Ranger R71

[turn_in_poachers]

Any owners? Experiences with this boat? Thoughts... pros/cons. It will be a first boat.

Thanks!

[mamohr686]

My brother who posts on here as prairiefire had one as his first bassboat. I did spend a lot of time with him in it. I liked the quality of the boat but it was too small for my liking. Most came with a dual consoles for some reason, and it's really tight. If your over 6ft tall it's hard to get your knees under the consoles. The rod lockers would not hold a 7ft rod, so that was a big downside. In the early models, it was nearly immpossible to get a 3rd battery in the compartment to run a 24volt trolling motor. Most guys ran 55lb thrust 12volt systems that are kinda weak for a 17ft boat. I don't know if that changed or not. They are rated for a 115hp motor and 50-53mph is all you can expect out of them. You will probably want to run it a W.O.T. most of the time to keep up with the big dogs. The boat rides very flat and will really throw you around in a crosswind. In my opinion, if you like fish smaller wind protected lakes you will be fine with this boat. If like to fish on larger lakes in the wind, or are considering fishing some smaller tournaments, look for a used 18-19 ft boat in a skeeter or triton which will usually run about the same price as a 17ft ranger.

[Larson15]

I fully agree +1