1980 review with merc 4stroke

[SkeeterAg99]

My review after only 2 hours on the water.

Was trying to decide between the rt198p and 1980, mainly cause the rt was less by 8-9k. Went with the 1980 and glad I did. First day on lake I was super impressed with it from the pickup till launch. Looks cool, paint job is superb, seats more plush than ranger, back compartments are 2 times as big as the 521c on the floor of dealer, what I didn’t like about rt198. Fast forward to launch. Easy to launch and the merc is so frickin quiet I killed it couple times with kill switch and never knew it. Idled out marina and it idles so smooth and doesn’t nose up like some big glass boats at idle. (I had a zx225 prior to this).

First time on plane. Wow. She jumps out the hole. Very responsive. I tested it out on a rough lake 15 mph winds and it gets nasty when it’s windy. Figured I try it out in real life heavy white caps. So smooth going over white caps u would not know it’s aluminum. Rode the waves as good as my skeeter without any beat down to ur body. I was sold at that point on what I bought and glad I chose it. The ride is way more than I expected out a tin rig as I have been in many. Felt solid hitting the white caps. Acceleration with the merc was as good as the SHO I had.

What impressed me the most was the boat is very agile. U can turn on a dime. Superior to what my skeeter would do. Man U can whip that thing in a turn and she never skips or bounces. I would know I did circles for hours . Fishing platform was stable. No drift from wind, doesn’t tip. Heck I’m still thinking how the heck does this feel so much like a glass boat. It’s obvious the design is well thought out.

Only con I have is the backwash if u let off to fast. U will flood the back. Just gotta not be to impatient and ease her off and it’s fine. I hit 63 on odometer which is off. 59.7 gps. It was just me 175 pound butt and gas. They are right. U ride in one and u will be sold. I didn’t take test drive cause I knew it’s what I wanted for what I need and fish.

I always said I would get aluminum cause the lakes ini fishfish are hard on glass. And get a glass in future. After the first couple hours on the vexus I don’t see a need for glass any more. Well done vexus. Thing is a frickin agile beast on the water. Impressive is and understatement from someone coming from big glass.

i went with summit white. Super sharp with my tundra which is dark gray. I’ll be changing my name to vexusag99 lol

[Steelman73]

Thanks for the review man and congrats on the new boat. Post a pic when you have time. I'm looking at both the 1880 and 1980 and leaning more to the 1980 as I know I would not out grow it.

[Desertdog619]

spot on review. I have fished in my 1980 every weekend since the end of Sept. it’s awesome and your right about getting the back area wet if you let off the throttle quickly. But it’s easy to get used to a slower stopping procedure. Once you get that routine, it’s all Golden from there.

[SMciver]

Nice - now put some fish in the boat! Congrats.

[Sinisterj]

Do you feel like the front deck space is as big or bigger on the 1980 vs the 198p? I am looking at both but for some reason when I look at them the 198p seems like it has a larger front deck not sure if its the more squared from vs V-shape.

[SkeeterAg99]

It’s wider up front at the nose of the 198p but smaller overall to me. 1980 is plenty big. 198p quality was not even close however. Ride and the boxes plus the overall finish is what pushed me to vexus over ranger. Ranger is nice but not the quality I felt. And the vexus seats are way better

[Desertdog619]

It’s wider up front at the nose of the 198p but smaller overall to me. 1980 is plenty big. 198p quality was not even close however. Ride and the boxes plus the overall finish is what pushed me to vexus over ranger. Ranger is nice but not the quality I felt. And the vexus seats are way better

I totally agree and I was torn between the two for awhile. So glad I went with VeXus. I would make same choice again.....all day everyday hands down.

[kodiaksav]

