Topic: Best Boat? (Read 7606 times)

Chris · « **on:** February 19, 2004, 04:13:38 PM »

What is the absolute best boat for under 33,000.00? Things that are important are: How it handles in rough water , dry storage , gotta have 200HP or up and its got to look good .

docwaldo · « **Reply #1 on:** February 19, 2004, 05:47:25 PM »

you know what they say about free advice. it is ALWAYS too expensive. but here is my 2 cents worth.

i have owned several boats with the last two being a champion and the most recent being a cobra (these two boats are almost the same design, etc. and i think they are made by the same guy). the champion handles like a dream. it was only 17.5 feet long with a 115 merc, but it could run with the big boys since it handled like it was on rails. my cobra has a 225 on it and is the best handling boat i have ever been in. it comes out of the hole like a bullet and keeps it lines in tight curves. it has the biggest casting deck i have ever seen in the bow and the dry storage is unbelievable. so either a champion or a cobra i would highly reccomend.

i have not fished much in other kinds of boats, but i have spent some time in a triton and it did not match either the champion or the cobra in rough water. it was very squirrely at top speeds and not a dry ride in high waves. i know that every fisheman has his own opinion and this is mine. you are more than welcome to take out my cobra and try it out if you wanna.

drop it deep and yank it hard and push the pedal to the floor. . .

doc

Chris · « **Reply #2 on:** February 19, 2004, 08:35:53 PM »

Doc , I saw a used Cobra at Travis a couple of years ago that really caught my eye.. That boat was nice ! Who sells Cobra? I would like to check it out .Smith Marine has two new Blazers coming in tomorrow that my buddy and I are going to check out . Thanks for your reply.. Chris

Vickers · « **Reply #3 on:** February 19, 2004, 10:20:52 PM »

You ask about the best boat for the money? Well, like Doc I have owned a Champion, as matter of fact, Doc was going to buy my old one. I have been in almost every boat that is on the market. The great thing about fishermen is that they all have an opinion about the equipment they use. And boats are by no means an exception. Everyone likes different things about about there particular boat, thats probly why they picked it over another. Some people buy boats for speed, and there are some very fast boats around here. I have seen them go by me like I was standing still. Some boats are real fancy and got all the bells and whistles. But usually a large price tag comes with it. I guess the point of all this is find out what you want in a boat (speed, storage, gadgets, Ect) and look for it. Personally..... I like a boat that is well built and I have the peace of mind that if I hit something I will make it home. I also like LARGE warnties on the hull. Speed is good (mine tops out at 74 with a GPS). It is the best handling boat I have driven, and it keeps me dry (excepts when it rains).
I have really enjoyed my 20 ft. PRO-GATOR with a 225HP. It is under 30,000 and built here in Benton, LA. This boat fits all of my needs. I encourage you to check out all the different opptions around here in the boat market. You just minght find one to meet your every need and not cost an arm and a leg.

Chris · « **Reply #4 on:** February 19, 2004, 10:45:55 PM »

Vickers, Thanks for the reply ! I will add Pro Gator to my list .This will be a well thought out process and I want input from everyone I can get it from. Thanks again, Chris

loggerhead · « **Reply #5 on:** February 19, 2004, 11:02:36 PM »

J.R. (fisherman) said that his blazer doesn't handle rough water too good. if I'm wrong J.R. please don't get mad, but he said that Steve's Ranger handled rough water great.

docwaldo · « **Reply #6 on:** February 19, 2004, 11:05:03 PM »

chris, you probable saw mine there. i bought it from travis in october of 2002. it is white with a 225 johnson venom on it. it has teal stripes and grey carpet. i totally agree with vickers. the best boat for you is the one that gives you what you want. some guys want a boat that says "RANGER" on the side. and are willing to pay for it. don't get me wrong. ranger is as good as they get. other guys want a huge casting deck. some want speed. some want heavy and stable. others want somethig that comes in hot pink and purple. what i did when i started looking at real boats was make a list of what i wanted and then prioritize that list with numbers. and when you look at a certain boat, rate those features with each different boat. and then you can have a good idea of which boat will be best for you. and don't forget that you can have it all. i guess the thing i looked most for in a boat was handling and hole shot, and then i looked at features like storage space, size of decks, and gadgets.

