Year Old Boat

I’ve had my 2018 RT188C for a year now and while fishing Monday the bilge pump would come on every 45-60 minutes and pump several gallons of water out. I have had way too many issues and really concerned that they will continue!

Here’s what gone on thus far:
Hydraulic steering line came off several times. Carpet was replaced under console due to it being stained.
The lines were reversed when replaced so another trip to a dealer.
Computer in the outboard went crazy (over a week without the boat).
Fuel pickup valve busted and I was almost stranded on Sardis.
I think I have probably found the water leak from front live well pump.

I know it’s covered by warranty but it’s a hassle to take it in for service and the closest Ranger dealer is 93 miles and backed up for 3 weeks.

So far this is the trips I’ve made:
2 trips to Branson - 288 miles 1 way
3 trips to Lexington - 93 miles 1 way
2 trips to Union City, (40 miles 1 way) for repairs which were paid out of my pocket

I’ve contacted Ranger and they may reimburse me for the out of pocket expenses. I called the general manager at the dealer I bought it from and his says these issues should not be happening.

Has anyone else had this many issues with a new boat?


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It would be interesting what your states "lemon law" says about this.

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Originally Posted by catchNgrease

It would be interesting what your states "lemon law" says about this.

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A couple months ago I told the service guy at the dealer that I thought I had a lemon!


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I forgot to include that the autopilot and spot lock has been unusable for 6 weeks on the Ultrex trolling motor. The MinnKota authorized service tech replaced the control board yesterday. Guess what, does same thing as before! The head moves constantly when on autopilot and sometimes goes as much as 90 degrees left or right. It does better when going over 1 mph.


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sad to say but sounds like the NORM...thats why I rig my own....

I have a 3 month old RT 178. Been having similar problems. Boat stay dry if I don't use livewell. Livewell timer was wired wrong, spare tire bracket keeps coming loose, all the latches on compartment were loose and not adjusted, trailer tires were low on air. Been back to dealer once, and going again next week. I thought I was buying quality with a Ranger. I don't even have the Outboard broke in yet. It seems very sluggish, dealer telling me now I need different prop

All that comes to mind when I read this is that I never heard things like this when Forrest Wood ran the show.

I hate to say this but the writing was on the wall with Ranger, Triton, and Stratus, when the current owner acquired them. They had a track record of purchasing other boat companies and turning what was once a proud manufacturer into a garbage product.

It shpuld tell you something when the top 4 people at Ranger with a combination of more that 70 years of boat manufacturing experience with Ranger left within weeks of the acquisition. It should also tell you something when these 4 men went over to help launch Vexus. The company started by the grandson who started Ranger.

Walleye insiders have been dropping like flies from Ranger, Triton, and Stratus since that time. Many complaints of fit and finish issues, corners cut, and even a recent video of a hull separating from the top deck.

If you have been watching, since the purchase, the price of a Ranger 620 or 621 has risen by almost 23%. Meanwhile the Nitro ZV 21 has remained the same price. The attempt was to overvalue the Ranger line to allow for more sales of the less costly Nitro line. In the end, both are taking a hit.

No offense to a Tracker boat owner and know that I am NOT comparing the crappie or bass style Tracker boats but rather the Deep V models. In the North, those deep V boats are known as entry level. The fit in finish is the worst in the industry. That said, if you look at a Ranger aluminum deep V, you are in fact purchasing a rebranded Tracker. That doesn't sit well.

I have a ton of inside information and wrote in great detail a few years ago regarding what many (including myself) thought would happen. It appears as it did. My sister was an executive for the holding company that owned Ranger. They were happy for the sale but everyone in that boardroom knew what would happen.

I'm sorry you have to experience this. I kept names out of this for a reason. I will say that the majority of the tournament walleye industry that considered Ranger the pinnacle a few short years ago are leaving for fiberglass companies like Skeeter, Warrior, Lund's fiber line, and a few others.

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Originally Posted by skeetbum

All that comes to mind when I read this is that I never heard things like this when Forrest Wood ran the show.

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Hence the reason the top 4 people mentioned above now work at Vexus along side Forrest's grandson. Take a look at their new Deep V line and you will see many similarities to the old Ranger 620 and 621. The very same boat these guys designed.

Mention the boat "Mako" around any enthusiasts and they would be quick to point out how great it was until the current owners purchased the company. The very same people that purchased the Ranger group!

Rich, the same people you mentioned are also being named in the industry for causing the nation-wide back-orders of all brands of outboards 200 hp and over. He (unnamed) is supposedly responsible for a 50+ week wait for large displacement Mercury outboards when his companies essentially ordered all the Mercury engines (20,000) that would be produced for his companies and that left other boat manufactures scrambling to find engines for their boats. I personally talked to a super high-end tri-toon dealer who was waiting for his shipment of 200+hp Suzuki engines and had given up on getting any Mercury engines for months. My 250 Suzuki was on back-order from January till it arrived at the Excel plant on Monday. I feel darn lucky to get it. Lots of dealers are sitting there paying floor-plan interest on boats they can't get engines for. It seems like that one person has decided to destroy the entire boat industry so he can sell his over-priced stuff. I hope the future judges him harshly.

sounds like a serious run of bad luck on some of the issues , but yet others seem to be product related no doubt .
one thing for certain as we get higher and higher on technology and gadgets more things are sure to come into play as problems
sorry to hear your having so many problems on such a typically good pc. of equipment ,not to mention what something like that would cost in relation to its output .

Doug, you nailed it!

Another issue is that it has actually decreased the value of Mercury to the point where many are not willing to take the chance on buying one (if they can get it). The people at Yamaha are working double to keep up with the increased demand because of the unavailability of Mercury. I believe this person also owns stock in Mercury. Trackers only come with them. Although Ranger can still be gotten with any motor, they market them with Mercury. Nitro is also Mercury only.

We should expect this from a mail order company. I suspect major decline from Cabelas and BP. Years ago, a store sold products for more money because they had it in stock. If you wanted to wait and pay less, you ordered from a catalog.

Now, Cabelas and BP have outrageous prices in their stores and online. If I'm willing and able to wait for something and shop online, I have options and those two are not it. Not going to pay store prices for online products.

Since the merger, there has been serious talk of quality decline at Cabelas. Some have said they are not honoring some of their return policies. I bring this up to show the type of individual in question

I think it has to do more with Mercury advancements and overall demand than what Johnny M ordered. In high demand in the saltwater world now where Yamaha was king for years.
Mercury Marine sees record number of engines on display at the 2019 Miami International Boat Show | Mercury Marine
build a good motor and people want them.

No Bashing, companies or people, just sayin'. It's in the rules. Keep peoples names out of it as well please.

just for clarity, I have an aluminum ranger and it was purchased at a private dealer. If I over look the little things that have been wrong, it appears to be a very well built boat. Much different than a Lowe. That being said, I also looked at a Lund mod v bass boat. That too appeared to be well built, but a lot more money. unfortunately I got rid of a perfectly good Alumacraft, yes I would have purchased another but no dealers anywhere close.

I really like fishing out of the RT188c, plenty of room up front for 2 spider rigging and real stable. Also after a couple of trips to a lake I discovered the water leak. Apparently I hit something and punctured a hole in the bottom!


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Case closed. So closing thread per op and I.


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