Aluminum rangers

[King_Fish]

The reason I went from fiberglass to Aluminum was to have a boat that was a little lighter and ran well with a smaller motor. So I bought a 19' Vexus with a 115hp. It has a .100 hull and performs great. My friend has owned a Ranger RT188 with 115hp for a few years and loves it. The big motors on aluminum boats don't interest me. If I was wanting to run fast and felt I needed a 150-200hp engine, I would stay with glass boats.

Nobody really cares what interests you... Stay on topic and help the OP with his question....

[Panama]

The reason I went from fiberglass to Aluminum was to have a boat that was a little lighter and ran well with a smaller motor. So I bought a 19' Vexus with a 115hp. It has a .100 hull and performs great. My friend has owned a Ranger RT188 with 115hp for a few years and loves it. The big motors on aluminum boats don't interest me. If I was wanting to run fast and felt I needed a 150-200hp engine, I would stay with glass boats.

I don't think I would use that as a selling point. I think Vexus has STOPPED using .100 in their hulls your model area. They went to .125 for the boats with over 115 and maybe all their models. They might still make the less expensive 1880 with
100. It is hard to tell for sure. And they didn't go to .125 on some whim. It costs them more ...... but ask yourself --- why would they do that?? The 115 should be fine though...

I hope the OP has read enough of these comments to make an informed decision. Whatever you do, get a trolling motor with Spot Lock. I like my Ultrex but I am sure other brands are fine too. If you do go for a higher HP, I would make sure I had hydraulic steering. If you plan on any brackish water or salt water fishing for snook or reds get a trailer appropriate for that.

I like my RT188 and the old reliable Yamaha F series with the gray cowling. They have made the F series for years and years and it is solid.

Good luck on your decision. Regarding the .100 vs. .125 aluminum on HP over 115 --- I guess my thoughts would be - why gamble on the .100 if you don't have to? I would rather have the thicker aluminum. Just my $.02.

[bassfisher444]

You don't need a spot lock trolling motor, my Fortrex does great.

[FloridaFlyer]

You don't need a spot lock trolling motor, my Fortrex does great.

I am at a loss for words. I just don't know what to say to that. ..... this is the best way I can put it though -----

There is a lot of difference in the two trolling motors and the difference in cost is more than worth it. If I bought a used boat without one, that would be the first thing I would add to it....the very first.

[bassfisher444]

I am at a loss for words. I just don't know what to say to that. ..... this is the best way I can put it though -----

There is a lot of difference in the two trolling motors and the difference in cost is more than worth it. If I bought a used boat without one, that would be the first thing I would add to it....the very first.

No thanks, I would do Power Poles first. Have yet to see a spot lock trolling motor that is reliable enough for me to own.

[Highcentered]

No thanks, I would do Power Poles first. Have yet to see a spot lock trolling motor that is reliable enough for me to own.

Ignorance is bliss. I've had my Ultrex for I think 4 years now and never an issue. If it died next trip out I would probably either buy another Ultrex or spend a little more on a Ghost for brushless and go 36v lithium because I can. I wouldn't own any boat these days without spot lock unless it was just a flatbottom that got used to thrash around creeks in. Fish offshore in high wind and you'll see the importance of spot lock. You probably wouldn't be able to hang with those of us who fish in brutal wind in the middle of a big lake. I find it relaxing in the Summer BECAUSE SPOT LOCK and life's too short to mess with an anchor or constantly be on the trolling motor after locating a cluster of fish on a deep hump or point.

To the OP-nothing wrong with a 115hp on an 18' aluminum boat and don't let anyone try to tell you otherwise. If you don't care about winning races and OK with a top speed of upper 40's the price difference between a 115 and 150 as well as a slightly smaller boat is well worth saving money. I'm considering an Xpress X18 pro with a 115hp for my next boat. Probably similar performance to the RT188p. Plenty of people on here have had VERY fast glass rigs and have stepped down to lower hp aluminum because of ease of handling and don't care about speed anymore. I'm one of those people.

[bassfisher444]

Ignorance is bliss. I've had my Ultrex for I think 4 years now and never an issue. If it died next trip out I would probably either buy another Ultrex or spend a little more on a Ghost for brushless and go 36v lithium because I can. I wouldn't own any boat these days without spot lock unless it was just a flatbottom that got used to thrash around creeks in. Fish offshore in high wind and you'll see the importance of spot lock. You probably wouldn't be able to hang with those of us who fish in brutal wind in the middle of a big lake. I find it relaxing in the Summer BECAUSE SPOT LOCK and life's too short to mess with an anchor or constantly be on the trolling motor after locating a cluster of fish on a deep hump or point.

To the OP-nothing wrong with a 115hp on an 18' aluminum boat and don't let anyone try to tell you otherwise. If you don't care about winning races and OK with a top speed of upper 40's the price difference between a 115 and 150 as well as a slightly smaller boat is well worth saving money. I'm considering an Xpress X18 pro with a 115hp for my next boat. Probably similar performance to the RT188p. Plenty of people on here have had VERY fast glass rigs and have stepped down to lower hp aluminum because of ease of handling and don't care about speed anymore. I'm one of those people.

