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[getfished]

Hey folks, I know this is a champ board but after reading some of the other boards I decided to ask you all for some kind of input. My buddy of 6 years started bass fishing as I introduced him to it. Now he possessed and nothing else is important. He has finally decided to purchase a bassboat. He know what he is looking at when he is looking at a champ because he has been fishing out of my 187 for 4 years but for economic reasons he has narrowed his choices to two other brands, Procraft and Nitro. We need some opinions pro and con about these choices from somewhere besides their respective forums. Any comments are greatly appreciated. He will be considering mid 20K for price and as large and late model as possible as he intends to use it as a guide boat. Thanks

[Champ203]

Tell your friend not to buy a starter boat....

A friend of mine had 3 Nitros in 3 years (Team Boats) and I can't remember anything about them that was terrible, contrary to belief they actually ran pretty good. Rigging was subpar, but most fisherman and their customers don't spend much time looking at that stuff.

As for the Procraft - no experience.

Peace,
Don<><

[dewey]

I have fished out of both and would not recommend them to anyone. If money is the issue then have him look at a older model Champion.


If he intends to use it as a guide boat make sure he understands that is a investment. In duration over time Champions quality and attention to details will provide him a better return on his money. His customers will remeber the nice ride in a Champion, the rough ride in a procraft, and woundering if the nitro was going to make it back to the dock or not.

[Lpolk]

[pmgoffjr]

Both those boats are built in the same building by the same people. They are better than they used to be, by a long shot, but still nowhere at the same level a champ is. After he books his dream sled out, you'll see that bargain price isn't all that anymore.

[PolarKraft195]

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by getfished &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote"> but for economic reasons he has narrowed his choices to two other brands, Procraft and Nitro. </TD></TR></TABLE>

[JohnM]

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Champ203 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Tell your friend not to buy a starter boat....

A friend of mine had 3 Nitros in 3 years (Team Boats) and I can't remember anything about them that was terrible, contrary to belief they actually ran pretty good. Rigging was subpar, but most fisherman and their customers don't spend much time looking at that stuff.

As for the Procraft - no experience.

Peace,
Don&lt;&gt;&lt;</TD></TR></TABLE>

Ditto, and like Pat said pretty much the same boat with a different name. Troy Jens has made due with a Procraft down on Guntersville for years. If he HAS to buy one of those two make SURE he gets one from a dealer not BPS. The dealer will keep him on the water, BPS will keep him broke with canceled bookings. Cheaper is not always better when your living is on the line.

Like most others here I think for that kind of money he can look at just about any brand he chooses in a late model boat, if he doesn't have cash go get a pre-approved loan and be ready to move quick. As a guide his clients comfort will be paramount to his success.

[James Harner]

I would suggest your friend look at the largest Champion he can find in the 2000-2004 range. He should be able to find some really good ones in the 20,000 or less range. Don't let him get suckered into the BPS finance deal...he may end up with a boat that is too small and underpowered. When it comes to boats...a used 20-21ft boat is going to be better than a brand spanking new 17-19'! As a guide, he may also want to look at getting a walleye or salt water model anyway...the more room the better.

[pmgoffjr]

I could sell a nicely outfitted bay champ 20 w/150 yamaha for under 20K, far and above a better guide boat than a bass hull.

[getfished]

There may be a slight chance to persuade him but it doesn't look good. I appreciate the feedback so far. I did learn on the other forum the 900 series N boat has all composite transom. I was unaware that both brands were made in the same building. I guess I should have said financial incentive reasons to explain the choice instead of economical. He will be buying a good used rig in the mid 20's.

I don't know much about the procraft and was just wondering how they compare
to the Nitro.

[JLovett]

I would stay away from a pro craft they ride horrible in any kind of chop and might be hard to sell if he ever wants to. I'm experiencing that now

[pmgoffjr]

Your buddy might be fully infected with the virus, but what he doesn't understand, guiding and fishing are two completely different deals.

You'll *always* have at least three in the boat on a guide trip. Where you going to stick the third? (or fourth?) You'll quickly learn most guide customers are pretty thin when it comes to fishing skills, and they are looking for bites, not tournament sacks. You always have to have a backup plan to keep them interested, even if it's sitting on a carp hole. They'll trash your boat due to their lack of experience, and get back in their Volvo's and drive home.

But, most young guys are influenced by television and other media, and believe only what they see, even if it's miles from reality.

[getfished]

Thanks pat, that pretty much sums it up. He's been guiding for a couple of years now so I think he does understand the difference. His initial guide boat has been a walleye deep V type boat. (POS). He tried to deal with Sea Ark for a brand new custom 24'er but they weren't very amicable so that deal fell through.

There is a slight chance he will still consider a bay type boat. He says those bay boats are a little difficult to step up on the front deck for older folks. He also has some issue with the storage on bay boats. I'm not sure what that issue is, maybe not long enough for fly rods as he also guides for those trout.

If you want to e-mail some pics of your bay I could show them to him.