Random thoughts on being a Skeeter owner!

[Mark Perry]

Not gonna mince words here. In my opinion Skeeter is the best bassboat on the market for me. It is simply made to fish but still has above average performance. There is just something about fishing out of one that fits me and the way I fish. I have tried to change brands twice now and I just can't stay away from a bug boat. I am on my 5th one and really can't see owning anything else. The layout is phenomenal and I think the newer latch systems are probably the best I have ever seen. Fewer moving parts and no failures. The stability is second to none and its like standing in your living room even with two people on the front deck. They draft super shallow and are not affected by the wind hardly at all. Excellent livewells and even better storage. They just get it right to me. Things are easy to get to and where they should be. The day box option is awesome as is the line spooling station. The controls on the touch pad are easy to use and simply laid out. I always hear non Skeeter owners bitch about the ride but I blame the driver if that is the case. A Skeeter can handle any of the rough water as well as any brand out there. I have ran mine in some rough stuff and always feel safe and the boat handles it well. I feel the same about Yamaha engines so its a natural match for me I guess. Yamaha simply builds a bad ass engine. Maybe not the fastest but pretty damn durable to say the least. I have owned Stratos, Nitro, Ranger, Legend, Bullet, Pro Craft and Fisher and about the only brand I have felt this comfortable in is Ranger but even that is no Skeeter to me. I loved a lot about the Bullet but again I just preferred Skeeter more. I have had two boat deal offers that would have been financially beneficial to me and I still choose to pay my hard earned money on a Skeeter. Nothing bad to say about the others that I owned I just felt something was missing. Lesson learned though and I am done changing brands.
Guess at the end of the day we are what we are and as much time as I spend in a boat I want it to be comfortable and that is why I prefer Skeeter. No one has paid me to say this and there is no benefit in it for me. i was just out in the garage with the boat and got to thinking. My boat is paid for and I owe no one any allegiences so you are getting the uncut version here. At the end of the day a Skeeter is what I want so its what I have.


my Skeeter ZX225 w/ Yamaha 225 HPDI

[Neilslure]

I have had no regrets about getting in a Skeeter. It does everything it needs to do very well. Honestly, my boat is the best riding boat i believe I have ever been in. I have watched loyal owners of other brands drool over my boat .

[Bigg-Un]

Great post and nice looking ride.....I guess I just started off in the right brand....this is my fourth....Good freind of mine bought a black and yellow Bullet with the 250XS last year....very nice boat....I almost went but thankfully this i came along and put me back where I needed to be....Best looking and best fishing boat out there no doubt....I have no regrets what so ever....

[Mark Perry]

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Bigg-Un &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Good freind of mine bought a black and yellow Bullet with 250XS last year
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Was that Steve at Fork by any chance? Also saw one in that color combo that was a guide's boats at sartin Marine. It is the one that made me get the urge....

[fishin couillon]

Good post Mark. I as well have the smaller skeeter and for a small boat it rides great and fishes well. One day i hope to be in the bigger bug. But for now, mine serves the purpose.

[Mark Perry]

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by fishin couillon &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote"> Good post Mark. I as well have the smaller skeeter and for a small boat it rides great and fishes well. One day i hope to be in the bigger bug. But for now, mine serves the purpose. </TD></TR></TABLE>

I started in a Skeeter Starfire and also owned a ZX195c. They were smaller but ran and handled just fine. I was as proud of them as any that I have owned.

[Rodney Bledsoe]

My skeeter is my 3 bass boat. The first 2 were older models Pro Craft & Stratos, I really didn't know much about bass boats before buying both. When I decided to up grade from my Stratos, I was unsure what I wanted, I was going to buy a Ranger but it sold before I got a bid on it.

I went to the local sport show and was talking to the all representative about used boats on there lots, the Skeeter dealer said he had one in my price range.
I had never been in a Skeeter before but I've never had any regrets in buying this brand. I have ridden in several brand named boats since, and I'm alway comparing it to the Skeeter and like the Skeeter set up better than all of them.

