Uncertainty at Ranger boats

[wareaglecamo]

very nice . . . looks exceptionally clean . . . I assume it's a '96?

[96 CHAMP]

yes sir & good luck in your search for a boat

[fishinwrench]

2 hours ago, wareaglecamo said:

fishinwrench . . . I have never owned a modern-day fiberglass bb . . . hopefully, I will be purchasing my first one in Spring . . . I haven't yet determned whether it will be new or used . . . it will be between 18 and 20 ft (single axle trailer) . . . with your experience, I feel like this is an opportunity for me to ask you for some general advice . . . I would like to ask you for your "top 3" picks based upon your personal experience and hands-on contact and repair of various manufacturers' product lines . . . your advice would be very much appreciated:-)

I can't really list a top 3, or if I did it would just be a personal preference thing.  IMO no other boat drives through rough water as well as a Champion, and no other boat sits down and fishes as well as a Ranger.   Bass Cat strikes me as a happy medium.  

As for outboards, definitely Evinrude 1st but not just ANY Evinrude (the 60° Eagle series pretty much suck).   Yamaha Pro max 2nd, and Merc straight EFI 3rd.  

I'm not concerned one bit about fuel economy or quietness.  I want an outboard thats design has withstood the test of time and is reasonably easy to maintain, easy to diagnose issues, and cost-effective to repair. 

[wareaglecamo]

thanks fishinwrench . . . to me that is some very valuable input and much appreciated

[176champion]

I bought a 1989 176(17'6") dual console fish & ski Champion with a 2.0 litre 135 Merc on the back....i should say i rescued a Champion...Had to put a transom in it, which i did the pour in transom seacast...and lots of elbow grease as it sat outside for 2 years uncovered, it was oxidized bad and have fluffed and buffed many times....overall its a solid boat , but still needs carpet and seats and need to rebuild drain valves and over flow valve....would i buy another champ..yes i would...and there is a lot of nice Champions out there for sale. If you see a Gold colored Ford ranger 4x4 supercab pickup at the boat ramp with a champion trailer on it thats me.

 

 

[wareaglecamo]

176champion . . . looks like you had the expertise to bring her back to life . . . nice job . . . after fishinwrench's comments, I went to BoatTrader and found a number of Champions that look like they would be worth looking into . . . I especially like the mention of their ability to handle rough water

 

 

[176champion]

Bass Boat Central has quite a few champions for sale..but i think the site is still down..then facebook has a Champion boat owners group also couple on there for sale. The bigger champs handle rough water pretty well from i understand my little on doesnt do bad for what it is handles lite chop really well..my little champ will run 56 with 2 guys 24 gallons of fuel and rear live well full once i get my setup right she should run in the lower 60's.

[Mitch f]

15 hours ago, fishinwrench said:

  IMO no other boat drives through rough water as well as a Champion, and no other boat sits down and fishes as well as a Ranger.   Bass Cat strikes me as a happy medium.  

I think Wrench brings up a good point. There are 2 aspects: Do you want best performance while ripping thru the water at 60 mph or more? Or do you want the most fishable boat?

On a related note:

IMHO, I wish we didn't have to make the tourney guys think they need to go 80 mph to compete. I've seen these guys pull up to a point and basically skid to a stop, throw the trolling motor down and start hurling blades while the boat was still shaking. Seems to always happen when they know someone's watching. I hope I never get to that point in my fishing. 

[Champ188]

14 minutes ago, Mitch f said:

 I've seen these guys pull up to a point and basically skid to a stop, throw the trolling motor down and start hurling blades while the boat was still shaking. Seems to always happen when they know someone's watching. I hope I never get to that point in my fishing. 

You nailed a point there I've been trying to make for a very long time. I fished tournaments on lots of levels for decades and still do occasionally. There are those out there to compete and others out there to be seen, and rarely do the twain meet. Usually, the ones out there to be seen end up standing in a group of their cronies at the weigh-in, toeing the gravel, blow-holing about the latest $1,000 they've spent on their rigs and watching the real fishermen (same group every time) pick up their checks. Pretty comical, actually.

[Cindyjo]

Flysmallie, you are 100% correct.  Done that many times myself.  Those are hard decisions and necessary ones.  People should not automatically say quality will suffer.  I have seen numerous occasions where the quality improved.  In fact the quality had to improve or more changes would occur.  Those who left Ranger were probably offered a nice package. Those who stay will see change.  Everyone one has a choice to buy the product or choose a different brand.  I have a Ranger boat.  In the first 6 months the trailer axle broke away from the frame due to poor welding.  Then many of the rubber components started rotting and had to be replaced.  The windshield screw inserts began to break.  Yes, ranger did stand behind their warranty, but what a hassle.  Frankly, I dont know why Bass Pro would own and operate 3? different boat companies.