I agree with your review. I just bought the AVX2080 (victor package) with the Merc 200 Pro XS V8 4 stroke two days ago from North Texas Marine in Gainesville, TX (OBTW, great dealership and staff). I bought the boat without ever riding in one because you can just tell, this thing is a no kidding legit bass boat, plus all the reviews have been the same.
Some info about mine that I struggled to find before I bought it and is based on 2-3 hours of "break-in" and getting used to pushing this boat to its limits (which I'm still learning). I have owned a 20' Skeeter ZX, Champion center console, TX17 Tracker, driven/fished out of nearly every major brand of bass boat. Configuration is 6" manual jack plate, 3 blade Tempest 22P:
- Quality of material and craftsmanship is outstanding! Very well designed, especially the hull.
- The 200 Pro XS is an absolute beast and an incredible motor
- 6 inch jack plate adds 1-2 mph (exact quote from Kris who is a Vexus factory rep) and sure enough, he was right.
- Hole shot is flippin crazy awesome
- Top speed so far (I'm still tweaking the jack plate and trying to find the ideal trim setting) with full livewell, half tank gas, 300lbs of people - 63-64; by my 210lbs self, half tank fuel, empty livewell - 65-66 and a little squirrelly (mainly caused by me trying to find the best trim/jp setting). I think it is also because the boat weighs less than most similar glass boats.
- To me the boat drives like a glass boat for sure. It handles rough water more like a 19' Champion but doesn't roll around like a Champion.
- 24v, 80# Ultrex trolling motor is more than enough trolling motor.
- Ultrex trolling motor "spot lock" is unbelievably nice! Today I had the boat in 10-20 mph winds and spot lock held that boat in a spot +/- 2'. Better than I could do. I hit spot lock, sat down and retied in a 15 mph wind and it was like the boat was anchored. I'll never own a boat with an Ultrex type TM ever again!
- When water back washes the boat when you come off plane, the water will drain into the bottom of the boat beneath the narrow gap along the back edge of the rear deck. So don't think your boat is leaking when you trailer the boat and open the drain plug and water pours out.
- Victor package includes several things and I think it's worth the money. The seat adjust only adjusts approx 4 inches, but still okay. The boat cover seems like it needs a strap on both sides between the bow and the first straps towards the back. Basically needs a strap on each side half way between the console and bow. Not sure I trust it to stay on going down the highway.
- Storage is very good and latches squeeze the lids down to seal them tight.
- Trailer is very high quality, however, the backup feature that blocks the surge breaks failed on me today which is day 2 of ownership. Hey, there are always going to be "bug" or two to work out in any boat. Make sure you get a manual lock out so you can back up and not have the brakes lock up. I had to stick a big bolt in the gap to prevent the coupler from compressing the brakes. Pain in the arse.
Again, this boat is absolutely awesome. Very impressive. Not a 70+ mph boat, but very awesome boat.

[SMciver]

One thing that I wish I did when I bought the boat, and just had service do for me is add a 2nd Talon. With just one, in windy conditions the boat swings around a lot. I also had them add a "bike seat" to the rear of mine vs the sitdown seat. If I was going to do it again - i would have added those from the get go - and wanted to pass that along.

[sclark]

[SkeeterAg99]

Update - spent another day on the water in high 25 mph winds and the 1980 did unbelievably well and I took someone that has a glass Phoenix so he could see what my vexus was like as I’m probably the first one in my area and not many around here to check out. He was mesmerized how well it ran and was impressed to say the least. Just got my vexus care package too. Jackplate and transducer shield and saver this next week then I can start mounting my poles.

[ForeReel1951]

SkeeterAG99, Did you put the 4 stroke 150 MERC, Pro XS on yours ? I have seen some priced online 35-36k, then I talk to someone, paid low 40k . Do any of these numbers sound close to you ? I will be ready to purchase the end of summer, and have also narrowed my choice down to the Ranger 198p , or the Vexus 1980. Saw the Vexus at the Bassmaster Classic, quality rig for sure !

[ForeReel1951]

Hey there SMciver, Did you get yours from Toho Marine? He seems to be the only dealer in Fl. I see online quite a few with the Evinrude 150, did you get the Merc ProXS 150 ? Like the idea of the 4 stroke. I have run a 150 Yamaha 4 stroke on a bay boat for 8 years and love it. Looking at the Ranger rt198p and the Vexus 1980, Vexus sure looks like a quality rig !

[SkeeterAg99]

Yes I have the Merc four stroke. After TTL and all that you are looking at 40 out the door. I have ultra and elite ti9s. I will be upgrading the graphs with the new lives or going back to Humminbird. I am a bird guy but the Live look impressive. I also looked at the rt198 and vexus. They are not the same quality and once u ride in both u will see. I have had minor issues so far but its part of owning a boat. Broke a switch up front ( Keith Tripp gladly is sending me another). My bilge switch stayed on and I even unplugged the bilge and the light on switch was on even when off so maybe switch was bad. But it started working again. Bout to put dual poles on mine. I also have the 6 inch setback. Still wondering the perfect setup for that. I am 4.5 inches from pad when I measure.

Also I have broken the ground plug off the charger, and that's because the little plug thingy u can plug it in doesn't fit perfectly and when putting in and out, it has broke the ground off, maybe user error but be cautious.

One question still wondering, Does anybody Lowrance ducer run on pad from the factory installed. I lose it on pad and don't wanna move it since I have a Total scan now and if go with Lives I will use dash mounted elite for sonar only.