Looking at 3 models, any advice?

[Scaram4]

Looking at 3 different models for my 1st fiberglass fishing boat. Looking at the Skeeter SX 180 (115 Yamaha), the Stratos 186XT (90/115 Evrinrude) and the Nitro Z7 (150 Mercury). I do not fish tourneys looking for the most room, stability, quality. I was leaning towards the Nitro but after reading another thread just today I am a little worried about the quality and customer service. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks!

[OutdoorFrontiers]

The way I see it, you have really only two choices. I wouldn't buy a Nitro. I've heard of too many problems with the boats, AND with customer service from Nitro/Tracker to consider buying one. I know one guy that had his motor laying on the ramp when pulling the boat out of the water! The transom completely broke away! :mad: The stringers had separated as well, and he had to file an insurance claim after Nitro said the problem wasn't in the boat design or construction!!! :wallbash:

So, between the Skeeter and the Stratos, I'd go with the Stratos. You're getting a bigger boat and it appears to have a pretty decent interior layout. To a certain degree, a longer keel is going to give you a better ride in rough water.

With either boat, make sure you can power it with an outboard that is as close to the maximum rating as possible. Yes, it will add cost to the package, but it will be far less costly to power the boat properly up front than to re-power the boat later. You want NOTHING LESS than an outboard that is 20% of the maximum rated power.

While you're doing research on the boats, equally important is research on the dealers too. The joy of having a new boat goes away REAL FAST when you have a problem (and you will) and the dealer isn't doing what he said while you were writing the check! My guide service partner and I made a two boat purchase (both new) and the dealer promised us the sun and the moon (quite sincerely too I might add) as we were negotiating the deal. As soon as the ink was dry on the check, his whole attitude changed and promises were immediately forgotten!!!

So, as important as the quality of the boat, equally so is the quality of the dealer.

The thing to do is to check out both boats and see which one works best for YOU. You're the one making the payments. If at all possible, test drive them both too. And if a dealer refuses to let you test drive the boat, tell him to kiss of and go look somewhere else.

Steve

[Scaram4]

Thanks Steve! I am really bummed thought the nitro was the one for me because of its width but the more I read the more I am worried about buying it.
-Aram

[OutdoorFrontiers]

Yeah, Nitro packages the boats well, but it wouldn't be my choice of boats.

Steve

[Aussie]

Scaram4 have looked at any basscat's...?There boat's are all of what you described and there after sales is excellent,have a look on there web site it's worth the look..!!!
Happy hunting...!!!:cheers:

[lilmule]

As an entry level bassboat cost wise and use wise while other brands might be better cost more, the stratos is hard to beat,with the skeeter coming in second,think ten years ago the skeeter would have been my first choice.
Nitro would be the worst choice in my opinion,other than the pkging and ease of availability its a no brainer great sales -poor boat in comparison

[fats95]

Everyone has their own options, I'm on my second new nitro and have never had an issue, the new Z7 I picked up in July and first time out the speedometer did not work, although I don’t put much faith in them I still wanted it to work on a new boat. I took it back to the dealer and you would have thought you pulled into a NASCAR pit, 4 guys were on it and found the line was pinched inside the motor from factory. Again it's got alot to do with your dealer. But again, I wouldn't drive a Chevy either, But as I said in the begining, everyone has their own option.

[southernbassguy]

my vote also goes to the Stratos. Just like everybody has said go with the max. horsepower as allowed. Might be cheaper up front but more money in the long run. On big water you will need that as much power as you can get to go from place to place. Good luck.

[Bullet20dc]

stratos huh they're one foot out the door and the other on a banana peel.
IMHO the skeeter BY FAR is the better made of all 3 well my lawn mower is better for fishing and faster than the nitro so thats not even an option in my book. Just compare the quality of the hardware, stick you head under the lids and see how they're attached. no pop rivits they are nut and bolted. look at how the rear compartment is laid out, much easier to work in.

[1FASTLASER]

Personally I would opt for the skeeter. The SX180 is a fine platform especially when paired up with the 150. The startos aint right in my book. they only have it rated for a max hp of 115 and on a boat of that length its kinda silly if u aske me.

[boater777777]

I'd go with the skeeter,They are a well constructed boat IMO, not the best but reasonable quality

[egreen024]

Skeeter with the highest hp boat is rated for, Mercury or yamaha would do it. Used to like Nitro's but when you hear and then check out what's wrong with them , it really is a turn off, never liked stratos.

[OutdoorFrontiers]

stratos huh they're one foot out the door and the other on a banana peel.

Huh! Name one boat company that isn't on shakey ground financially!

