Opinions good and bad on a TR-196 With 200 Opti

[Luke]

kinda looking at a 07 TR-196/200 Optimax combo.
can you all give me some opinions on the combo as far as what you like or don't like about it. layout speed handling ride and so on

[monkeyfish]

I had a 2007 TR196 with a 200 Opti.
It was my 1st fiberglass bass boat.
It took me a while to learn how to drive it.
Fastest I ever got it was in the fall in cooler Temps. 72 mph light load, 2 guys, 27 tempest Plus and 6" jackplate.
In the summer heat I was running mid to high 60"s. The ride was OK (much better once I learned how to control the chine walk). I never did take it out on big water. Storage was not bad from what I remember. Standard Triton layout at the time. It was a pretty basic boat with no bells or whistles.

[kirkster321]

Still learning the chine walk dance but I have no complaints about my 2007 TR196 I just purchased. Love the amount of storage it has. It gets up and boogies too.

Right now I am still learning to drive the boat and when it starts to walk on me I just trim the motor down a tad and it flattens out and I run 60 mph. I need more seat time to learn to drive thru the chine and get more speed but I can't complain about 60 mph. There is a ton of storage space in both the front and the back. I have a Minn Kota 80lb thrust trolling motor and it has no issues moving the boat.

It also trailers real easy when loading from the water. Glides right up the bunks.

I think you would enjoy the boat a lot. I know I will.

[Cajun Pop]

Good all around boat when you consider layout, storage, speed, performance, and handling. It is like all other boats - does some things better than others and others do some things better that it does. Mine is rock solid at 60 MPH, a little squirley at 63, and two hands full above that. When propped for top speed, which mine is not any longer, the hole shot and low speed performance suffers when heavily loaded. When propped for loaded hole shot and low speed performance, top speed suffers a little. Rough water ride is better than a 20' of another brand I fish out of a lot but not as good as a past 18 1/2' Champion I had. With the trolling motor down, it is more stable than the Champion but not as good as the other boat. It is a little weight sensitive at lower speeds and will lean to the heavy side a little. That disappears at about 35 MPH on mine. Mine has a slight gas smell in the compartments but not too bad. I bought mine with a 6" jack plate. I added 2" spacers and like the overall performance and handling better. I have had a lot of boats in my 61 years of boat ownership and find this one to be a good compromise of the things that are important to me. It won't be my last one, although I don't have many more in my future, and I am sure the next one will be better at some things and worse at others. It is hard to imagine not liking it if you buy it unless your main priority is easy high speed driving. Good luck on your purchase and enjoy whatever you buy.