HP rating question

[KCLOST]

SMciver,
My serious question to you is, why did you want a higher end aluminum boat? What are your benefits from it within your interests? What is the benefit over the traditional fiberglass?

[SMciver]

Well - its a first bass boat for me - and going to get dinged up. Mine stays in the water full time. So needed the durability. I wanted something long these lines - and when comparing the Ranger with the Vexus, the Vexus looked to be better built, had the look of a glass boat, and had all the options I wanted. Im just getting started so I dont have a crazy amount on tackle, just 14 rods, and 15 tackle boxes so the extra storage did not really interest me much. I decided to go beyond "good enough" and got something I was going to be really happy with the quality. And again - being new to this, I feel I made the right choice with the handling of the glass boat, really nice hull design, and aluminum durability. I guess the one down side I have found outside of weird looks by local fishermen, is that the boat "sweats" a lot when kept in the water all of the time. I added sylica jell bags to help that out.

[KCLOST]

[Huckleberry]

Where are you guys going that you need to go faster than 55mph? I usually cruise at 40 with the bow trim down.

I've traveled over 100 miles in a tournament before. At 80 mph I can make the trip in 1 hour and 15 minutes, at 55 mph it will take me almost 2 hours.

[MetsFan9]

Hopefully thats not for a small club tournament hahaha...

[SMciver]

Wow! Thats a long haul!

[Grizzly]

I've traveled over 100 miles in a tournament before. At 80 mph I can make the trip in 1 hour and 15 minutes, at 55 mph it will take me almost 2 hours.

Definitely wasn't Lake Gaston

[Huckleberry]

Definitely wasn't Lake Gaston

James River

[MetsFan9]

100 miles on the James, sounds like a blast.... Hope it was for big bucks to travel 100 miles brother.

[Huckleberry]

100 miles on the James, sounds like a blast.... Hope it was for big bucks to travel 100 miles brother.

I'll go ahead and admit it ... I would have done better that day from the ramp we launched at .. LOL!

[rlb8s]

James River

The James River is my home water now and running from Osbourne to the Chick factors into the equation when researching boats. I am still hoping someone can speak to my question. Vexus' hp ratings align with crestliner and others, but seem light when comparing against express or sea arks.

[MIKER2702]

The James River is my home water now and running from Osbourne to the Chick factors into the equation when researching boats. I am still hoping someone can speak to my question. Vexus' hp ratings align with crestliner and others, but seem light when comparing against express or sea arks.

You won't get a answer. You will get some snide comments you don't need it but not a direct answer. I looked this week at Vexus up close looked really good. I had a xpress x19 for many years. The finish not comparrible the deeper v gives hope wouldn't be as bad in wind.

[infantry1026]

How much did you pay for the 1980 “out the door”?

[jakekups88]

100 miles on the james!!?!! Where are you running ? To the back bay? Into the York?

[bigjim1220]

The reason for hp limitation on Vexus boats is flotation and coast guard approval. The reason the 2080 is only 4 inches longer than the 1980 was to get more flotation in that space to rate it for 200hp. Why they cant get more flotation may have to do with aluminum vs fiberglass boyancy differences.

[Huckleberry]

100 miles on the james!!?!! Where are you running ? To the back bay? Into the York?

50 there and 50 back

[strids97]

Some prefer to spend less time getting from point A to point B in order to maximize limited fishing time. It has nothing to do with measuring any body parts. For me it is about efficiency on the water and the max hp rating is one of the factors I consider when comparing boats. My question is a legitimate one and I am hoping someone in the know actually replies. I am not sure how my question has offended or upset anyone causing this thread to go south.

For me this has been my comment from day one. Every detail about the boats is awesome. They did an amazing job, but for me comparing to similar boats in the glass world (some will say you can't compare) but for performance and the fact that if you are spending your hard earned dollars you don't want to feel like there could be more with a bigger engine. When comparing to similar glass boats, since the weights are not listed on the website, i'm only going off of the lengths and features. To me they are under HP. I've been in many boats that were under powered. When I buy a new boat I'm getting what I want with all the HP it can handle. To answer the question and i'm sure my comment will spark other comments. HP rating is about how the boat performs. The biggest thing for me is, when you are running in 1 to 2ft chop, if you don't have enough power the nose will bounce around and it's not as easy to keep it down to cut the waves. Been there done that! My Ranger R70 rated to 130 (at the time the boat was built hardly any 130's on the market...performs well with a 115 but there is so much more that boat could do, a 135 would be awesome on that boat. The new 115 HO's or Pro XS's would be nice but have a hard time re-powering for same HP. "Siuebass0" said his 2080 its upper 60's with a 200 G2 HO. That's great I wouldn't complain about that. I saw a YouTube video of a 2080 with the new 200 V8 Pro XS barely hitting 60. The best numbers I've seen out of a 1980 with a 150, was barely hitting 60. and the 1880 with a 135 upper 50's. The 1980 and the 1880 are big boats for those engines, 25HP more on each would make a world of difference. on the 2080 if a 200 G2 HO hits upper 60's sign me up for the one all day long. To me comparing to glass boats in the same size range, these are big boats and doesn't seem to be enough. Proof is in the sales for everyone that is buying them, either it will be an issue at some point for Vexus or it won't be and those of us who've though they were under-powered will just fall into the weeds ... LOL :)

[Jonesslk]

I guess for me I look at it pretty simplistically. If the HP ratings doesn't fit your needs or expectations, find a boat and setup that does. I doubt Vexus will change their ratings, only add some versatility to their lineup. From seeing the overall quality of the boat, they spent a considerable amount of time evaluating what best fits their business model and vision. I am thoroughly satisfied with my 1980. The fit, finish and ride exceeds my expectations. The top end is right where I wanted it. If I wanted more, I would have went with the 2080, maybe some day I will upgrade but for today I am good with my current setup. However, if the setup did not meet what I wanted, I would have went with a different boat. Pretty simple. IMO, Vexus knocked these boats out of the park. They built a very impressive brand. Which I would have expected them too given the amount of tenure there is in the industry. I don't think they are in competition with anyone, they believe they have set the bar for everyone else. They are going to sell a lot of boats. But again, there will be people who look elsewhere because it does not meet their needs, which is OK as there are a lot of great boats out there to pick from.

[jakekups88]

Ooohhh I thought you meant one way huckleberry

[RangerRic]

I guess for me I look at it pretty simplistically. If the HP ratings doesn't fit your needs or expectations, find a boat and setup that does. I doubt Vexus will change their ratings, only add some versatility to their lineup. From seeing the overall quality of the boat, they spent a considerable amount of time evaluating what best fits their business model and vision. I am thoroughly satisfied with my 1980. The fit, finish and ride exceeds my expectations. The top end is right where I wanted it. If I wanted more, I would have went with the 2080, maybe some day I will upgrade but for today I am good with my current setup. However, if the setup did not meet what I wanted, I would have went with a different boat. Pretty simple. IMO, Vexus knocked these boats out of the park. They built a very impressive brand. Which I would have expected them too given the amount of tenure there is in the industry. I don't think they are in competition with anyone, they believe they have set the bar for everyone else. They are going to sell a lot of boats. But again, there will be people who look elsewhere because it does not meet their needs, which is OK as there are a lot of great boats out there to pick from.

^^^ This.

strids97: In the old days, the black max 135hp would have been fun on my R7x - 'course, the etec 135HO now would be interesting too, eh?