a boat is pobably the third (or second) highest priced item you will own. and it is not an asset. it is a liability all the way. so take your time and make an educated decision.

good luck and happy shopping

doc

RaginCADEjun · « **Reply #7 on:** February 20, 2004, 12:42:48 AM »

kay: here is my 14 cents

Progator: I have owned 4 of them:

Pros:
1. they are built awesome 2. they have great warranties 3. good people 4. Narrow boats for the tight to get in places 5. heavy boat so they take the water good. 6. They back their product

Cons:
1. small Gas tanks for the size (less they changed them) 2. because they are narrow they sway when going latterally in waves and when 2 guys stand on same side 3. live wells have/had issues 4. storage and layout , in my humble opinion, is not great for the size boat.

All in all: GREAT BUY FOR THE MONEY NOW THAT TRAVIS IS NOT AFFILIATED WITH THEM ANYMORE! hard resell not big name right now

Skeeter: I owned (1) and sold 2 of em, If you can deal with Rodney and Rusty, then go for it, (they are hard to do business with) however they had issues with Hull's 2003 models

Pros: 1. Fast 2. good design 3. good live wells 4. big Deck for roomy fishin 5. lots of gadgets 6. Good mechanics working at Reeve's 7. big gas tanks for long runs

Cons: 1. Rodney 2. Rusty 3. Hull (if they didnt fix the issue) 4. Pricey!!! 5. Good big water boat!

All in all: Good Boat with crappy store selling them and they are expensive! Easy Resell

Nitro: I run one now, they are great boats i love mine.

Pros: 1. Great Open water boat 2. lots of fishing room 3. compartment layout is great 4. smooth riden boat in big water 5. Excellent Live Wells 6. not really any weaknesses to this boat 7. Terry to take you for a spin and do the 360

8. good mechanics work there 9. VERY STABLE BOAT

Cons: 1. Wide hard to get in tight places 2. hard turns you can blow water cause it rides high

All in all: Wonderful Boat for the Money and Big name boat easy to resell and trade in.

Blazer: I almost bought one, test drove it,

Pros: 1. Fastest boat known to man

Cons: 1. Too narrow for the speed for me but you know my thoght on boat width, 2. Squirley in Big water

All in all: Decent boat for the money

Hope this helps and remember these are all jsut my opinons and we all have them. Also our needs are all different!

Good Luck in your search..

IF YOU CONSIDER NITRO, TELL DON MCCUTCHEN CADE HARVILL SENT YA!

Chris · « **Reply #8 on:** February 20, 2004, 07:30:58 AM »

Thanks Cade, Im going to add Nitro to the list of boats . I am currently talking to Rodney about a Skeeter ZX 225 BUT Probably wont go that route . Ranger is out because the ones I looked at were out of price range..I appreciate the great post .

Doc, Im 99 percent sure that was your boat I saw up there. Very nice..

gunter1309 · « **Reply #9 on:** February 20, 2004, 10:45:08 AM »

I have owned 3 Rangers and have loved all 3, I traded up in size each time 18' to 20' to 21.5', the 521dvx is by far the best of the lot.

They ain't built for speed, I have a Yamaha 250 hpdi that has GPS'ed 72 with 2 fishermen, all the fishin crap, 2 full livewells and 2 full tanks of gas (56gal) but 69mph is the steady speed. A lot of boats will get there before me but the won't make more than a couple of casts and will have a lot of loose fillings in a hard chop. as far as stability and rough water running it is hard to beat, but like everyone has said before, you pay for the name, a lot more in most cases.

Ranger builds it reputation on re-sell value, my last boat was 3 years old but did not look it, they weather well, even when fished hard. With a little TLC they can last as long as you want and when you do decide to sell, you can get more for bang for your buck.

