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| I am looking at a boat purchase. The boat will need to fill family needs, not just my fishing addiction.
I have my choice narrowed down to Skeeter WX 1880, Warrior 1800 DC Eagle, and the Ranger Reata 1850.
I have done alot of research on-line, I just hoped some of you would have real world experience with some of these boats. I fish Devils Lake in ND heavily and I know they all will handle the rough stuff. I was looking more at customer service, layout issues, speed and performance, cost, fit and finish, gel coat or transom issues, electrical weaknesses, etc. Also any concern for family issues, motor height with ski and tube lines, wifes comfort, etc.
Any info would be greatly appreciated.
PS. I REALLY want to make it to Bay de Noc sometime. Sounds like now would be an awesome time. Oh well, there is always next year.
Thank You
Aaron Johnson |
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Member
Posts: 1991
| I dont any of those, but I would rec. another brand?
I have a freind who has the Skeeter and really likes it |
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Member
Posts: 192
| I have a 2005 Skeeter WX 1880. I have been running it for two full years now. I love the boat and will be purchacing a new one this coming year. I fish 5-10 tournaments a year with mine, so I put it to the test. I feel it performs very well. Because it is only 18' 9", it won't be the best in big seas like a 20' boat, but if you know how to drive in big seas, it will get you back to shore. I have a 200 Optimax on mine, and with a kicker, partner, gear and full tank of gas, I can get anywhere from 57-61mph on my GPS. I know someone that fishes the MWC that has the same boat with a Yamaha 150 4-stroke, and with the same amount of gear, he gets around 48-49mph. I highly recommend the tandem axle if you travel alot with it. The sinxle axle will help keep costs down though. Either way, make sure you get trailer brakes for it. I haven't had any major issues with my boat, so I can't say how their customer service is. The small things I had taken care of, I have nothing but good things to say. Having a good dealer is an important part of the process as well.
I have a 18 month old and a 3 year old, and feel very comfortable with them in the boat. The boat is plenty deep enough, yet not too deep to fish out of. The front deck has short sides, so you'll have to watch them close if they get up front. I like this feature for fishing though. I haven't had any complaints from my wife or fishing partners about comfort of the boat.
I feel there is a nice balance of front and back room. I am a jig fisherman, so I like more room up front versus in back. However, my fishing partner and I have plenty of room in back when we have to troll.
The only real complaint, is that if you get one with the jump seats in the back, water from the back livewell will flow onto the floor of the boat from under the seat. There is no seal there to keep water from coming out. I put a seal around the opening under the seat, and this seemed to help quite a bit. I still have the problem, but if you keep an eye on it, you shouldn't have much of a problem. If you don't fish a lot of tournaments like I do, this shouldn't even be an issue.
Like I said, I love the boat and highly recommend it it to someone who doesn't want to pay the high prices of a Ranger or Triton. Ranger and Triton are great boats but you do have to pay for the quality you are getting. I feel the quality of the skeeter is very close to these boats, but with a much more pleasant price tag. I do not know much about the other two boats. The only negative I have heard about the 1850 Ranger is that water can get into the ski/rod storage in the floor. Warrior is a very well built boat as well. There are many 17ft warriors around here that are 10+ years old and still going strong. My dealer use to sell Warrior boats, but did have some issues with speed of things when he had to send the boats bak to get something fixed. This was quite a while ago, so they might be better now. Warriors, can be a bit on the high side for price as well. I've never seen a price on the 1800 yet, but I kow the bigger ones are not cheap.
If you have any more questions or concerns about the WX 1880, feel free to drop me an e-mail and I can give you my number if you want to talk more about the boat.
Good Luck with your decision!
Mark O'Brien
[email protected] |
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| The Tuffy is also available with a walk-through windshield. |
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Member
Posts: 7
| Marck O, How did you manage to get a merc on a Skeeter? |
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Location: Rhinelander | Mr. Marine in Fond Du Lac. Merc dealer who handles Skeeter sans Yamaha, and a great guy. Sells Tuffy, Harbor Craft and Pro Craft, too. 9209217070. |
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Member
Posts: 192
| snakeman,
Steve is right. Bob orders his boats from Skeeter without a motor or controls. He then installs merc controls and any merc motor you would want. He's the only dealer that I know of, that can install the Verado himself at his shop. I know he has sold a couple 2050 Skeeters with the 250 Verado. He also had a Skeeter bass boat with a 275 Verado on it. The only downside is that the boat does cost a little more with Mercury motors on it. I'm not positive of the exact number but its not too big of a difference. I know he has two 06 WX1880 with 200 Optimax, that I'm sure he wants to get rid of. I know he has a couple Tuffys he would like to move as well. He's a great mechanic and a great guy. I know people that have bought boats and had boats serviced by him for 10+ years.
Mark O'Brien |
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Member
Posts: 7
| Thanks, I'll keep that dealer in mind. I love my Merc's |
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| Don't know if you'll look at this again, but just in case. The new Angler by Ranger just got my attention. It's modeled after the Reata, but you can see they've made some changes that I think you might like. Presently own an '98 681, and am considering the 1860 Angler w/150 Opti. |
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