Been in glass for 30 years. Sold my boat and want to go aluminum from now on. Over on the tin forum, I had posted about going from glass to aluminum. Lots of good comments over there.
I had narrowed my choices down to Vexus 1980, Ranger RT198, and the X19.
Each boat above has a lot I like and some I don’t like. I know no boat will fill every want of mine, but I want to get as close as possible. Here’s what I plan to do with the boat:
I bass fish mostly within 200 miles of home. I fish BFLs and ABA tournaments and occasionally local jack pots. I’m worried about a couple things with the X19. My concerns are:
- Is there enough storage? Compartments look small. Can someone render an opinion on this?
- On a X19, how much concern is there about compartment condensation?
- How stable is it when fishing? If my co walks around on the back, is it going rock the boat?
- Are livewells suitable for a BFL? Is the size adequate leaving the divider in?
- Tandem trailer fender looks like diamond plate bent to a shape of a fender. Is that too flexible?
- In windy conditions, how does the boat fish?
Overall, I’d like to hear from a BFL fisherman. Reason being, co’s bring a lot of stuff with them....and if we have 10 fish divided, etc etc....I just like to know opinions on all this. The closest X19 to me is 3.5 hrs away....so if I’m going to look, I’m going within intention to purchase. That said, I’d like to know as much as I can before I drive to see an X19. If there’s a deal breaker, I’d like to know it now.