RT 198P Hull strength

[Bill Reynolds]

I was looking at a new Ranger RT198P at the boat show and was concerned about what I saw when examining the hull. Specifically, there were no press broken ribs in the hull just a lot of flat surface. Those ribs are there to provide lateral strength and without them, the hull is more prone to flexing. (In my opinion)



I was surprised to see this and wondered if it was a change from the original hull design then I saw this picture of an older RT198 hull. Something has definitely changed.
The fact that the 198 does not use the extruded center keel also affects the strength of this hull.
IMO: The RT188 hull design is much stronger.

[Mechanic Bob]

WOW Not only which you stated, how would it turn? My '19 RT198P slides through the turns, but a smooth hull like that, would be scary.

[SWbass]

just wondering could they make up for the lack of ribs for strength with internal support ?

[FloridaFlyer]

Seems to answer that question they continue to ask lately....

Isn't there ANYTHING we can do to make it cheaper and maybe keep the price the same so we can make more money.

I would not trade my RT188.....MADE BEFORE THE PURCHASE.... for one of those boats. That extruded piece down the centerline is tough as nails... And an excellent design... Too bad they changed it.

[Ranger9948]

Is it though? I have a 2018 model and while I have had no issues (KNOCKS ON WOOD HARD) I've seen that is where the majority of them see the welds fail.

Seems to answer that question they continue to ask lately....

Isn't there ANYTHING we can do to make it cheaper and maybe keep the price the same so we can make more money.

I would not trade my RT188.....MADE BEFORE THE PURCHASE.... for one of those boats. That extruded piece down the centerline is tough as nails... And an excellent design... Too bad they changed it.

[Bill Reynolds]

After posting this, I got to thinking that the picture I posted may be an RT188P instead of a 198P. I was looking at both and don’t remember which I took the picture of.
I have to go to Bass Pro later this week, I’ll verify which hull this is.
kind of scary, I don’t want to misrepresent anything.

[jtrac]

Pro's Choice Marine had 5 198's in stock in the last few weeks, of which 4 are now sold. I looked at their pictures and it appears the break lines start further back. There appears to be 3 on each side but is kind of hard to tell. I'm pretty sure it is common knowledge that the boats are no longer made in Flippin but at the Tracker plant in Lebanon, Mo. While not a total redesign there are some differences in the previous models and the new ones. For one the boats are now 6 inches longer. The 198 is 19' 10" as compared to 19' 4" for the previous models. The paint is now powder coated which may or may not make any difference.

I made a trip to Pro's Choice a couple of weeks ago to spend some time crawling all over one of their 198's. I don't have much knowledge of previous models but I thought the fit and finish was very good. I compared the transom bracings to a nearby Tracker and the Ranger is much more robust. There was absolutely no give in the deck, anywhere. The boat I saw had the trolling motor recessed foot control well removed for some reason which let me see the inside of that part of the boat. Again it appeared to be well braced.

It remains to be seen if I'm wrong but the one downside I could see is the trailer. They are now made at the trailer plant in Ozark, Mo. They make the trailers for Tracker, Nitro and probably a few other of the BPS brands. They are now a tube frame instead of C channel. The hubs are manual lube instead of a sealed version like Vault. My previous boat was a Nitro Z19 and I really can't say I had any issues with the trailer so they may be fine. I'm getting a tandem trailer and it will probably never travel more than 30 or 40 miles from home so I'm thinking it will be fine.

As far as cost I found the Rangers to be pretty much in line with other brands like Lowe, Alumacraft, Crestliner and Lund, maybe even a little less expensive depending on how one is equipped.

Sorry, this thread was about the hull breaks and I got carried away.

[jtrac]

Here's a couple of pictures of the back end of a 2021 Lebanon made RT188P. Should be the same as the 198. There are definite breaks at the rear but I'm not sure how far forward they go.

[ILbassin]

My boat looks the same way as the first pictures. The break lines become more pronounced as you move towards the stern from the bow but is mainly smooth up around the bow. Mine was made in Flippin, AR by the way. It rides good and handled 2 days of the BBB at LOZ last year just fine (no hull cracks that I know of).

[Bill Reynolds]

It appears that I did make a mistake on the original post. The boat hull picture from the boat show was a RT188P not an RT198P.
But something has changed, the first pic is from the Ranger website and the second is from the boat show.
sure is curious.

[ILbassin]

I had to go pull mine out of storage this morning to take it into the shop. Got a good look at my hull at different light angles and my strake lines start nearly at the very front of the bow gunnel and it’s noticeable. They don’t become pronounced until you get about midway down the hull towards the stern. Long story long......it does appear from your current hull pictures that they’re not stamping them out the same as they used to.

[Johnnyred]

I pick up my 2021 Ranger RT198P this week after final rigging is complete.

Ranger certainly has made significant changes to the hulls of the boat over previous years. They had problems with weld failures in the centerline in the bow area where the hull would sustain the most stress. The 2020 and earlier models also had little internal bracing. As Jtrac stated above, they have added significant internal bracing to the hull and to the top deck lids. I understand they have also changed how they weld/join the aluminum in this area.

