Do you guys put Ranger boats in a class of their own? Or is it just me

[ZEEK1223]

I am lucky enough to fish with one of my dad's buddies. He is very well off, and hardly even looks at a price tag. He has always been a Lund guy, and frequented Lake michigan in his Lund Pro-v. My dad (a ranger owner) got sick of getting beat up by the waves, and asked when are you going to get a ranger? He demanded that Lund put out a very nice boat, and there is nothing wrong with it. The next year my dad showed up with a car tire inertube to help absorb the waves. After that, he bought a brand new ranger fisherman. My dads buddy, the so called lund man admitted the ranger hull is truly a wave cutter. Now he is a dedicated Ranger man, and is even fishing in the tournaments that you get invited to when you buy a brand new ranger. P.S. this is in reaction to the LOW post that a ranger sunk.....RANGERS DONT SINK..... They used to do advertising where people would be fishing with square holes cut right through the bottom of the boat. I dont know what this post is all about, but in the LOW forum, I saw pics of a ranger down. something I have never seen before, and it struck a nerve with me. The only boat I have ever fished out of is a ranger.

[NCLaker]

Don't have a lot experience with a lot of fishing boats, but I fished out of a Ranger Reata. All, I gotta say is WOW. If you are looking for a Fishing boat that doubles as a family/recreation boat this has got to be at the top of this class of boat. It is my dream boat, since the wife requires we have a boat for family/ski stuff. Great design with few if any compromises (except the location of the spare tire).

[wall_eye_assasin]

You didn't see any LUND out there being filled with water, No a ranger won't (sink) but they will fill up with water. Everyone has their own opinions on boats but LUND is my boat of choice and always will be. I have seen a Ranger not able to make it up on a river due to the waves while I went up in the LUND and had no problems.

[PerchJerker]

You didn't see any LUND out there being filled with water

A Lund capsized on the same lake the same day that the Ranger swamped. You're not drawing a very good conclusion based on 1 or 2 boats that were out in a storm.

I've fished out of lots of different boats (many manufacturers) and I have the same opinion that many (probably most) guys have --- fiberglass will give you a smoother and drier ride than aluminum, and the rougher the water is the more noticable the difference will be. And Ranger is at the top of the list for smooth and dry rides. If you're comparing similiar length boats and similar hull designs, I don't think you'll find a better ride than Ranger.

[harvey lee]

I have owned many LUNDS and I would have to ride in LUNDS new glass line before I could make a comparison of the two. No way to tell for me until I had ridden in both.

[moviking]

I have a buddy with a 20 ft Ranger, it is avery nice boat, BUT, it rides very rough, still it is a nice boat.Hit a tree or rock and every boat fills with water

[blueroof]

Hit a tree or rock and every boat fills with water

In the LOW case I believe they got swamped by a wave over the stern. Rangers are susceptible to taking on water over the back IMO.

Rangers are sweet. They are also slow compared to most boats in the same class.

LB

[polarsusd81]

As Harvey Lee said, really before you can truely make that type of comparison, you need to ride in the Lund Glass line. That being said, I have fished from a multitude of different boats from different manufactures, and when I think of my dream rig, it always has the Ranger stripes on the side of it. I rode in Perch Jerker's Ranger and that pretty much sealed the deal for me. My buddy has a 619, and another friend's dad owns a 2050 Reata. I think Ranger has built up a well deserved reputation for building quality boats, not that Lund hasn't, but they are just now stepping into the glass game (for real, they have been there before but it was feable at best). The other one I would put right up there in the top three is of course Triton. Earl Bentz has a long time history of producing awesome hulls for speed and performance, and Tritons will stand the test of time as well.

[looneyducer]

There isn't a boat made that won't sink, swamp, roll up in a ball or crack up on the rocks. There are times when you just shouldn't be out on the water. Call it God or call it Darwin, the right set of waves comes crashing in and no set of letters on the side of a hull will keep you off of the wrong end of the food chain.

[Johnny_Da_Der]

I don't have an opinion on this issue, but it sounds a lot like Chevy vs. Ford vs. Dodge. For every person that says, "Ranger makes the best boat." there is gonna be somebody who owns a Lund with a Calvin sticker incorporating the Ranger logo. I don't think any of the major manufacturers make a bad boat, it comes down to your own opinion.

[Sandmannd]

Ranger would be awesome, but out of reach for a lot of us. I have an alumacraft and love it. Can't hit water with huge waves, but for what I fish, it's awesome and was afordable. If I had the money, I would go with a nice Lund or Ranger.

[PTocko]

This really is a strange topic. I'm kind of with Sandman on this one. Yes I believe Rangers are in a class of there own, but so are Warriors, so are Tritons, so are Yar Crafts, so are Lunds and so are Alumacraft. I have fished out of all of the boats mentioned and personally own an Alumcraft Navigator and they are all terrific VALUES. There are probably other boats that are terrific values as well - I just can't say because I have never fished out of them. In other words, of the boats mentioned I believe you get a lot for your money, but they are all different prices. How do you compare a Chevy Malibu to a BMW 3 series - according to Car and Driver both good values but if I had a choice (and money was no object)I would probably go with the Beemer. Since money does factor into most peoples' decision making process we usually end up buying the best we can afford. Nuff said...

