Bass boat rig under 20'4" 2024
Take the bait reply :
I am Looking for a bass boat that will fit in my garage. My garage is about 20'4". So far I have looked at crestliners ( vt 17 ) charger 176 , stratos 176 vlo and going to bass pro tomorrow to look at nitro z17 and tracker 175. Not looking for any type of Jon boat , just a bass boat that will fit in my garage.
Russ E reply :
i had the same issue. looked long and hard at nearly every boat out there.
those are all decent boats.
one thing to keep in mind is having a reputable dealer nearby for whatever boat you choose.
For me Cabelas is 5 miles from my house. they are a ranger dealer.
I bought a Ranger Z175. its 17ft. 6in. long
with the motor down, and tongue folded it is right at 20 ft.
it has an initial higher sticker price than the nitro z17. If you buy all of the options to match what the ranger has standard the difference is not much.
mine has a mercury pro xs 115 with a command thrust lower unit. It handles rough water surprisingly well. Jumps on plane fast. With full tank and livewell, it will run just shy of 50 mph in summer. 51 mph in spring. very easy on gas.
I have nearly every option available including the Ultrex trolling motor. it cost $32000.00.
you can get it for around $26000.000 if you don't add options.
Take the bait reply :
Difficult to find a nice boat dealer here in the Tampa area. I have a bass pro about 10 mins from my house but not sure about their boats ( haven't heard good things about tracker and nitro ) . Too bad the nearest cabelas is 700 miles and 10hrs away
Catt reply :
Bass Cat
Margay w/swing away tongue 20' 3"
Sabre Vision w/swing away tongue 19' 8" (weird bigger boat than the Margay)
Aqua Tech Marine Palm Bay, Florida
Russ E reply :
There are several happy nitro owners around here. I was told the boats are better after Johnny Morris bought ranger and triton.
Hez reply :
What are the dimensions of your garage?
Any chance it will go in at an angle - fitting diagonally?
That is what I did with my 18' Ranger...I needed 23' of space. My garage was only 18' deep.
Take the bait reply :
On 9/16/2017 at 8:17 PM, Hez said:What are the dimensions of your garage?
Any chance it will go in at an angle - fitting diagonally?
That is what I did with my 18' Ranger...I needed 23' of space. My garage was only 18' deep.
Remeasured the garage and it came out to be about 20'7 will remeasure again but the boat will not be on an angle, still have to fit the tow vehicle in there. I still like the crestliner vt17 . The front deck is aluminum. But are all the new bass boat decks aluminum or fiberglass under the carpet? I just don't want the wood to rot under the carpet
PECo reply :
Don't forget to measure the width of the boat on the trailer, too.
The depth of my garage is 22'-8", and the door opening is 104". My old boat was 102" wide on the trailer and had to be pushed into the garage by hand. I traded it in for a 2017 Triton 179 TrX with a Mercury 115 Pro XS four-stroke that's only 20'-5" long with the trailer's swing tongue folded and the motor down, but, more importantly, it's only 98" wide on the trailer, so now I can back it into the garage with my tow vehicle.
Take the bait reply :
The garage is a 2 car garage. With the tow vehicle I have about 8' - 8'6 in width to work with. Worried about weight capacity. May only ever fish 3-4 once or twice but most bass type boats have 4/555 limit. Don't want to overload the boat.
Russ E reply :
On 9/18/2017 at 9:12 AM, Take the bait said:The garage is a 2 car garage. With the tow vehicle I have about 8' - 8'6 in width to work with. Worried about weight capacity. May only ever fish 3-4 once or twice but most bass type boats have 4/555 limit. Don't want to overload the boat.
The front deck is aluminum. But are all the new bass boat decks aluminum or fiberglass under the carpet? I just don't want the wood to rot under the carpet
the one drawback of bass boats under 18 ft., is they are Made for 2 people. not much more. Mine is rated for 4 people 600 lbs.
4 people in my boat would be crowded.
4 average size guys will weigh more than 600 lbs.
As of last year the trackers still have a wood deck. I think most other brands are aluminum or fiberglass.
if you store it in a garage, rot should not be an issue.
Take the bait reply :
A wooden deck means tracker is most likely off the list . Also hate the center rod box. Also seen that the gas tank is on the driver side of the boat making it unbalanced. If those 3 things were fixed than it might be the perfect boat ! Also wish it had a step to the front deck but can live without it
Russ E reply :
my brother in law has a tracker pro team 190 TX.. iI's ok. my biggest complaint about that boat is it does not sit flat in the water like my fiberglass boat. rear is low in the water. Bow sticks up in the air. catches wind like crazy, hard to keep in position with trolling motor in the wind.
