bowhunterfanatic
Well-Known Member
In everyone's opinion, what is the best riding bass boat?
Best Riding Boat
- Thread starter bowhunterfanatic
- Start date
What do you want it to do?
Go 70+ mph?
Fish flat and solid?
handle rough water?
Run/float super shallow?
Carry heavy loads of people/kids?
Going to be trade offs.
If you need it to handle rough water and are willing to trade out speed, you want a deep v in the front more like a bay boat.
Lots of load capacity? Need a bigger boat. That means deeper draft, bigger engine, more fuel consumption and higher price and operating cost.
For max speed, you trade out smooth ride as a flat "pad" is the most efficient for speed. Flat pads are less stable and much rougher riding.
Pick the most important attributes to you, then go looking for the best compromise.
My old bass boat would flat out scream but knock the snot out of you in a chop and was down right scary in rough water.
Go 70+ mph?
Fish flat and solid?
handle rough water?
Run/float super shallow?
Carry heavy loads of people/kids?
Going to be trade offs.
If you need it to handle rough water and are willing to trade out speed, you want a deep v in the front more like a bay boat.
Lots of load capacity? Need a bigger boat. That means deeper draft, bigger engine, more fuel consumption and higher price and operating cost.
For max speed, you trade out smooth ride as a flat "pad" is the most efficient for speed. Flat pads are less stable and much rougher riding.
Pick the most important attributes to you, then go looking for the best compromise.
My old bass boat would flat out scream but knock the snot out of you in a chop and was down right scary in rough water.
Fishboy nailed it. IMO, there is no "best" boat. Otherwise, there would only be one design that was being built.
Decide what is important to you in the boat and go from there.
Decide what is important to you in the boat and go from there.
SilverFox
Well-Known Member
It'll be hard to find a better riding BASS boat than my 20'2 Skeeter. The ride is the reason I bought it. My back thanks me after every trip. It's a ZX225 made in 2008.
The best riding bass boat I have ever been in was my buddies 22' sea pro bay boat.
Caught some NICE bass out of that boat. Ran smooth and dry in a heavy chop and we even fished offshore in it numerous times.
Tracked good on a trolling motor as well. Only thing missing was the carpet and sparkles.
Caught some NICE bass out of that boat. Ran smooth and dry in a heavy chop and we even fished offshore in it numerous times.
Tracked good on a trolling motor as well. Only thing missing was the carpet and sparkles.
I have fished out of most of them. I am going to say that a Champion is hands down the best riding boat that I have ever been in, and a Ranger is probably the worst. The Champion is no longer made so a Triton is the best riding boat that I have been in out of what is still made. I haven't rode in any of the Z series nitros, but I think that they are supposed to ride pretty well. A Skeeter and Stratos is about middle of the road for me, not horrible but not great. JMO though.
I love the ride on my Stratos 201 Pro Elite. Its smooth in calm water and takes rough water better than most boats. Its heavier than alot of boats in the same class, so that helps ride/hurts speed. Most of your 20+ foot glass boats ride smooth, with the exception of the lighter faster boats like Bullets, Norris Crafts, and Allison's. The only Champion and Skeeter I fished out of rode great, as did every Ranger I have fished out of. I would rate the ride of a Nitro and Triton as not as good as some and better than others.
Nitro
Well-Known Member
The ride has a lot to do with the driver. I have a skeeter and it rides very smooth.
SilverFox
Well-Known Member
Never rode in what I consider a great riding Triton. The older Ranger 520VX
Is a good riding boat. The new 520... not so much in my opinion.
Also consider the driver. LB Steele has a 20 foot Bullet. I've been in it several times in rough water and you would never think you're in a go-fast boat. Bullets are not known for their ride but with the right driver, they handle rough water well.
My Skeeter isn't the fastest boat out there. I get passed from time to time. In rough water I do the majority of the passing. Not being a speed demon and having a "fear" of speed, that says a lot for the ride quality to me.
Is a good riding boat. The new 520... not so much in my opinion.
Also consider the driver. LB Steele has a 20 foot Bullet. I've been in it several times in rough water and you would never think you're in a go-fast boat. Bullets are not known for their ride but with the right driver, they handle rough water well.
My Skeeter isn't the fastest boat out there. I get passed from time to time. In rough water I do the majority of the passing. Not being a speed demon and having a "fear" of speed, that says a lot for the ride quality to me.
chunkandwind
Well-Known Member
The big Champions are without equal. I have rode and fished out of every major brand except Charger and none can come close to the big Champs. The big Champ is still made under the Stratos name now. My Triton TR21 rides very good too.
The Phoenix 921 is also a great riding boat. The Allison XB21 with the right driver rides as good as any boat and handles big water well if the driver is good.
If I were to buy a brand new boat it would be a Stratos Elite 210(champion 210) or a Phoenix 921.
The Phoenix 921 is also a great riding boat. The Allison XB21 with the right driver rides as good as any boat and handles big water well if the driver is good.
If I were to buy a brand new boat it would be a Stratos Elite 210(champion 210) or a Phoenix 921.
@fulldraw
Well-Known Member
Basscat. Ride in one!
KENBOB10
Well-Known Member
IMO...You need a heavier semi V at least to have a excellent ride. Some are better than others of course. Get in as many as you can before you purchase.
arctic_cat
Well-Known Member
Best riding one I've been in is a Skeeter.
