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| Am starting to look for a new rig for next year. looking at a glass boat. i know the rangers and love them. i know the tuffys and they dont do it for me. not saying they are bad or anything. they just aren't for me. was wondering if anyone has any opinions regarding some other brands and models. procraft, warrior etc.. looking for something along the lines of a 690. this is going to be a family boat also so i need some floor space for kids and coolers. dont want them playing up on the decks, even though they always wear their lifevest. any info would be great. thanks |
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Posts: 13688
Location: minocqua, wi. | when my kids were younger (4 of them), i bought a boston whaler dauntless center console bay boat ... fantastic family boat and able to fish pretty will out of it. i moved from that to a ranger 200c center console bay boat and owned center consoles for 13 years when the kids were younger. skeeter, ranger, whaler, mako ... lots of brands to choose from. a really versatile family boating option you might reall like. |
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Posts: 313
Location: Bemidji, Lake Vermilion | Lund Fisherman GL's are very nice and exceedingly roomy for the family. |
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Posts: 646
Location: In a shack in the woods | Warriors are too deep for my liking and tuffy sit too high out of the water. Rangers are not the perfect boat IMO but they are the best in that class for musky fishing. I haven't been in a Lund or the triton version of a walleye boat but from what I've seen ranger is about the only option. |
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Posts: 1663
Location: Kodiak, AK | If I wasn't in a Ranger Bay (the 200C mentioned above) I'd be in a Bass Cat Bay Cat. I agree...center consoles are great boats for a multitude fo uses, families included. |
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Posts: 582
| Skeeter, Yar-craft.. |
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Posts: 13688
Location: minocqua, wi. | not sure how old your kids are but to me the wash-down decks of the center-consoles were great because kids experiences in the boat are going to include stuff that spills and drops. taking the pressure off of them and making it fun even with spills is important. when we went on the water the boat had special rules which was that regarding snacks and drinks ... there were no rules. it was a free-for-all until it was gone and made the boat a cool place to be for them.
shouldn't have left out the bass-cat ... they are fantastic boats!!
champion is another brand worth considering ...
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| the new Skeeter MX1825 is definitely worth checking out, especially if you're looking for something that's comparable to the Ranger 690.
a multi-species design with muskie fishing in mind, including rod lockers that'll hold up to 12' rods and a rear casting deck. it's family-friendly with a larger cockpit and removable carpet as well.
Edited by lambeau 8/9/2011 7:44 AM
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Posts: 13688
Location: minocqua, wi. | that is a beautiful layout!!!! |
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Posts: 437
| Those skeeters sure are nice looking boats. I am not a big fan of the rod or other storage in the side like that though. Sure you can get super long rods in there, but with seats in the boat its a PITA to get them out and people have to get out of the seats to remove them. In my experience anyway.
My Alumacraft Tournament Sport has gunnel storage on the top of the sides. The doors are on top. No one has to move around to get into them. This will hold any rod you can find, plus the center rod locker is nice for more frequently used stuff up to 8'.
If I were to get a new glass boat, it would likely be one of the new Skeeter MX series though. They appear to be very well thought out, with just the side storage issue I dont like.
Edited by Captain 8/9/2011 9:15 AM
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| while I do like the tuffys, i'm in the same boat as you. I've done a lot of looking around and saw this small line called Recon. If you google Recon you will come across them. the 985 has lots of similarities to the 619,620, 621 ranger line. rigged similarly, the Recon prices out at much less, quick glance looks like $15,000 less. two things i really like besides the price. 1) the 9' center rod locker 2) its lighter boat for the size. good luck with your search |
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Posts: 1040
| There are other glass boats besides Ranger?
I"m not impressed by the Skeeter layout. Front deck is a little too small for my liking. Personal preference I guess. |
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Location: Contrarian Island | that console sure seems pretty far forward in that skeeter....or maybe just the angle of the pic? what are the specs? max hp?
one could have a custom deck built up the left side so you could walk from front to back like 690s
Rangers are top of the line imo...everything else you get what you pay for
Edited by BNelson 8/9/2011 11:08 AM
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| this is going to be a family boat also so i need some floor space for kids and coolers. dont want them playing up on the decks, even though they always wear their lifevest. any info would be great. thanks
the original poster requested info on non-Ranger, non-Tuffy fiberglass boats that provide floorspace for kids and coolers, and he doesn't want the kids playing up on the casting decks.
boats are a study in compromises, like everything else. so while we can all argue endlessly about the "ultimate muskie boat", that doesn't necessarily respond to his request...
i think the Skeeter MX1825 is targeted as a multi-species rig so it has an extended cockpit which of course means reduced front deck footprint but gains a friendlier layout for walleye jigging, panfishing, or a playpen for the kids.
it was based on a fish-n-ski hull that was widened and lengthened, so that keeps it somewhat closer to the water which is appealing for muskie fishing.
the front deck with the dual consule is 70" long by 64" wide at the widest point. the single console frees up an extra 15" x 44" on the starboard side.
it's rated for a 200hp 2-stroke, or a 150hp 4-stroke.
an interesting "compromise" rig.
specs: http://www.skeetermultispeciesboats.com/models/detail/35/mx1825
Edited by lambeau 8/9/2011 12:34 PM
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Location: Contrarian Island | definitely a nice roomy layout for kids ...or fishing...much like a 690 layout ... woul really boogy w a 200 pro xs I bet... ; ) odd on the HP rating being different for 2 stroke vs 4 stroke? first time I've seen that...?
Edited by BNelson 8/9/2011 12:36 PM
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Posts: 238
Location: Rhinelander | BNelson - 8/9/2011 12:34 PM
definitely a nice roomy layout for kids ...or fishing...much like a 690 layout ... woul really boogy w a 200 pro xs I bet... ; ) odd on the HP rating being different for 2 stroke vs 4 stroke? first time I've seen that...?
