Bass Fishing Forum - Westernbass.com

I used to own a Skeeter I am thinking about a aluminum one this time looking at Xpress,Ranger does anybody have any experience with these????? any thin would help.

The old Ranger group introduced a new aluminum and fiberglass boat called Vexus, check those.
Xpress make a step aluminum hull X Pro that is top quality, all the others are basically the same.
Tom

Go to www.bassboatcentral.com
On there home page too the left of the page you'll see a row of forums scroll down to
MFG Link it has all the brand name boats still being manufactured. They show each company and specs. On boat they have

Are you talking new or used? If used pay someone reputable to check it out so there are no surprises.

I have a tracker 175. They are nice and the price for new ones isn’t as hard to sell to the wife as the new fiberglass boats lol. If I was buying a new boat again I would still go alum but I would look at the next size up. The next size up gives more storage, can have a bigger motor and rides better in rough water. I had my 175 on Berryessa when it was blowing and it got a little uneasy for me. I won’t make that mistake again. My 175 has a 60hp on it with a top speed of 33 loaded down with all my gear, which is fine for fun fishing. When I try to fish some smaller tourneys the speed becomes an issue when even if you are first off you get passed by boats doing 50-60. It forced me to fish tourneys different, I had to plan starting spot closer to launch cause if I went far I had no chance of getting there before anyone.

All in all alum boats are nice Bass boats. You will have to upgrade graphs and trolling motor but that’s pretty standard. I know the ranger alum boats are nice as well, I ha ent seen the vexus or triton makes an alum boat as well.

I currently have a Ranger RT178 (17' 8"), and let me start off by saying that the Ranger is NOT anything like a Tracker, even though both are owned by Johnny Morris. To start, the Ranger has a 92" beam as opposed to the Tracker's 89". Three inches may not seem like a lot, but it makes a world of Difference in the stability and ride. Storage is adequate, not overly generous but still better than Tracker. Three dry boxes, one behind each seat and one forward of the console; a lockable center compartment; a rod locker that will accommodate 8' rods, and a good amount of them too (I currently have about a dozen in mine, and I'm sure I could stuff a couple more in there); and a decent-sized livewell. There is also under-seat storage almost the full width of the boat, and a small "catch-all" compartment under the front deck step-up. You may also want to look at the RT188 (another foot in length over the 178) with a different storage layout. My Ranger handles light to moderate winds (15 mph or less) fairly well but anything over that is a little uncomfortable. And (lesson learned) anything over 20 I will just stay home. The front and rear decks are OK, but the front one can get a little cramped with six or eight rods and a seat. Mine also came with a 70 lb thrust Minn Kota trolling motor with a recessed foot pedal. Ranger also makes the RT198P (the "P" stands for pad hull, as opposed to the mod-V hull in the 178 & 188). Power ratings are 75 hp for the 178, 115 for the 188, and 150 for the 198. And the fit and finish of the Ranger is far and above that of the Tracker.

As mentioned, the new Vexus boats are built by a company headed up by former Ranger execs, designers and engineers, as well as a lot of former production workers that came over from Ranger, so they should be top-notch. And I don't think that their prices are that much out of line compared to Ranger. You may also want to look at the Triton aluminums, they are built in the same plant as the Rangers. Lowe and G3 also make aluminum bass boats, but I don't have any first-hand experience or knowledge about those. I have also ridden in, and fished out of, a couple of Xpress boats. They ride almost as good as my Ranger, but seem to be a bit more noisy (less foam maybe?)

The only other thing I can say is, make a "wish list", do your due diligence comparison shopping, and get the boat that YOU like. (Oh, and get a test ride, if possible)

If your goal is tournament bass fishing you need a 19' minimum length to have enough deck room and 200 hp OB to be competitive on larger size lakes.
If you are considering a used bass boat for personal use then I would suggest boats with low engine hours and garaged, lots of choices available.
I may sell my 2005 Triton TR 175 w/115 Optimax, 52 hours and garaged in perfect condition. My son has stage 4 renal cancer and my focus is trying to save him.
Tom

Whatever you choose try to avoid the temptation of under powering your boat to save money. If it’s rated for 115 don’t buy a 90, etc......I’ve never known anyone that underpowered their boat being satisfied in the end.

Amen to that Monte300