Reliability is more important to me than spot lock seen too many people have issues with their Ultrex. You act like people never fished offshore before spot lock was out and that is not true at all, people did it for decades and still do. For the boat if you get an X18 get the 150hp for sure, never a good Idea to under power a hull.

[King_Fish]

I am at a loss for words. I just don't know what to say to that. ..... this is the best way I can put it though -----

There is a lot of difference in the two trolling motors and the difference in cost is more than worth it. If I bought a used boat without one, that would be the first thing I would add to it....the very first.

+1

[King_Fish]

Reliability is more important to me than spot lock seen too many people have issues with their Ultrex. You act like people never fished offshore before spot lock was out and that is not true at all, people did it for decades and still do. For the boat if you get an X18 get the 150hp for sure, never a good Idea to under power a hull.

Despite the nit-picky quirks I've had / still have with my MG TP, no way would I ever go back to something w/o a spot lock feature... But then again, I fish alot of windy, heavy current waterways.... Standing on that Fortrex all day wears an old fella like me out, let alone detracts from some fishing opportunities.

[bcpc]

I have a 21 188p and it has been the perfect boat for what I initially bought it for. With that being said, I am currently selling mine. I live on lake Marion and wanted an aluminum boat that would get most places north of the I 95 bridge without having to worry about bumping into anything. The boat has been great, but my wife enjoys the saltwater and there is no way I am taking a boat with carpet down there, plenty of people do it, but I'm not one of them.
In my opinion:
The good:
Extremely efficient- have the 115 proxs, it will push 50 with just me loaded down, and sips gas
I have the ultrex and love it, the weight of it may be affect the mph I'm seeing, but I am good with 50
Boat handles well except when the wind is howling
Haven't had any issues with it
The Bad:
You will get blown around, the ultrex helps but it can be a pain
The compartments sweat, I have tried a few different things but so far nothing has helped

Not sure what is next, really like the gator trax, but they are high and a crazy long wait. Hope that helps some.

[Highcentered]

Reliability is more important to me than spot lock seen too many people have issues with their Ultrex. You act like people never fished offshore before spot lock was out and that is not true at all, people did it for decades and still do. For the boat if you get an X18 get the 150hp for sure, never a good Idea to under power a hull.

Serious question...have you ever used a spot lock motor for a day when the wind was blowing hard? And I'm talking about one of the bass fishing units like an Ultrex, Ghost, or Force. I would also like to see an ACCURATE number on how many Ultrex motors have had issues vs those that haven't. The early ones had growing pains but I think those problems have been worked out.

I'd also be willing to bet that the vast majority of people who have made the upgrade to one of the bass fishing friendly spotlock motors will never go back to their old cable steer. Not in a million years. My friend still runs an 80lb Maxxum on his Champion 196 because he doesn't have the money to spend on spot lock motor right now. He wants a 36v Ultrex or Ghost on that thing so bad he can't stand it. He also knows what he's missing and how it will benefit the way he fishes. It will happen in the next few years.

[bassfisher444]

Serious question...have you ever used a spot lock motor for a day when the wind was blowing hard? And I'm talking about one of the bass fishing units like an Ultrex, Ghost, or Force. I would also like to see an ACCURATE number on how many Ultrex motors have had issues vs those that haven't. The early ones had growing pains but I think those problems have been worked out.

I'd also be willing to bet that the vast majority of people who have made the upgrade to one of the bass fishing friendly spotlock motors will never go back to their old cable steer. Not in a million years. My friend still runs an 80lb Maxxum on his Champion 196 because he doesn't have the money to spend on spot lock motor right now. He wants a 36v Ultrex or Ghost on that thing so bad he can't stand it. He also knows what he's missing and how it will benefit the way he fishes. It will happen in the next few years.

Yes already tried my luck with an MG Tour pro, had nothing but problems with it, sent it back got my money back and put the Fortrex back on. Don't have time to waste on a trolling motor not working.

[Boat4Life]

Nobody really cares what interests you... Stay on topic and help the OP with his question....

Well, aren't you special!

[Highcentered]

Yes already tried my luck with an MG Tour pro, had nothing but problems with it, sent it back got my money back and put the Fortrex back on. Don't have time to waste on a trolling motor not working.

OK it all makes sense now. I also had TERRIBLE luck with a MG spot lock motor (Xi5). The Ultrex is a very reliable trolling motor. Some have had issues but most have been easily resolved and plenty of good youtube videos showing how to fix the known issues that most probably won't even have.

Now back on topic. The Ranger and Triton aluminum boats seem to be fine sleds. Also plenty of other fine aluminum bass boats out there at a lot of different price points. Just pick the layout you want and if it's important to you make sure to max out the HP. Plenty of people are just fine with "good enough" and don't care for the extra money spent up front to max out the hp just like plenty of people don't care to have a spot lock trolling motor or forward facing sonar or power poles or...

