Thread: Ranger? Triton?

The guys that left ranger are starting there own boat company,vexus.Put the same motor on the different brands and they will all rin different speeds.Triton is probally a faster hull,dont know about stratus.A guy i know that bass fishes and has had about every brand says the stratos was best in rough conditions,said he hated to say it cause he owns a ranger now.

Originally Posted by wicklundrh

Just an FYI: in the tournament fishing community (those loyal to the Ranger lineup) they are exiting in mass numbers at the present time. This is primarily due in part to the History that Johnnie Moris has with the purchasing or boat companies and then dragging them down.

That said, this year saw MASSIVE numbers increases in all three across the board. Ranger, Triton, and Stratus went up by almost 20k over last years prices. All of this was done while keeping the Nitro line EXACTLY the same price as last year. In other words, they are over valuing those other boats in an attempt to sell more Nitro boats. The issues compounded when other companies (Skeeter is one) decided that if Ranger could up their price by 20K, so could they.

Couple this with the fact that Moris has stock in Mercury and ALL of the Nitro and Tracker lineups come with this as the only option and people start feeling like they have no place else to go. Although they have not limited Ranger, Triton, or Stratus at the present time, they are really pushing Mercury hard on those boats based on their propiganda (advertising).

It has always been said that they purchase companies in the hopes to make their own lineups better. Unfortunately, in most cases, it winds up making the companies purchased worse. The thought process was that by purchasing Ranger, Triton, and Stratus, it would make the Nitro lineup stronger by being able to utilize Ranger's technologies.


How bad is it over at Ranger? Within 30 days of the transition 4 of the top executives with more than 25 years each quit!

I'm not saying Ranger is a bad boat. I would love to have one (under the old flagship though). I think for the next few years, anything associated with the purchase will be seen as black eye purchase and their overall value will be deminished. People will ask "is it a Pre Johnnie Moris, or a post Johnnie Moris boat"?

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I've been watching Vexus really closely.

I read that Stratus will no longer be made after 2018, not sure if that is right.

Rangers are an excellent crappie fishing platform in the 521 or 522 models from what I heard, course you have to rig them for crappie fishing to an extent, that being said. I've always heard a Ranger is a wet ride in rough waters, with the Old Champions having the best ride in rougher water or the deep V Lunds Multi Speices boats. Tritons, Stratos, Rangers are all made under the same roof now. I'm glad I got an early 90's Stratos, these vintage boats were built with pride and attention to detail, just my two cents, shop around and buy what suits you and the waters you fish.

Just bought my first brand new boat, and I did months worth of research, asking for and finding real fisherman opinions, and a few dealers that I could truly trust their opinions.
I sold my 21ft Nitro fiberglass boat that was pushing or exceeding 5,000 pounds for the entire rig, and went back to an aluminum rig. I have pumped $40.00 worth of fuel since February in my new rig, where I was spending $35-60.00 every weekend putting fuel in tje Nitro to feed my 225hp optimax 2 stroke.
I also picked up over 4 miles per gallon in my towing truck, so when you fish as much as I do and with a fulltime job, 80-95 days a year, out of town trips, you begin to understand what true expenses are. So, how do you go about controlling those....

My new Ranger Rt198p is 1 foot less in length than my old Nitro. I gained over 12 inches of width on the front deck across the seat bases going with my Ranger. The ease of fishing out the Ranger is unreal. The ride, the speed, and dry ride is fantastic. And my 150 hp Mercury 4 stroke is a dream!

The craftsmanship on the Ranger aluminum boats is top notch with a lifetime warranty on the hull. Don't leave this rig off your short list!!

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I have a 1994 Ranger 354. Love that old boat. IF I had the money for a new boat" which I don't" I would be hard press to make a decision. Probably buy another older Ranger. Like the mpg of tin boats but Okla. wind keeps me in my old 150hp Johnson and glass boat

i just fond out that Stratos will no longer be producing boats after being bought out by Ranger.

Originally Posted by wicklundrh

Just an FYI: in the tournament fishing community (those loyal to the Ranger lineup) they are exiting in mass numbers at the present time. This is primarily due in part to the History that Johnnie Moris has with the purchasing or boat companies and then dragging them down.

Could this mass exodus of some in the tournament fishing community possibly be a result of JM as new owner possibly not offering or renewing sponsorship or discount deals for many of those that had a deal with Ranger under the old ownership and business model?

Apparently JM knows a little about what he is doing and how to run and grow a business as starting with one little store and building it into the empire it is currently has put him into a position to buy out all of these boat manufacturers to begin with.

I cannot see him buying out all of the superior brands of boats with the intent of building up the Nitro line by dragging the other brands down. What would be the need of destroying a brand you now owned?