Z21 Intracoastal vs Z21

[scott m]

I talked to a guy this weekend that said this boat will ride better than the regular Z21's. As I understand the Z21's did not ride that great and that is why everyone liked the 520's and 521's and is why Ranger came back out with that model. The guy that told me this has owned the differant ranger models but never an Intracoastal. I am no Ranger boat expert but I am wanting a Z21 Intracoastal. he said when they made the Intracoastal they did something differant to help it get up and run shallower water. Anyone else heard this?

[MengRanger]

I have not heard this... I think most guys would say the Z21 rides very good, but not as fast as the old 521. It runs more nose down that the 521 and the newer Z520. I had the 01 520 and two Z21's, and the Z21's were a lot smoother than the 520.

[scott m]

I thought them riding nose down was kind of a problem that alot of people didnt like. Like I said im just trying to learn what is what in the Ranger world.

[Chuck D]

Nope, it's the exact same boat; just one has carpet the other doesn't and one is on an aluminum trailer and the other isn't. The z21 bass boat has the rails and the z21i has the Southco Latches and no rails as they'd rust up.

I'm getting an Intracoastal Ranger if I can find me one! That's the ultimate fishing platform for what I am doing.

As far as shallow water goes, that's managed with a hydro jack plate and the right prop. If you really want to get up and go fast, get a 4 blade Trophy on your Mercury motor and she'll jump up in a second flat! You give up some top end with a 4 blade but the hole shot is better and the handling is unreal!

[lstocke1]

I have one (Z21i) and it cuts thru the Tampa Bay chop with no problem. Much smoother than my best friends 520. With that being said it is available for sale message if interested.

[beav521]

My buddy just bought one ,i haven't ridden in it but it looks the same as the z21 and he said it rides great

[utinator]

I'm calling BS on this. First of all, the Z21 and Z21i are the same boat. They just took the carpet out of the Z21i. That's not gonna change the ride or the hole-shot. Only the prop will make a difference on the hole-shot.

The Z21 rides great. I still think the 520 is the best riding boat Ranger has made, but the Z21 is right up there with it. Most people that didn't like the Z21, just didn't like the rails. I've never heard any complaints about the ride.

If you plan on catching reds on the coast or bass in the lakes, the Z21i will be a great boat for you.

[Rangerdawg]

Doesnt the z21 intercoastal have trim tabs....that would make a ride difference for sure.

[utinator]

Trim tabs will make the boat lean to one side or the other while on plane. You can also lower the bow with the trim tabs, but you can do that with the motor trim. Neither of which will make the boat ride better.

The only real advantage with the trim tabs is that you can keep the bow lower on hole-shot. Rangers are already really quick out of the hole, so they don't need any help there. The trim tabs would just help take off in shallower water. By keeping the bow lower, the back end doesn't dip as low in the water. That comes in handy when you're in shallow water.

[Rangerdawg]

Cool, I always wondered exactly what they were for.

[utinator]

Well, there you go. They can be beneficial on wider, flatter bottom boats (bay boats). When you extend the trim tab, it creates drag on that one side. That causes that side to drop, or lean. If you have an unbalanced load, you can adjust the trim tabs to make the boat ride level. If you extend both trim tabs, the bow will drop. That also slows the boat down. Since bass boats run on the pad, the trim tabs don't offer much benefit.


Trim tabs are very popular on the bay boats around here. Most people won't have a bay boat without them. Most bay boats need the trim tabs. The bay boats are usually severely underpowered. You hardly ever see a bay boat with more than 150hp, and that includes the 20-21 footers. Typically, an 18ft bay boat will have 90-115hp. The 20-21 footers usually have 150-200hp. That means it takes longer to get on plane. The trim tabs will greatly help the hole-shot on the bay boats. The Ranger bass boats really don't need them. They are just "cool" to have.