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Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | Hull material and manufacturing quality will dictate a good boat. In aluminum, there's Lund, Crestliner, and Alumacraft and Tracker Marine leading the pack in multi-specie rides. In glass there's Lund, Ranger, Skeeter, Tuffy, and Yar Craft.
If buying used, the Champion Fish Hunter series were really well done. Nitro is introducing a new multi-specie glass rig soon. All are very well built boats, each targeted at a specific market segment, that will give you years of service and retain a high percentage of the original value over a decade or more of ownership.
If you go glass, you can spend $78,000.00 or more on a fully rigged 21' multi-specie Deep V and easily spend $50,000.00 on a 19' class rig. Check pricing, motor options, big and small water performance, and most importantly, the interior design and layout and options that make the boat a good craft from which to fish Muskies.
When buying used, look at new pricing, compare electronics and accessories, and look at the asking price. If the rig is in really good shape, and the layout is what you want, and the brand is one of the above, and the price is correct for the age or a really good deal, buy the rig.
There is a common misconception that certain brands hold value better than others. Look at retail new pricing, and boats 5 years old or more asking prices, and you will discover the percentage of retained value is quite comparable between all the brands listed above. |