Thinking of buying a new boat.??

[Rattletrap2]

Anyone here have a Ranger Aluminum? I don't think they ever caught on here in Canada, but they are big in the US. I guess I fell behind on the information highway......only found out today that Ranger boats were bought by Bass Pro Shops......in 2014!  Yikes!

[DRIFTER_016]

2 hours ago, Rattletrap2 said:

When it comes to Aluminum, this man knows of what he speaks! I would listen to him!

I bought an Alumacraft Escape 165 Tiller in 2017 with a 40 HP Yamaha. I have been really pleased with it and when I went deep into it to run cables and wiring I was totally impressed with the construction of it.

I would think Crestliner and Lund are also very good names. I personally would stay away from a lot of other welded hulls for the reasons Wayne mentions. This is my third aluminum boat, all riveted hulls and never had a leak.

I was super impressed with my Fisher early on.

A few years after I got it I wanted to paint and re carpet it to match my truck.

When I dove into the job I was surprised to find the floor and all the stringers were aluminium.

The only wood on the entire boat was the core of the transom and 2 pieces of teak trim one to mount the TM on and one at the stern of the boat.

As I had it completely stripped I could see how well it was put together as well.

[Terry]

That’s good to know 

I will only have to replace the wood in the transom on my 16 ft fisher bass boat 

[Yellow Fever]

On 10/29/2019 at 3:44 PM, Terry said:

Yeah it would be crazy talk to say a boat manufacturer would try to get out of honouring their warranty 

 

yeah 

Well... I can tell you some do. I bought a one year old Ranger 620 in 2011, had some issues (minor) in 2017 and called Ranger, they told me if i brought it down they would fix the issues as a courtesy. I like to drive so away i went. Took a tour of the factory and said good buy to my boat. Went back 5 months later (April) to get it ( and another tour of the factory) Put new bunks and fenders,new keel guard and did the brakes all FREE. You can't top that

[porkpie]

1 hour ago, Terry said:

That’s good to know 

I will only have to replace the wood in the transom on my 16 ft fisher bass boat 

Still have that sweet Lund?

[BillM]

1 hour ago, Yellow Fever said:

Well... I can tell you some do. I bought a one year old Ranger 620 in 2011, had some issues (minor) in 2017 and called Ranger, they told me if i brought it down they would fix the issues as a courtesy. I like to drive so away i went. Took a tour of the factory and said good buy to my boat. Went back 5 months later (April) to get it ( and another tour of the factory) Put new bunks and fenders,new keel guard and did the brakes all FREE. You can't top that

Gotta love customer service like that.  I'd love me a 621S

[AKRISONER]

4 hours ago, Yellow Fever said:

Well... I can tell you some do. I bought a one year old Ranger 620 in 2011, had some issues (minor) in 2017 and called Ranger, they told me if i brought it down they would fix the issues as a courtesy. I like to drive so away i went. Took a tour of the factory and said good buy to my boat. Went back 5 months later (April) to get it ( and another tour of the factory) Put new bunks and fenders,new keel guard and did the brakes all FREE. You can't top that

I hope ranger holds it up even after their acquisition by white river.

im not surprised by this story at all going back to 2011 though. That’s why guys paid the premium to get a ranger.

[John Bacon]

On 10/30/2019 at 9:38 AM, GYPSY400 said:

Good luck with your purchase. .  BTW.. Legend, Smoker craft and Starcraft are made in the same factory.

I believe that Legend gets hulls from more than one source.  So, some, but not all, Legend hulls come from the Smokercraft/Starcraft factory.  Also, while Legend gets their hulls from other companies, I believe they do their own interiors.  And same factory doesn't always mean same quality...

 

On 10/30/2019 at 9:43 AM, bigbuck said:

Stick to Lund, Alumacraft, Princecraft, Crestliner, Smokercraft, those brands are more expensive for a reason. Yamaha 4stroke on the back for bulletproof reliability and you will be happy for many years to come. 

Starcraft is the premium line of Smokercraft.  So, if Smokercraft is there, Starcraft should be too.

[Yellow Fever]

Same factory doesn't meen same quality.....Ranger makes Triton  boats and there is a difference in how they are made.

Edited November 4, 2019 by Yellow Fever

[lazyarcher]

I just sold a 2003 Lund 1800 SS  Alaskan w 90hp Yamaha, decked out. The hull was like the day it came out of the factory...nothing loose, nothing leaked...and its been on Lake Erie and Lake St.Clair a lot. Amazing hull construction. The only drawback with the early-mid 2000's with Lund is they used CRAP for wood in the floors and transom. I replaced 2 of the floor sections where the seat bases bolted through, and replaced the transom. The wood wasnt sealed epoxied glassed, etc...so check carefully with a used one. Lund changed the materials mid-2000's and I think they are way better now.