IMHO the skeeter BY FAR is the better made of all 3 well my lawn mower is better for fishing and faster than the nitro so thats not even an option in my book. Just compare the quality of the hardware, stick you head under the lids and see how they're attached. no pop rivits they are nut and bolted. look at how the rear compartment is laid out, much easier to work in.

That's just is, "in your opinion." I've been in several different Skeeters over the years and just didn't care for them. I haven't been in the new I Class, but I don't think that's what the original poster wanted to spend anyway.

And that's also why I said look hard and drive both. I almost hate getting into this type of discussion because it invariably becomes a "Ford vs. Chevy vs. Dodge" type of discussion.

Steve

[Dougw]

I don't know about quality issues between skeeter and stratos but it's my own personal opinion that skeeter has probably the best storage layout of any bass boat on the market. I looked hard at'em when I bought my first gambler and took a couple of test rides in a 300zx w/3.0L 225 merc. That suck'a would not turn at speed instead choosing to slide through a turn. This was a number of years back and they may have changed the hull so it'll turn at speed now. Still I'd go with the skeeter given the choice between it and a stratos due to storage lay out. I've owned two stratos and never had a problem with them but the layout wasn't that good.

[Bullet20dc]

That's just is, "in your opinion." I've been in several different Skeeters over the years and just didn't care for them. I haven't been in the new I Class, but I don't think that's what the original poster wanted to spend anyway.

And that's also why I said look hard and drive both. I almost hate getting into this type of discussion because it invariably becomes a "Ford vs. Chevy vs. Dodge" type of discussion.



but steve when I say in MY OPINION thats what I mean. are you saying Im not entitled to my opinion as well as you're entitled to yours. I've worked on quite a few of all 3 brands and IMHO the skeeter is by far the best bang for the buck. you're entitled to disagree and thats fine with me. I got no dog in this fight anyway.

[Scaram4]

Thanks for info everyone. Aussie I have looked into bass cat but havent pursued them. I will check them out again, thanks for the help!
-Aram

[fla firefighter40]

Huh! Name one boat company that isn't on shakey ground financially!



That's just is, "in your opinion." I've been in several different Skeeters over the years and just didn't care for them. I haven't been in the new I Class, but I don't think that's what the original poster wanted to spend anyway.

And that's also why I said look hard and drive both. I almost hate getting into this type of discussion because it invariably becomes a "Ford vs. Chevy vs. Dodge" type of discussion.

Stevei would say chevy!:D

[Island Breeze]

Heck I thought you was looking at real models you know a blonde, burnette and a redhead went looking for the pics but they weren't there. Since its boats you're talking about I'd go with the skeeter.

[Tarheelxrd]

I would look at a Bee Line as well

[RedAllison]

S4 I'm curious as to why you feel you can only look at those 3 boats and must they be new?

Other than because you wanted a specific/exact color scheme and maybe some custom options, I can't see why ANYONE would buy a brand new bassboat right now especially with the economy like it is. There are to many STEALS to be had on 1-2 year old boats out there right now. Folks loosing their jobs and financial footing daily, with some patience and determination you can find a STEAL out there and probably get alot more boat than you otherwise would've thought you could.

I wouldn't waste a good fire extinguisher on a burning Nitro, the Skeeter and the Stratos are decent boats but you'll look just like the other 10million of them on every lake. I'd also recommend you look at the Bass Cat, they are nearly unmatched in construction quality and customer service. Might wanna look at other smaller builders as well like Legend, Charger and Bee Line.

I'm more a buyer of "the boat" than "the dealer" so I've never let that sway my decision. But my dealer is 400 miles from home so it obviously doesn't bother me. (But then again, I've only needed one return trip in 2 years!)

Good luck,
RA

[Tarheelxrd]

Red I agree but disagree with you. I think if you are finacially secure or comfortable with your job you may never see a better time in your life to buy a boat right now. Especially in the cookie cutter market. Some of the dealers are giving stuff away at this point to get out from under it.

I do agree with you however on the Nitro. They have to be the most over priced tub in the buisness.

I like the Skeeter stuff and if you are going to fish a trail you may need one to qualify for some of the money out there

I think the biggest thing is resale value in case something does happen. If you steal a cookie cutter right now it doesnt really matter how cheap you got it you most likely can not sale it if you need to. I think you can step up to a custom boat and be alot better off. Finacing is horrible and almost impossible to get right now on used stuff.

