New boat

[honkerslayer]

Not buying for the sparkles. They just come on glass boats. I want glass because everyone says the ride is incomparable to aluminum

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Anyone have good or bad to say about Mondak in Williston? They sell ranger.

 

[eyexer]

nobody in the world was more anti-tracker/nitro than me when they came out with the ZV series a few years ago. Their track record was abysmal. Now that they've been out for a few years now and I've fished in them I don't think you can find a better glass boat for the money. The layout is the best I've ever seen.

 

[Rizzo]

Not buying for the sparkles. They just come on glass boats. I want glass because everyone says the ride is incomparable to aluminum

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Anyone have good or bad to say about Mondak in Williston? They sell ranger.

Run and run fast. They are hands down the worst place to buy a boat from. I'm speaking from experience. If you want details pm me.

 

[Riggen&Jiggen]

Fall of 2016 I bought a 1 year old Triton 216. It was rigged they way I wanted for the most part. It had 78 hrs on the big motor. I figure I saved about 17K from new price. I have been in all boats over the years and looked at classifieds for over a year before I pulled the trigger. I got it in MN. No one in ND could come with in 10K of the price I got. Anyways very happy with the boat and will most likely never own anything other than a triton from now on. What ever boat you decide on I strongly suggest to look at walleyecentral and dealership websites all over but especially in MN.

 

[MULEDEER]

I just traded my 15 Reata for an 18 ranger angler from moritz. Personally they have been very good to me they didn’t remember my first name but new I was a return customer before we started dealing. I personally think ranger is a fantastic boat and am happy with the Mercury motor

 

[Fisherman25]

Some good advice on here. Take brand talk with a grain of salt. Most all of these fiberglass boats are good riding and good performing boats. People just have their own preferences and human nature makes it really tough for us not to be bias.

To me, the biggest thing if you’re buying new is don’t settle. Get the boat you want with the motors you want. Boat layout is a really big deal. If you don’t like to have a single tackle box or clutter laying around, buy a boat with a horseshoe. If you don’t care about that and would rather have tons of room behind your windshield, then don’t get on with a horseshoe.

With the two boats you mentioned, it sounds like you want storage. If that’s the case you, Lund, Ranger, Triton and Nitro all have horseshoes and honestly are all good boats from my experience. There is big hole shot and speed differences in those boats tho so that’s something you need to look at if it concerns you. Good luck on your purchase. You will have small issues on any boat you buy, so who you buy from does matter if you don’t want what could be a quick fix to stop you from fishing for a few weeks.

 

[SlamminSalmon]

I love my nitro. I’ve fished in a lot of different boats they all have their pluses and minuses. The nitro is heavier than most but also has a monster fuel tank. Sit in as many as you can and ride in them if you have the opportunity. It’s all personal preference. Most important is to enjoy the time you get to spend in it!

 

[buckhunter24_7]

Get the biggest boat with the biggest engine no matter what brand it is :;:rockit

 

[DirtyMike]

Drove to my boat storage location on these icy roads in hopes of selling it today. My plan was to swing by the boat show and order an 1880. No sale so I went straight home. I’m not necessarily partial to any brand, but I like the 620’s and 1880’s that ranger puts out. I’ve also looked really hard at skeeters because of their price point and they usually have a Yamaha on the back.

 

[Migrator Man]

Garrison marine has some pretty nice holdover boats. Anyone ever fished out of a Larson?

 

[pluggin]

I have had both skeeter and ranger. The skeeter I thought at the time was great as I had always fished out of an aluminum. I now have a ranger and it is head and shoulders above the skeeter in both ride and finish. These were both 5-10 years old though too so the new skeeters might be better.

If I was to buy a new boat now I would more than likely get the Lund 202. I believe Lund is at the top in all categories and like everything about this model. To each their own but I would be partial to ranger and Lund

 

[Captain Ahab]

Drove to my boat storage location on these icy roads in hopes of selling it today. My plan was to swing by the boat show and order an 1880. No sale so I went straight home. I’m not necessarily partial to any brand, but I like the 620’s and 1880’s that ranger puts out. I’ve also looked really hard at skeeters because of their price point and they usually have a Yamaha on the back.

Poor guy. Keep plugging.

 

[tikkalover]

Make sure it comes with a wash down system.

And a master baiter system...............you know to put bait on your hooks.

Might as well add the fish taker off system also.

 

[SDMF]

I have never been a fan of YarCraft windshield boats , due to the design of the counsels.

And there you have the reason to get in, sit down and do a little planning on how things will fit YOU.

Huskerdu doesn't like the Yar-Craft counsels. I REALLY like the Yar-Craft counsels. Neither opinion is really right or wrong, it's just a matter of preference.