Ranger is definitely a status symbol boat to some, but for me it is the only boat on the water, I love this boat, hell I financed this one for 12 years, so I plan on keeping it for a while. Resell did not even enter my mind , a solid built boat with a good reputation kept me in a Ranger.

If you want a boat that stands the test of time, pay a little extra for the Best Boat.

2 cents ( wait i have a Ranger -- 200 cents -- that is about right !!)

steve

Marty · « **Reply #10 on:** February 20, 2004, 12:49:14 PM »

You also need to take a trip to H&W Marine in Marshall & talk to somebody (Kurt or Bill) about a 2004 Triton Tr20X with a Yamaha 225 (fast,good looking, tons of storage, very stable, too much stuff to mention here. You can work them down on that boat to your price range, I am pretty sure. I did not buy my Triton from them, but they now do my service work. Smith's Marine in Minden sells Tritons, but they really ticked me off with their attitudes & were terrible to try to negotiate with. At least give it (H&W & Triton) a look-see, so you won't be later on wondering what you missed. A huge part of buying a boat is customer service after the sale. Mfgs who rate highest in this category are Ranger & Triton, both about the same. Some other mfgs. have a much poorer track record. Go to www.bassboatcentral.com & talk to some of the boat owners on that site for good insight to different boat brands as well as outboards. I would be thinking about Yamaha's or Mercs. Also, www.wmi.org/bassfish, then go to the boats & motors page. That's the bass fishing home page, & it has a wealth of information. Best of luck in your decision.

Marty

Mike Noble · « **Reply #11 on:** February 20, 2004, 01:06:02 PM »

I'll add my two cents but understand that its just my opinion. I have only owned 3 boats, one challenger and 2 nitro's. I have fished in just about every boat on the market - skeeter, ranger, javelin, pro gator, champion, procraft, and others. I settled on nitro after having just one trip in one, and I don't think I will ever own any other boat but a nitro. Mine doesn't sit as high in the water as Cade's. It handles great. You need to go by the bass pro shop and look at the different models. Talk to Brent Thomas - he is a member of The Club bass club. They have great mechanics there and will take good care of you.

Good luck wading thru all these posts.

mikemrt125 · « **Reply #12 on:** February 20, 2004, 01:14:00 PM »

Chris, as you can see from all the post, there are as many opinions as there are boats out there. First of all, I believe u should sit down and decide what you want out of a boat and how long you plan to keep it. The best advice I could give anyone is before you buy, go to several local bass tournaments, and walk the parking lot while they are weighing their fish. Look at the 4,5 or 6 year old boats parked there, Most fishermen fish their boats hard and only take fair care of them. See what these boats look like after several years of hard fishing, The reason I say that is anyone can make a new
boat look good, but, several years of use will show which ones are really good and are built to stay that way, if you plan to sell your boat after a year or two, then it really makes very little difference what you buy, because they will all make it that long, but if you plan on keeping it for a lot of years, then maybe paying a little more in the begining is not such a bad idea. After all, your boat has to please only 1 person, of maybe 2 in some cases

fishrman · « **Reply #13 on:** February 20, 2004, 02:05:53 PM »

Chris, These guys left you some great post. I may have overlooked it, but I think that they may have left out a few important factors. Resale- you are not going to keep it forever.(nationaly sold brands tend to have better resale than local ones.) and Draft- how much water does it take to float it.- No boat maker puts this in a printed format. You have to trust what the salesman tells you are far as draft- and they are almost always wrong. A shallow draft will help you get into some out of the way places, and make it easier to manover in the stumps. You can get the true draft from the coast guard, they test this when they do their horse power rating and such. Good Luck in your hunt.

Chris · « **Reply #14 on:** February 20, 2004, 02:40:35 PM »

I really appreciate the posts fellas .Before its all said and done I will have scoped out every boat made. My list so far in no particlar order is:
1.Skeeter
2.Triton
3.Pro Gator
4.Nitro
5.Cobra
6.Blazer

Steve , There is a Nascar boat at Reeves right now that was beyond good looking .IT WAS SICK!

