Bass Fishing Forum - Westernbass.com

Hello all. New to the forum here. Hopping to get some input on a boat I have in question. I currently have a 2012 Xpress XP180 with a 90 Yamaha fourstroke. Boat is the camo edition. It’s been a great boat and love it however the family is growing well has grown and is growing more and really need bigger. I have a guy wanting to trade me a 98 Nitro Z9 911 CDC with a 225 Merc opti pro xs with about 100 or so hours on it. I have owned many boats and rode in a bunch as well. But never a nitro. Let alone this CDC concept. Boat appears to have been extremely well taken care of and very clean. Does anyone own or have owned one and can give me some input?

Your fuel/oil costs will go up about 4X. The value of each rig is probably about the same currently but I would expect the Nitro to depreciate at a faster rate then your Xpress in the future. You're probably aware of these things.
You will probably get more info at Bassboatcentral under the Nitro forums.

You have a 20+ year old Merc 225 with 100 hrs ? (assuming it is a '98 also )
Any service records ?
How long has this boat been sitting around ?
Condition of fuel,oil, fuel lines, filters, lower unit oil+impeller, etc.......
This is going to become a very lousy trade if you have to re-power the Nitro with a new outboard.

If you get serious about the trade I highly recommend having the Nitro checked out by a reputable mechanic both boat and motor.

I agree with MichaelB! A poet and I didn't know it!! Outboards - of all engines - are designed to run, not sit. A hundred hours in 20 years equals a lot of sitting! DO have it carefully checked out before you buy!!

Since you stated it has an Optimax Pro XS that makes me think it is a replacement engine, not the original. I agree with the others about having a trusted mechanic give the boat and motor a once over. It is worth the cost of an hours shop labor. Be sure to have them check all the plumbing and wiring, the compartment lids and hinges also the trailer including brakes and hubs. Those things are all expensive to repair. You don't mention trolling motor or electronics, or battery condition. Those are also important considerations

Sorry guys. The motor is a 2008 pro xs 250. Has all new batteries and ungraded 36volt minn Kota. Hydro jack plate.

Don't forget about towing going from an xp to a 20' nitro lot heavier can you vehicle handle the load ?? 4 cy to an opti fuel/oil goes up.

Towing not a problem. My Cummins will do just fine. Lol. Yes little more cost to run it compared to the 90 but I’ve been there before. Thanks for all yalls advice and please keep it coming!

Rickybobby1 wrote:Sorry guys. The motor is a 2008 pro xs 250. Has all new batteries and ungraded 36volt minn Kota. Hydro jack plate.

So a 2008 with 100 hrs is 10+ yrs old ..... thats still a concern at 10 hrs a year average, boat has been sitting idle for long stretches..... get the outboard looked at. Could be a great deal ! How did it go from a 225 to a 250 ?

100 hrs is not sitting around. My nitro is 3 years old and I only have 26 hrs. I fish 8 to 10 tournaments a year. If your mostly running lakes the hours will be low.

I have a 110 hrs on my one year old Evinrude.

watch nitros I have heard of a lot of issues with them in general. not saying its a bad deal but maybe look at a champ or ranger. I drove them all before I bought my first boat. Scott

I've ridden in a CDC in a BASS tournament and it fished ok, not much different than a regular set up. It did seem like the "cockpit" felt tight to me, and handling the fish seemed was a bit awkward. May have been because it was new to me. I suggest you go for a ride in it before you buy it. Also, have the motor checked for actual hrs, and a compression test done. If you do but it, change the impeller and new plugs. If it's been setting a lot, those will need done as a precaution no matter what !!

Are you selling the Xpress? If so I'm interested.

Freefall wrote:Are you selling the Xpress? If so I'm interested.

Yes it’s still for sale as of right now