So I've narrowed it down to 3 boats. 18-20', whichever fits in my garage. Either new or used, doesn't matter. Ranger's rt series, Crestliner pt series, or xpress. Anybody have any experience with these? What are your guys opinions? Thanks!
My dad has an rt 188 with 115 Merc. Awesome platform huge front and rear decks and will scoot. Two guys with tournament loads we will run mid 40s comfortably . He pushes 50 by himself
I have a 2017 RT198P/150 Merc 4 Stroke/Minn Kota Fortrex 80lb with the Fishing Package. I studied and studied and compared between Tracker/Lund/Ranger. I owned two fiberglass Nitro's and had fished out of a Tracker. So, it became a matter of what features mattered to me the most. For me, I wanted a HUGE casting deck, I also wanted LOTS of storage, I wanted quality and value because you never know when you might want to sell. I watched tons of YouTube videos, searched dealer websites and read reviews, compared prices, etc. I physically went and looked at each of the boats and talked to the dealers. I found what I was looking for in the Ranger. In my opinion, the appearance quality (materials) is better than the Tracker. The Ranger floats level whereas the Tracker doesn't appear to, it tends to sit low in the rear then on an upward angle towards the front. Go look at pics for yourself. I didn't want to fish on a hill. I loved the Lund. Seriously. I just didn't like the way they priced their accessories and additions. SUPER nice boats with a fantastic reputation with TONS of storage. I nearly went with the Lund. Not to seem as though I'm dogging the Tracker because I have always been a big fan, BUT I didn't like the quality of the trailer vs. the Ranger and Lund. Your boat spends the majority of its life on the trailer. Okay back to the boats. Tracker uses a plastic console and kinda cheap looking carpet. Even my Nitro carpet didn't hold up well. The Ranger, for me, had the layout, deck size, customization, brand reputation and value I was looking for. The Ranger offered a "Fishing Package" which included SEVERAL upgrades that I would've wanted anyway. Things that I added to my package were a passenger console and an upgraded trolling motor. My Merc came with a 5 yr warranty. If I had it to do all over I should've selected the Minn Kota Ultrex 80 with Spot Lock and a fish finder for the deck. I was trying to stay within a certain price range. In hindsight, and experience on the water, I should've added both. The Ranger fishes and rides awesome. I love the rod box which is configured for extra tackle storage. You'd swear you were in a fiberglass boat. Solid, fast and handles predictably even in rough water. If you have more questions please ask.
Do you store your ranger in a garage? If so how big is the garage? I'm trying to see if a 198 will fit in mine. How do you like the mercury 150 four stroke? Break in? Maintenance costs first year? What about winterizing? Thanks and sorry for all the questions
Thanks everyone for the input! I think it'll really come down to the ranger or crestliner. Xpress is a nice boat but dealer not close enough. I'm leaning towards the ranger with vic being just around the corner. Lund are nice but just too pricey optioned the way I want. Trackers are OK, not the quality of the others imo and Resale is not there either I don't think.
I'll have to chime in good positive thoughts about Knox marina. Only, I dealt with Corby. I can assure you that either or all will bend over backwards to accommodate you. Was at Vic's once, and I was treated ok.
first time I ever heard a low word about vic,s been dealing there 20yrs never not one time have I ever been treated bad, the guys always are right there to help you. and there prices were fair. even down some free work for me .
When you personally know more than one person that has dropped 65k or over on a brand new glass rig and after they get the boat have to fight tooth and nail to get any service.... Well I'll leave it at that. You deal with Steve or Corby at knox and you WILL be taken care of. It's worth the two hour drive from the Akron Canton area
Been there a few times....and I'll leave it at that.
It's oddly difficult to find/buy a Crestliner in Ohio.
I just ordered a Fish Hawk 1750 WT w/115 Merc....from The Boat Place in Rockville, IN. They have a good sale going on if you want to check them out: http://www.boats.com/power-boats/2017-crestliner-1750-fish-hawk-wt-5932889/#.Wl96vcvmpjp
BTW: I always thought I had a decent size garage. But even with a swing tongue trailer, I still need 20.5 feet of length....and am tighter than I'd like to be.
I bought my Ranger through Cabelas in West Chester OH. Great folks, friendly, knew the product. However, I was given the royal runaround when it came to registering the boat. Won't bore you with details, but I was REALLY disappointed with the lack of knowledge in regards to the process. Every time I talked to someone, they gave me a different answer. Additionally, as a promo deal, I was supposed to receive $100 towards Ranger merchandise if I purchased during the 17' calendar year. Never did get it. I contacted Cabelas just like the Ranger site said ("ask your dealer") and they said Ranger would send it. In general, I was disappointed with the sales experience because they should know the manufacturer promo deals and help the customer. I just gave up because I got nowhere with them. The service department seemed top notch. So if you see me out on the water, I'll be the guy WITHOUT a Ranger hoodie, jacket or hat. LOL
My 2 cents on Knox Marine. Last spring I bought a used Triton tr186 from Corby. Had 1 issue with it. I talked to Mike in service and he was more than fair in taking care of the issue. This spring I'm adding 2 helix 9 SI's and will be taking it there to have them installed. Oh yeah it's 2 hours each way.
Do you store your ranger in a garage? If so how big is the garage? I'm trying to see if a 198 will fit in mine. How do you like the mercury 150 four stroke? Break in? Maintenance costs first year? What about winterizing? Thanks and sorry for all the questions
Apologize for the delayed response. I love the 150 Merc. Super quiet and plenty of power. This boat handles moderate chop very well, so the 150 is perfect and the length of the hull make for a nice ride. Going off of memory, the break in period was about 20 hrs. I don't have the owners manual in front of me so I apologize for not being specific but they advise not getting the motor over a certain rpm for a certain amount of time. When I first got the boat, I would just take it to the lake and run it around and not even fish. I'd just run it per the break in instructions just to get my break-in hrs. Plus it just let me become familiar with the boat in general. Maintenance costs is difficult to answer since I got the boat in June of last year, so I only used it until early October. I plan to do my own oil change since it's very similar to a car in that you have a screw on oil filter and an oil drain plug. Seems very easy/straight forward. My Mercury came with a 5 year warranty. I believe that promo is still going on. I looked at the same boat with a Yamaha but went with the Mercury due to the better warranty. I can't foot stomp this advice enough. Upgrade to the Minn Kota Ultrex with Spot Lock. Like I said in a previous post I upgraded to the Fortex which is fantastic trolling motor but I would've loved to have had the capability to have GPS lock me on a spot. It may be over what you were considering paying for your boat package, but if you did it, you would have no regrets and be thankful you spent the extra. I wish someone would've given me this advice. Highly recommend the passenger console. Very functional (blocks wind, grab handle, glove box) and looks great.
Do you store your ranger in a garage? If so how big is the garage? I'm trying to see if a 198 will fit in mine. How do you like the mercury 150 four stroke? Break in? Maintenance costs first year? What about winterizing? Thanks and sorry for all the questions
Beautiful boat!!! Thank you for your help. Curious, how big is your garage, mine is 23' long and the door is 106"wide
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