My vote is still for a Bee Line if you are staying under 20 foot

Being close to a dealer means nothing to me. I drive where I need to to get what I want

[Dougw]

Dealer is a non-issue for me as well. In 20 years of boating I've found ONE that I truly enjoyed doing business with. The rest - if it's easy they'll take care of it propmply. If it's not easy they'll take care of it - someday. Ain't found one yet that could do rigging worth a hoot. Yeah, they get it installed but man is it ugly! Therefore nobody does riggin' on my boat but me. My boat is back in Florida to straighten out the mess with strict instructions "DO NOT INSTALL ANYTHING!" Of course they can't 'cause it's all sitting in my garage!

[bucketmouth]

Red I agree but disagree with you. I think if you are finacially secure or comfortable with your job you may never see a better time in your life to buy a boat right now. Especially in the cookie cutter market. Some of the dealers are giving stuff away at this point to get out from under it.

I do agree with you however on the Nitro. They have to be the most over priced tub in the buisness.

I like the Skeeter stuff and if you are going to fish a trail you may need one to qualify for some of the money out there

I think the biggest thing is resale value in case something does happen. If you steal a cookie cutter right now it doesnt really matter how cheap you got it you most likely can not sale it if you need to. I think you can step up to a custom boat and be alot better off. Finacing is horrible and almost impossible to get right now on used stuff.

My vote is still for a Bee Line if you are staying under 20 foot

Being close to a dealer means nothing to me. I drive where I need to to get what I want
I agree with you totally on the nitro, think tracker period is overpriced on everything inc nitro. I bought a 2008 tracker pro crappy in sept of 08 paid 14k, boat never seen the water in 08. like the boat overall, but obviously not what I need so I figured maybe upgrade slightly on a nitro z-7 here at the end of 09 now mind ya, this boat has only seen 19 tourneys this year, plus I've added a couple thousand dollars in extras. looked around found a local dealer that was sitting on a leftover 08 z-7 so i figured that would probably be the best way to go price wise seeing that no 09 around and 2010 models soon to hit the market, I should be able to steal that z-7, uh NOT the dealer offered me 8500 for my boat which means yep you guessed it rolling over the difference. the z-7 was listed for 20395 plus freight,tax,title,licence,prep, all that brought the total to almost 26k fuzzy math if you ask me. tracker marine called me and told me they had an approval. I asked "just out of curiosity" whats my payment look like she replied 560 a month for 12 years. well the good thing is I told her how I felt as far as their product (tracker and nitro) being extremely overpriced told her for 560 a month i'd buy a real bass boat. but am glad that I didn't make that mistake with the nitros as after concideration reading reviews on them really were not good.

[kipp]

There is a boat dealer in tenn.that has a left over 2007 brand new Stratos 285 proxl with a Yamaha 150 v-max with a 6 yr. warranty on the motor lifetime on hull $20,999

[bucketmouth]

take a look at this site "boatcrazy.com" and scroll down to 2004 triton tr21x le for i believe 24 or 25000 thats what I've been looking at looks mint not bad price, but am a rookie when it comes to bass boats...

[bucketmouth]

boatcrazy.com first select bassboats sorry.......

[bucketmouth]

There is a boat dealer in tenn.that has a left over 2007 brand new Stratos 285 proxl with a Yamaha 150 v-max with a 6 yr. warranty on the motor lifetime on hull $20,999hey kip, now only in my opinion, knowing absolutely notta when it comes to stratos, but with that particular powerplant youd think that thats a lil much for an leftover 07 and that in 07 that probable should have list for no more than 23k or so.. you can correct me, cuz as i said no notta about stratos just goin by the 150hp...

[bucketmouth]

great warranty tho I must admit

[Little Big Man]

I agree with you totally on the nitro, think tracker period is overpriced on everything inc nitro. I bought a 2008 tracker pro crappy in sept of 08 paid 14k, boat never seen the water in 08. like the boat overall, but obviously not what I need so I figured maybe upgrade slightly on a nitro z-7 here at the end of 09 now mind ya, this boat has only seen 19 tourneys this year, plus I've added a couple thousand dollars in extras. looked around found a local dealer that was sitting on a leftover 08 z-7 so i figured that would probably be the best way to go price wise seeing that no 09 around and 2010 models soon to hit the market, I should be able to steal that z-7, uh NOT the dealer offered me 8500 for my boat which means yep you guessed it rolling over the difference. the z-7 was listed for 20395 plus freight,tax,title,licence,prep, all that brought the total to almost 26k fuzzy math if you ask me. tracker marine called me and told me they had an approval. I asked "just out of curiosity" whats my payment look like she replied 560 a month for 12 years. well the good thing is I told her how I felt as far as their product (tracker and nitro) being extremely overpriced told her for 560 a month i'd buy a real bass boat. but am glad that I didn't make that mistake with the nitros as after concideration reading reviews on them really were not good.
i think alot of time its the dealer.Bought new nitro 482 in 07 traded in09 for leftover 08 Z9 250 pro got 19900 for 482.final finance price of 40000.