You may have seen it -It has flames on it but 46,000.00 is a little too pricey and besides if I scratched that thing I would probably die of cardiac arrest.

gunter1309 · « **Reply #15 on:** February 20, 2004, 03:33:27 PM »

Chris,
that is the 04 NASCAR, I have the 03, I love my boat and like Mr Thomas posted, if you are going to keep one a long time, get one that makes you happy or if you are lucky, you and your wife happy.

my wife loves to fish, a little too fair weather though, the temp gets below 60 and she hangs it up until it warms up again, but she was on my side when I bought the Ranger, her only stipulation was dual console, she doesn't cotton well to being a windshield. I could deal with that and once the spousal unit is in your corner, it sure makes the decision easier.

good luck with your search and hope to see your new boat soon on the water.

remember the first scratch is the toughest, it is all downhill after that.

steve

Chris · « **Reply #16 on:** February 20, 2004, 03:42:47 PM »

"remember the first scratch is the toughest, it is all downhill after that."

Truer words were never spoken !

Mike Cork · « **Reply #17 on:** February 20, 2004, 08:31:37 PM »

I have unfortunately had many boats. Ranger, Skeeter, Nitro...... I know own a cobra and I can guarentee you will not have a better handling/cornering boat. I also piggy bank on everything Doc said. Now to be fair the ranger I fished out of was an 80's model.....

If you truely are in the market you should check out the bumble bee that is on the classified's this is an incredible deal with very low hours and still has extended warrenty on it....... I don't know how it drives but I have heard they are very fast and it is a 20 footer so there will be plenty of storage....

danisfish · « **Reply #18 on:** February 21, 2004, 08:15:49 AM »

I think one of the most important parts of the whole boat buying experience is finding the right dealer. I traded boats with Jack Long several times until they went back to just selling cars. I am told if you want to buy a boat at the best price these days, Futrell's marine in Ark is the best. I have never been there but four or five nurses that I know that work at Doctors hospital said they all went up there and they beat every price by several grand on the same boat.

Steve Clark is friends with one of the salesman. I think he said his name is Woody Futrell. He said to ask for him. He also said they were asked to leave one of the boat shows and asked to never come back because they were under selling everyone like Reeves.

I was told they sold Champ, Ranger, xpress, Triton and I think Skeeter. They have a web page but it is more toward ski boats. I am planning on making a trip up there soon to see what they carry and maybe buy a new boat in the next year. Good luck with what ever you buy.

Chris · « **Reply #19 on:** February 21, 2004, 08:53:27 AM »

I have heard about Futrells. I will give them a look .Thanks for reminding me of them . Chris

Mike V · « **Reply #20 on:** February 21, 2004, 09:10:42 PM »

I personally like the pro-gator It is one tuff boat. That is why it has a life time hull warranty. Its a bit heavier than some boats but it handles pretty well. You think about where we fish in N. Louisiana and one thought comes to mind STUMPS. They are in every lake and river, Been to Couples on the river lately? You will have to go over some stumps and a ProGator will take it. Some of your other boat manufacturers only offer limited warrantys on their hulls. For the price you can't go wrong.

Chris · « **Reply #21 on:** February 21, 2004, 10:32:12 PM »

So far the Nitro 898 DC with the 225 Optimax is in the lead . Looked at Pro-Gator, Blazer and Nitro yesterday .Marking Blazer and Pro Gator off. They are great boats but just not for me. Its good to hear first hand knowledge of all these boats. Any other replies are appreciated ..

Marty · « **Reply #22 on:** February 22, 2004, 07:47:54 AM »

Mike V. hahaha! Dont' get mad at me, but this is the honest truth......a couple of years ago, I drug a 20 ft Pro Gator/225 Merc out of a stump field he was stuck in on the river with my 18 ft Triton/150 Yamahammer!

