Best Boat Brand?

[huffranger]

Get in as many boats as possible, dealerships, fish with friends, ext. ext.....

Then most importantly visit repair shops, Gibbons fiberglass in Bismarck or wherever you are. See what boats are in for repairs and factory warranty. The guys that fix them know what is good or bad.

Then search the Internet, research the repair/warranty of the brand your looking at and don't forget the outboard. Regions have thier preference based on Dealership customer relations is my experiance.

Buying a new or different brand has a certain degree of risk but you can minimize the chance of problems using other people's experiance and money to guide you with your decision.

Sparkles don't mean a thing.....

Oh, and to beach a fiberglass boat is no big deal if you have a Hambys Keel guard and pick a spot where your keel makes contact first.

 

[squirrel92]

I run a ProV lund, the front deck where I spend my entire time when fishing is huge. No other brand has that gigantic front end.

Is it the prettiest, driest, best boat on the market? Nope, not by a long shot. But it has exactly what I am looking for in a boat.

My next one will be a fiberglass, whichever one has the biggest front deck, and most sparkles, likely not a Lund.

Lund fiberglass boats are sweet!

 

[Captain Ahab]

When looking at glass boats at shows over the years a selling point some of the salesman would say was "it's just like a Ranger". My thought was, maybe I should just buy a Ranger if that's what everybody is trying to emulate.

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I run a ProV lund, the front deck where I spend my entire time when fishing is huge. No other brand has that gigantic front end.

Is it the prettiest, driest, best boat on the market? Nope, not by a long shot. But it has exactly what I am looking for in a boat.

My next one will be a fiberglass, whichever one has the biggest front deck, and most sparkles, likely not a Lund.

I think a whole band could set up and play on the deck of a 621.

 

[Newgard]

I run a Nitro ZV-21 with a 350 Verado. After years of running 620's that's all I thought I would ever have. After borrowing a friends ZV-21 last fall and running my own since Mid April I'm extremely impressed with it. In my opinion it is the best big water boat available. It is dry, comfortable, and spacious. The front deck and cockpit areas are HUGE!! The padded flooring is amazing after casting and trolling all day standing! I fish Devils Lake a ton and I'm really loving this boat. There are some fancy things that Ranger does better as far as finish but at the end of the day it doesn't catch me anymore fish. Being able to run in big water at a much faster speed comfortably does!! I was reluctant to get away from my comfort zone with Ranger but started working with the Nitro dealer out of Fargo and have been extremely impressed with them. You're starting to see more and more of these up on Devils and Sakakawea it's only a matter of time until more people realize the quality and ride of these rigs!!

 

[guywhofishes]

Looks fun in a "my stuff hurts" sorta way.

 

[KDM]

The best brand of boat is the one that has the least amount of "Suck" in it for your style of fishing. If you cast alot, a runabout may not be your best option. Likewise, if you backtroll, a ranger bass boat might leave you wanting. Like was said before, jump into as many boats as you can and really check them out. Stand in the front and walk around, put coolers in the back and see what room you have. Just putting all the seats in a boat will really give you a sense of how much room you have ......or don't have to work with. Like SDMF mentioned, boats are all about compromise. You need to decide what you will give up vs. what you will not. A boat that has 2 irritating features about it is better than a boat that has 3. Good Luck!!!

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Guy, that video is probably the best evidence for NEVER BUYING A USED TOURNEY BOAT!!!!

 

[squirrel92]

I run a Nitro ZV-21 with a 350 Verado. After years of running 620's that's all I thought I would ever have. After borrowing a friends ZV-21 last fall and running my own since Mid April I'm extremely impressed with it. In my opinion it is the best big water boat available. It is dry, comfortable, and spacious. The front deck and cockpit areas are HUGE!! The padded flooring is amazing after casting and trolling all day standing! I fish Devils Lake a ton and I'm really loving this boat. There are some fancy things that Ranger does better as far as finish but at the end of the day it doesn't catch me anymore fish. Being able to run in big water at a much faster speed comfortably does!! I was reluctant to get away from my comfort zone with Ranger but started working with the Nitro dealer out of Fargo and have been extremely impressed with them. You're starting to see more and more of these up on Devils and Sakakawea it's only a matter of time until more people realize the quality and ride of these rigs!!

I've seen your boat up on DL a couple of occassions. It is awesome and it flies.

 

[DirtyMike]

I run a Nitro ZV-21 with a 350 Verado. After years of running 620's that's all I thought I would ever have. After borrowing a friends ZV-21 last fall and running my own since Mid April I'm extremely impressed with it. In my opinion it is the best big water boat available. It is dry, comfortable, and spacious. The front deck and cockpit areas are HUGE!! The padded flooring is amazing after casting and trolling all day standing! I fish Devils Lake a ton and I'm really loving this boat. There are some fancy things that Ranger does better as far as finish but at the end of the day it doesn't catch me anymore fish. Being able to run in big water at a much faster speed comfortably does!! I was reluctant to get away from my comfort zone with Ranger but started working with the Nitro dealer out of Fargo and have been extremely impressed with them. You're starting to see more and more of these up on Devils and Sakakawea it's only a matter of time until more people realize the quality and ride of these rigs!!

glad to see you made it over here! I gotta see that ride in action at some point.

