Posts: 13688
Location: minocqua, wi. | the "c" models had a sharper/deeper nose in the front and were great for big water (mine is the last year of the 690c before they changed the hull to the "vs" style) mine is a bit slower, but fantastic in rough water. the 680's were the narrower beam and power-rated a bit lighter (i think 115hp max for the console?). anyway, there's a guy in town here with a mint one that's re-powered with an e-tec and they are fantastic-looking boats and would be great for wisconsin waters (tiller or console).
i've seen the tiller models outfitted often with OMC 90's which are solid, dependable motors. if you got the console, i'm guessing you might want to re-power at some point in the future but it would be a great boat to have especially for storage. i think you can pick from merc or evinrude for the re-power in the future but hopefully you could get something that runs well off the bat.
if you can get it for the right number, it's a great boat and i personally think would be better to have than any of the new tin boats out there. try to estimate your total project cost vs. the alternative and that should help you figure out what a value it is to you especially if you choose to re-power.
if you can get the vin number you can call ranger and they'll be able to help you out with anything you want to know too.
the other option is using it as a bridge to another one down the line ... get it, use it and do the typical stuff to make it good ... then you can look patiently for another one (if you are looking for a 690 as an example). you know you own something other people want so won't have to worry about selling it if something better comes along. this is how i got my 690 ... i had a tuffy esox magnum ... the 690 came and i bought it right away, then sold the tuffy in 2 weeks (another boat you can sell really fast ... people like em!). knowing you've got what everyone wants is a good place to be when owning a boat.
if you do choose to re-power you really need to love it because now numbers start to catch up with you. it's the best thing to do if you plan to keep it a long time or if it's a size that you can take into another boat if there is something else you like more than what you've got, otherwise now you have the highest price old boat on the market and someone buying it will have to come up with more jingle to make the deal. it's a smaller market, but it's still there ... |