If you are looking for Aluminum, Lowe , Alumacraft, and Triton all make good aluminum boats.
I would think in a town the size of Tampa there should be a dealer that handles one of those
DINK WHISPERER reply :
I use to keep my 19ft boat in my two car garage side ways but my truck wouldn't fit. Break away trailer tongue helps too. I finally broke down and got an aluminum shed for the boat alone.
Take the bait reply :
Alumacraft pro 175 looks very nice. Can't find a lot of specs and details on the 2017 and 2018. I like the fact that you change if it comes what engine brand it comes with. Unlike how every other manufacturer comes with a mecury.
Russ E reply :
On 9/18/2017 at 10:54 AM, Take the bait said:Alumacraft pro 175 looks very nice. Can't find a lot of specs and details on the 2017 and 2018. I like the fact that you change if it comes what engine brand it comes with. Unlike how every other manufacturer comes with a mecury.
Take it you are not a mercury fan.
The latest mercury four strokes are pretty nice.
I have a mercury pro xs 115 four stroke on my boat. Super quiet and has a lot of power. Don't have to use 2 cycle oil.
Don't see may new Alumacraft around here. Don't know of a dealer close by.
do see a couple old ones out there. the people I talk to seem to like them.
There are a ton of Lowes around here. All of the owners I have talked to love them.
Take the bait reply :
Seems to be 2 dealers nearby ( about 40 miles ) which isn't horrible. Never seen a alumacraft in person. Here all you see is the 50k - 80k bass boats competing on who is the fastest.
TOXIC reply :
Boat buying is very dependent on a few things but there are some basics that you need to get out of the way before finding what works for YOU.
Length.....Sounds like you are getting there on your garage size. I base length on the type of water I fish. Big water = bigger boat no matter the storage because if I can't fish or have to choose my days because my boat is too small, I'm not gonna be happy and safety is a concern.
Glass vs Tin.....You can't really look at both because it's not an apples to apples comparison. Study up, pick one style and concentrate on it.
Dealer.......This would heavily weigh on my decision. The dealer with the best reputation and service department for the boat/motor combo you choose. I would go so far to say, I would be swayed more by a good dealer and whatever line of boat/motor he carries than anything else.
WRB reply :
On 9/16/2017 at 6:58 PM, Catt said:Bass Cat
Margay w/swing away tongue 20' 3"
Sabre Vision w/swing away tongue 19' 8" (weird bigger boat than the Margay)
Aqua Tech Marine Palm Bay, Florida
^^^This^^^
Sabre is an excellent choice.
Tom
Take the bait reply :
I think aluminum is my best bet. More options than fiberglass. I also fear that if I were to hit an alligator or manatee, with fiberglass that it would crack ( at high speed ) . I like the charger 176 , but I could not find a dealer. Really like the bass cat sabre vision , and at least I know there is a dealer in Florida . Looked for a nice ranger but could not find any. Took a look at alumacraft pro 175 and looked nice, just seems to be a small front deck. Will not know until I see one in person
Russ E reply :
On 9/19/2017 at 11:18 AM, Take the bait said:I think aluminum is my best bet. More options than fiberglass. I also fear that if I were to hit an alligator or manatee, with fiberglass that it would crack ( at high speed ) . I like the charger 176 , but I could not find a dealer. Really like the bass cat sabre vision , and at least I know there is a dealer in Florida . Looked for a nice ranger but could not find any. Took a look at alumacraft pro 175 and looked nice, just seems to be a small front deck. Will not know until I see one in person
It all comes down to what works for you. If you hit something at high speed with either boat, bad things can happen.
While aluminum is more durable around rocks and wood, fiberglass is not as fragile as some people think.
I owned 2 aluminum boats before I bought my latest fiberglass boat.
I obviously don't beach on rip rap, but I didn't do that with my aluminum boats either.
the stability while fishing in wind with my fiberglass boat, is much better than either of my aluminum boats were.
here in Kansas that was probably the number 1 selling point for me.
Take the bait reply :
Went to bass pro , love the nitro z17 . There is one problem, Weight capacity. 3/460 is not enough to fit more than 2 heavier than average men. But other than that love the boat.Seen the tracker 175 Txw nice boat. Felt comfortable in it. Decent amount of storage.weight capacity is 4/550 which is much better. One thing the salesman did bring to my mind was hat he said if you hit something with the double fiberglass, you have the foam that will protect you and keep you afloat. He also said that hitting something with the aluminum it has a higher chance of sininking . Still going to look at other boat dealers.
