Anyone go from glass to aluminum as in a 198P?

[WVfishnfool]

Possibly be trading my 208VX for a Ranger 198P fully rigged. Anybody been in one? Like, love, or dislike, hate it, despise the aluminum? Let the answers and opinions roll.

[n2ratfishin]

Went from a Cat Cougar to a Ranger RT188 two and a half years ago. In all fairness sans the Cougar I had six years I've owned a 17 or 18' boat most of my adult life. I've fished out of most every size bass boat made fishing tournaments for 20+ years with "Team Deals" including a 22 footer. The 18's just always seemed to do what I needed for "my" boat.

Once in a blue moon I'll miss the ride of my 20er. The "little" aluminum boat has got me back on waters in Florida, KY Lake, & Guntersville, all of which can get pretty nasty. It will get ya wet! The 198 has a deeper V and a pad which should help vs my Mod V. The boat is VERY responsive to throttle input! That helps a bunch picking through rough water. You are not going to just point and shoot like a big glass boat. I no longer worry about where I take it. I take it where the fish are LOL. I swear it'll go in almost no water!

It DOES blow around more than a glass boat. My Ultrex should be here some time today. I've made it two years with the Maxxum digital. You just have to run the trolling motor more than a glass boat. As far as a flat fishing platform...it fishes as well as any other boat out there the same size. The little 115 four stroke simply sips gas and is REAL EASY to maintain! No more going to the dealer for expensive Opti routine maintenance. My Platinum extended warranty was over half as expensive as a 225. The list of why I went the other way is long. The 198 came out a few months after I bought mine. Not sure I would have done anything different? I did opt for Rangers Rawhide interior. The boat is just simple to own and fish out of. Is it right for you? Only you can make that call.

[Ranger391v]

WVfishnfool ........ I wish I would have found you about April/May of last year. At that time I was looking to trade my Xpress X19 Tournament Series/200 HPDI in on a Ranger 520vx/208vx. I couldn't find one at the time, so I ended up buying the Z520 I got now.

[Lape0019]

Went from a Bass Tracker PT190 to a Ranger 119c. I love my Ranger but would have no issues going back to the aluminum. Unlike the bass tracker that got blown around in the wind, the Ranger aluminum doesn’t seem to act like a sail. I’ve been in a few RT188’s and they handle more like a glass boat than a Bass tracker does.

If I were to go back to aluminum though, I’d probably be looking at a Crestliner PT20 or possibly the Vexus AVX1980 or AVX2080.

The Rt198p doesn’t have as much storage as the RT188 does for some reason which is not what I would be looking for.

[n2bassn]

I went from a 2010 Z518 to a 2018 RT198P. The main reason I made the switch is because of my age. Wife & I bought a winter home in Florida and in order for the boat to fit in the garage it has to sit at an angle which means I have to manually roll it into the position. At 72 years of age it is no problem. Moving that glass boat would have been difficult. I don’t regret the change but do miss my glass boat at times. It is easy to tow and easy on fuel. The new Mercury 150 four stroke is very easy to service and maintain. I have added a lot of good features to this boat. Two HDS 9’s. Power poles, hydraulic jack plate, remote drain plug and more. As far as the platform is concerned, it is as good as any glass boat I have ever fished out of. It does move around in the wind more than a glass boat but as long as you are on the trolling motor you will not have a problem. Power poles are the best feature for holding the boat in shallow water without the wind blowing you off your spot or when re tying or eating. I will be installing an Ultrex for deeper water situations. An absolute MUST for this boat, in my opinion, is a trick step. When launching or loading by yourself getting in the boat or getting out after loading is so much easier. Before I installed the trick step I found it very difficult to climb over the front of the boat to get on the trailer to step on land to get in my truck. One thing I don’t like about my boat is the limited floor space in front of the passenger seat. Not a lot of room for a riders tackle bag. As far as storage, everything that was in my Z518 is in the RT198P. The back compartments could be a little bigger. I created storage by installing a large plastic container that has a water proof lid in the bilge area. There is a ton of space back there. I have heard some say that the compartments are not 100% water proof. I have never has a problem with water getting in compartments. Another problem I have read about is condensation in the compartments. Again, I have never had a problem but I should say that when my boat is in the garage the bilge compartment lid is always open and I check compartments daily. If I’m going to be away I open all compartment lids while gone. It’s a fun boat to fish out of and handles rough water pretty good. My home water is the upper Chesapeake Bay and it can get rough at times. I have never had a problem. I should also say that I won’t attempt 3 or 4 ft waver either. If it’s that rough I stay close to the launch or don’t go. I have had it in some rough water on lake Oneida and survived. I do get some spray from time to time but with the pad Hull you can use the trim to get the boat up on the pad to eliminate the spray.