If looking at a new boat, something else I'd want to try is rod-storage. I like to have 2-each pitching, jigging, and bouncer rods within easy reach without having to dig for them. Would be really nice to have 2 line-counter cranking rods handy as well. So, do the rods you want to have within easy reach actually fit in the center storage? Sometimes spinning reels don't fit well in them because they hang down so low, sometimes the tubes are too small for the large 1st guide on a spinning rod as well. It'd be a real pain if you're favorite rod had to be socked and buried in a side-storage compartment after each use.

 

[Allen]

I went to the sportshow this afternoon, I could be happy in any of about 10 boats I looked at. Granted, I am already thinking of upgrading the fishing Toon ahead of the boat. Not in a big hurry, but after last summer, I noticed just how darn much I was on the Toon compared to the Fisherman (minimum of one adult and two kids on 90% of trips, this goes up to 2 adults and 4 kids on about 60% of the trips). I don't think the fishing boat hit the water more than 10 times after the end of May. And probably 4 of them were because the Toon was in getting a new powerhead. Some of those fishing pontoons sporting 200 HP had me drooling.

So this spring will be the litmus test for me, do I get out enough to justify boat shopping (I've had this one for 12 years). Or...do I keep my powder dry until I see a different Toon I want as an upgrade? If the boat gets relegated to just spring fishing, I could probably run it for another 10 years.

I sure do like the new Lund Tyee GLs though. Some of that is brand loyalty, I've always loved the Lund lineup.

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note: The last time I checked, it was about a $3k upgrade to put a Yamaha on a Lund as opposed to the factory rigged Mercs.


I know, I too was bummed. Otherwise I would have probably bought a different Lund by now.

 

[dgully]

My friend has a skeeter 2060 that I've fished out of a few times.. not smooth and sounds like it's going to fall apart hitting a wave, he also thinks the same. He wishes he would have and will go Yarcraft for his next boat

 

[WT2121]

I have a 21 Warrior. Great boat in rough water. I believe the smaller Warriors may track better while fishing. Just because the 21 Warrior is deeper and more of it is out of the water than other brands or smaller boats. My opinion is Rangers fish great but are squirrely in rough water. My experiences are that they feel like a car on icy road. Rangers run like an oversized bass boat. I like Skeeters as well more hull touching the water makes for a straighter feel while driving. Have not had experience for many years with Yarcraft but they were a dry boat. Three friends with Ranger 21 foot. One loves it. One got rid of his after three years for a Warrior. One got one two years ago and is not happy with it. You will get a mixed opinion. Like a Ford or Chevy. Good luck with a difficult decision!

 

[5575]

Owned allot of skeeters, currently run a ranger 620. Fish out of and operate a 219 yar and 2075 pro v allot this summer along with mine.
Best bang for the buck new is a skeeter 2060 with that 250 SHO probably the best outboard out there in my opinion.
If you want to go fast as hell and take on big waves at speed the big yars are hard to beat and the fit and finish of the new ones built by basscat are right up there with Ranger. My only gripe with the Yar is when you hang a 350 off a jackplate its really tough to keep a 72 inch shaft in the water when the wind starts coming up. Oh and good luck trying to keep a limit of fish alive in the livewells.
I fell in love with the Lund at first and it gets up and moves as well with that verado. Tracks like its on rails and could care less where the trim is when you slow down or speed up. And I've never seen fish come out of a livewell at the end of the day with more spunk than in that Lund 'bring a club for the cleaning station!" But again get in some waves and the thing bobs up and down terrible even with the 72 in shaft. Being a live baiter this is a big deal for me, can't stand not being able to fish where you need to go because of waves.
I really like the fit and finish of the rangers and i'd love to have a newer one but at the price they want I will have to wait a couple years. Wouldn't mind getting into a 621. Ranger is slower but it has a heavy front end that cut through the waves well at speed and they just plain stick when the waves start getting big. Might take a wave over the front once in a while but its hard to get even a 60 inch shaft out of the water and that I like. Just wish the seats and windshield were a little taller on the rangers myself.
Never been in a bigger glass lund but they look to be built well, never here guys complain about the 20+ foot ones. And they get up and go well also.
Never been in a new warrior, they are built well from what I hear and take on waves like no other and that big windshield has got to keep you dry. But they are slower and kind of look like a tug boat to me.. I kid I kid!
Jump style seats in the back can be nice to have, leaves the back of the boat wide open without the seats. Never thought I'd like the boxed in stuff like ranger and triton but after you have them and the storage its not a bad trade either. But if I had kids and family in the boat allot I'd probably stick to something with jump seats myself. And I'm a Yamaha fan, have had 11 of them "all used"and have never been to a shop..no joke.
Good luck with your boat search lots to choose from!

 

[AaronJ]

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[AR-15]

How much does a 219 Yar with a 350 cost?