I heard something that sounded like the Ranger aluminum production is moving to Lebanon, MO. It will be a separate line from Tracker. It sounded like it was for 2021 model production. Has anyone else heard about this?
Somebody say it ain't so....please.
----------------------------
The bitterness of poor quality is remembered
long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten - Benjamin Franklin
2013 RANGER RT188 - YAMAHA F115 - ULTREX - LOWRANCE GRAPHS
LOCK-N-HAUL Transom Saver, ALL ABOARD Emergency Ladder
1996 RANGER CHEROKEE - 40 YAMAHA
That's what I heard as well. If I remember correctly, someone on this board posted about a Ranger they had on order that is currently in production in Missouri.
Seen a thread on the Ranger board and the lounge about it but that was a week or 2 ago. Not sure part of it is from all this covid stuff or other reasons who knows fully why. The way i understood the flippin plant is just gonna be building glass boats.
Roy
2020 Triton 18 Trx
Mercury 200 Pro XS V8
Bravo FS 24P Prop
Atlas 6” jp
Dual Humminbird Helix 10 MEGA SI
Minnkota Ultrex.
Yep.
I ordered a 2020 Ranger VX1788WT back in December, found out in late January that the aluminum deep v production was being moved to Lebanon, I took delivery of the boat in the middle of May. Communication with Ranger on the status of the boat was less than stellar, I ended up speaking with the regional sales rep for white river marine group a couple times to get answers. The boat was delivered on a tracker trailer (though it does look well built) not a ranger trailer, which was supposed to be a 2021 model year change, but they apparently shut down the Ranger trailer factory early. Ranger gave me some money off the deal for the trailer change. Love the boat, but there are numerous QC issues, most of which Ive spent hours fixing on my own already, some that can't be fixed, like uneven paint (too thin in some spots, too thick in others). I filled out their satisfaction survey a little over a week ago and requested they contact me, they haven't yet. Sent the list to my dealer, they sent it to ranger, crickets so far. This is my 4th boat and my first Ranger, it's been a pretty disappointing experience so far, but I still have hope that they'll make things right.
Well, it took him a little time.....but JM is putting his fingerprint on it.
The Vexus plant is right down the road and built by the Ranger people that resigned from him. The labor pool is small in Flippin. I figure Vexus hired the quailty people that they wanted (like welders) and JM is having to build some things elsewhere.
----------------------------
The bitterness of poor quality is remembered
long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten - Benjamin Franklin
2013 RANGER RT188 - YAMAHA F115 - ULTREX - LOWRANCE GRAPHS
LOCK-N-HAUL Transom Saver, ALL ABOARD Emergency Ladder
1996 RANGER CHEROKEE - 40 YAMAHA
That is also my understanding.Originally Posted by Panama
"The man of system is apt to be very wise in his own conceit; and is often so enamored with the supposed beauty of his own ideal plan of government that he cannot suffer the smallest deviation from any part of it…He seems to imagine that he can arrange the different members of a great society with as much ease as the hand arranges the different pieces upon a chessboard.” Adam Smith, The Theory of Moral Sentiments
I just ordered a 2020 RT188P and was told it would be a 2021 and would be built at that Tracker facility and I wouldn’t get it until late August. So I had the dealer use my order sheet and build one off the lot. That’s been a headache in itself as the dealer did many things wrong. However, I was a bit wary of having a Tracker built Ranger so here I am with a brand new boat sitting in a different Ranger dealer fixing/correcting issues from the dealer I bought it from.
2020 Ranger RT188P
Mercury 115 ProXS CT/23P Tempest/Atlas Hydraulic 6”/Sportsman 2 Powerpoles/Ultrex 80
Humminbird Helix 9 MSI/Humminbird Helix 9 MDI+/Humminbird Mega 360
I hate to say it , but the Ranger Tin boat is becoming a series of boat heading into a upgrade package name. For example stated before, boat came on a TRACKER TRAILER. Eventually you purchase a Tracker with a Ranger upgrade package. I purchase my boat the same time as Panama, I love my Ranger rt 188, but Ill be selling mine in the next fours years And I will be advertising it as a PRE BASS PRO SHOP MADE BOAT. I looked a newer RT 188, there has defiantly been a subtle change, JM did get his hands on the boat. BUT, I believe the heart and soul of the boating making process moved down the street. People who love there jobs and there community, it shows in the products they make. Just an opinion!
from what i gathered from the posts in the lounge, aluminum boat production was moving to mo, and all trailers would be outsourced. it appears to me wrm is cutting labor costs by eliminating welder jobs. i've looked for jobs in that area of the state as i hope to relocate there at some point. there's not many jobs available that pay decent money. most production jobs at these boat plants pay $12-15 per hr. the welding jobs were the higher paying at $20-22.
If I buy a Ranger boat I want a Ranger built by Ranger guys. Same as Tracker, G3, Lund, etc. I don’t want a Ranger built in Tracker plant by Tracker. That’s just me, from the perspective of a boat buyer. I wish WRM group all the best.
Ranger as we knew it is over, same with Triton, Stratos, etc. when buyouts happen, things just aren’t the same afterwards.
brands change, fade, new ones arise, buyers will adapt.
