REVIEW OF MY 2022 Z18 PRO (175hp)

[reelman]

(After 8 Skeeters am now a Nitro man to finish my casting days...due to supply chain issue with Yamaha)

Nitro Z18 Pro 175
A review after break-in Feb2022
——-
1..Ghost troll is as quiet as any
2..Full tank & gear 62mph
3..Hydraulic Jplate very useful
4..MPG appears excellent
5..40 gal. tank so easy long runs
6..Troll SpotLoc impressive
7..Cell phone bracket useful
8..Needs 9 inch stock Elite screens
9..Needs tires/trailer jack made in USA
10.Superb engine flush system!
11.Large ice chest compartment
12.Adjustable hot foot nice plus
13.Warranty choices impressive


(my upgrades are part of the deal… 12/9 inch screens and
Active Target… installed Feb so done with that.
Easy Step and better jack have been ordered.

[jtrac]

You've got a lot of good stuff on that boat. Glad the break in went well for you. They may be hard to come by but the Goodyear Endurance trailer tires are made in Alabama and are excellent. I had put some on my last boat trailer and currently have a set on our fifth wheel. No issues whatsoever with them. My boat came with an Ultrex which has been good. A world of difference between it and the Fortrex on my previous boat. I added a Garmin 93SV and Live Scope to the bow, a couple of Power Poles and a remote drain plug after I got the boat home. Hope it gives you good service and catches lots of fish.

[basscat tyler]

I’m confused with #10. What does this one mean?

[reelman]

#10 means the shapes of the interior allows many areas for decals of various sizes (if nothing else)... some guys like a few decals as I do...Z18_decals.jpg
this model especially has many options so you can have a small Mercedes instead of a big Chevy...so to speak.
After the Active Target and bigger screens arrive I "am there"...Z18_side decal.jpg

[reelman]

Nitro Z18 Pro 175. REVIEW #2
A review after 11 engine hours and a Tournament
——-
1..Ghost troll is as quiet as any
2..Full tank & gear over 60mph works for me
3..Hydraulic Jplate very useful; could use a gauge
4..MPG appears excellent
5..40 gal. tank so easy long runs
6..Troll LockSpot impressive
7..Cell phone bracket useful
8..Needs larger stock 9" Elite screens
9..Needs tires made in USA
10.The easy engine flush is really a great plus
11.Large ice chest compartment
12.Adjustable hot foot nice plus
13.Warranty choices impressive
14.Torque 25-55mph is wow!
15.Hole shot is impressive

(upgrades of 12/9 inch screens and Active Target… COMPLETED AS OF FEB 9!

[reelman]

Jan21 Z18 Pro update:
...Active Target installed...

As of now 9 hours of break-in done...
caught 2 bass a couple trash fish out of it in a Jan 6th T.

[reelman]

Feb 18:
All is ready to fish some club Ts...March 3rd on SJR.

The finished upgrades of 12 inch Lowrance Live at console and 9 inch FS9 at bow with A Target is amazing in clarity and options.
Did my split screen setups and added the data overlays like Time/Temp/Depth.

Warm trend for over a week now into the 80s so that 60 degree water temp will surge and spawn will be on!

[reelman]

Feb23: all is finally ready...foggy morning so 10am launch into St Johns River....ran 7 spots with 7 baits... finally figured on shallow wood nothing green... 4 trash bites, including 6# mudfish...only bass 3:30pm 16.25 inches was a pleasure to end the day...

Got 62.4 mph on way to launch...still not sure best hy jack plate height n trim up combo but 60mph is plenty fast ...though I have had a couple 74mph rigs.
after 12-13 engine hours am starting to get much more comfortable with what is where...

the Easy Steps are a huge pleasure in/out of boat boat at home and at the launch...can see why many pros are getting them, at ELITES I noticed about 1/3 of trailers had steps.

[jtrac]

Controlling my envy while sitting here looking at the white stuff outside. Supposed to be near 70 for several days late next week so maybe its getting closer.

I just got thru raising my motor about 3/8 inch. I kind of wish I had gotten a hydraulic plate and have considered getting one a few times but soon forget it. Most of the lakes I fish are deeper so not running in shallow water ever. I could barely touch 5800 rpms at full trim so I will keep raising it a little at time till I get close to 6000. What is yours turning at its max performance? I know with 3 group 31 batteries, one of them an AGM, and 2 Power Poles I am pulling some weight. Mine runs in the 59 mph or so range with a few times over 60. That is with me by myself and about a half tank of fuel. I honestly don't know why I care because most of the time I cruise about 50.

I have Trick Steps on mine and they are a life saver when I fish by myself, which seems to be quite often. I lost my fishing buddy to cancer a few years ago. The wife will go with me on occasion but has her limits.