Weight issue.
I looked at one......not for my style of fishing. The boat is rumored to move out well with a 150 yamaha 4-stroke. |
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Posts: 437
| BNelson - 8/9/2011 12:34 PM
definitely a nice roomy layout for kids ...or fishing...much like a 690 layout ... woul really boogy w a 200 pro xs I bet... ; ) odd on the HP rating being different for 2 stroke vs 4 stroke? first time I've seen that...?
Ive never seen that before either. I didnt find it specify that on the site, just says max HP 200, while the picture shows a 150 4 stroke. ???
I really do like the new Skeeter MX line of boats. They look like an excellent balance between fishing and family cruising. I cannot tell from the model shown above, but I know one if not all of the MX series has jump seats in the back. That is really nice for those sunset cruises and putting all the family in there.
Edited by Captain 8/9/2011 12:52 PM
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Location: Des Moines IA | skeeter pretty much said they didn't want to hang a motor that weighs more than 450 pounds on the MX1825 is what I've read on the web so far. That's why they have 2 different HP ratings. |
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Location: Contrarian Island | a 200 verado and 200 opti are within 5 lbs claimed dry weight... merc 200 opti is 505.... Etec 200 is a touch over 500 too.... 175 suzi weighs in at 485... their ratings are wacked.
ahhh yah, if they are only going to rig w Yammy I get it... yammy 4 stroke 150 is 476 but 200 4 stroke is over 100 lbs more
Edited by BNelson 8/9/2011 1:03 PM
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Location: Des Moines IA | Skeeter's are typically rigged with Yamahas, I'm looking for the exact info again right now, can't seem to find it though ...... |
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Location: Contrarian Island | unless the consumer wants a different brand/motor... then I suppose it could cost them some sales... |
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Location: Des Moines IA | "The Yamaha 4 stroke 200 will be too heavy for the MX1825, but is available for purchase on the WX1900. Engineers have submitted their detailed performance test specifications for the Yamaha 2 stroke Z200 HPDI, 4 Stroke F150 and Four Stroke F115. Skeeter has not finalized which motors will be offered."
That's all Ic an find, I swear I read somewhere 450 pounds was the motor weight limit for this rig. |
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Location: Contrarian Island | 150 yammy and 200 HPDI are over 450...so that doesn't work |
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Location: Des Moines IA | I guess it's 475 pounds .... Still can't find that exact quote I saw before. |
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Location: Des Moines IA | Found it ..... It was 475 pounds .....
http://www.walleyecentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=180272 |
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Posts: 13688
Location: minocqua, wi. | Nelson ... you need to have some kids! |
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Posts: 21
Location: Wayzata, MN | LOTS AND LOTS of choices.....
Ranger
Skeeter (owned by Yamaha)
Yar-Craft
Triton (owned by same company that owns Ranger)
Warrior (no longer in business, but coming back - so used only)
Lund
Recon (Wisconsin based)
FinCraft
Nitro (owned by Tracker)
Stratos (owned by same company that owns Ranger)
Tuffy (Wisconsin based) |
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Posts: 437
| BNelson - 8/9/2011 1:11 PM
unless the consumer wants a different brand/motor... then I suppose it could cost them some sales... It hurt Crestliner by only offering Mercury. They still sell a number of boats, but during this timeframe Alumacraft really took off in sales. May not have solely been because of motor choices. |
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| thanks for all the info guys. definetly have some more stuff to check on. the kids are 2 and 5 so floor space is a premium. i would rather sacrifice front deck space for floor space. not like i'm running laps up there or anything. and i can always have bob build me a box to extend the front for when they join on the deck. thanks again guys. |
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| Just a few questions or subjects that were mentioned that I could clear up for some guys.
Yes skeeter is owned by Yamaha. Therefore there ratings and such are based off the yamaha motor specs in mind. Being the USCG rating is 200, that means you can put any 200hp motor on there. From my understanding talking with the people at skeeter and at yamaha is the skeeter will not send a boat out of the factory with a 200 4stroke on it because of the weight and performance concerns. It will handle it by all means but its not recomended. You can order a boat with out a motor and put whatever you would like on there.
I saw jump seats mentioned also. The MX does not have jumpseats in it. The livewell is all the way across the rear deck 50" to be exact therefore jumpseats were not an option. They do come standard on all WX series Skeeters though.
As far as rod storage. There is 2 rod storage locations. You have the center rod storage that will hold up to 8' rods and has 2 levels to it so your reals wont hit eachother and it also has the side rod holster that will hold at least 6 rods up to 13' with baitcasting or linecounter reels.
As far as the side storage. The port side storage is where the rod holster is and that has a double hinged door that can be opened with no problem with people in the seats. The starboard side storage is 2 seperate doors and can also be opened fully with people in the seats.
Just a few other points of interest to consider that were mentioned by fishermen while designing this boat.
The beam on this boat is 97" I dont recall of the top of my head what the beam at the water line is but I do know for a fact that it is 2" wider at the water line than skeeters biggest wx boat which is the WX 2100. The extra width at the water line gives it great stability.
Like mentioned earlier, the rear livewell is 50" long and has 2 doors to access it with. It is also tappered at the bottom to make sure all the water drains out at the end of the day. It also has a front baitwell in front of the drivers side console.
Storage shelves under each console to store any extra clothes or gear you may readily need, including life jackets and a throwable.
There are many other little features that us as fisherman like and think of that would mostly never cross the minds of an engeriner that skeeter put into this boat.
If anybody has any other questions please feel free to post and I will do the best I can to help answer them.
Thanks,
Eric
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