For me layout and a hull that will hopefully not beat me to death are the deciding factors in the class of boat I'm looking at and the brand name on it is what it is. Lowe has a good looking group of bass rigs that appear to be beam forward way forward of the console. Just not convinced the ride would be that good or dry for that matter.

[bassfisher444]

OK it all makes sense now. I also had TERRIBLE luck with a MG spot lock motor (Xi5). The Ultrex is a very reliable trolling motor. Some have had issues but most have been easily resolved and plenty of good youtube videos showing how to fix the known issues that most probably won't even have.

Now back on topic. The Ranger and Triton aluminum boats seem to be fine sleds. Also plenty of other fine aluminum bass boats out there at a lot of different price points. Just pick the layout you want and if it's important to you make sure to max out the HP. Plenty of people are just fine with "good enough" and don't care for the extra money spent up front to max out the hp just like plenty of people don't care to have a spot lock trolling motor or forward facing sonar or power poles or...

For me layout and a hull that will hopefully not beat me to death are the deciding factors in the class of boat I'm looking at and the brand name on it is what it is. Lowe has a good looking group of bass rigs that appear to be beam forward way forward of the console. Just not convinced the ride would be that good or dry for that matter.

When I was looking at trolling motors the Tour Pro seemed like the best option since it could still work like a regular cable steer motor if something in the computer board failed, good thing too because something in the electronics most certainly did fail. I would have been dead in the water with no trolling motor If that would have happened with an Ultrex, Force or Ghost, but maybe they are more reliable.
As for the boat choice I agree that getting the max HP it is rated for is the most important thing to do.

[bassin74]

here's my 2 cents for what it's worth. when I was looking at a new boat last year I was convinced xpress was what I wanted. I also had a chance to look at xpress and ranger side by side. there was several factors that played into my decision but I really liked ranger rt198p better so I choose the ranger. I liked the layout better, the huge front deck and the fact alot of stuff was standard on the ranger where it was extra money for the xpress. another factor was the xpress was not going to fit in my garage length wise. I have a double garage and don't think it would of fit at an angle. 6 gauge trolling motor wire, stainless steel prop, auto bilge pump, hydraulic steering was some of the standard things on ranger that was extra on xpress. I'm sure I'm forgetting a few things. the xpress they had was 53k and my ranger was 42k. I also didn't want to risk interest rates going up either so ordering either was out. I had a g3 that I loved and had to repower to a 115 four stroke from 90 2 stroke in 2017. had that boat for 20 years and I will say I beat the living shit out of that hull which was .100 and it never leaked one bit. I will treat this boat better for sure.

not to mention lots of boats are still being made with .100 aluminum including Lund with higher hp than 150! pick one that makes ya happy

[MetsFan9]

No welds on the Lund, and I believe many of their models like 1875 Pro V Bass have double plated hulls, and the larger you get the higher the gauge gets. The Renegade once you get to a 150 hp have .125 on the hull. I would agree with many, if I am getting an aluminum with a 150 or more on it, I would want the heavier gauged aluminum to go with it. Seems like a logical thing to me.

[King_Fish]

here's my 2 cents for what it's worth. when I was looking at a new boat last year I was convinced xpress was what I wanted. I also had a chance to look at xpress and ranger side by side. there was several factors that played into my decision but I really liked ranger rt198p better so I choose the ranger. I liked the layout better, the huge front deck and the fact alot of stuff was standard on the ranger where it was extra money for the xpress. another factor was the xpress was not going to fit in my garage length wise. I have a double garage and don't think it would of fit at an angle. 6 gauge trolling motor wire, stainless steel prop, auto bilge pump, hydraulic steering was some of the standard things on ranger that was extra on xpress. I'm sure I'm forgetting a few things. the xpress they had was 53k and my ranger was 42k. I also didn't want to risk interest rates going up either so ordering either was out. I had a g3 that I loved and had to repower to a 115 four stroke from 90 2 stroke in 2017. had that boat for 20 years and I will say I beat the living shit out of that hull which was .100 and it never leaked one bit. I will treat this boat better for sure.

not to mention lots of boats are still being made with .100 aluminum including Lund with higher hp than 150! pick one that makes ya happy

...and "it fishes as good as anything out there with the TM down...."

[bassfisher444]

Another thing that I will add about the Rangers is the newer ones don't have a good live well system. They just have fill that isn't on a timer, and auto that is a timer but only recirculates. Can't have timed fill to keep pulling freshwater in throughout the day which is what I always use and you can't have it on constant recirculate either. Even the cheaper Trackers have fill, and recirculate with both timed and constant options.

[Johnnyred]

Another thing that I will add about the Rangers is the newer ones don't have a good live well system. They just have fill that isn't on a timer, and auto that is a timer but only recirculates. Can't have timed fill to keep pulling freshwater in throughout the day which is what I always use and you can't have it on constant recirculate either. Even the cheaper Trackers have fill, and recirculate with both timed and constant options.

Yep all true. I don't tournament fish much but have club fished a couple seasons with my 198p including in hot weather. I have not lost fish livewell performed well for me. I fill it, put it on auto when I am fishing, and manually add fresh lake water when I am back at the console either graphing or before running.