Look who Vexus is ran by as well was Ranger CEO.
Look who Vexus is ran by as well was Ranger CEO.
I had the exact same issues from the dealer I bought my rig from. (Dealer in South Carolina)Originally Posted by pabasshawk
2019 RT 198P
2018 Mercury Pro XS 150 HP 4 Stroke #2B610068
Twin 12' BT Talons
4" Atlas Jack Plate
Riptide Instinct Quest
2020 198P here. Love the boat. Like anything we buy there's a couple little thing I'm not crazy about (Dry storage aint for 1) but it's a great fishing platform, rides better than any aluminum I've been in. I think one of the things guys get hung up on is speed. It's a 50mph boat. Accept it for that. Milk it for that extra 5-10mph if you want to spend the money but it's a 50mph boat. My biggest personal beef would be with my dealer and to a certain extent Ranger's customer service but that's not a boat issue.
Nailed it
I owned a VX1788WT for 18 months. It was my 4th boat purchase and by far the worst experience I’ve ever had with a big ticket item. The list of things wrong with my boat was embarrassing, all the way down the floor actually being welded into the boat crooked. The “repairs” that WRMG did when it was returned to the factory were laughable. I own a Lund now, and have had zero issues with it. Night and day difference in quality. It wasn’t just QC issues with the Ranger, it were also some pretty bad design flaws, like you couldn’t get the motor mounted low enough on the transom to keep the prop from losing bite on takeoff and in turns, the battery compartment had no weather seal and no functional drain, and you couldn’t trim the motor up with the seat installed on the back casting platform.
Last edited by MidwestBoater; 10-08-2022 at 08:03 PM.
2022 Lund Tyee 1875, Merc 200
I have 2018 198. I like most things about boat and can afford any bass boat out there it just currently fits my needs. I don't like my light front end and spray in face in wind from side. The VX188 should be a great riding boat without the spray
My VX1788 was a wet ride for a deep v. Those hulls have no spray rail to redirect the spray back down to the water, it comes up and the wind throws it right at the windshield, or less fortunately for the folks in the back, right into their faces.
2022 Lund Tyee 1875, Merc 200
Reading BBC and Ranger Facebook sites, the VX series seems to have more than its fair share of complaints. But, there are also lots of very happy owners as well.
My VS series has been trouble free and completely enjoyable. It's not as fancy as the VX series but plenty nice enough.
I don't understand the surprise that spray is an issue for some folks. I've owned and rode in many boats of all sizes and with a beam wind and chop, you're going to get wet.
2020 Ranger VS1782 DC
Mercury ProXS 150
Garmin 106 Ultra/UHD 93sv
Ulterra Quest, 115/90
Some people think just because its new it should perform like a much larger boat.
As far as getting wet, it's not the size of the boat, it's the design of the hull. This spray deflector makes all the difference.
IMG_5247.jpg
2022 Lund Tyee 1875, Merc 200
i purchased a '22 rt188p.... traded a 175 tracker for it.... the boat is amazing, love fishing it. That being said the build quality is not great, there were so many issues, uncluding a hole in the hull itself that caused water to leak up into the floor, that Ranger agreed to replace the boat. I plugged the hole, dealt with the issues, and fished it all summer this year and loved it. I really hope the replacement is built to a higher standard as there isnt another boat out there that I like better in for my needs.
I have not ridden in one of the VX1888 boats, but I have crawled around in them in the dealership. If I were you, I would look for a 3-4 year used fiberglass Ranger Multispecies or look at one of the Lund or Alumacraft aluminum boats if you are set on aluminum and going new. On the Ranger hull, as previously mentioned there are NO reverse strakes to deflect water down and away. I've ridden in a lot of aluminum boats over the years and that water deflection aspect is completely missed by most manufactures. Lund with their IPS hull shapes the bottom of the boat to have a bit of a reverse chine, Alumacraft also has a bit of a reverse chine built in, Lund forms theirs on a press and I am pretty sure Alumacraft does as well, but the Alumacraft doesn't have the sharp brake lines like the Lund, more of a smooth soft form. That Ranger hull is pressed at the V, but there are no other strakes or formed edges until you get to the gunwale of the boat.
One of the things that bothers me about the Ranger aluminum line is looking down the side of them from a slight angle either front or back, you can see EVERY weld point for every brace in the hull. The aluminum is deformed from the heat of the weld, and to me that signals that the aluminum is either too thin or the weld is too hot, likely both. You look at an Xpress and you don't see that. Every Ranger aluminum I have ever looked at, you can see every single weld reading thru the hull.
I would take a very close look at the items guys have pointed out in this thread on any boat you look to buy. Really crawl around in the bilge and battery compartments and look at the quality of the wiring, accessibility to pumps and valves, fasteners, latches, etc. There are trade-offs with every boat, you just have to find the right value for you and your family. If you decide the VX1888 is the boat for you, be sure to budget about 500 a piece for you and your passengers for a quality rain suit.
I was in this boat last weekend and would buy it 10 times before buying the VX1888...
Thanks for all the responses, I have actually been gravitating more towards the Lund Impact XS. I assume the 1875 would be big enough for the family, the 2025 is perfect, just not sure how much I wanna spend for the extra foot and ponies... Good problem to have I guess. Guess I now need feedback on the Lund hahaha
Took my alum out the other day wind wasn't bad. By the time I finished there was a 12mph cross wind at the dock.
Needless to say it only took three tries to get in to the dock. Such fun I love an alum boat.
Steve McQueen "Le Mans"
Own the Champ!Life Long Petty Fan!
2003 ChampioN 2006 250 Merc. XB, Prop By Mark C.
2002 Ranger Okeechobee Special EvinRude Ficht 90 / 9.9 4-Stroke GLAD to have a Get me to the Dock motor maybe!
Loved my 2015 RT188 with a Yamaha SHO. One of my favorite I have had, would get you a little wet in rough water. Running a Avid 20XB and 200hp SHO now.
I have had most of them, some are just better than others.
How are you liking the Avid?
See below, love mine...... If I fished big water such as Erie alot more than I do, i probably would switch to the Lund Pro V Bass
2018 Ranger RT198p
Charcoal Metallic
Etec 150HP G2 HO
24p Raker Stainless prop
82# MotorGuide Tour Pro TM
Fishes as good as anything out there, with the TM down...
Love my Avid. May be for sale, tired of Bassfishing and the freshwater lake traffic around a major city. Thinking about dumping freshwater water all together and moving to saltwater, been looking at saltwater center consoles for a while now.
I have had most of them, some are just better than others.
I have a 1875 ProVBass. Absolutely love it. I looked at the Impact XS but didn’t want a walkthrough windshield. The thought that went into the layout of the Lunds is unmatched. I can get on plane in 2 feet of water and fish as shallow as I want. As well as handling big water.
The only thing that disappoints me with the 1875 Impact XS is the 150 hp rating. The boat is bigger than the 1875 Pro V Bass which has the 200 hp rating. There is no reason they couldn't hang a 200 on the back of the Impact other than their push to get people into the 1875 Pro V with the 200 rating. That to me is the single biggest flaw with the 1875 Impact.
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