 

[Captain Ahab]

Looks fun in a "my stuff hurts" sorta way.

I hit the rev limiter by airing out the 621 on ONE occasion. I had a fishing rod fly out and a lesson in what is advisable and not advisable. My throttle stays more vertical on those doozy days now. I let people go by and catch back up to them when they are done beating the crap out of themselves now.

 

[johnr]

I like this kind of boating

 

[Newgard]

glad to see you made it over here! I gotta see that ride in action at some point.

Yah, I think you would really like it. Top end speed is great but the most impressive to me is the hole shot along with the mid-range speed. I have the 4 blade Bravo prop on it and wow that thing really pushes the boat well with that set up. I know I could more performance out of it if I played with the jack plate but I'm extremely satisfied now and I would rather fish instead of screw around searching for a couple more mph.

 

[watson]

Every one of my boats have been glass so I can't say anything about aluminum, but a ranger will always be my pick.

 

[SDMF]

This one looks fun though it also appears to drink a month's salary worth of gas awful damned quick:

 

[sweeney]

Yah, I think you would really like it. Top end speed is great but the most impressive to me is the hole shot along with the mid-range speed. I have the 4 blade Bravo prop on it and wow that thing really pushes the boat well with that set up. I know I could more performance out of it if I played with the jack plate but I'm extremely satisfied now and I would rather fish instead of screw around searching for a couple more mph.

Then why not run a 250 or a 300 and save a couple g's If top speed doesn't matter lol? I just want to know what those things will really do and you seem like a 65k Guinea pig but I get the whole not wasting time setting the boat up when what you got fits your style. I have ran 7 props on mine and my stock prop is still the king. Keep us updated on your zv, a lot of guys seem to be leaning the nitro direction lately especially with the introduction of the 18 too.

 

[DirtyMike]

This one looks fun though it also appears to drink a month's salary worth of gas awful damned quick:

My pants fit really weird right now.

 

[Newgard]

Then why not run a 250 or a 300 and save a couple g's If top speed doesn't matter lol? I just want to know what those things will really do and you seem like a 65k Guinea pig but I get the whole not wasting time setting the boat up when what you got fits your style. I have ran 7 props on mine and my stock prop is still the king. Keep us updated on your zv, a lot of guys seem to be leaning the nitro direction lately especially with the introduction of the 18 too.

I would run the 400 Verado if it was a option!! The additional HP is nice whe you are fully loaded and have 4-5 people in the boat. To have the option to run 58+ mph with 5-6 people in the boat is a nice option. Also popping out of the hole with that large load is great too!

I've had mine at 64.5 with 3 guys, half tank of gas and half loaded with gear. I consistently hit 62. I'm currently running the 21 Bravo for a prop. I know a guy that is running a 22 on his and he is consistently running around 65 with a tournament load. I haven't played with the jack plate at all but I know a 1/4 inch up can make a BIG difference! Maybe this weekend when it's supposed to be hot and uncomfortable I'll play a bit with it.

 

[SDMF]

My pants fit really weird right now.

If the whine and roar of nearly 1700HP and nearly 20L worth of supercharged happiness bolted to the back of a boat doesn't turn the corners of your lips up, then you should take up knitting, rosemaling, calligraphy, or paper mache'. Or, move to Wisconsin.

 

[DirtyMike]

If the whine and roar of nearly 1700HP and nearly 20L worth of supercharged happiness bolted to the back of a boat doesn't turn the corners of your lips up, then you should take up knitting, rosemaling, calligraphy, or paper mache'. Or, move to Wisconsin.

I was expecting it to hit warp drive by the end of the video.

 

[Wild and Free]

That is impressive. The pic in my avatar is a pic I snapped last time I was at the docks in Key West, 3-4 250-350 hp engines is common place and an average sized fishing rig there, can't imagine the fuel bills they run, when I think I have a good income here I look at those boys and wonder what I am doing wrong.

 

[huffranger]

That is impressive. The pic in my avatar is a pic I snapped last time I was at the docks in Key West, 3-4 250-350 hp engines is common place and an average sized fishing rig there, can't imagine the fuel bills they run, when I think I have a good income here I look at those boys and wonder what I am doing wrong.

It was Key West where I figured out what the stupid little buttons on your collar of the Columbia shirts are for. When you undo them and the boat is going 70MPH plus the collars beat the shit out of you !! The center councel we were in had 3 300 V-rods.

The fuel docks had the BIG nozzles in Key West.