[JimBuck]

I agree with you PTocko. Quite a strange and controversial topic. Similiar to the truck (Ford,Chevy,Dodge) battle. Everyone has an opinion. It just comes down to what you want/what you can afford/what you know. Sizing up a Ranger vs. a Lund Deep-V is not a good comparison as they both are suited towards different anglers.....

In a perfect world. I think we would all like to own a few different boats for specific applications.....but for now I'll stick with my 87' Sylvan Backtroller. She understands me.

[dan z]

i have fished out of a 621(ranger) i believe it was a nice boat to fish out of it was a deep boat. I ahve to settle for what i can afford tho my lake boat is a 17ft lund w/a 75 and i chase the mud dogs with a 15ft alumacraft w/a 18 go devil

The boat in its own IMO is a warrior with a tiller of course

[Muskiefool]

Ive had my Ranger 621 for 4 years now and its been a love hate relationship, I'm not impressed by their customer service or the way they stand behind their product.

My boat has been into Bodyworks every year since I bought it for cracking all across the transom, now Body works has determined that it is a structural flaw and Ranger will not return their calls or e-mails(certified ranger repair shop) and will not talk to me or return my calls or e-mails.

I just want it fixed.

I'm don't know if I would ever buy another or not, probably not if they don't start to at least talk to their repair shops.

We're talking about a huge pile of money with allot of problems.

[hhguide]

I think that has to do more with the rep your using versus the Ranger boat itself I have a place up in alexandria that will do anything it can for its customers. I would maybe suggest a new rep and for rangers being in a league of there own I think warrior and ranger are and lund is trying to place catch up now that they realize what ranger and warriors can do. I have never rid in a Yar craft but would like to see how they ride. I have a 620 tiller and go to that from an alumcraft was amazing I sit in the back and can hold in just about anything.

[riverrat56]

Warrior boats are in a league of their own, especially in how they are set up for fishing......Rangers' are just more money for less boat IMO....

[LMITOUT]

lol

[PDOGG]

Before you laugh to hard at what he said do your own comparison. You can get a 1890 Warrior with 40 more horse and power steering for less money then the Ranger 618t. Sounds like more for your money too me and the ride can't be that much better in a Ranger!

[LMITOUT]

Gotta look a little closer than that. I have a 618 because I did.

The little things add up in a hurry.

[PDOGG]

I bought my 1890bt this spring and just looked at a 618 with a friend a week ago. Ranger had a 90 horse which is it's max rating, no center rod storage, no power steering, and I really didn't care for the layout but that is just a personal thing I guess. Warrior has a 115 but is rated for a 140 power steering center rod storage wave whackers on it already an actual spot to mount a vantage without having to buy another mount and was $5,000 less than the Ranger I think I've looked plenty! Like riverrat said less boat more money.

[PDOGG]

Not to mention Warriors come with a power charge system that allows you to charge your trolling motor batteries when you take a zip down the lake. Or start your engine off of the trolling motor batts if the starting battery were dead. Another little thing that adds up in a hurry. Also when the dealer wired it up wrong I called Warrior and talked to one of the owners about it! Just try to get 1 of the owners of Ranger!

[LMITOUT]

I'm glad you're happy with your boat, I am with mine and I know I made the right decision based on past experiences plus knowledge of both companies history/reputation. There's more to just motor sizes and other items that stand out in front of you if you really look.....that's why I went with the Ranger and although it's more money I honestly don't believe it's less boat.

I see that Warrior came out with the smaller tiller and that would have defitinitely been high on the list if it were available last winter when I was shopping for a tiller since I was looking to go under 18'. Since it wasn't available then I knew where I was pretty much going to end up. I figured I may only have my dream boat once in my life so I stepped up and went with the Ranger because I knew what I was going to get with their product.

It's the little things......

[LMITOUT]

I could give you a laundry list of things about getting in touch with "higher ups" and such, but I won't. I also know how that charge system works too. More of a novelty item I found out after thinking it was something really ingenious, but it left me and a buddy without a trolling motor when pre-fishing for a tourney. Not the first or last time that happened either. It wasn't my boat, BTW.

But to each his own. There isn't a single boat that is perfect for everyone. That's why we have choices and we buy what we feel will work best for YOU.

Good luck!

[PDOGG]

I don't think there is anything wrong with a Ranger and I am sure you are very happy with it and that's good I just can't justify myself spending more money to get the name that is all. You also keep saying it's the little thing's that add up and as far as I can see they are adding up in Warrior's favor. But to each is own I don't want to get into a big blowout here as I am sure more people own Ranger's than Warriors that are reading this. So to answer the question are Ranger's in a class of there own? I personally do not think so. Except for the price class.