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I am looking to buy a 396 but also have looked at 496 both with 225 hp merc opti
can anyone give me reason not to buy the 396 or reasons to buy the 496? I know the 496 is longer and i think it looks better but is there that much difference in the ride? i owned a 195 for 19 years will the 396 preform as good as it did?
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by cnmurp »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I am looking to buy a 396 but also have looked at 496 both with 225 hp merc opti
can anyone give me reason not to buy the 396 or reasons to buy the 496? I know the 496 is longer and i think it looks better but is there that much difference in the ride? i owned a 195 for 19 years will the 396 preform as good as it did?</TD></TR></TABLE>
The 396 will waaaaay outperform the 195. You will have an overall smoother ride with the 396 than a 195. The 496 will give you even more. Especially in the chops. Now the 496 may not go as fast as a 396 w/the 225 but it will scoot you across the water at a comfortable clip w/o any problem. It all comes down to personal preference of the condition of the boat(s) and any accessories that are on them. By the tone of what and how I read your post, you are leaning towards the 496. You can't go wrong there...with either.
99 395tf 225 OX66
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Ntimad8rs »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
The 396 will waaaaay outperform the 195. </TD></TR></TABLE>
just since i really dont know, could you provide specific examples of the ways the 396 waaaay out performs the 195? i know that it is rated for a 225 so im sure the speed is better but what else?
I own a 396 and am working on my setup. Dealer rigged it wrong. I am pretty happy with my 396, but if I had to do it over again, I would go with the longer boat. The 396 has a little different hull design than the other Chargers, therefore it's not quite as good as the others in rough water but still better than most boats out there. These are not my words but the words of shop tech at Charger...I fish some pretty rough water at times and If I had it to do over again, I would go with the 496 or 596, just due to the fact they are a longer boat.
the 195 and 396 are pretty close as for as rough water goes, they are only 5 " in lenght different,the 396 is 2 1/2 " wider.The 396 will be faster with 225 around 70 and 68 with the 195 and 200 max hp.Now the 496 will way outperform them both in speed and ride (longer hull) and little more weight.If you want the ultimate ride
then go with the 596. http://www.bassboatcentral.com/boardstuff2/beers.gif
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by lakefolk »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
just since i really dont know, could you provide specific examples of the ways the 396 waaaay out performs the 195? i know that it is rated for a 225 so im sure the speed is better but what else?</TD></TR></TABLE>
It doesn't, had a 195 for 11 years and now have a 396. Different hull designs, the 396 fishes better for me cause it's wider and a little more roomy. As far as handling rough water I would say their pretty equal.
There have been many improvements over the years since the 195. Hence the upgrade in the numbering of the hulls. There was quite a bit of tweaking in the hull and inside the top cap. Now since the hulls are a bit wider since the 5 series to the 6 it makes for a more stable platform for fishing. That is what really wears you out during a fishing day, not the runs between holes. The 396 is a "squareback", giving you more storage area and a larger fishing platform in the back. Then the length...bigger is better when it comes to spanning the chops, even 6 inches can make a difference. I have ridden in different boats, a 395 and 495, in the same conditions, within 20 minutes, and the difference in the ride is there. I am not attempting to put down one from the other, we all have excellent boats. It is just that charger has always put out great products and is contantly improving on what they see in testing and what we, as owners have asked for.
My partner has a 195 single console and I have a 495 and it doesn't matter to me which boat we use. Only once after crossing about 2 miles of some of the roughest water I've been in and back did my partner say he was glad we were in my 495. That day pretty much sold me for good on Chargers and when I buy a new one I'll probably get a 496 http://xs-s.com/zf/images/smile/emthup.gif
Guys just remember the 195 ,496396,596. will outride any basscat ,ranger ,triton
etc. the only thing that is close is a champion.Its fun to see the ranger 520s struggling in the big waves as you go by them in your 195.We do have one of the finest keep secrets in the boating world heck most people have never even seen a charger. http://www.bassboatcentral.com/boardstuff2/beers.gif
I am a big fan of Chargers for sure as my father has had two. Too slow for me but they do have a good ride. I have to say I wonder how they stay around. I just flat do not see them on the water like I used to and there are no dealers around me to speak of. I have fished out of my father's chargers hundreds of times and the only negative I have EVER found is the speed. I will also agree the ride is killer. Length being equal, my cat rides every bit as good though. :)
court, what motor and boat combo does your father have?
most everyone that has a charger that I know is running 70 plus. And acouple have 300 running 80 plus.Idont know of to many cats running that.If setup right they will run,also a cat cant touch a charger in the very rough stuff,i have been in both and would not trade my 595 for anything outthere unless it was a champion.
Also one thing about ride is when the water is smooth and up to 1 foot chop everything is equal,but when it gets wind blown3 fto 4 footers or heavy boat traffic(the 6 foot deep trough that you cat see the bottom which you see alot of at lake of the ozarks)
the cats ,rangers,and everything else with the semi v nose starts giving you the kidney buster.Theres only one boat with the deep v and thats charger and the champ..if you look at all the big water boats lund, crestliner etc they have the same design, as for as the deep v goes.Just different boat designs for different applications.
Also charger also owns the world speed record for pontoon's (around 90mph) they do build quiet a few of these babies,just a take alook around lake of the ozarks. 2 or three in every cove, and they are not cheap between 60,000 and 120,000 dollars not to many people know that they own playcraft.http://www.boatinglife.com/VTD/2010/...oonXtreme.html
Not bashing just giving the facts.
Modified by TOUCH OF CLASS at 7:07 AM 3/2/2010
Modified by TOUCH OF CLASS at 7:18 AM 3/2/2010
Court, I have fish out or Basscats, Ranger, Legend, Phoenix, Skeeter and Triton they all ride ok but the only Bass boat that ride better or like my Charger 595 is a Charger 596. Oh, same boat. Like it was said if setup right they will run, all Charger bass boats. http://www.bassboatcentral.com/boardstuff2/beers.gif
Modified by Evans 595 at 3:23 PM 3/2/2010