Looking at a 07 521vx with a soft deck

[Paintworx]

I am getting back into Bass fishing and ran into a friend that is selling his babies 2007 521vx. I had been a Skeeter guy and do not really know much about Rangers but this boat is really nice and has been garage kept it’s entire life and has very little use.

One thing I noticed though is that when walking around on the front deck it felt soft and spongy. Not necessarily in a bad way if it’s supposed to be like that but after digging around it seems that soft lids are a Ranger issue. I couldn’t tell if it was just squishing the seals or if it was the lid itself. The owner is not a big guy and the boat has been sitting for most of its life so I know it’s not worn out from over use or abused in any way. The Ranger website says they have “padded” decks but this feels more like flexible than padded.

Is this common on the 07 521s?

Any advice on the 07 521vx as far as what to look for?

[utinator]

It's probably just the seals being squished. My 521vx did that, and I'm not a big guy either. It's kinda hard to tell if the lids are cracked unless you look on the inside. I never had one crack though.

The boats are as solid as they come. Due to the age, you might have to replace some door seals, pumps, switches, lights etc. You definitely need to get the motor checked out. Have someone perform a compression AND bleed down check.

[dclayton]

Search Ranger deck lids on BBC. Ive had to replace one so far.

[Paintworx]

Ok. I inspected the lids and they look brand new. The posts about the soft lids is what made me check it out. But I can’t imagine that they could be damaged. I just wasn’t sure if this is how they feel when new. Are the 2007 Yamaha HPDI Vmax 250s risky. This one has been tuned by a rep from Yamaha because the owner said that sometimes it would just randomly not start. I don’t know how many hours it has but it is extremely low since previous owner used it very little. He worked at a dealership at the time and the Yamaha rep went to the lake and tuned it and it has been flawless since. I just don’t want to end up with a motor that has a bad history of blowing up. Are there updates that need to be made to make them dependable?

[buster502]

does it have a padded deck ?? maybe thats the soft deck your felling,any engine can blow at anytime

[CigarBasser]

Push your Yahama question over on the motor forum.. U should get more responses.. be better if you can post the serial number too..

[dean c]

Ok. I inspected the lids and they look brand new. The posts about the soft lids is what made me check it out. But I can’t imagine that they could be damaged. I just wasn’t sure if this is how they feel when new. Are the 2007 Yamaha HPDI Vmax 250s risky. This one has been tuned by a rep from Yamaha because the owner said that sometimes it would just randomly not start. I don’t know how many hours it has but it is extremely low since previous owner used it very little. He worked at a dealership at the time and the Yamaha rep went to the lake and tuned it and it has been flawless since. I just don’t want to end up with a motor that has a bad history of blowing up. Are there updates that need to be made to make them dependable?

I had an 07 HPDI...that motor had a recall on the oil pump. Its critcal that you ensure its been performed. I blew it up prior to that recall being performed. Dealer that I bought the boat from pencil whipped the paper work and never even let me know there was a recall. Once I got it done and the powerhead replaced it was a solid motor. I would find someone to run the serial number to see if what, if anything has been done to engine.

[gonnabe]

The lids on those year model Rangers do flex. The deck itself should be solid enough to park a skid steer on it. The deck is solid fiberglass and built like a tank.

[twitch]

is it the deck itself or the lids that are spongy, might be a padded deck check the deck vs the lids and see the difference....

[Ranger519VS]

Ok. I inspected the lids and they look brand new. The posts about the soft lids is what made me check it out. But I can’t imagine that they could be damaged. I just wasn’t sure if this is how they feel when new. Are the 2007 Yamaha HPDI Vmax 250s risky. This one has been tuned by a rep from Yamaha because the owner said that sometimes it would just randomly not start. I don’t know how many hours it has but it is extremely low since previous owner used it very little. He worked at a dealership at the time and the Yamaha rep went to the lake and tuned it and it has been flawless since. I just don’t want to end up with a motor that has a bad history of blowing up. Are there updates that need to be made to make them dependable?

You can call Yamaha in Georgia and give them the serial number. They can tell you the history of any dealer repairs or oil pump upgrade.