[reelman]

Nice post Jim... bass are beating me up this week...I fish water under 5 feet all year with pad lines and wood...
Ghost troll super BUT rope pull to get onto boat seems excessive...takes 2-3 hard snappy pulls every time...hummm...

I continue to be impressed by the "torque" of my rig...after 8-9 rigs it gets you to 55mph as fast as any! (full tank and 215# driver)

No power poles...SpotLoc will have to do... as long as I can do 60mph full tank/gear w/o squirrels am a happy camper...(owned 2 rigs that did 74 turning a 27 pitch so been there on fast street)
I would guess so far its $10 less per trip for gas vs the 2016 ZX225... not sure max rpms yet...
I do overlays of speed/depth/time on most Pages but can only say am about 5,500rpms maybe more...

Still trying to get to that "complete comfort" of a new rig... and with hy plate factored in that is not easy... so many logs here the plate is super to avoid 80% of bumps with trolling...

as far as engineering the 10 minute no start engine flush is actually the most impressive feature since I had to buy an $82 muff and run the noisy engine to flush the ZX225.

Seems best if hy plate up about 1.5 inches and the trim way down...then come up with trim fairly fast until "wave" is behind you...

[mxmike]

Nice post Jim... bass are beating me up this week...I fish water under 5 feet all year with pad lines and wood...
Ghost troll super BUT rope pull to get onto boat seems excessive...takes 2-3 hard snappy pulls every time...hummm...

I continue to be impressed by the "torque" of my rig...after 8-9 rigs it gets you to 55mph as fast as any! (full tank and 215# driver)

No power poles...SpotLoc will have to do... as long as I can do 60mph full tank/gear w/o squirrels am a happy camper...(owned 2 rigs that did 74 turning a 27 pitch so been there on fast street)
I would guess so far its $10 less per trip for gas vs the 2016 ZX225... not sure max rpms yet...
I do overlays of speed/depth/time on most Pages but can only say am about 5,500rpms maybe more...

Still trying to get to that "complete comfort" of a new rig... and with hy plate factored in that is not easy... so many logs here the plate is super to avoid 80% of bumps with trolling...

as far as engineering the 10 minute no start engine flush is actually the most impressive feature since I had to buy an $82 muff and run the noisy engine to flush the ZX225.

Seems best if hy plate up about 1.5 inches and the trim way down...then come up with trim fairly fast until "wave" is behind you...

If you have to pull hard or snap the rope, then your mount is probably in a bind. Try loosing up the mounting bolts some which should take the twist out of the mount. If that frees up the latch then you need to put some rubber washers/shims under the mount.

[reelman]

Thanx! BBC is the best at help at tips etc

If you fish water under 5 feet like here in Fla the hy plate is terrific...
if you have any salt water use or are in an area with slightly saline fresh water like here the flush system is
excellent...
if you have uses in/out of boat at launch get the Easy Steps or one like it...will be 10x safer and it lasts as long as your trailer...
there is enough room for a 12" at the console so that is what I have and really enjoy...
if you like a spacious/easy access battery area get the Ghost 24v...
the jack with its broom handle size concerns me so ordered a bigger Fulton brand.
the swap out of the 7 at bow for a 9" is a cheap install but soooo much easier on the eyes as you stand to fish.
if you like multiple use extra drink holders that you can put a small penny butter jar with quick grab baits in...or just leave used plastics in till you get back to the launch...Z18 has a couple.

[jtrac]

The tongue jack is important to me because I have to back my boat in at an angle and then swing the front end over to straighten it up. I have a tandem trailer. I use a couple of Harbor Freight wheel dolly jacks under the front axle wheels which makes that part easy but the tongue jack on my prior Z19 was not very cooperative. My Z18 came with the higher end Fulton (all black) like I saw used on the Z21's. The other Z18's I looked at did not. It has a larger wheel, is super smooth and has grease zerts. I guess the day my trailer was built it was all they had was the higher end one.

[jtrac]

Yesterday was a pleasant break from the crappy weather we've had so I took the boat out to the Arkansas to see what affect raising the motor had. Hole shot was really good with just me and a half tank of gas. I hit 61.9 on the gps which is a couple of mph better than before I raised it. That was with the motor trimmed down some as at full tilt it got a little squirrely. Hitting 60 was almost impossible before. I still did not get it above 5800 rpms but I'm not sure what affect 48 degree water has on it. The spray out the back was pretty flat even with it trimmed up and water pressure was good so I think I will call it a day and go back to my old man mode of 45 to 50 mph. I just like it to be set up right so if I need it it's there.

One thing I did find was a loose mounting bolt where the motor mounts to the jack plate. I torqued every bolt and it was the only loose one. I don't think it would have ever come off with the lock nut but something else to watch.