[Fishin' Steeler]

The boats you've listed really aren't comparable, IMHO. The Stratos is an 18'9" boat with a 90hp (115 max), the Skeeter is a 17'6" boat with a 115.

Generally the rule of thumb is: longer is better, max hp is better.

When shopping for my current boat I looked at a Stratos 186XT, though I didn't drive it. I was impressed with the layout, though it lacked some bells and whistles and little extras, like better quality latches on the lockers, etc.

The Skeeter SX180 is a really nice boat (I now own an SX190), and has the max hp engine, and the Yamaha is a tough motor to beat. The interior amenities are better quality than the Stratos, but... it's only 17'6", so rougher water will beat you up more than the 18 footer.

If you're buying new, I think the Skeeter is a several grand more than the Stratos, but I haven't shopped that lately. Both are considered their brand's "entry level" boat. I think the Skeeter has higher resale value if you're thinking down the road.

What I ultimately did was avoid the early depreciation by buying a gently used 190 (18'6" with 150) from a doctor, after having it thoroughly checked out by my mechanic. It replaced my SS90 Skeeter, which was only 16' with a Yamaha 80.

Since you're not a tournament guy, and don't need to rip it at 70mph WOT, ... I don't know, it's a judgement call. Amenities vs. length is the issue to me. Personally I'm on my second Skeeter, if that makes any difference.

[kipp]

Bucketmouth...Dang that looks like a pretty good deal on that 2009 sx 190 with a yam 150 at leaders marine on boatcrazy ...brand new...$19999...bunch of nines in this world..LOL...Yeah I like warantees ..

[Fishin' Steeler]

Twenty grand for a NEW SX190 ?!?! That is a SMOKIN' DEAL!!! That's like a $30,000 boat retail! Comparing that to the Stratos you're looking at, prob'ly around 18K, that is a no-brainer!! :cheers:

[FisherMan]

Ok first off, I am not a fan of the Nitros, I own a Fisher FX 21, which was bought out by Tracker back in the day and then they disbanded the fiberglass side and went to aluminum. Stay away from any Tracker product nowadays. AS far as the Skeeter and Triton, You can find a sweet Stratos with a nice layout (storage) as well. But I also agree with Red on this one, Some guys are dropping their boats for what they have left on their loan. There was a 2007 Ranger 20 footer repo'd here where I live about 2 months ago, and from what I heard, sold for under $17 and whenI stopped to look at it I figured it had to be darn near a $40k boat new. Keep your eyes and ears open, thats how I found my boat.

It was 2 years old and I paid $15k for it with a brand new 225 efi strapped to it!

[Texas_Larry]

All I can tell you is that I love my Skeeter '07 ZX200, 200 VMAX. If price is an issue, I would look at buying a 1-2 yr old boat and get a little larger - look into what the warranty will be to the 2nd owner, and make your decision. The ZX series Skeeter is a great fishing platform and comes with a ton of extras.

[kipp]

Larry I like the ZX 200 with a 200 myself...The kind of waters I fish that would be my next choice...Saw an o9 for brand new for $31000 and its killing me.leftover 08 29999 brand new... I need to stop looking around

[Little Big Man]

i think alot of time its the dealer.Bought new nitro 482 in 07 traded in09 for leftover 08 Z9 250 pro got 19900 for 482.final finance price of 40000.
Like I said alot of times its the dealer because if you figure $26000 @ 10% with no down payment and no trade for 144 months is only $311.I dont know what you guys are calling cookie cutters but if you look closer nitros are hand layed.If you look at the sx boats they are not holding value any better than the (cookie cutters),but you can get a 200 on that cookie cutter.Bigger is better right?

[fishmyskeeter]

I recently sold my SX180 with a Yamaha 115 Fourstroke. The boat would run 51 miles and hour with one person and medium tackle load. I had the boat for 3 years, never had an issue, great storage, the boat handled well and did ok on the rough stuff. Used the boat for 2 years on Lake Mead and never had an issue with the big water. Only reason to sell the boat was to take delivery of my 2009 Skeeter ZX225.

[wevel]

another boat is the bee line from phoenix i got to drive one at a demo day on lake guntersville the boat is setup great and rides smoth to i didnt realize those pheonixs were that fast i road in the base model i think they said the price was around 20 grand with a 150 merc on a 18 foot 9 inch boat thats a good price in my book check out there website and see for urself im a fan there enginner used to work for stratous and triton so u know they got somthin cookin... just my .02 cents