Thread: Fat Stratos

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  1. Member
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    #41
    I like the boat and the designs, I can do without the handles and the badge. I think it will look better without the badge and just the Vexus name on the side. I will wait and make a final decision on my thoughts after I ride in one. I have always said if they can get a bass boat to ride like a 921 Phoenix and fish like a ranger it would be as close to perfect as it gets in the bass fishing world

  2. Banned
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    #42
    Well ,IF, they gave me one for FREE I would tell the world it's the best damn boat ever made and I love everything about it !!

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    #43
    Quote Originally Posted by capt1fish View Post
    I asked a touring Ranger sponsored angler that saw the boat up close this weekend about his thoughts. He said, "It's everything we wanted the 'L' boat to be".

    Things he pointed out:

    1. Compared to a similar equipped Ranger, it's cheaper.
    2. Seats are more comfy with the soft ride system.
    3. Per Keith, he drove the 20' to speeds over 76mph loaded. Fast boat
    4. The livewells
    5. Cooler between seats allows easy access when you're navigating. Usually this is when you reach for food or drink. Compared to the Ranger, relocating the cooler allows for a longer rod box.
    6. Rod storage. Tour angler said you can get 30+ combos in port locker easy. And they accept 8'6" rods.
    7. Center rod/tackle storage. Moved storage try to one side instead of both sides of box
    8. Non carpet so your butt doesn't get wet on wet carpet.
    9. Painting process. Something about automotive paint being easier/less fading in long run?
    10. Pull out storage tray was smart use of dead space.

    Coming from a guy that makes his living on the deck of a bassboat, I take his opinion to heart.

    (*edit*) The handrails. I mentioned that they looked cheap and afterthought. He said it was practical over fashion. They're there to help tie up to dock and to give something to grab onto when climbing in/out of boat. Said that after a while of looking at them they don't look as gaudy as when you first see em.

    Thank you for posting this.

    I honestly don't think the boat is as "bad" looking as people are claiming it is. All bass boats have their own "look" from each manufacturer.

    It appears from your post that this boat was designed by professional fishermen, for professional fishermen, and this manufacturer listened. Great job Vexus!!!

    M

  4. Moderator JerryT's Avatar
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    #44
    If only they made it square in the front and pointy in the back some guys would admit they changed the game a little lol

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    #45
    At first I thought it looked a lot like an Astro, but now that I have looked at more photos of past models, I agree with the guys that say it looks most like a Stratos Evolution.

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    #46
    Quote Originally Posted by sclark View Post
    doesn't look very wide and those are really tall gunnels!!
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  7. Member
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    #47
    Quote Originally Posted by capt1fish View Post
    I asked a touring Ranger sponsored angler that saw the boat up close this weekend about his thoughts. He said, "It's everything we wanted the 'L' boat to be".

    Things he pointed out:

    1. Compared to a similar equipped Ranger, it's cheaper.
    2. Seats are more comfy with the soft ride system.
    3. Per Keith, he drove the 20' to speeds over 76mph loaded. Fast boat
    4. The livewells
    5. Cooler between seats allows easy access when you're navigating. Usually this is when you reach for food or drink. Compared to the Ranger, relocating the cooler allows for a longer rod box.
    6. Rod storage. Tour angler said you can get 30+ combos in port locker easy. And they accept 8'6" rods.
    7. Center rod/tackle storage. Moved storage try to one side instead of both sides of box
    8. Non carpet so your butt doesn't get wet on wet carpet.
    9. Painting process. Something about automotive paint being easier/less fading in long run?
    10. Pull out storage tray was smart use of dead space.

    Coming from a guy that makes his living on the deck of a bassboat, I take his opinion to heart.

    (*edit*) The handrails. I mentioned that they looked cheap and afterthought. He said it was practical over fashion. They're there to help tie up to dock and to give something to grab onto when climbing in/out of boat. Said that after a while of looking at them they don't look as gaudy as when you first see em.
    I can agree with the reasoning behind a lot of these design features, but you should be tying up to the pop-up cleats, not to your handrails. Some brands are putting an additional cleat near the driver's seat so that you can tie there first before you even get up out of your seat --- that's smart design.

  8. FOOTLONG MEMBER Ranger RT's Avatar
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    #48
    That friggen boat is so fast you have to wear a helmet.....
    https://static.visionamp.co/rubix/20...22ccc88932.jpg
    2013 Pre-Johnny Ranger RT 178
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  9. Member majorbanjo's Avatar
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    #49
    From the pictures it looks just like a bass boat.......I'm sure it's a fine boat, but I would buy a boat that already has an established resale market.....it's like guitars, hard to go wrong with Martin, Taylor, Collings, Fender.....there are many flavor of the week brands of guitars that start out hot and fizzle....hope Vexus is here to stay.....if they prove to be quality over the next few years I may take a look as my next boat......

  10. Member
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    #50
    I saw them and initially they didn’t look that great to me because they looked so different and i coudn’t get past that. However, after I looked at them the second day, I started getting more intrigued and the different look wasn’t as much of an issue. I spoke with some Venus guys and you can tell they know their stuff and put a lot of time into this boat. I even ran into some of them at a Dairy Queen about half way between Nashville and Memphis as they were driving boats back to the Vexus plant. They were sharp guys when it came to talking boats and design. One Vexus guy said that at first he too struggled with the new look.......especially the front end. But he said after a little time it has grown on all of them.

    The thing that concerned me the most was when one of the Vexus guys told me that they (Vexus) have taken 70+ people from the old Ranger office and plant. He said they are located right next door to Ranger. I can’t imagine that the Ranger home office has hundereds of employees but maybe I am wrong. Either way if Vexus has truly taken 70 to 80 people away from Ranger what does that say for Ranger going forward? WIll they continue to be built with the same HIGH STANDARDS that Ranger is known for?

