Possible first bass boat, which one?
Good afternoon,
I've fished out of deep v aluminums most of my life and am looking at getting into a bass boat. Would like to try something different as my family likes to cast for bass and walleye. I have four kids and they're getting older so not too worried about them falling out anymore. I know a bass boat isn't conducive for 5 to 6 people but most of the time it will be just 3 or 4 of us on the local small lakes. When the whole family goes, we usually putt out to the middle and swim anyway. Some water skiing will be in the mix and I figure I can add a turbo swing at some point for that. The bigger lakes I fish are usually Mille Lacs and Vermilion in MN. I've looked at some fish n ski and mutli species boats but many appear to not be maintained or are way overpriced and out of my budget, and not to mention, I've always wanted a bass boat for the fishability and the stable platform.
I've found two boats that I'm interested in and would like your opinions on which way to go.
First is a 2013 Ranger Z119, same year Yamaha 200 sho with 144 hours. One owner. Asking $40,000, could go a bit less. Power poles (don't know how old). Looks to be three older Lowrance graphs (HDS 7,8,9) and one newer Garmin echomap 70. Ultrex trolling motor (don't know how old). I talked to the seller and they described the boat as immaculate condition and not abused. The motor print out from the dealer seems to verify this as over half the hours are under 1000 rpms and the rest are between 2000-4000, with only a couple hours at 4 to 5k. While I'm a huge fan of Yamaha outboards, I know the early years of the SHO had some issues but I do have Yamaha dealers nearby. I've always liked Ranger boats and know these years were a good quality boat.. I also like the middle pedestal mount for a third seat if needed and the simplicity of the Z package (toggle switches, no button pads). Would need to travel 12 hours to get the boat.
The other boat for the same price of $40k but firm, is a one owner (older gentleman) 2019 Bass Cat Caracal with an Evinrude G2 225, around 70 hours. 3 years warranty remaining. Single console (would add second removable console) no Power poles, three Garmin 106 echomaps graphs, Garmin trolling motor (newer), 33 gallon gas tank under seat with another 10 gallon in the rear, also talked to the owner and sounds like they took good care of the boat and is clean/well maintained. Big drawback is the Evinrude, which the dealers in my area all said the same thing--repower on the first major repair once out of warranty, they will still service them for as long as they can. Doesn't have the option for a pedestal seat in the middle. Would also have to add power poles and the second console at some point. But it's a Bass Cat, and I know the quality they bring. I really like the Caracal layout as well. Would need to travel about 18 hours.
Ultimately, I didn't want to spend this much on a used boat and have been looking at older boats as a result, but if the right one came along I'd be willing to stretch my budget as I will be keeping this boat for hopefully a long time. Do either of these boats stand out as a good buy over the other assuming they've been taken care of? Hoping some of you that are familiar with these boats and motors may have some input.
Thank you for any responses and have a great weekend.
