Went from an 03 Ranger 521 (it was a very good boat and ride) to a 2017 Phoenix 921 PHX. It was a holdover and the only complaint I had on price was sales tax (thanks California 9%). Switched the Fortrex to the Ultrex 52" (cover had to be modified) and sold the Fortrex with the Ranger.
I am still breaking it in but I have learned a few things.
1. Make sure your power pole hoses can NOT get caught on the top of the hydraulic Jack plate when you raise it up... it will pull the lines right out of the cyclinder. Thanks Powerpole for the new Ferrules and fluid shipped overnight.
2. New HDI transducer and new Ultrex are a great combo for the HDS 12. A dock and poorly routed transducer cable should not be added to that mix. Fortunately, my time in the Corps was spent in electronics and my soldering skills were rusty but still present. Someday I will add the hummingbird unit to take advantage of the link feature on the Ultrex.
3. The Ultrex is absolutely amazing and worth every cent. Spot lock is amazing but so it hitting constant on and it just moves you at that speed and heading. When fishing parallel to the bank I can just kick the motor to head to deep water and put it on auto and it moves it away from the bank. Spot Lock would let the boat swing into the bank so both tools have a time and a place. Go get one. I don't know if it makes you a better fisherman but it certainly makes you more efficient.
4. I need to read a lot more of my manuals. Still need to figure out how to get a water temp reading on either HDS 12. Maybe changing the front transducer messed up that option. (and I am a tech by trade)
5. The ride on the PHX is amazing. The 521 was amazing in it's own way and it always felt safe and secure even in the bigger stuff. It had a sense of mass and just pushed through most swells. ( you do have to be smart to not stuff it) The 921 feels alive and agile like a good 18-19 footer. It wants driver input on the turns and rewards proper trim and throttle manipulation. You can correct the boat for any sea( wave or wind direction.. sorry I came from a saltwater background) and maintain a fast ride that lands very soft. I still need to get it into some bigger swells to learn the boat but so far so good in some very nasty wind chop and yacht wakes. I am running the 25 pitch 3 blade Fury on a 12 inch Atlas hydraulic and have a 25 pitch bravo XS I will be testing as well.
6. Chine was present but very mild and did not increase at 69 mph@ 5500ish rpms. Just a slight wobble to her back and forth even if uncorrected. Jackplate was still down and trim was neutral at best so I do not know what I will get out of her on the top end yet. More exciting things to discover soon.
7. The boat fishes fantastic. The old boat was one of the most beloved fishing platforms in the world and this one is as good so far. It feels lower to the water for flipping. It rides well on the trolling motor but I have not had the conditions to test it fully. Power poles are great but the boat does catch a lot of wind so if it is stiff it may not be ideal to anchor sideways to the wind/current. Tried to do that a few times to calm the water on a sightfish and the boat still swung a bit too much. Nose or tail into the wind seemed much better. The front deck has plenty of room to fish two comfortably and I am not in my old PT 4 times a week shape. (I am still in great shape but only because geometry class taught me that round is a shape) 250 lds moving around and the boat is very stable. I love the single console.
8. I wanted a verado... really bad but I could not pass on the price even with the XS. The XS seems to be great so far and it has a lot of warranty. I don't know if posting prices here is a good thing but PM if you are interested. It probably wasn't the best deal ever but it is the one I accepted. The trailer sits so low to the ground I am going to have to get creative measuring p2p with the jackplate. It hits the ground all the way down. I feel like the motor needs to be raised 1 hole on the jackplate but I will finalize that after I get the setup fine tuned and prop finalized. Front butt seat is HUGE and not particularly comfortable for me. YMMV Unless it is rough I like fishing better without it. Seating position is great for driving and I fit fine at 6'2". I was not sure on the colors but they grew on me very fast. I like light boats to keep cooler in the CA and AZ desert lakes and it looks much better in person than in photos. I expect it to be my last or second to last boat in my lifetime and am very happy with the choice I made. Hopefully the shakedown cruises are over and I have everything routed correctly and will not be creating any more self inflicted injuries on my new bird. Thanks for reading and I hope all of you enjoy your bird as much as I do. (it finally came through with a limit for my tournament this weekend so she has cashed a check now)
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2014 Phoenix 619 Pro / 2014 Mercury 200 Pro XS 
