Best 19ft Tin Boat for the money

[josephsharpe99]

Anyone have experience with the Ranger or Xpress Tin boats 19ft+? I am wanting to move to an aluminum boat from my Triton since it fits my style more. Anyone have advice?

[Crab orchard renegade]

I'm biased because I have one but the Ranger 198p is an incredible boat. Had mine out yesterday with winds gusting to 30mph. Stayed bone dry and didn't get beat to death. Rides like a glass boat to me.

[n2ratfishin]

IMO if you're going to power it with more than a 115 get the Xpress with thicker aluminum.

https://www.andersonmarine.com/defau...=xNewInventory

Something along these lines.

[FloridaFlyer]

I like the Xpress a lot. Had a good friend with a X19 and a SHO 200. I was in it a lot until he passed away. They are great boats but they have two problems.... One - lack of dealerships all over the country ...and two -- man they are expensive. If you have a dealer within an easy drive and if you can afford it...go for it. You will be surprised at the cost though.

[quikcarl61]

There is an Xpress dealer on hwy 49 near lake Wylie on the SC side I believe. Other wise I like the Vexus 2080, and there is a dealer in Granite Falls NC. Tri-County Marine, ask for Mike or Dee

[ifishinxs]

Vexus 1880 will get it done.

[kcinnick]

Check out the Avid 19 or 20 ft boats. I am biased, I ordered a bay boat, the 23FS on Monday, but their boats are better than Xpress, Lowe, Crestilner and Excel when you put everything together.

[Highcentered]

After what I've seen in research I'd go Avid.

[bassfisher444]

For the money I would say a Tracker 195.

[Mechanic Bob]

I have enjoyed my Ranger.
Did not like the Xpress because very tight between the helm and the seat. I am 6'4" and it was a tight fit on the Xpress bass boat.
Ranger has great storage.
Ranger trailers are fantastic.
I also like the large fuel tank on my Ranger.

[jtrac]

I placed an order today for an RT198P with a 150 ProXS. It was $4173 more than a 188P with the same equipment. I decided it was worth it. I usually fish a smaller lake with about a 5 minute run from end to end but occasionally fish larger lakes subject to getting pretty rough in the wind. I decided it might be better to have a little longer boat and a larger motor. My only disappointment is the trailer is now basically a Tracker. It will probably be fine for my purposes with generally short tows but I was wanting a c-channel constructed trailer.

[PolarKraft195]

for what I paid for it........Mine!

[wishiwasfishin2]

Naturally I am partial to the xpress, just like everyone else is to their boat. The reason I went with my x19 was because of the pad hull, thicker aluminum, higher HP rating. Coming from a fiberglass boat you know a pad hull is like driving a sports car. The xpress drives great. If you are on the throttle and driving a tight river or boat lane, the x19 will hold you tight in the turns.

At the time I thought the xpress was the best looking aluminum boat. Vexus now owns the look to me. But only time will tell if the thinner aluminum and hull design will hold up over time. The new wider deck and SeaDeck option, now offered, would still push me to the xpress. Just wish I had gone with the 200 SHO.

[Sodaksam]

I have a Crestliner BassHawk 1850 w/ a Merc 150 4s. I like it. Lots of storage and stable.

[T-Mac]

www.lundboats.com

[fishingram24]

My buddy owns a 198p and I just picked up my Xpress X 18 Pro last week. Fished out of his Ranger many times and he bought it after fishing in my previous Xpress boats. Xpress has made some big improvements in their line of bass boats in 2021 and Ranger has the rep for quality over the years. Both are great boats and as with most things it ends up being personal choice as to what YOU think will best fit your needs. I looked at several brands before buying mine including Vexus, which disappointed me like by the way, and all I 'll say is that we are lucky to have the various brands of quality boats to choose from to fit our personal taste. One last thing, Sea Dek is great.

[Tim Kelly]

Congratulations on the new rig. I love the look and utility of the seadek but just wonder how it lasts long term.

[Javelin 180]

I've had my Ranger RB190 ( center console ) for a little over 2 years now and I don't have any complaints it's a great all around boat and is great for my kind of fishing if your looking for that type of boat.

[JoePA]

I like the Vexus 1980 for the 19' boat class as it does a lot of things very well. They fish great, fit and finish is top notch and excellent customer service. I'm not a fan of the Avid as it looks like the Harbor freight version of the Vexus. Seats are straight out of 80's and its just a copy of the Vexus. The hull thickness on the 19' is the same as the Vexus so nothing to gain there and who knows what their customer service will be like as well as dealer network.