[n2bassn]

I went from a 2010 Z518 to a 2018 RT198P. The main reason I made the switch is because of my age. Wife & I bought a winter home in Florida and in order for the boat to fit in the garage it has to sit at an angle which means I have to manually roll it into the position. At 72 years of age it is no problem. Moving that glass boat would have been difficult. I don’t regret the change but do miss my glass boat at times. It is easy to tow and easy on fuel. The new Mercury 150 four stroke is very easy to service and maintain. I have added a lot of good features to this boat. Two HDS 9’s. Power poles, hydraulic jack plate, remote drain plug and more. As far as the platform is concerned, it is as good as any glass boat I have ever fished out of. It does move around in the wind more than a glass boat but as long as you are on the trolling motor you will not have a problem. Power poles are the best feature for holding the boat in shallow water without the wind blowing you off your spot or when re tying or eating. I will be installing an Ultrex for deeper water situations. An absolute MUST for this boat, in my opinion, is a trick step. When launching or loading by yourself getting in the boat or getting out after loading is so much easier. Before I installed the trick step I found it very difficult to climb over the front of the boat to get on the trailer to step on land to get in my truck. One thing I don’t like about my boat is the limited floor space in front of the passenger seat. Not a lot of room for a riders tackle bag. As far as storage, everything that was in my Z518 is in the RT198P. The back compartments could be a little bigger. I created storage by installing a large plastic container that has a water proof lid in the bilge area. There is a ton of space back there. I have heard some say that the compartments are not 100% water proof. I have never has a problem with water getting in compartments. Another problem I have read about is condensation in the compartments. Again, I have never had a problem but I should say that when my boat is in the garage the bilge compartment lid is always open and I check compartments daily. If I’m going to be away I open all compartment lids while gone. It’s a fun boat to fish out of and handles rough water pretty good. My home water is the upper Chesapeake Bay and it can get rough at times. I have never had a problem. I should also say that I won’t attempt 3 or 4 ft waver either. If it’s that rough I stay close to the launch or don’t go. I have had it in some rough water on lake Oneida and survived. I do get some spray from time to time but with the pad Hull you can use the trim to get the boat up on the pad to eliminate the spray.

[n2bassn]

WTH, how did that happen?

[n2ratfishin]

Concur on the Trik Step, great upgrade!

[ericm]

What ever you do I wouldn't trade! Sell it out right and make sure you price your 208 high and hold the line. Used boats as a whole are going for insane amounts as it is, but the 208 (old 520VX) is arguably the best rig Ranger ever made. You will get a lot of interest on that one!

[javjoe]

n2bassn is spot on!

I went to the 198P with a G2 and don't regret making the switch one bit! I love this boat.
It does blow around a little more fishing in the wind but it's really not that bad. I have a talon (a must for me) and a regular fortrex. I don't see the need to upgrade to an Ultrex yet.

[WVfishnfool]

Thanks guys. I won't be trading with a dealer it's another individual. The boat he has is a 2018 198P with Merc 150 4Stroke, MK Ultrex with spot lock and all, Helix 9 on bow, Helix 10 on console, twin power pole pros, and few other goody's. My 208 is in great condition but not rigged nearly this good. I've fished out of everything out there over the past 35 years but haven't been in any of these newer aluminum rigs. Was just curious about others opinions before I go try the thing out for myself.

[Ranger391v]

Definitely try it out for yourself ........ but just know that you already got probably one of the best hulls there ever was made. ............ hence why I was originally looking for a 520/208.

I can't speak for the Ranger 198p, but I can tell you about an Xpress X19 (which is a pad hull 19' lumnie boat). The rough water fishing is why I sold that boat. It handled like a sports car with that 200 and I typically only lost 3mpg towing it. But the bobbing up-n-down-n-side-to-side while trying to fish on 10-15mph days in open water about killed my back. With that said, my X19 was probably one of the most fun to drive. Yet, setting one up to get all the performance out of it is a nightmare compared to a fiberglass hull (due to no 2 aluminum hulls are alike).