    I know one thing..........based on the prices of the Vexus boats.........I would be hard pressed to spend 80K for a Vexus when I can get a Ranger at that same price. I would have thought they would have come in at a price more competitive to try to get boats out on the water. The more they get out there the more they will grow on the public. If the quality is there they could then raise the prices to demand high end prices.

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    #51
    Don't care how good it is way too many as good or a lot better boats on the market at a lower price point.

  12. Member
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    #52
    I hope Vexus does well but I did not like the appearance of the boat. They really didn't have to change so much. Change for the sake of change is not always good. If they could have made a near replica of the 520/521, priced at or below the C package and given anglers the ability to customize, they would have sent Ranger to the bottom. Instead they incorporated every change they could think of to justify their play for the big money angler. I think this will cost them.
    Last edited by knopf; 03-18-2019 at 07:10 PM.

  13. Moderator Vexus Boats sclark's Avatar
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    #53
    Quote Originally Posted by JerryT View Post
    If only they made it square in the front and pointy in the back some guys would admit they changed the game a little lol
    exactly what I wa thinking

  14. Moderator Vexus Boats sclark's Avatar
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    #54
    Quote Originally Posted by mactlman View Post
    doesn't look very wide and those are really tall gunnels!!
    Umm, that’s a DVX20 multispecies boat.

    someone wanted to see the pickle fork front end.

  15. Member
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    #55
    Quote Originally Posted by kyfisherman1 View Post
    I saw them and initially they didn’t look that great to me because they looked so different and i coudn’t get past that. However, after I looked at them the second day, I started getting more intrigued and the different look wasn’t as much of an issue. I spoke with some Venus guys and you can tell they know their stuff and put a lot of time into this boat. I even ran into some of them at a Dairy Queen about half way between Nashville and Memphis as they were driving boats back to the Vexus plant. They were sharp guys when it came to talking boats and design. One Vexus guy said that at first he too struggled with the new look.......especially the front end. But he said after a little time it has grown on all of them.

    The thing that concerned me the most was when one of the Vexus guys told me that they (Vexus) have taken 70+ people from the old Ranger office and plant. He said they are located right next door to Ranger. I can’t imagine that the Ranger home office has hundereds of employees but maybe I am wrong. Either way if Vexus has truly taken 70 to 80 people away from Ranger what does that say for Ranger going forward? WIll they continue to be built with the same HIGH STANDARDS that Ranger is known for?

    I know one thing..........based on the prices of the Vexus boats.........I would be hard pressed to spend 80K for a Vexus when I can get a Ranger at that same price. I would have thought they would have come in at a price more competitive to try to get boats out on the water. The more they get out there the more they will grow on the public. If the quality is there they could then raise the prices to demand high end prices.
    Ranger employs about 1,300 people in Flippin. The main glass plant is on highway 178, the Ranger aluminum plant is on Industrial Park Rd and yes the Vexus plant is a couple of blocks away from the Ranger aluminum plant. I know a few people who switched over and if you've visited the Vexus page and seen some of sclark's postings (former Ranger employee) he has pictures of several big names that were at Ranger and left from office to engineering to floor workers. Its kind of split the little town into.

  16. Moderator Vexus Boats sclark's Avatar
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    #56
    Quote Originally Posted by Ranger RT View Post
    That friggen boat is so fast you have to wear a helmet.....
    https://static.visionamp.co/rubix/20...22ccc88932.jpg
    When you photo shooting on a day where the high temp was something like 26degrees. Yep you wear a helmet

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    #57
    I think most of the frustration is because most can't afford it or if they can afford it they don't want to spend that kind of coin on a boat.

    Man we need a new boat company that's budget minded. Give me a 20ft boat with a 225 without all the bells and whistles for 40k. If I want poles, graphs, I'll buy them myself. So what I'm asking for is what was sold in early 2000s. I think we might see this after the recession hits. We know one is coming sooner or later. No one will be paying 70 80k for these boats.

    I use to chill at the local ranger dealer because I was good friends with one of the techs. When the recession hit it was ugly. They had guys coming in trying to sell graphs back to them lol. No one could get a loan. The main guys that owned construction companies were the main buyers that would come in and pay with a check. Those guys couldn't even afford to fish tournaments when things took a turn. It will happen again.

    Things should get interesting in the boat world.

  18. Member
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    #58
    At the price point I would look elsewhere if I were in the market. I didn’t really care for the look, but only seeing it once is an issue, if I looked again it might grow on me.

  19. Member
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    #59
    Quote Originally Posted by Cliffprocraft190 View Post
    I can agree with the reasoning behind a lot of these design features, but you should be tying up to the pop-up cleats, not to your handrails. Some brands are putting an additional cleat near the driver's seat so that you can tie there first before you even get up out of your seat --- that's smart design.
    I installed two pop up cleats mid boat for that exact reason. One by the throttle control and one on the other side by the passenger handle. Way cleaner IMO!
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  20. BBC SPONSOR Hawg's Avatar
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    #60
    There are a lot of things I absolutely love about it and there are things I don't like about it. Love the console, seats, interior, space. Definitely feels deeper and bigger than what it is.

    I personally don't like the hand rails either. I don't like the fact that the colors are imron and that they are all one color basically. I also think that they need to re-design the back transom tie downs also, as currently the hook from the buckle will right against the hull right near the transom tie down eye. I really think over time, the rubber coated hook will eventually wear through the imron colors.

    I do think the boat has some Stratos ASX lines to it for sure. That's what I thought when I first saw it anyway. For a whole brand new line up from a "new" manufacturer I'm impressed with what I saw and I think it can only improve from here.

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