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| I am hoping someone can give me some pointers on this particular boat/motor. I am looking at buying a 1999 Triton TR21 with a 225 Optimax on it. I am not familar with these boats but want to upgrade from our current boat. If anyone has one or is familar with this model I would really appreciate your input. Looking mainly for:
-Good ride in 2-3 ft waves
-Stability in fishing in 2-3 footers
-21 ft fiberglass boat
-rod storage of 9 ft rods
-price range under 20k
Thanks VERY much,
Niel |
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Posts: 2089
| Do you fish any big water? Bass boats run great ON TOP of 2-3' waves, but you'll eventually have to stop and start fishing. I ran a Z-21 Ranger for a few days this season and really loved many of the features found on/in bass boats, but it was HORRIBLE fishing in 3' waves. Every wave came over the bow or sides. A very wet couple days. If I didn't fish the Big Puddle, I would seriously consider a bass boat. Tritons are great boats as well. Good luck with your decision/investment. Steve |
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| Thanks Steve for the response. I fish many lakes in IL and IN but my favorite lake is Cass. Cass can get a little rough at times. What are your thoughts on a Bass Boat for Cass Lake? Thanks again! |
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Posts: 45
Location: Brooklyn Park | I will agree with steve that this boat is fine on some smaller waters or large water with good weather but any wave size and you will be getting bounced all over the place. You may want to look at the walleye series tritons for larger water.
Brian Maxey |
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Posts: 2384
Location: On the X that marks the mucky spot | I run a 21'er and don't have too much of a problem. You should be fine on all but the worst days on Cass and on those days you probably don't be comfortable in any boat short of 25'. I wouldn't want to go less then 21' as length is often times the reason you get a good ride moreso then the height of the sides.
On thing about the Triton's of that era is that many were prone to stress cracks. Go over this one with a fine toothed comb. I know they fixed that sometime in the not too distant past, but give it a good once over anyway.
This is a fast boat that takes some skill to get the most out of. I don't know if you've had seat time in a bass boat before, but it's not like driving a dummy boat (aluminum or glass walleye rigs). You can't just put the hammer down and go. You have to learn to drive it and pay attention to what you're doing. That being said the payback is the ability to do mid 70's in that rig.
Do yourself a favor and have the motor plugged into a computer at a dealer. That'll tell how the engine was driven. I'd also get a mfg date on it as well. The big block opti's had a lot of problems in the 2000-01 model years. If the engine's got a fair amount of hours on it you're probably all right as the bad ones blew quick. In fact the 99 didn't meet the 06 standard if I remember right (probably why they worked).
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Posts: 719
| You will be storing 9 footers ON the deck, you will have a decent ride on top of 2-3 footers, going idle speeds into big rollers you will take some over the bow, fishability will be good but it is a narrower hull and will roll a bit side to side in big waves, it will be fast....... see above. Overall 21 ft size bass boats make a decent muskie rig, you will suffer a bit when it kicks up on big water but only bad judgement combined with bad driving would actually make it unsafe. You can insert dividers into the rear compartments for lure storage as the big boxes fit NOWHERE. Hope this helps. |
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Location: Minneapolis, MN | Niel:
I had a 2000 TR19 and loved it. Bass boats make great fishing platforms on small lakes but in big water they SUCK! Don't listen to Kellett, none of us will get in his boat when its blowing. He darn near killed us once this year when he speared a wave. I guess that's the difference between youth and experience...LOL He is right about learning to "drive" the boat. The first generation Toon's like to chinewalk at high speeds and take some time in the seat to learn but if you don't need to go 70, they don't walk too much at 70-80%.
Seriously, if you are only going to Cass a couple times per year, you'll probably enjoy the boat the majority of your time on the Chain, etc. If you have any aspirations of trolling at all, a big block Opti is not a great idea. You may want to get a boat that can take a kicker if that's your plan.
Regarding stress cracks, mostly on the bass boats they were only cosmetic gel cracks. The most common places were in front of the consoles. Open the storage lockers and look in the corner of the lid edge.
If you end up buying the boat and it doesn't already have a SmartCraft guage, I would highly recommend adding it for approximately $200. Otpi's need to be warmed up before you put the hammer down and the only way to know for sure it is over 120f is to see it on the guage. They take longer than you would think to heat up in cold water.
Edited by Luke_Chinewalker 10/25/2007 10:56 PM
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| Thanks guys!
Joe, give me a call at 708-479-4489 |
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Posts: 2378
| Luke_Chinewalker - 10/25/2007 10:52 PM
Don't listen to Kellett, none of us will get in his boat when its blowing. He darn near killed us once this year when he speared a wave. I guess that's the difference between youth and experience...LOL He is right about learning to "drive" the boat.
#*^@ right!
I like to give Treats the benefit of the doubt that he knows how to drive his boat, and I was BEAT TO DEATH (not to mention soaked to the gills) in some water that I think I would have been more comfortable in my boat.
Nothing against the boat, just not my cup of tea in even semi-rough water. |
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