Posts: 1936
Location: Eau Claire, WI | I had a 96 it was a great boat, I bought it from a guy who was a tournament walleye angler and he used his livewells a lot. No issues with the through-hull discharge ports. However: I can see if there was any boat with that style port having water seepage issues if indeed the seal on the fitting was bad. The guy that had my old boat ran it hard but he took very good care of it and I ran it for three seasons including in some ugly-rough water in MN, I had one spot of minor crazing on the hull that is directly porportional to where the front deck started. Suspect this was from running with a full 44 gals of fuel and taking some rough water at an angle but it was not through the clear-coat. My 96 had Sea Star Hydraulic steering and a single axle trailer. I used to plug my livewell and use it for storage, worked great and hyper-dry.
Here's the thing I don't get about people being hung up on single axle trailers with the 690/2's. Ranger today is putting both the 1850 Reatta and 1860 Angler on single axle trailers. Both of those models are wider and heavier than the 690 series, yet it is currently accepted without question because people trust what Ranger puts on the market. Those I've talked to with the 1860's say they tow just fine...so it should be logical that a 690 on single axle shouldn't be an issue.
What amazes me to this day is that with all the positive feedback on this style layout, no one is currently making that layout any longer. 690's gone for 9- years+, 618VS gone, older Tuffy series gone. Yet the used ones get scarfed up like candy if they are clean and not priced rediculously and a lot of guys are re-powering them with newer motors and keeping them. I wish I had a dollar for every person I've heard say, "I wish "R" would put a consol in their 618 tiller or the comment that "the 690/2 was the best boat they ever built".
I am leaning heavy toward purchasing a new Tuffy X 190, but the economy has my wife and I both a little concerned about dropping that kind of money on a boat right now. If we choose to stay conservatively from a financial sense I wouldn't hesitate for a minute to run another 690 from 96 or newer model years. If they are in good condition and taken care of they will treat you well and have decent resale value.
Edited by Mark H. 3/12/2009 5:47 PM
|
