IF you were to buy a glass boat.....

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fender66

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Are there any manufacturers that you would stay away from?

I've kind of been shopping around for a used Ranger or Champion (which seem to really hold a lot of value)...but there are lots of others that look good. This is a new world for me and I have a lot to learn before I make a decision.
 
my brother has had 3 pwt trail boats by ranger and he loves them, and from what i have seen of it think its far superior to others, id go ranger if given the option. good luck
 
My dad has owned 2 Rangers. He had a 1989 that he owned from 1992-1998. Then in the spring of 98 he sold it and bought a 1996. He still has the '96 and it is in great shape because it has been garaged kept all its life. If I were to ever buy a glass boat it would be a Ranger...because that's what I grew up with.


I have fished out of a few Tritons...good boats but I think they are overpriced.


I really think any boat made today is going to be a nice boat.
 
Do NOT buy a Galaxy. You find those mostly down in the Gulf coast states. They were put out of business because of catastrophic hull failures and insufficient floatation.

A lot of used Bumble Bee's have problems if they've been run much in rough waters. They're pretty lightly built.

Tunnel hull 80's and 90's vintage Stratos boats are a total PITA to get set up correctly. They usually porpoise like crazy at most any cruising speed below wide open unless you have a hydraulic jack plate and a good trim system.

Bomber boats had a really bad problem with water absorbing in the foam floatation and the transoms rotting out, but so did many other brands back in the 80's.
 
My uncle has a 19' Nitro and loves it and I think it is an amazing boat also. I fish with a guy with a 21' Ranger and it is the coolest boat ever. I have driven a new 20 or 21' Phoenix and they are really nice as well. I hear lots of great things about Champion's. I think you just need to find one that suits your needs. Personally I would not buy a lesser named boat. I would stick to Nitro, Champion, Ranger, bigger names.

On a side note, buy a new tin jet. You know you'll love it and that logo you created is going to go to waste. :D
 
On a side note, buy a new tin jet. You know you'll love it and that logo you created is going to go to waste. :D

Never said I'm going to get rid of my tin yet. Just trying out something different. Hopefully, I can dip my net in both worlds. [-o< [-o<
 
Some GOOD brands besides Ranger are Cajun or Ragin' Cajun. They're strongly built and very fast on plane. Skeeter's are excellent and have been around a LONG time. Allison's are FAST and usually well built. HydraSports are terrific boats and some were built with Kevlar hulls and epoxy resin. Gambler's are terrific, and high tech, if you can find one, but have some pretty fancy gadgets built into the hull that you need to make sure are working correctly. The V-hull Stratos boats are good. If you can find one that you can afford, one of the absolute best, strongest, and fastest bass boats built is the Bullet. They've been around a while and are a limited production boat and all of them are hand laid. Some have Kevlar hulls and I believe all of them have very high quality resins in them. But, buying a used Bullet or Allison (or any of the better bass boats, for that matter) is like buying a used Corvette, Mustang, or other muscle car, you need to make sure it hasn't been abused by some idiot speed freak.
 
Timeback....you sound like you know what you're talking about.

Thanks for the info. I'll keep all this in mind. I have no need to go real fast. What I'm looking for will "probably" have around a 150HP on it. That's plenty for me.
 
ranger and skeeter boats are heavy boats from what I've read/heard, make sure a 150 will push it fast enough for you. Allison craft & bullet boats are supposedly light and fast, but I have never been in either, again, comments heard or read.
 

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