Russ E reply :
On 9/20/2017 at 10:01 AM, Take the bait said:Went to bass pro , love the nitro z17 . There is one problem, Weight capacity. 3/460 is not enough to fit more than 2 heavier than average men. But other than that love the boat.Seen the tracker 175 Txw nice boat. Felt comfortable in it. Decent amount of storage.weight capacity is 4/550 which is much better. One thing the salesman did bring to my mind was hat he said if you hit something with the double fiberglass, you have the foam that will protect you and keep you afloat. He also said that hitting something with the aluminum it has a higher chance of sininking . Still going to look at other boat dealers.
if you are looking at the nitro Z17. I would see if there is a Triton or ranger dealer in the area to compare.
ranger Z175 and Triton 179 TRX are both about the same size as the Z17.
Take the bait reply :
On 9/20/2017 at 10:37 AM, Weedwhacker said:if you are looking at the nitro Z17. I would see if there is a Triton or ranger dealer in the area to compare.
ranger Z175 and Triton 179 TRX are both about the same size as the Z17.
Too bad the triton won't fit in the garage. Really nice boat. Checked Ranger aluminum and there official website and could not find any information on the z175
Fishing Rhino reply :
On 9/20/2017 at 10:01 AM, Take the bait said:Went to bass pro , love the nitro z17 . There is one problem, Weight capacity. 3/460 is not enough to fit more than 2 heavier than average men. But other than that love the boat.Seen the tracker 175 Txw nice boat. Felt comfortable in it. Decent amount of storage.weight capacity is 4/550 which is much better. One thing the salesman did bring to my mind was hat he said if you hit something with the double fiberglass, you have the foam that will protect you and keep you afloat. He also said that hitting something with the aluminum it has a higher chance of sininking . Still going to look at other boat dealers.
Keep in mind that "weight capacity" is not just the weight of the people on the boat. It also includes the weight of your gear as well. Gear such as tackle, bait, grub, beverages, foul weather gear, etc.
I don't know how they calculate these capacities, and I find this one confusing and dubious to say the least.
Weight capacity on my Nitro Z8 is 4 persons or 1000 pounds. The placard on my 15.5 foot, square stern canoe has a capacity or 4 persons or 765 pounds. Length of Z8 20 feet plus, beam just over eight feet. Length and beam of canoe 15.5 feet, 41 inch beam.
I'm thinking the input from liability lawyers have as much influence in calculating these capacities as the nautical engineers. I'd never put anything near the stated capacity on my canoe but would be comfortable with the stated capacity for my Nitro.
Then again, my canoe will never be travelling at the same speeds as the Nitro.
Russ E reply :
On 9/21/2017 at 8:50 PM, Take the bait said:Too bad the triton won't fit in the garage. Really nice boat. Checked Ranger aluminum and there official website and could not find any information on the z175
Z175 is fiberglass. RT178 is their aluminum model.
Take the bait reply :
On 9/22/2017 at 2:06 AM, Weedwhacker said:Z175 is fiberglass. RT178 is their aluminum model.
Found some information on the z175. Nice boat. It will fit in the garage ( 2 " to spare ) . I have been leaning more to fiberglass because they seem to have more and better features.
Russ E reply :
On 9/23/2017 at 1:45 AM, Take the bait said:Found some information on the z175. Nice boat. It will fit in the garage ( 2 " to spare ) . I have been leaning more to fiberglass because they seem to have more and better features.
I searched a long time before choosing my boat. If I fished huge reservoirs, I would have bought a bigger boat.
11,000 acres is the biggest lake I fish.
My Z175 fits all of my fishing needs..
fits in my garage. it has a single axle trailer, so moving it by hand is relatively easy.
sits nice in the water, so wind does not move it around much.
very stable to walk around.
nice dry ride.
you can put nearly any motor up to 115 hp on it.
I chose a mercury 115 pro xs 4 stroke and can run nearly 50 mph, which is plenty for the lakes I fish.
Quarry Man reply :
Ranger RT 188 get power poles and mk ultrex
Take the bait reply :
On 9/16/2017 at 6:58 PM, Catt said:Bass Cat
Margay w/swing away tongue 20' 3"
Sabre Vision w/swing away tongue 19' 8" (weird bigger boat than the Margay)
Aqua Tech Marine Palm Bay, Florida
Wanted to look at sabre ftd and sabre vision. Aqua tech is 3hrs from Tampa . Aqua tech is the only basscat dealer in Florida so might not be able to look at them much.
Catt reply :
On 9/23/2017 at 11:21 PM, Take the bait said:Wanted to look at sabre ftd and sabre vision. Aqua tech is 3hrs from Tampa . Aqua tech is the only basscat dealer in Florida so might not be able to look at them much.