While I do not work for Ranger nor do I have any inside info, I suspect that these changes were in part an attempt to strengthen the hull and minimize weld failures. Between the 6" of additional length and the extra bracing, the hull looks to be 250lbs heavier per Ranger's updated website info. They updated the weight but little else on the webpage for this model to reflect the many other changes that have been made for the model year.

As to the presence of or decease of ribs or creases in the skin of the hull that high up on the bow, it makes sense to me that they would only affect running performance if they are below the waterline... and likely far enough below the waterline while running to be below disturbed water. The 2021 hull does have ribs just further back.

Certainly not trying to disagree with anyones opinion here of the hull changes and am not being a fanboy that defends anything Ranger does. Call me an optimist or naive, or both, but I suspect BPS is not out to cheapen or lessen the quality of Ranger aluminum boats. They already have a less expensive boat line, Tracker, that is the largest seller in the country by far in its segment and it serves many fisherman well. BPS has improved Nitro through the years since they bought that brand and I suspect the same chatter about the brand being ruined happened then.

[ILbassin]

Thanks for the detailed explanation. I didn’t assume WRMG is looking to destroy the Ranger aluminum line, so it’s good to hear some engineering level information on why they made the changes. I’m not a Ranger fan boy either, but the best dealer who treats people like they should that’s nearby, is a Ranger dealer. So I’m most likely gonna stick with the brand until I find a reason not to.

[Johnnyred]

Yep sounds smart. Dealer is very important. Ranger hardware + good dealer + great warranty = high chance of owner satisfaction.

[Transom]

Interesting that most folks think that keel extrusion is the better option. My tracker has a the keel extrusion but most of their models do not. I considered it a possible point of failure when I initially thought about it. I am sure that the reason that my boat was built with one is because the 195 would need a wider sheet of aluminum than they needed to have to fold the keel into the sheet. I suspect that the ranger hulls are just narrow enough or they are using a wider sheet of aluminum.

[jtrac]

I am slightly disappointed that my order for a 198 just didn't work out. I had reviewed everything I could find, finally got to crawl all over one as I said above and was convinced going to an aluminum was the right thing for me to do. I ordered the boat on October 16 and by the end of January it was finished. Pro's Choice is close enough to the factory that they can send a driver to do the pick up. When he was getting ready to hook mine up he saw it had been hit in the side by something and refused to take it. At first Ranger said place a new order and get back in line for an April/May delivery. The dealer owner got involved and got a commitment to start a new boat for me the first week of February but by the end of the month nothing had been done. I started to panic as March is when I usually start hitting the lakes, depending on the weather. As kind of a desperation move I opted to go for another Nitro. My previous boat was a Nitro with zero issues.

In a way I am still a bit disappointed, especially with the way Ranger treated me. A new boat should have been started the next day. I understand the supply issues but they had my damaged rigged boat with all the stuff on it they needed for a new one. On the up side, I am really impressed with the Z18. The Merc 175 4 stroke is a beast. I added a jack plate, hot foot, have a passenger console on order, 2 Power Poles and a Garmin Live Scope. It already had the Pro Package with the 2 linked Humminbirds and MK Ultrex Link.

I do agree with Johnnyred that there should be less issues with the Ranger aluminum welds based on my highly unqualified observations.

[Johnnyred]

Jtrac, I am disappointed how Ranger treated your situation, too. They should have been kissing your arse and started a new boat the same day not the next day! That said, you bought a great boat in the new new Nitro Z18 and I know you will love it.

Ranger is still a good company they just dropped the ball on that one. I am excited to get my RT198p. Looking like next Wednesday. Needed an adapter cable we just realized and had a hard time finding one. National part shortages are too common right now.

[Jfish]

I am slightly disappointed that my order for a 198 just didn't work out. I had reviewed everything I could find, finally got to crawl all over one as I said above and was convinced going to an aluminum was the right thing for me to do. I ordered the boat on October 16 and by the end of January it was finished. Pro's Choice is close enough to the factory that they can send a driver to do the pick up. When he was getting ready to hook mine up he saw it had been hit in the side by something and refused to take it. At first Ranger said place a new order and get back in line for an April/May delivery. The dealer owner got involved and got a commitment to start a new boat for me the first week of February but by the end of the month nothing had been done. I started to panic as March is when I usually start hitting the lakes, depending on the weather. As kind of a desperation move I opted to go for another Nitro. My previous boat was a Nitro with zero issues.

In a way I am still a bit disappointed, especially with the way Ranger treated me. A new boat should have been started the next day. I understand the supply issues but they had my damaged rigged boat with all the stuff on it they needed for a new one. On the up side, I am really impressed with the Z18. The Merc 175 4 stroke is a beast. I added a jack plate, hot foot, have a passenger console on order, 2 Power Poles and a Garmin Live Scope. It already had the Pro Package with the 2 linked Humminbirds and MK Ultrex Link.

I do agree with Johnnyred that there should be less issues with the Ranger aluminum welds based on my highly unqualified observations.

That is too bad about Ranger. I will still be surprised if the WRMG customer service equals the old Ranger customer service, I suppose time will tell.