When I buy another boat will it be a different brand? Today I am sold on Skeeters

[Bigg-Un]

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Mark Perry &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

Was that Steve at Fork by any chance? Also saw one in that color combo that was a guide's boats at sartin Marine. It is the one that made me get the urge....
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No...his name is Mike....he posts on the TFF as Clown....a friend of his was friends with the guy at Sartin Marine and he bought it new from there...I talked to them but I just did'nt want to spend what they were wanting....so I found a couple used ones that I was pretty serious about..the first was on the BBC and was an 02 purple and yellow...owner did not want to help with delivery and he was way up north...my wife did'nt care for the colors so that pretty well axed it ...second was a black and lime green...sounds funky but was a nice looking boat...you would just have to see it...anyway the drive to buy a boat mostly unseen kinda turned me off...it was in Kentucky I beleive...lucky for me the i-class deal came up about that time...I really liked the colors and with the new motor and hull it was not far from being brand new....I got a real good deal on my ZX Skeeter but this deal on the i-class was very sweet....

[Skeeter Jay]

AMEN Mark!! I am on my 4th Skeeter since 1993 and I really dont see myself owning a different brand ever. At one point before I bought my current boat I was toying with trying Bass Cat, but I looked hard at them but there were a couple of small things that I really didnt like about them so I didnt go that route. I have pretty much owned about every sized Skeeter there is to own, I started out in a 16' SS90 with a 85hp Yammie, then stepped up to an older Starfire 115 and then my last boat was a SX190 with a 150 VMax. They all did what I wanted them to do and they all fished great. Now I have finally made it to the big leagues and own a ZX225 and I am absolutely in love with this boat!! I fish a combination of big and small lakes and was a little afraid that this 225 would be to big to fish the smaller G&F lakes around here.. boy was I wrong.. I have been amazed at how well this thing gets in and out of places.. Like Mark said it drafts so shallow its amazing.. also like Mark said the storage is amazing on this thing, I seriously bring everything but the kitchen sink with me and I still have the box behind the passenger seat empty for my partners to use I also find that Skeeters are a well balanced combination of speed, handling and rough water ride.

[TNT]

I agree with ya Mark !!! I've had several brands and my Skeeter is by far my favorite boat and the best boat I've owned !! Rides and fishes great and did I mention it rides GREAT !!!

[top1704]

I concur with your assessments of the Skeeter boats, I fish lot in lake Ontario and encounter lots of rough water and my ZX250 handles the water very well and I can't be happier with overall performance of the boat, bottom line love the BUG!!

[wildkat7]

I love the all in one that Skeeter has. It's got fishability, speed, ride, storage, etc....you name it, it's got it.

I don't see myself owning any other brand or possibly model. The ZX225 meets every need that I have.

[Doug Vahrenberg]

Ditto, Ditto, Ditto....

I've several other brands before I got in my first Skeeter in 1997. And now on my 11th one and absoluetly love the "Total Package". There's not another boat that offers everything the Skeeter does. I love getting in the other brands and taking a ride but at the end of the day it's still Skeeter that gives me everything I need!

[flipNfrog]

All I can really say after my first season as a Skeeter owner is WOW. This boat impressed me when I test drove it and it still impresses me to this day. I just dont think you will find "more boat" than the zx200 in the 19-20ft class.

[SkeeterBob]

I'm with Keith, but WOW doesn't seem to cover it. This is my 1st "Bug" and will not be my last. I've come out of Triton and Ranger so I know a little about what I like. The ZX225 is the first boat I've ever just totally enjoyed driving. The handling of this boat is unlike any I've ever owned or driven, I flat out love it. Whether it has made me a better fisherman I don't know. I have put a lot of bass in the Bug this year. For the 1st time I hate that winter is coming on. I need more time to fish. Since I bought the Skeeter more of my buds have wanted to go fishing. I let some drive her once in awhile. They are amazed at how she handles especially on turns.

[Mark Perry]

Finally have had a chance to really run mine and it is probably the fastest Skeeter I have owned. Its faster than the ZX250 I had for sure. This HPDI roars.

[oubassr]

Mark, we're with ya brother. I am on my 3rd Skeeter and I will not own another brand. My 1st boat was a Kingfisher 16' with 120 Johnson - all I could afford at age 24. Then came the ZX185 with 150 Yammie. Nice boat but too small for 2 young boys tagging along and not too stable on rough big water. So I moved up to a ZX210 with 225 Yammie. Had that one for almost 10 years. This May I hooked up on a deal directly with Skeeter and got a great deal on the boat of my dreams. 2009 21i with 300 Yammie - loaded and tricked. Ordered the colors and options I wanted. Truly a dream come true.

I shopped Champion, Ranger & Triton and I could not leave the family after so many years. I looked at some great boats, but nothing impressed me like the iClass. At age 44 I feel like a kid at Christmas every time I hook up that beast to my truck.