Ordered a New Boat!

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Similar to Ed, I also seriously considered a Lund Impact but I settled on a Ranger VX 1788, which is 18' 2" long on a Ranger Trail tandem trailer. I picked it up last September at Pro's Marine in Warsaw, MO. It's the maximum width for a boat which took me aback somewhat at first, but contributes greatly to the smooth ride. I've used it 3 times at Lake Powell with great success. All welded Aluminum and great design, and I outfitted it with great electronics; no regrets whatsoever. Everyone who has been in the boat loves the design, ride, and functionality, Lund and Crestliner are great boats too, but this boat handles like a dream on the water, tows so smoothly, and loads so easily on the trailer. My previous boat was also a Ranger, so maybe I'm somewhat biased, but I upgraded to the VX 1788 after a passenger fell out of my low profile boat last year at Lake Powell. This boat is much safer with plenty of free board for inexperienced fishermen. I've learned the hard way that anything can happen at Lake Powell and a safe boat is a paramount consideration.
 
SBennett said:
Yes, ordered through Robertsons in Salt Lake City.
I would have preferred to put a Suzuki on it but Robertsons does not support Suzuki.
Yamaha was second pick so still very happy.
Ran it tonight for first three hours of break in and was super smooth.
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will be interested to see how she compares to your old boat, it had a 175 proxs optimax if i remember? sold my reata last year and have been looking but it is a stupid market right now for boats.
 
Ed,I hope you plan on holding onto your current boat until the new one arrives. I was told 6 to 8wks on mine so I let the boat go that I had cheap to make room in the garage. It didn't show up in time for my spring trip and took 15wks to arrive. You certainly don't want to miss the fall bite if launching is still available. 😉
 
Bobco, 10/10 for your memory!
I was asked by a friend to help spec/order his boat. This is actually his, I should have been more clear.
The Yammy is very smooth, but slower out of the hole than my Opti. The Yammy is considerably heavy, but holeshot is bound to get better as she breaks in.
Much quieter than my motor also.
I love my Opti, shame Merc discontinued them. They hit hard, accelerate hard, seevicing them is cheap and easy, and killer fuel mileage.
I did 110 miles on Powell in late April and other than driving white-knuckled the whole time the Opti ran flawless.
I kept rpm’s under 4500 other than two short races and only burned a hair under 24.5 gals for the trip.
Ended up bringing all my extra fuel home.
 
Oh man congrats!!! Just remember, your experiencing one of the two happiest days in a man's life getting that new boat....lol

Will be anxious to see some pics, especially breaking it in with few fish on the deck.
 
Meatwagon said:
Ed,I hope you plan on holding onto your current boat until the new one arrives. I was told 6 to 8wks on mine so I let the boat go that I had cheap to make room in the garage. It didn't show up in time for my spring trip and took 15wks to arrive. You certainly don't want to miss the fall bite if launching is still available. 😉
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Actually, I plan on keeping my current boat for the foreseeable future. I'll eventually haul it down to Phoenix and use it on the local lakes here when I don't want to commit to a 4 to 5-day trip to Powell. I might use it some at Lees Ferry as well. It will work great on Pleasant, Bartlett and Alamo, lakes I have not fished since the late 90s. Powell spoiled me, however some of these local waters are OK for a quick day trip, and Lake Pleasant is a great lake for night fishing. :)

Ed Gerdemann
 
Ed,

she's gonna be a beauty, and a perfect fit for you. Congratulations! I guess I hadn't heard anything negative about Ranger like you mentioned. If I were allowed to buy a "fishing" boat, it's probably what I would opt for for sure!

Their trailers (it's rumored in some circles anyway) are built by Xtreme Trailers out of California. If this is true, it's one heckuva trailer! The Xtreme that's under my new Bennington is quite possibly the most overbuilt, solid, and beautiful boat trailer I have ever seen!!!
 
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We’re boat campers. On my last trip to Powell I stopped at the Loves truck stop and weighed my boat and trailer in order to find out if I was overweight for the trailer‘s capacity. Yep. Luckily, that fishing trip involved my running buddy instead of my wife. We unloaded all the HEAVY coolers, extra fuel, and some other stuff and threw it in the bed of the truck. I am now in the process of upgrading axles and wheels so I can load the boat at home, hookup, and go without the hassle of transferring cargo prior to launch or after retrieve. Depending on how you want to use your boat, do the math. Most trailers are matched to boats without lots of wiggle room. Roto molded coolers full of ice, food, and drinks, water, extra fuel, 70 lb. Kodiak, kicker motor, electric TM, batteries, camp kitchen, etc.,etc. An axle upgrade when ordering a new boat might be in your best interest foremost for you and your family’s safety and the hassle of packing for the trip. Also, better heavier ply tires are available. Just a consideration, might keep you out of the predicament I am in.
 
I always run a heaver load range tire than what is recommended for the trailer. I also put tire sensors on the trailer tires. They tell you the air pressure and temperature. When I am heading to the lake it is at night after work, so I am doing 80 MPH and I cannot see what is happing with the trailer until it is too late.
 
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