For what it's worth, I owned a 1991 Stratos 275 Pro. It had an Evinrude 150 spitfire, 4 blade 25pitch SS Shooter prop. With 30 gal of fuel, all our gear, and a friend, it would run 62 mph and it was fun to drive and had a great holeshot with the 4 blade prop. I hated to sell it, but the family would not all fit on it. Also, my dad had just bought a used but very nice 2004 Triton TR 186 with a 150 optimax.
The difference between the two boats was like this.
The Stratos was older, a foot shorter, and heavier than the Triton, but it took rough water better, road smoother in choppy water, and ran faster than the Triton. The Triton tops out at about 58-59 with 2 on board and all your gear.
The Triton was newer, had a better storage layout and better accessories. The Evinrude was a V-6 with carbs and got about 2 mpg at wide open throttle. The optimax however got awesome fuel mileage. I drove both on Kentucky lake for many miles and the Stratos by far outperformed the Triton. However, now I think Ranger, Stratos, and Triton are all made out of the same factory in Arkansas. In closing, if money was not a problem, and I had to choose to by a new bass boat, I would probably buy a Phoenix, with a Honda outboard. I rode in one once and it was a smooth riding boat.
Main thing to consider when buying a boat is, check the transom real good for cracks, damage, etc., Get compression check on the cylinders, or if newer, get the dealer to plug into the motor and get the number of hours on the engine.