Yep, I specifically ordered a Ranger in December when Ranger aluminum boats were still built in Flippin Arkansas.. I received a Ranger that was built in the Tracker plant, and there are quality issues that I think reflect the quality control at it's build location. I understand it's all under one big company, but that seems like a pretty dishonest business practice. With all that being said, sadly, I think this is the future of boat manufacturers, consolidation. Hell, in the last couple of years Polaris bought Rinker and Larson, and now they've just announced that they're killing those brands off.
Many saw this coming unfortunately, when Ranger was sold. It was only a matter of time when boat quality was going to be effected.
Last edited by Lou22; 06-10-2020 at 01:14 PM.
Ditto.... I like the RT...BUT I think it will be my last Ranger.
----------------------------
The bitterness of poor quality is remembered
long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten - Benjamin Franklin
2013 RANGER RT188 - YAMAHA F115 - ULTREX - LOWRANCE GRAPHS
LOCK-N-HAUL Transom Saver, ALL ABOARD Emergency Ladder
1996 RANGER CHEROKEE - 40 YAMAHA
It’s definitely not a rumor. All Ranger aluminum production will soon take place at the Tracker plant in Missouri. The Flippin plant couldn’t get out of their own way. JM’s bean counters probably felt that they had to come up with another course of action. They figure they have the brand name now and they can slap it on any mediocre POS from here on out and still sell it.
Overpriced Trackers huh? Gotta love the Walmart of boat builders. Plenty of other great brands out there to give your money to now. Vexus seems to be a nicely built rig.
2023 Xpress H18 with 115 SHO and Powertech NRS4 21p
8" Bob's Action Jack
Garmin Echomap 12, 10, 9, and LVS34 networked with Netgear Switch
Ultrex
Trick Steps and Ramp N Clamp
Pulled by a 2016 single cab HEMI Ram
Treat others like you want to be treated when on the water EVEN WHEN IN A TOURNAMENT! No fish is worth having a confrontation because you cut someone off or came in on top of someone.
I think the overall quality of Tin boats has dramatically improved in the past five years. I had a 2012 Lowe 18HP warranty replaced by a 2014, which had improved features. Brunswick has an impressive stable of tin manufacturers. We should remember that the Ranger folks DECIDED to SELL their company to BP. Personally, I'm more concerned about the dealer than the brand. My Ranger is in excellent condition. My Opti exits warranty in 2023, and my plan was a 115 HO Rude. So, it'll be an ugly Merc or an SHO.
2015 Ranger RT188 DC; BassCat Storage Box; Mercury Optimax 115ProXS;
19" Spitfire X7; Vessel View Mobile; Minn Kota Ultrex 80; GForce Handle;
TM Eliminator; Helix 7 G2N SI Combo F/R; HydroWave KVD; BBT 4" Angled Bow Mount; Durasafe Locks for Electronics and Ultrex;
Twist Step Boarding Ladder; EZEE Step ES1; BAC RAC Rod Storage; Motor Mate Transom Saver
I can't imagine if Ranger is moved to the Tracker Plant. You will continue to see the same Rangers as you do today. The RT boats are outdated hulls in the Tracker engineers minds.
That may be true to a certain extent....but you can have the best dealer ever and the dealer cannot get the factory to authorize warranty work OR they authorize a crappy repair. For instance, all the factory will authorize for a cracked hull is a welded patch job and the owner should be getting a new replacement hull. Or maybe the dealer can't get parts delivered in a timely manner because of a crappy customer service department.
Yes, the dealer is important...but they can do just so much if the manufacturer/owner is worthless in customer service and warranty authorizations. Ranger won't be the same. A lot of good Ranger people moved to Vexus, but I still had confidence in them until now.
----------------------------
The bitterness of poor quality is remembered
long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten - Benjamin Franklin
2013 RANGER RT188 - YAMAHA F115 - ULTREX - LOWRANCE GRAPHS
LOCK-N-HAUL Transom Saver, ALL ABOARD Emergency Ladder
1996 RANGER CHEROKEE - 40 YAMAHA
I feel the same way about them being outdated. Vexus, Avid, and the Polar Craft bass hulls are probably my favorite right now. I do want an unpainted hull next time. My Tracker looks like it's been rubbed with a big scotch bright pad underneath from me running it up on the bank launching and loading.
2023 Xpress H18 with 115 SHO and Powertech NRS4 21p
8" Bob's Action Jack
Garmin Echomap 12, 10, 9, and LVS34 networked with Netgear Switch
Ultrex
Trick Steps and Ramp N Clamp
Pulled by a 2016 single cab HEMI Ram
Treat others like you want to be treated when on the water EVEN WHEN IN A TOURNAMENT! No fish is worth having a confrontation because you cut someone off or came in on top of someone.
Wouldn’t trade my tracker for any other brand, not a single problem what so ever since i bought it. Took it back to the private dealer that i bought it from for the first service and waited about an hour while i watched them service it and pulled it home. They even send me invites to customer cookouts. Lol
2018 TRACKER PT 190 TX
115 MERCURY PRO XS 4 STROKE
Mercury spitfire X7 prop
Vessel View mobile Installed
2= Garmin ecomap 93sv plus
Ram swing arm mount (console)
Dek-it Bow mount (Bow)
57" garmin force
Supreme Ultimate Bunkboards
3 Leaf 3000# leaf spring upgrade
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