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Is there any real difference in the boats?
My wife has been wanting/hinting that i should upgrade and I’m looking hard at the mpv line of tritons. Looking at the 1862. Seems to fit the bill for what we/she wants.
Anyone own the 1862? How do u like it?
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I had a tin Triton VT 19 DC. Loved the boat but this Oklahoma wind just pushed it around too much so I went back to Fiberglass. Was a great boat though.
I currently have a Triton 2072sc with a Mercury 115hp 4 stroke. I’ve been very pleased with it over the last few years. It’s been a tough boat.
rangers are so over rated and over priced.
What would u recommend? I’m just starting the looking processQuote:
Originally Posted by 1barnabus
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Triton or Stratos hands downQuote:
Originally Posted by missed mallards
I would personally avoid the camo boat if I did it over, mine will melt your feet in the summertime.
I beg to differ. A glass Ranger will out ride any boat on the market. You take a 20 mph wind on Ky lake and find a better riding boat than a Ranger and I will eat my crow. Its not going to happen.Quote:
Originally Posted by 1barnabus
Agree and when you get ready to sell they hold there value compared to other brands.Quote:
Originally Posted by quadlee
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Ranger, Triton, and Stratus were all part of the package deal sold to Johnnie Morris. They were and still are part of the same company. So, essentially, the same hands building Ranger boats are building Triton and Stratus boats too.
Compare the difference between a GMC and a Chevy truck or Lincoln and ford car.
My sister was a VIP for the equity holdings company that used to own the Ranger, Triton, and Stratus line before selling it to Johnnie. Below is information from a source that will remain nameless:
"Stratos is built in the same plant as Ranger. Stratos has their own hulls and molds. The Stratos boats use the same gel-coat and same fiberglass as Ranger. They use the same carpet and vinyl as Ranger. Many of the pumps and switches are the same, but not all of them. Hardware is very similar. There are a few differences. They are built by the same hands and the quality control is the same. Fit and Finish are words overused here, but they are judged the same.
Ranger has a proprietary material that they make and own in their boats. It is a pull-trusion. It is used as a stiffening agent in the areas where the boat hull, floor, etc. needs reinforcement. Stratos also uses a stiffening agent but it is not a proprietary material. It is available to anyone that would like to buy it.
All Fiberglass boats are built with two pieces; a hull and a cap or deck. They are joined together at the rub rail. When a Ranger boat is complete, it cannot be separated into two pieces again with out some major renovations to the boat. A Stratos boat can be taken apart. This is not good or bad, it is a difference in construction.
When building a fiberglass boat, the boats are built from the outside in. The color is sprayed in the hull first. Every color is another paint job. Masking, taping, etc all have to be done. Ranger has 8 stripes, Stratos has two. Extra labor means more dollars. Each seat in a Ranger has three or four colors of material, Stratos has two. Again, more labor means more money. Ranger will have more bling; cup holders, tool holders; more hydraulic lift assists on doors, compression latches on the lids, etc. Stratos is a bit simpler that way. They have the exact same warranty, that says a lot.
I will let you be the final judge on what makes a boat worth how many dollars."
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"?
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.Sent from my SM-S907VL using TapatalkQuote:
Originally Posted by wicklundrh
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!!Attachment 300683Attachment 300685
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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.
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?Quote:
Originally Posted by wicklundrh
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?
figures, buy them out, shut them down, eliminate competition, increase prices. :puke:mad:Quote:
Originally Posted by 1barnabus
I bought one of those JM boats last year. We didn't do as much research and got a new Tracker ProTeam 175 TF. Its been a good boat to rejuvenate my crappie fishing passion, but if I were to do it over again I would get something heavier and wider so it is more stable. For an aluminum boat, bandchaser has the ticket and the ranger would have been my pick if I had to do it again with aluminum. For fiberglass, if I could find one, would be a Triton TA 196. I have seen them in pics but never rode in one. I really like their layout. Trouble is the last model was in 2008 and they are hard to find. I cannot figure out why no one currently makes a fiberglass boat that has a lower deck for crappie fishing. At least I haven't found one. The old bombers were great, the darnell marine was great, and the Triton TA 196 looks great. Even the hydra sport has some older models that have a lower deck. These boats are tough to find. I am planning to trade in or sell my tracker and get a bigger aluminum like bandchaser or find a fiberglass with a lower front deck.
I have a Triton 1654. Love it for what I do. Run lines and troll . It is hot on your feet. Real hot. Been wanting to get some rubber mat of some kind to lay down in the bottom. Maybe some of them kids interlocking foam jigsaw pieces. But I do have one major gripe. The floor doesn't come out. A War Eagle floor comes outand you can spray it out. I like that part.
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Check out hydroturf. I’ve got it in my boat and absolutely love it. You can walk around barefoot in the heat of the summertime and not have to worry.Quote:
Originally Posted by Pithon
What about blowing out. Do you run it down the road?Quote:
Originally Posted by DHC
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It's glued down would be my bet.Quote:
Originally Posted by Pithon
My 1994 Ranger 354 has a lower deck. 3 seat positions available front, back and one in front of my console sets as low as a friend of mine's Lund. Great for old fat men so we don't fall out of the boatQuote:
Originally Posted by KFC
It’s glued down like carpet.Quote:
Originally Posted by Pithon
It actually can be ordered two different ways. Either with 3M peel and stick backing, or ordering the sheets without the 3M and use contact cement to install your pieces.Quote:
Originally Posted by DHC
Fantastic product, and with a quality product you get what you pay for. My last 18' duck boat I installed hydroturf from bow to stern. Will not absorb water, will not freeze, and you can walk barefoot on it all summer long. It also helps to dampen an aluminum boat, cleans up very nicely with soap, water and brush. 95lb lab, 35-45 days worth of duck hunting, decoys, blood and feathers never hurt it.
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