tunnel hull is very RARE.. i know of a 18 foot tunnel hull in dawsonville ga.. it is a ranger shadow.

here is some of the pics of it..






hope this helps..


zooker

[bingham]

i have a 1990 ranger v hull bass boat, not sure what model name it is but i believe it is an 18' also. it has a newer yamaha pro v 175 and it hauls a$$!!! it has loads of storage and casting room in the front and back. it has 2 seperate livewells in the back also. very nice boat and i would highly recomend! the motor i have is the highest rated power for it and truthfully a 150 is enough! it handles water very well in any conditions. i dont know if this helps you but could you tell me what a tunnel hull is i havent ever heard of one.

[MallenManson]

Tunnel hulls are basically 2 v hulls, right and left, with a raised area in the center

[zooker]

a tunnel hull requires a jack plate 8-10" remember the hull shape forces water under the hull and thru the tunnel.. the prop sitts in this tunnel.. the are not the fastest things and handling is WAY differant that the average bass boat but they will come out of the hole in 12" of water with out hitting bottom...

zooker

[bingham]

wow thats crazy... my buddy has a skeeter 81 model maybe? it is more of a tri hull but very similar of what you guys are sayin... the middle is like a v hull but there are 2 "tunnels" rather than just 1. it may just be an older model v hull?

[Denny_K]

What the heck happened to that poor boat....God that's sad to see.
I bet that was a very nice boat at one time. heck they should make a fish pond outta of it...LOL. Denny

[boater]

a tunnel hull is an air entraper the boat lifts out of the water by a force of air through the tunnel. They drive different because they are when up to speed actually floating on this air .They do not chine walk because the sponsons act like training wheels. I would think this to be a unique find .

[ally260]

Zook, is that a true tunnel or mod-vp? Can't tell by tha picture. Never knew Ranger had it in 'em ta try their hand at a "hot rod" (other than tha 340, which was close).........T

[zooker]

ally as far as i know they made a true tunnel hull in the shadow boat..

i know the pis's kinda suck.. but i did not take them they are easilt found on boattrader.com

zooker

[DJ_Callahan_27]

Zooker thats the boat that I am talking about. Do you think it is worth fooling with? Thinking of putting my Johnson Gt 150 on It. What are your thoughts on this idea? Would it be enough motor? Any Idea how that hull does in rough water or big water?

DJ

[zooker]

no dj it aint worth foolin with,belive me... it don't even have a trailer...and all the compartment lids are toast..


i did look heavily at the 79 allison hxt he had for $1800.. but the floor was completely rotted out..


if i was looking for a bass boat id look at this one..

http://www.boattrader.com/listing/19...-3880-94424015

a 150 on this thing would yank your hair back and move out about 70 gps..

if your looking for a play boat..drop your gt on this thing..


http://www.boattrader.com/listing/19...18FSX-94763897


in my opinion all the boats at dawsonville are in need of a complete resto some are beyond even that..

zooker

[DJ_Callahan_27]

How do you find these boats? I have looked at boattrader.com alot and can't seem to ever find exactly what I'm looking for, but you did. I would Love to have that Lazer. The Astro for the money would be hard to beat, but the lazer has so much room on the decks man I hope I can get this boat. Thanks a MILLION Zooker.

As far as the boats at Lanier Marine I kinda figured they may be about beyond fishable and would have to be completely restored but for what little I have to spend I thought I was going to have to go that route. Besides I can't get anyone there to talk to me via e-mail. I called and they told me to send e-mail but nothing. Again thank you Zooker I hope I can get the Lazer

[boater]

Ally I looked at Lanier marine liquidators at the Shadow It looks like a lazer tunnel vee

[zooker]

dj
what ya do is get on boattrader.com let it open. on the left side you see the search box.. ya click in "bassboat" enter your zip code..hit find..once that page opens look at the "refine search" box left side..make sure the "new/used" spot is checked. scroll all the way down to the "find" button.. just above the "find" button is a space that says "sort by" click on this scroll down to the one that says "price-low to high" click on this and hit find.. this opens you in the bassboat section starting at the cheapest -most beat- the more you scroll down the more the price goes up..

btw
the laser is a 19 footer and your right the deck space plus storage on that boat is awesome for an older boat.. i went looking for a boat your 150 gt would work good on..if ya dout that a 150 johnson gt wont work on it ask 1fastlazer i was not jokin when i said it would run 70 gps stock..

zooker

[1FASTLASER]

LOL I am gettin a woody lukin at da purdy Laser. That boat as zook stated with the time taken to setup the motor correctly on it will outrun 90% of the boats you come up against that are running a 150 and you will give anyboat a run for its money that is running a 200. Those 380 sportboats are a blast to drive and as well easy to handle with stock motors. With just a very little help on the GT you can really start pushing that thing and start getting real close to 80mph. Ifn ya get that boat gimme a holler and I will load you up wit tons of info.