Man, that dude was STUCK bad!!! I listened for about 20 minutes while he tried to blast his way out of that hole, a small, shallow creek channel that led to an isolated pond just a little south of the port lake. He was shooting mud about 30 feet up in the air, crunching stumps, gunning the crap outta that bad boy and getting nowhere! Scared all the fish off! So... I finally got tired of all the racket, & since there were no fish left to catch, I decide to leave. When I got to where he was at, his two sons were in the water trying to drag the boat with a rope. That wasn't working either, and by now his prop was totally destroyed, all three blades were crunched severley. I watched a minute or two, then I had him toss me a rope, tied it off to my boat, & while I admit I had a little trouble, I was able to drag him on outta there. After I got him to the river, I think he had to troll to Clark's or at least only idle, I forget which. Wish I could remember his name! I think I saw him a week or two later at Power Tech. He told me he had a friend who worked there. Seems like the guy owns a body shop or something. It was pretty funny, until about an hour later (after I drug him out) when I got wind-blown onto some rocks (the ones at the south side of the port lake entrance) & did $2500 hull damage to my own boat! Anyhow, not cracking on Gators, your post just reminded me of that adventure. ALso, I may be wrong, but isn't the Gator hull warranty only a 10 year stump warranty? I thought that's what they told me at Travis once. Also, Triton has a lifetime hull warranty against defects for the original owner, transferable for 10 years to subsequent owner.

Marty

Vickers · « **Reply #23 on:** February 22, 2004, 09:37:44 PM »

Marty, Easy on the Progator boat bashing. Progator comes with a liftime hull warranty. Travis Boat Center told everyone that the Gator boat had a 10 year stump warranty, to make thier other boats look better. Let me tell you, Travis Boat Center did a number to the Progator name and reputation. They almost put the Moore's out of business.
Chris, wandering why the Pro-Gator is off your list. Did you test drive one or look at them at the factory. I have a 2003 20 ft with 225 Evenrude for sale. It is white, red and silver. Ask anyone on the board, it is clean. Asking around 24,000 for it. Why am I selling it you might ask? I am on their team and I get a new one every year or so, if I can sell them. Some folks can't afford 30,000 for a new boat, but it might be easier to buy one a year old for about 6 or 7 grand less.

Marty · « **Reply #24 on:** February 23, 2004, 06:29:14 AM »

Not bashing Gators, I have nothing at all against them! I was just relating what to me was a funny story involving one, but I guess you would have had to be there to fully appreciate the spectacle I witnessed that day! You're right about the Travis thing, they don't have the best reputation in the boating world. I used to do business with their very first store, down in Austin, TX and when they were just the one store, they were ok but I think they went downhill as they expanded. Hey Vickers, was that you I drug out of the stumps?

Just kidding, man!!! That was probably about a 2000 or so model. In all honesty, I probably wouldn't have a problem in general with owning a Gator, the only thing I noticed on the ones I looked at was that I like a wider rod locker than they had, but maybe that was just the model I was looking at. I think structurally they are one tough boat. As I pass through my mid-40's, I'm starting to lean away from needing the speediest boat out there to having one that's more stable to fish from, and one that won't pound you so hard in the rough stuff, like we encounter on Toledo Bend & other places. Guess I'm getting old. Still....there's something about that Tr20X that gets my heart racing! Chris, my honest opinion is that pretty much any of the major brands of bass boat built today is gonna be decent, some slightly more than others, but I don't know of anybody actually building a dog. Some will come with more standard bells & whistles, some of which I consider neccessary, but others might not. As I mentioned earlier, it might be more important to consider customer service and a company's rep as far as dealing with after the sale problems. And here is where I might actually get some flak, but I gotta say it.....nope, started to type it, but I decided I better not. Just do yourself a favor & go out on the net & check with lots of Nitro owners to see if the company, not the local dealers, but the company has treated them right. If you get lots of good feedback, then follow your heart. But, I strongly advise you thoroughly test drive every boat you are considering. Look closely at the little details and talk to actual owners, longtime owners if possible, not guys who are sponsored by the boat company & have an axe to grind. Best of luck, it will take months to wipe that grin off your face once you get your new boat in the water! Believe me, I know!

Marty

News:

Author Topic: Best Boat? (Read 7606 times)