Once you look at BassCat you will not need to look at anything else!
WRB reply :
Big investment and well worth the drive. The closet bass boat dealer is only 75 miles from where I live, but it takes 3 hours to drive there during business hours. Any bass boat dealer that has cert mechanics for the engine can do maintenance, the boat rarely requires any dealer contact after purchase unless it's close by.
Contact the dealer, they know boat owners or guides that would be willing to show you what boat your are interested in looking at, then make the trip if you are interested in making a deal.
Tom
Take the bait reply :
On 9/24/2017 at 3:08 AM, WRB said:Big investment and well worth the drive. The closet bass boat dealer is only 75 miles from where I live, but it takes 3 hours to drive there during business hours. Any bass boat dealer that has cert mechanics for the engine can do maintenance, the boat rarely requires any dealer contact after purchase unless it's close by.
Contact the dealer, they know boat owners or guides that would be willing to show you what boat your are interested in looking at, then make the trip if you are interested in making a deal.
Tom
Going to call soon . Hope they give information on price can’t find it anywhere. Really liked the front deck space on sabre. Seen a couple in person but they where the bigger models .
On 9/23/2017 at 6:29 AM, Weedwhacker said:I searched a long time before choosing my boat. If I fished huge reservoirs, I would have bought a bigger boat.
11,000 acres is the biggest lake I fish.
My Z175 fits all of my fishing needs..
fits in my garage. it has a single axle trailer, so moving it by hand is relatively easy.
sits nice in the water, so wind does not move it around much.
very stable to walk around.
nice dry ride.
you can put nearly any motor up to 115 hp on it.
I chose a mercury 115 pro xs 4 stroke and can run nearly 50 mph, which is plenty for the lakes I fish.
The biggest lake I’ll fish is lake okeechobee. Most of the lakes closer to me are about 700 acres to the size of lake Kissimmee. Not huge lakes but something a 17 foot bass boat will ( hopefully) get the job done.
Russ E reply :
On 9/24/2017 at 10:11 PM, Take the bait said:Going to call soon . Hope they give information on price can’t find it anywhere. Really liked the front deck space on sabre. Seen a couple in person but they where the bigger models .
The biggest lake I’ll fish is lake okeechobee. Most of the lakes closer to me are about 700 acres to the size of lake Kissimmee. Not huge lakes but something a 17 foot bass boat will ( hopefully) get the job done.
i have had my 17.5 ft. boat in 4 ft waves. While it was not the most enjoyable ride, I have never felt like I was in danger. Can't say that with the 2 mod v aluminum boats I had.
Like @WRB said. make sure there is a reputable service shop,that has a certified mechanic in your area,for the motor you choose.
good luck.
If I lived by Okeechobee, it would be hard to ever get me off of the water.
Catt reply :
I think it's first driver and then a combination of all three in the proper proportion; length, width, & horse power.
At 18' 1" with 90" beam & a 150/175 HP the BassCat Sabre Vision or FTD will handle Okeechobee easily.
Take the bait reply :
Really looking into the sabre , z175 , and stratos 176 vlo . Like everything about them from what I’ve seen , now have to go to the dealers
Also like the crestliner vt 17 . Seems like a nice boat. Want to look at an xpress x17 and x17 pro but can’t find much information.
PECo reply :
I cross-shopped the Nitro Z17, Stratos 176 VLO and Triton 179 TrX, and went with the Triton. The Triton is a much nicer boat than the Nitro and the Stratos. It was worth the slight increase in cost to me, but I probably would have been happy with any of them.
Catt reply :
On 9/26/2017 at 10:22 AM, Take the bait said:Want to look at an xpress x17 and x17 pro but can’t find much information.
Outcast Watersports, Inc.10808 US Hwy. 82 East Tampa FL 33610
Phone: 813-630-5695
Take the bait reply :
On 9/26/2017 at 7:53 PM, PECo said:I cross-shopped the Nitro Z17, Stratos 176 VLO and Triton 179 TrX, and went with the Triton. The Triton is a much nicer boat than the Nitro and the Stratos. It was worth the slight increase in cost to me, but I probably would have been happy with any of them.
Looking hard at Triton but at 20’5 it won’t fit . Looking close at ranger z175 , stratos 176vlo, and a couple alumimums . I’ll be happy with any safe and reliable bass boat.
PECo reply :
On 9/17/2017 at 5:08 AM, Take the bait said:Remeasured the garage and it came out to be about 20'7
I thought you had a few more inches of space.
RHuff reply :
Which boat did you end up getting?
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