Would like some input on Rangers

[Big Al]

Specifically on the RT 178 and RT 188. How well built are they? Anyone have any issues with them? Are they a quality boat?
I was told they are a glorified Tracker, how true is this?

Thanks AL

[fishon396]

I am not sure if my Ranger RT178 is a glorified anything but I like fishing from it and it’s been a good boat. Lots of people like the Tracker also especially the hull.

[rangerman942]

I owned a Ranger dealership from 1988-2006. They built a good aluminum product on/off a few years back then. The first round of Ranger aluminum used Crestliner hulls which was another boat company owned by Genmar. Their second go around used Waco hulls and I believe ended up buying the company for the hull. All the bare hulls on both series were sent to Flippin to be finished out. The current run use a Triton hull and up until now were made in Flippin. Now they will be made on a separate line at Tracker plant.

Sorry for the history lesson, but it gives you some background. When I sold my dealership, I had a Z21 built for me. I ran it several years and then quit fishing. Last year I got back into it and re-joined the Ranger family. I wanted a jet rig and first looked a Vexus. But they don’t build anything to run with a jet. So I have a custom RT188 with a jet. It suits my needs and fishes quite well. I am overall pleased with the boat, but I see a few fit/finish issues that could be better. I am not pleased with the EZ Loader trailer that was branded as a Rangertrail. I like the boat, but don’t like the direction the parent company is taking the brand, but it’s not my company to run, so it’s a moot point. This will probably be my last Ranger ( I’ve owned a dozen or more over the years.). BUT....I like my boat!

[TimH]

I bought a Ranger RT 178 in October of last year and have used it a handful of times this spring and summer. It has great storage, rides well, and is a nice boat to fish out of. My only compliant is with the trailer. I have the hardest time getting the boat back onto the trailer, but recently found out its because my boat is sitting on a trailer designed for a 198. I'm working with Ranger and E Z Loader now to get the situation resolved. All in all, its a good boat and I'm happy to own it.

[n2ratfishin]

Mine was the 2017 national dealer show demo boat. It’s my third Ranger (1980’s glass & 1990’s glass) it’s by far the best built of the three.

If I could change anything the trailer would be improved. It’s not gave me any issues, and I’ve towed it a couple thousand miles twice, but it’s not built like the glass boats.

[Panama]

I like my RT188. As a general all around aluminum, it would be hard to beat. I have owned a lot of boats....maybe 25 or so....and it is one of my all time favorites. It fishes great
Every boat has pluses and minuses. I would come closer to giving you a SOLID recommendation if the construction had not been moved to the Tracker plant. The trailer is OK but could be beefier. Mine has been fine and has probably 25K miles on it and lots of trips out of town.

Since they moved the plant, I would personally find one made before they moved it to Tracker or I would look for another brand. That can't be a good thing in the end. The 188 fishes great and I have not regretted buying it at all ... 6 years ago. They are good boats.

[Jeff Hahn]

I like my RT188. As a general all around aluminum, it would be hard to beat. I have owned a lot of boats....maybe 25 or so....and it is one of my all time favorites. It fishes great
Every boat has pluses and minuses. I would come closer to giving you a SOLID recommendation if the construction had not been moved to the Tracker plant. The trailer is OK but could be beefier. Mine has been fine and has probably 25K miles on it and lots of trips out of town.

Since they moved the plant, I would personally find one made before they moved it to Tracker or I would look for another brand. That can't be a good thing in the end. The 188 fishes great and I have not regretted buying it at all ... 6 years ago. They are good boats.

A friend had a RT188 for 6 years. It fished quite well, but rode like an aluminum and had minimal storage, particularly on the rear deck and the under the seat storage was not dry. He now has a Vexus 1980 and it's light years ahead of the RT188. My concern is exactly what Panama mentioned. No way I would own anything made at the Tracker plant, no matter what badge is slapped on it.

[ILbassin]

I’ve owned a 2017 RT178 and now a 2020 188P. My 178 was great and I’m hoping to get the same results out of my 188P. My biggest problem with my new one has been with the dealer and not the boat itself.

[pfisher]

My 2019 188 took on water when running and it took the dealer awhile to find it. It was coming from under the rub rail cap. They sealed it and it's bone dry now. I had a serious talk with the rep at the classic and he put me in touch with a person at the plant. He sent me some pictures showing how they were assembled so I wouldn't have to worry about build. I talked to him again about a month ago and he said they could make me a new hull if I was worried about it but they had moved manufacturing to another plant. I think I'll keep this one.

The trailer is the worst I've ever had for loading but ez loader has been very good at answering my questions. The build quality looks the same as a friends that has one from 2017 that was built at the ranger plant. It sucks loading too.

I am the unfortunate owner of an Evinrude motor. I like it but my dealer isn't sure if he will remain on the dealer list or not because of his small volume over the last 10 years or so. I'm actually thinking about looking at other brands before I buy just an engine.

It does fish good though but as others have said I'm not sure I like the direction the company is going. I have owned 5 Rangers in the past and like them and the company.

[Big Al]

Thanks for all the input. Trlrs seem to be an issue with less expensive boats. My Bear trlr under my G3 Sportsman isn't the best either. There is rust at the coupling and some joints near the fenders. This is a 2018 rig. Being my 3rd G3 boat all with Bear trlrs, I expected the rust but not this soon. Definitely will get a galv or aluminum trlr next time.

[tcesni]

A friend had a RT188 for 6 years. It fished quite well, but rode like an aluminum and had minimal storage, particularly on the rear deck and the under the seat storage was not dry. He now has a Vexus 1980 and it's light years ahead of the RT188. My concern is exactly what Panama mentioned. No way I would own anything made at the Tracker plant, no matter what badge is slapped on it.