AllOutdoors
Well-Known Member
A lot has to do with the driver. Also, you should compare boats of equal length. Every foot you add should result in a better ride. The best riding boat I have been in is a Champion. Now I belive they are the Stratos Elite
Headhunter
Well-Known Member
Best ride I have been in was an ASX. It was Alan's personal boat. I do not believe there is a bass boat that could match it for handling rough water. 80 on gps in ROUGH water on Kentucky Lake and you would have thought there was no wind. It could handle the rough water for sure. A guy I fished with almost everyday for several years was (and still is I guess) R&D for bass boat development. He could drive a boat and Stratos blew it with the production of the ASX but the completely hand made ones were awesome.
SilverFox
Well-Known Member
Something else to consider is weight in the boat. I can tell a pretty good difference in ride quality of my boat when the gas tanks and live wells are full. My boats holds 50 gallons of fuel and 45-50 gallons of water in the live wells. Once I get it up on pad, it is an excellent ride. Before that it suffers. I think gas is 8 pounds a gallon and water is like 6 pounds. So 400 pounds of fuel and 250-300 in water for 600-700 pounds right in the back of the boat.
This also can be seen if the weight of the tackle in the boat is not even... Or set up so the heaviest is near the rear.
A poorly set up boat as far as weight will change your opinion on ride quality quickly.
This also can be seen if the weight of the tackle in the boat is not even... Or set up so the heaviest is near the rear.
A poorly set up boat as far as weight will change your opinion on ride quality quickly.
Ladys man
Well-Known Member
the driver makes the call on how good the ride is. fished out of tritons and couldn't stand it kidneys couldn't either but been fishing out of a bullet since I was 12 and love it but some other good boats out there, phoenix, nitro z9 would be my other top choices
infoman jr.
Well-Known Member
19' Norris Craft... :whistle: :grin:
Winchester
Well-Known Member
:grin: Ive called them "Kidney craft" for 25 years for a reason!!!infoman jr. said:
I went thru the speed stage and used to fish Norris Craft, Bullet, Allisons for the speed and was young and dumb enough to not care how much of a pounding, me, the fish, and my equipment was taking! Mack made his money early and refused to update his boats with the times and completely fell off the map, making 1 or 2 boats a year now. Matter of fact he is making more custom fiberglass tops for the Side by side UTV's than anything else these days!
infoman jr.
Well-Known Member
I guess you can still call me "young and dumb" then.Winchester said:
Football Hunter
Well-Known Member
My friends Ranger Comanche is awful nice,dont have much problem with my Skeeter either.
22 foot Nautic Star Center Console is the best riding fishing boat I've ever driven. I'm buying one to use on Kentucky Lake within the next year. After driving one off shore in Fla...you can keep the Bass boats.
Unicam
Well-Known Member
I watch closely how I load my boat, like has been said it can really help or hurt the ride. My 18.5 Stratos rides fairly well in rough water as long as I keep her up on plane. The difference between the 17.5 to the 18.5 on ride in heavy chop is night and day. Mine will go through the chop where my friends 17.5 will launch like a rocket! The longer and heavier the boat the better they ride in my opinion. Knowing how to feel the boat and work the trhottle in chop also makes a huge difference. I know better than to get my boat on big water on a bad day.
Jroberts238
Well-Known Member
I have been in everything from a bass tracker to the brand new Ranger Z522 Comanche
Bass Tracker i rode in felt dangerous in rough water. Thought I was going to bounce out that thing.
Dad used to have a 88 Vision 20ft that at the time rode like a dream.
He traded it in on a 21ft Stratos with a 200 Merc I believe. It would fly on the water but I always hated the ride. I don't get nervous and that boat made me nervous.
His new Ranger with the 250 4 stroke huals a$$ and feels like your floating on thin air. Thing sits so high at full plane it will ride over most waves without any felt bumps. We took it out Memorial Day weekend and got into the main channel with literally 50 other boats waves goin in all directions and it handled like a dream still going about 40mph. Last time I rode with him the GPS read 73mph and you would have thought you was in a rag top cadi.
So my opinion for the best riding boat.....the Ranger Z522 Comanche....hands down
Bass Tracker i rode in felt dangerous in rough water. Thought I was going to bounce out that thing.
Dad used to have a 88 Vision 20ft that at the time rode like a dream.
He traded it in on a 21ft Stratos with a 200 Merc I believe. It would fly on the water but I always hated the ride. I don't get nervous and that boat made me nervous.
His new Ranger with the 250 4 stroke huals a$$ and feels like your floating on thin air. Thing sits so high at full plane it will ride over most waves without any felt bumps. We took it out Memorial Day weekend and got into the main channel with literally 50 other boats waves goin in all directions and it handled like a dream still going about 40mph. Last time I rode with him the GPS read 73mph and you would have thought you was in a rag top cadi.
So my opinion for the best riding boat.....the Ranger Z522 Comanche....hands down
infoman jr.
Well-Known Member
I believe the moral of this story is: Heavy, slow boats ride better (Ranger). There's nothing wrong with that if a smooth ride your thing. In the world of bass boats, I don't think many would consider 70mph especially quick.
Slaughter-06
Well-Known Member
with any boat the longer the better!
DBLAARCHERY
Well-Known Member
This one rides great! But I am partial to it...
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