2017 Ranger RT198P Review

[tcesni]

I want one.

[dlgfish]

Thanks for the reply...I am very interested in this model Ranger down the road

[King_Fish]

Me too....

[tjsellsfords]

Congratulations! Awesome boat, time to get it slimmed now!

[4thgentech]

I plan on getting one next month in august, I really like this boat

[gordonsweb]

What prop are you running?

[Macsimus]

The issue I always had with fiberglass boats was the dreaded "what if i scratched it" or "stress cracks". The last straw was when I was fishing the river and the dock made a nice gouge out of the back of the boat, I about cried, at that point it was time for a change to aluminum.

So, now that you've moved from fiberglass to aluminum, are you no longer worried about scratching it?

[larry foster]

Does the plate screw in that was removed for the hot foot and is it carpeted behind it? I didn't know they allowed a jack plate but I like it and your boat looks great and rigged out perfect!

[chuckcrc]

I just purchased the RT188 with a Yamaha 115 SHO. I've had several different bass boats over the years including a Ranger Z20, a Ranger 178, a Triton, an Alumacraft Dominator. I was a little concerned about how the boat would ride compared to the Alumacraft which was a deep V 18'8" boat. To my surprise it actually rides much better. When going across another boats wake it just skips across it where as the Alumacraft would bounce quit a bit. The boat is quick to get on plane and very fun to drive. I did have an issue when I first got the boat. When the engine was installed by Ranger they did not seal the thru transom bolts so I got a lot of water out of the drain. Cabelas quickly fixed this and now it is completely dry. Also, I did change out the cheap plastic drain plug with a SS one that I bought on Amazon. The only other issue I'm dealing with now is the performance of the Totalscan transducer. So far I have not been able to find a location that will provide sonar depth after 15 to 20 MPH. I have contacted Lowrance and they have given me a suggested location but so far it has not solved the problem. Lowrance has confirmed that this very large transducer has had some problems with this. If I can't resolve this I will go to two separate transducers - an LSS-2 and a 83/200. In the past these have worked good for me. I have two HDS 7 Gen 3 Touch graphs.

I would have considered the 198 except it would not fit in my garage. Overall I'm extremely happy with the boat and would recommend it to anyone considering a bass boat.

[4stroke]

Sounds like a great boat. How was the ride at WOT? What prop are you running?

[King_Fish]

I just purchased the RT188 with a Yamaha 115 SHO. I've had several different bass boats over the years including a Ranger Z20, a Ranger 178, a Triton, an Alumacraft Dominator. I was a little concerned about how the boat would ride compared to the Alumacraft which was a deep V 18'8" boat. To my surprise it actually rides much better. When going across another boats wake it just skips across it where as the Alumacraft would bounce quit a bit. The boat is quick to get on plane and very fun to drive. I did have an issue when I first got the boat. When the engine was installed by Ranger they did not seal the thru transom bolts so I got a lot of water out of the drain. Cabelas quickly fixed this and now it is completely dry. Also, I did change out the cheap plastic drain plug with a SS one that I bought on Amazon. The only other issue I'm dealing with now is the performance of the Totalscan transducer. So far I have not been able to find a location that will provide sonar depth after 15 to 20 MPH. I have contacted Lowrance and they have given me a suggested location but so far it has not solved the problem. Lowrance has confirmed that this very large transducer has had some problems with this. If I can't resolve this I will go to two separate transducers - an LSS-2 and a 83/200. In the past these have worked good for me. I have two HDS 7 Gen 3 Touch graphs.

I would have considered the 198 except it would not fit in my garage. Overall I'm extremely happy with the boat and would recommend it to anyone considering a bass boat.

What kind of speed do you get w/ the 115 SHO?

[chuckcrc]

King Fish - I haven't really pushed it to see top speed. Have got in the low 40's with an aluminum prop. Will go to a SS prop once I figure out what I want. Current prop is 13.5 x 16. Yamaha recommends a 13.125 x 19 SS. High speed is not all that important to me.

[King_Fish]

Roger that...

Fish on!

[KC Ron]

Does the plate screw in that was removed for the hot foot and is it carpeted behind it? I didn't know they allowed a jack plate but I like it and your boat looks great and rigged out perfect!

Yes, and yes.

[Moflyrod]

I just purchased. Used 198p with four stroke 150 Merc. First time out I notice that Lowrance showed idle speed between 4.5 and 4.8 mph which felt fast? Any one have numbers to share or an opinion? Thanks

[kacordy]

I just purchased. Used 198p with four stroke 150 Merc. First time out I notice that Lowrance showed idle speed between 4.5 and 4.8 mph which felt fast? Any one have numbers to share or an opinion? Thanks

I have the same boat but with a 150 Pro XS 2 stroke. 4.5 is normal and not fast. Your idling with a 23 pitch prop or so. It’s going to idle along in that range. Perfectly normal IMO. Allen

[Moflyrod]

Thanks that makes we feel better, the motor seems loud when it shifts, but that is another issue!