Ironically, my under seat storage is the only storage that is 100% dry. I'm going into season 7 with my RT188 and its been a good boat as has the trailer. I don't tow much, usually two 1400 miles trips per season. But my boat does spend a lot of days on the water. A lot depends on the types of water you fish, for where I fish the boat has been excellent to fish from.

[Panama]

A friend had a RT188 for 6 years. It fished quite well, but rode like an aluminum and had minimal storage, particularly on the rear deck and the under the seat storage was not dry. He now has a Vexus 1980 and it's light years ahead of the RT188. My concern is exactly what Panama mentioned. No way I would own anything made at the Tracker plant, no matter what badge is slapped on it.

This is where the problem is.... The RT is not perfect, but it is a very good boat. This is in large part because of the people building it, and the customer service from Flippin. I doubt very many of these people sold their homes and moved their families to Lebanon. So the issue is WHO is now building the boat and with what type materials. I very much doubt they offer a factory tour so you can see. I toured the Ranger glass plant and the aluminum plant on 3 or 4 occasions. They were proud to show you what they were up to and WHO was building their boats. They had pride in their work.

They probably just moved the Ranger machinery, which was state of the art. The pride probably stayed in Flippin.

[TCMT04]

I have a 2015 Ranger RT 188 with a Yamaha 115 4 stroke. It was built by Ranger before Johnny Morris and Bass Pro bought out Ranger. I hate to say it but I wouldn’t buy one new since JM took over. I had mine in this spring for annual service and me and the service manager were talking and he showed me one of the new Ranger RT 188’s. The fit and finish,seats all looked better in my five year old boat. He told me the people who had built my boat are now making Vexus boats.I have had three fiberglass boats before this one and this one fishes better than any fiberglass I’ve ever been in. It is a surprisingly good ride for an aluminum boat. I can get 45 mph with me and my son. If I were buying one now I would look hard at Vexus! Just my two cents.

[gbsmallie]

I love my pre-Johnny Morris RT188. Like others have stated, I do not like the direction Ranger is going at all, and may or may not buy a new Ranger. I would likely buy an Xpress if going aluminum or maybe go back to an 18' Skeeter. No plans to do that anytime soon though, as the RT is suiting me very well at the moment

[GeauxTide]

Like Panama, I've owned a bunch of boats. My RT188 is a favorite because of how it behaves when the Ultrex is down. It floats in 12", is very stable, and my wife loves the port console. I don't like the semi-vee hull, but the Spitfire X7 makes it handle fine. Fit, finish, storage, foam flotation, and trailer complete my check boxes.

[FlFedAngler]

I have had several FG boats over the years, my last one being a Ranger 188VS I had for 14 years. Just sold it and bought my first aluminum. It was a 2015 Ranger RT188 w/ 2015, 115 Omax 2 stroke w/ less than 100 hrs. Plenty of storage and deck space. More than my 188VS. Like I said it's my first aluminum boat so I have nothing to compare it to. But you can't compare it to a FG boat. Overall I have no complaints (especially since I got it for $14,000). Good luck!!!

[King_Fish]

Love mine...

The RTs fish as good as anything out there with the TM down!

[madmurph]

I looked at the smallest model fiberglass rigs offered by Nitro, Ranger and Triton and the 18.5' "cookie cutter" tin rigs from numerous manufacturers including Ranger, Tracker, Lund, G3, Crestliner, Lowe and Alumacraft. This size aluminum offered much more in the fishability category than the small fiberglass rigs (the Nitro was close) in my opinion so I opted for the aluminum over fiberglass.

Out of all the tin brands mentioned, I thought the Ranger was by far the "nicest" all around. The Tracker probably would have rode the best. The Lund had the largest decks. Each brand seemed to have something, but the Ranger easily won all around. Others were lacking in areas whether it be finish, detail, carpet, seats, storage, trailer, etc.

Mine is a 2018 purchased new and still has the Ranger made trailer. I think that the boat fishes great, has adequate speed for me (46-47 MPH) and adequate storage. I can fit 8 1/2' musky rods in the rod locker. I do wish the front side compartments ran the entire length of the deck however. I can't really think of any negatives regarding the boat or the trailer so far.

I guess that I have been lucky in the fact that my storage is "nearly" completely dry after the heaviest of rains.

If I stick with tin, I will get a Vexus next time. My dealer was also a Vexus dealer and I looked at a couple when I picked my boat up and also looked at them at a show. Very nice tin boats for sure.

[gtfd455]

I bought my RT188 new and have used it a lot. I have fished on Lake Erie, Lake St Clair, and trolling motor only lakes. This boat has met my expectations. Just recently I have had a problem. The hull cracked in the center stringer. My dealer (Dixie Marine in Cincinnati) had a local welder fix it twice. No luck, third time out it was leaking again. It is now headed back to Ranger for a new hull. It is great that the hull has a lifetime warranty. Not sure how many other manufacturers offer the same warranty. I am curious to see the reviews now that they are going to be made at tracker. I will give you an update once mine returns with a new hull. If you are looking for a dealer and are close to Cincinnati, I would highly recommend Dixie Marine. They have taken good care of me.Thanks,

[spinningreel]

Love mine...

The RTs fish as good as anything out there with the TM down!

And I love how they sit so Level in the water. Probably the best hull to fish from with the TM down IMO. I have even noticed the Vexus tend to be a little bow high when sitting still, nothing major but still I personally would prefer a more level Hull while at rest, and Ranger did a very good job in that regards.