[ally260]

Thanks Boater. Thats kinda what I was thinkin'.

DJ, If ya look at tha Laser ya gonna need ta check tha floor, transom and stringers "REAL" good. I'm real big Laser fan but thats just a very weak part of Laser unsupervised production boats. They had a problem drillin' holes "after" all tha glass work was done without sealin' 'em up. Like 1fast says, With a hard hittin' 150 (even a OMC ) with all tha tweakin' done should put ya on up there with a light load................T

[DJ_Callahan_27]

Thanks for all the info guys. I may have made a mistake. I let my wife look at the two boats and she wants the Astro...lol. They are both good looking boats but as far as fishablity I think the Lazer wins hands down. It has much more storage and alot bigger fishing deck. But like I said I may have made a mistake my wife is wanting to go look at the Astro in a week or so. Most likely it will be coming home with us. But I'm not complaining. Just glad to be getting something to fish out of...lol

[bamabassman]

shiny paint ALWAYS makes up a womans mind for ya pal. good luck with whichever rig ya bring home.

[lowrider]

stupid boattrader.....just spent an hour drooling over big pretty boats. only found a dozen i'd love to have.

[DJ_Callahan_27]

The more I look at the Astro the more I wonder about how small the fishing decks really are? They look tiny...lol. Doesn't look like it has much storage either. Has anyone ever fished out of one like this one before? Are they more ski than fish? Thats kinda what it looks like to me.

[zooker]

dj
the astro was renamed procraft some time in the late 90's this is basiclly the same boat..

http://www.procraftboats.com/boat/specs.cfm?boat=2810


zooker

[DJ_Callahan_27]

1FASTLASER, I have talked my wife into letting me go look at the Laser first so unless it's in bad shape I am giong to try my best to bring it home with me. I know that you are the man I need to talk to about this boat so here goes. I know I need to get rid of the tin prop as Zooker calls it, and get a SS prop but how many blades and what pitch? I have a jack plate on my Pro Craft boat do you think I should use it on the Laser? I also will have to change the controls and cables on this boat because it had a Suzuki motor on it. Any suggestions what kind to get (OMC or After Market)? And I know you have forgot more about these boats than I will ever know so any other tips or suggestions is appreciated. Thanks alot

DJ

[zooker]

always get a jack plate on one of those hulls.. yep a 3 blade ss prop would be killer.. however be prepaired to test other ss props.. i am not sure what pitch to use on a laser boat -never owned one-

zooker

[bdillard]

Originally Posted by DJ_Callahan_27

I'm looking at a 1988 18' Ranger Shadow tunnel hull bass boat? I don't know alot about this boat and was hoping you guys might be ablr to help me out. I haven't gotten to see the boat in person yet but have seen a couple of pic.s. In the pic.s I seen you couldn't really see how the boats deck was laid out. Has anyone had or fished out of this boat before? Are both livewells in the rear of the boat? Are both the front and rear fishing decks big enough to fish from comfortably? Will it handle rough water? And will a Johnson GT 150 push this boat alright? All other info, and opinions are appreciated.

DJ

i hope this helps ... first off the boat wasn't built by ranger nor did ranger have anything to do with it most were 20' 2" boats but they did make the 18' your looking at also they also made a 21' v-bottom. these were built in corbin ky when shadow went out of buisness ledgend yachts bought the mold and it became know as the nu-ledgend later molds got sold to vector boats and then later to west coast cougar customs it was called an infinity at this point that was just a few years ago... now as far as rough water its fine,ive heard people say other wise,well they cant drive a boat the 150hp should push an 18' tunnel to at least 70mph im thinking around 72 on a strong 150 both live wells are in the rear no problems fishing front or rear but its not a flipping deck i have seen some with extentions in the front just remember they are weight sensetive so try to travel light. this is one of the best handlingboats you will ever drive and the most stable at high speeds i couldn't begin to tell you the number of 20'ers that run around the 100 mph mark or even faster . anyways i could just keep rambling but whats the use if you need anything else just let me know