$25-$30k to spend, help this tin boat grasshopper! 18-19ft

[BooneBarton]

Alright guys, the time has come (well, it will this spring) to step back into a boat. I am coming from a Skeeter glass boat but have realized that where I fish and how I fish that a alum. rig would be the ticket. I have narrowed it down to a few models and want some real world opinion/suggestions.
Ranger RT188/Triton 18tx...pretty much same boat right?
Alumacraft Pro 185
G3 Sportsman 1810
I have also looked into Xpress, Crestliner, Lund, etc...
What are your thoughts? There are a lot of different things I am consider when purchasing but honestly the main ones are *Value and *Resale Value. I know that certain boats "trade" better than others, and while I dont plan on getting rid of it anytime soon...I am always looking ahead. Thanks!

[krw]

Look n classifieds. If the lded 188 is still for sale in WI, go get it!! Carry an AR just in case

[ajw18]

I’d try to find a used Xpress X19. They’re built solid and have a pad hull rather than a flat bottom. There doesn’t seem to be many around but there’s a nice one in the Boats4Sale section that should also be around your budget.

[Cape Fear]

The Ranger will have more trim/bells and whistle standard options. If you would rather put your money into upgraded trolling motor, batteries and graphs the others you have listed are nice boats and will keep you in your budget.

[SWbass]

all these manufactures make a decent boat, I think it comes down to layout and storage

[GeauxTide]

If you're buying new, the dealer is the most important item. Triton tin is discontinued. My dealer has G3 and Ranger. Ranger quality and trailer are better and you can only power G3 with Yamaha. My choice is Xpress, as I fished in both of my uncle's X17 and X19 for over 10 years. Just wished my dealer sold them.

[Highcentered]

I might get some grief for this but if you prefer to buy new AND want a really soft riding boat in rough water take a hard look at the Tracker 190. Best advice I can give you is to look at the hull and the layout of each boat you're considering and decide which one checks the most boxes on needs and wants. For me at the time it was the Tracker I bought because I knew it would ride a lot better than all the other new rigs I was considering in my price range.

[FloridaFlyer]

If you're buying new, the dealer is the most important item. Triton tin is discontinued. My dealer has G3 and Ranger. Ranger quality and trailer are better and you can only power G3 with Yamaha. My choice is Xpress, as I fished in both of my uncle's X17 and X19 for over 10 years. Just wished my dealer sold them.

Are you saying they don't make the Triton aluminum anymore??

[kondan]

I’d try to find a used Xpress X19. They’re built solid and have a pad hull rather than a flat bottom. There doesn’t seem to be many around but there’s a nice one in the Boats4Sale section that should also be around your budget.

Ranger makes a RT188P and RT198P, padded hull.

[ILbassin]

I like my 188P but would of preferred the layout of a 178 (rods port side up to 8’ and tackle center). I also like the layouts of the new Tracker 175s. My 188P fishes stables and rides good though and has ample storage for my needs. Not sure how resale will be after recent corporate moves with Ranger but my last trades got me a good price. Time will tell on the used market once a lot of the covid shutdown first time boat buyers get rid of theirs if they found boating wasn’t for them. People sure did buy a lot of boats this year though so I expect to see quite a few barely used boats sitting on dealers lots come next summer.

[ncbass]

I had to sell my glass boat when we moved (two garage doors vs one single door), too wide. My first tin was a Triton X17 with a Merc 75, traded that in for my current Triton 18TX with a Merc 115 ProXS 4s. My biggest concern was having a comfortable fishing platform with performance and fit/finish somewhere in the mix. I am happy enough with my current boat to ignore the new boat urge and have decided to upgrade electronics and add hydraulic steering. Recently purchased an additional five years of Merc protection so Im in it for the long haul....

[madmurph]

Two years ago when I made my purchase, I spent 10 months looking at a few small fiberglass models and numerous mod V aluminum models, including the three that you mentioned.

The G3 just didn't seem to have the overall quality of others. I did love the one and only motor choice. I also looked hard at the Alumacraft. The layout, storage and deck sizes were all very appealing. But I thought there was just something "missing" with this one. I thought the Ranger was by far the nicest of these three. However, there has been numerous people questioning the quality of the recent models, particularly since moving the manufacturing location. I have not personally looked at one that was recently manufactured.

I saw a new Crestliner XF189 at a boat show this year. The XF series replaced the VT series. I thought the XF series was much much nicer than the old VT series. The decks were massive, the old cheap looking plastic console was replaced with a fiberglass one and overall seemed to be a great improvement. This would be worth looking at and also in your price range with a 115 hp motor. This would be on my short list if I was looking at aluminum today. If you haven't looked at one in person, I would check one out for sure.

Good luck with your search. It's always fun to shop for a new vehicle or boat.

[wishiwasfishin2]

I went with the xpress x19. Thicker hull, larger HP rating, rides rough water well and keeps you dry. Plus I like the looks of it. Have dual axle trailer with brakes. Some of the others may have a little better fit and finish, but none have the performance and rock solid build of the xpress, in my opinion.

[wishiwasfishin2]

I went with the xpress x19. Thicker hull, larger HP rating, rides rough water well and keeps you dry. Plus I like the looks of it. Have dual axle trailer with brakes. Some of the others may have a little better fit and finish, but none have the performance and rock solid build of the xpress, in my opinion.

But, it will cost more than 25-30k, to get it rigged out the way you really want it. If you buy new.

[kcinnick]

My AVID dealer had some 19ft bass boats for around $30k. I am going with a bay boat, but the bass boats were sharp.

[tcesni]

Look n classifieds. If the lded 188 is still for sale in WI, go get it!! Carry an AR just in case

An AR? Are there zombies in Wisconsin?

[fishingram24]

You can get an Xpress X 18 for around 30 or maybe less with 115 if you can find one. Xpress is built with .125 vs .100 for most others so it should be more durable and with the pad hull they are faster and ride better than most comparable boats.