Why no 150hp rated boats anymore.

[bassfisher444]

Other than Bass Cat no one makes a 17.5-18' 150 hp rated boat anymore, why is that? They used to be very common 20 years ago. I know most pros prefer a larger boat but I believe a smaller 150 hp rated boat would sell well with the regular consumers. Yes I know there are several 18'6"-18'9" boats available that you can get with a 150, but a 150 is really too small for that size boat. They could easily offer the smaller models of quite a few brands that are only rated for a 115hp with a 150hp considering most are the same size or slightly bigger than the boats we had in the 80s and 90s with 150s on them.

[davidsa]

The phoenix 818 stock comes with a 150hp I believe. I upgraded to the 175

[Highcentered]

Well, if you think about it 85hp was common on a glass rig because that's what the pros ran and it only went up from there. These days I'd love to hear what boat dealers have to say about that slot in their boat sales. Seems 150hp and below they want to put you in a tin rig. I had a dealer tell me one time that he normally only carries the bigger boats with 200hp and up because they cost nearly as much as the little boats but I'm thinking he's referring more to his cost and the profit wasn't there with the little boats. Then you have companies that are putting a 115 on a hull that should really have a 150 or 175 on it...I'm looking in your direction Phoenix, Caymas, and Triton.

[Fish Loco]

skeeter makes a zx 150 18'6

[fly by night]

They just aren't fast enough for the BBC crowd!

[adchunts]

It’s not what people want to buy, simple as that. Bass Cat has talked about it several times. The volume of 18 footers they sell is insignificant to the bigger models.

[bassfisher444]

The phoenix 818 stock comes with a 150hp I believe. I upgraded to the 175

Yes, thats what I am talking about, several companies offer boats with 150s but those boats are actually too big for a 150. I wouldn't want that boat with a 150 on it, however you can flash it to a 200 since it's a Yamaha.

[bassfisher444]

skeeter makes a zx 150 18'6

Yes, and that boat is much larger than the ones that used to have 150s on them, compare that to a 90s model ZX150, Ranger 361v or Nitro 180 TF, the new one is really too big for a 150, but again it being a Yamaha you can flash it to a 200.

[davidsa]

I am not a bigger is better guy but for me the phoenix 818 is too wide for a 150 4s



my prior boat was the phoenix 618 w 150 2s and that was similar to my wider model w bigger motor

[jjue1979]

I think that I found a Skeeter that is in that size range, although I find the beam on newer boats to be wider that I want for parking in the garage and trolling my thru stumps for crappie. As for speed my old Skeeter with a 150 from 1985 still does 55-60 depending on who is with me, how loaded, and if I’m using the front livewell, and this is fast enough for me.

[WVBullet]

They just aren't fast enough for the BBC crowd!

[BassinPaPaw]

If they would be big sellers, they be more options for them. Theres a reason they’re not making a ton of them. How you gonna get 6 graphs on a 17.5 boat? Lol

[JR19]

What people deem is a must have is what the market will have. The current trend is if you don't have 20Ft with 250HP, spot lock trolling motor, shallow water anchors, FFS and a minimum of 4- 10" graphs you can't be competitive...and I don't mean competitive in tournaments I mean against the fish. Same thing with trucks. If its not a quad cab 4x4 the buyer is not interested. I could give multiple more examples of how the mass public has drove up the price just as much as the manufacture's.

[Bass Cat Boats]

The cost of construction is very high and the cost of the engine, troller and engine parts is too high a percentage of the rigs cost. Aluminum construction costs are more controlled by various aspects of their design and assembly, thus they are more efficient in costs. As a result of the price tag aluminum has eaten into the glass boat market.

Another factor is the regulation change of Bassmaster and then Operation Bass (FLW/MLF), as Bassmaster was restricted to a 150 until 1996. The slide of 17’ and 18’ glass boats happened after that. Operation Bass was 225 maximum HP until the change to 250 by Bassmaster. Boats also were getting larger in that era, as the advent of anglers using 20’ and 21’ boats began in the mid 1990’s.

When Bassmaster switched to 250 maximum, we were already 80% 175 and 200 horsepower on our market. The Jaguar came in at the 1996 model year, when Bassmaster switched the horsepower rating.

Todays slide is shifting to the 19’ glass bass boat market and 200 engines. This can be noticed by the development of new 19’ and 20’ aluminum boats.

For reasons of heat, performance, stability, sound and rough water ability, we do not see the same impact on the 19’ market that the 18’ market underwent with aluminum. While aluminum will gain some anglers, fiberglass will still hold on significantly as most 19’ models with 200 HP run very well and can manage rougher water.

BCB

[Bass Cat Boats]

We do think developments of products, other than fiberglass, will break a new market open as new chemicals and new techniques emerge.

BCB

[Highcentered]

What people deem is a must have is what the market will have. The current trend is if you don't have 20Ft with 250HP, spot lock trolling motor, shallow water anchors, FFS and a minimum of 4- 10" graphs you can't be competitive...and I don't mean competitive in tournaments I mean against the fish. Same thing with trucks. If its not a quad cab 4x4 the buyer is not interested. I could give multiple more examples of how the mass public has drove up the price just as much as the manufacture's.

LOL I drive a single cab short bed work truck with the HEMI that isn't white. Even back in 2018 finding what I wanted was like finding a real unicorn. Could have driven 25 miles or less in any direction and found a 4 door HEMI for probably about the same price. I've had to tell car salesmen to stop wasting MY time showing me the upper trim levels because I wasn't interested but from the looks of it most people want a big 4 door truck with an itty bitty bed and an interior with more doodads and buttwipers than they'll probably ever figure out how to use.

You're spot on about boats too. I could go back to a pair of 7" graphs on the boat and still be at least ALMOST as successful as I was before I drank the koolaid. It really gets comical when someone says they NEED that boat with a 250 so they can win a couple hundred dollars at the weekday derby. I laugh my ass off when I hear a tournament was won by a couple guys in a beat up old boat with a motor that has only two numbers on the cowling and MAYBE a couple old entry level depth finders on it. The biggest ass whoopin a friend of mine ever gave in a tournament was back around 2000 in highschool when he weighed in a 35 pound bag of 5 fish. He was in an Alweld with a 40hp and pulling it with a '77 Ford F-100. Those boys never let him fish against them againThey thought they were just gonna have some extra money to divide up and got whooped by a teenager.

[Highcentered]

We do think developments of products, other than fiberglass, will break a new market open as new chemicals and new techniques emerge.

BCB

Lithium batteries giving a boat a reasonable range at a reasonable speed?

[MG77]

If I had better water nearby, and a 2-boat-budget, I would get that little Bobcat in a heartbeat!

[BMCD]

We do think developments of products, other than fiberglass, will break a new market open as new chemicals and new techniques emerge.

BCB

Not sure what exactly that means but glad to see something is changing.

[Jbass123]

If you do a deep dive on bass boat production data, you’ll find that those companies sell way fewer rigs rated for 200-225 hp compared to 250+ hp. A dealer told me last year that 20-22 foot bass boats are considered “tournament rigs,” and that’s where most of the demand lies, partly for [perceived] competitive reasons and partly just for appearance’s sake.