Something to get our minds off politics, policy, and other new headlines, I thought I'd make this post and invite others to post their boat season thoughts, purchases, or sales.
I need a new boat like I need a new gun - Nice to have and if the right deal comes along, my "want" becomes a "need."
Thanks to some nudging from @stillkickin and @mn taxidermist, along with @schmalts doing an A++ inspection of a boat that is 1,250 miles from me, I decided my "want" was now a need."
Given Mrs. Fin demands that we fish 20-40 days per summer, all for walleyes, she questioned my tightwad nature and asked, "Why aren't you buying that boat?"
Ok, twist my arm.
I've never owned anything other than a Lund. I had one Mercury motor on my first Lund It was a continual hassle and concern once we got out of site of the boat ramp. Mrs. Fin sold the boat the next year. Since then, every boat I've owned has had a Yamaha. I have since owned eight Yamahas and not a single problem. Thus, Mrs. Fin has a requirement that any boat with her name on it will have a Yamaha.
I've been told that Mercury has made some huge changes in the last twenty years, so Mrs. Fin's threats of divorce if I bought a boat powered with a Mercury might not be as valid. Still, a threat is a threat, and having just passed my 37th anniversary, I'm not risking my 38th celebration on the reliability of a Mercury outboard.
So, I've been casually looking for a fiberglass walleye boat over the last few years. The hard part is that the only fiberglass boats that come with a Yamaha are Skeeter (owned by Yamaha), Yar-Craft, and Vexus. All the others I'm aware of require a Mercury. Paying extra for a motor upgrade is not even a possibility.
Hearing mixed results on Skeeter durability (not sure what the wiring issues are, but I'm not an electronic tech). Hard to find many Yar-Crafts with Yamahas. Vexus is newer, a company of former Ranger employees, but finding those rigged with Yamahas is challenging and is usually reflected in a premium price.
The last year Ranger allowed a Yamaha custom order was 2021, with a few 2022 models that were on order when the decree came from White River Marine Group (Johnny Morris's group that is the new owner of Ranger) that Yamahas were not even allowed as a custom order. Not sure what part of Brunswick/Mercury he owns, but all of his boat brands must come powered with Mercury.
Around Christmas I was surfing some of the boat ads. Listed as a 2022 Ranger 620FS Pro, powered with a Yamaha. Wow, one of the unicorns. I reached out to the guy with a ton of questions. He sent pics. After buying him breakfast at SHOT Show, Schmalts offered to drive over and inspect the boat. If you ever saw the level of inspection Schmalts does on a boat, you'd encourage him to start a service doing such when he retires from Harley. His report, "As close to showroom condition as a used boat can get." His 16 videos and album of photos seem to confirm.
So, I am now the owner of a 2022 Ranger, meeting Mrs. Fin's requirement to be powered by Yamaha. To hedge her bet she warned me, "We better catch more fish out of that boat than we catch from our 2003 Lund." Damn, talk about setting the bar.
Now, I am touching up my old boat, getting it detailed, and questioning why I upgraded to the finest electronics you could buy, just last summer. The answer to that "Why did I do that" rests in Mrs. Fin finding out that you could have front/back side imaging that syncs with a Minnkota trolling motor. I'm gonna take a beating on that investment, only having fished about ten days with that new package.
Gonna miss the old 2003 Lund. It has helped us catch a ton of fish. It still runs like a champ, reflecting Mrs. Fin's detail to care and maintenance. It will likely be listed here for sale before I consign it with a dealer.
Anyone else get the fishing bug this winter and pass the time looking at boat ads? If so, what are you looking to get?
I need a new boat like I need a new gun - Nice to have and if the right deal comes along, my "want" becomes a "need."
Thanks to some nudging from @stillkickin and @mn taxidermist, along with @schmalts doing an A++ inspection of a boat that is 1,250 miles from me, I decided my "want" was now a need."
Given Mrs. Fin demands that we fish 20-40 days per summer, all for walleyes, she questioned my tightwad nature and asked, "Why aren't you buying that boat?"
Ok, twist my arm.
I've never owned anything other than a Lund. I had one Mercury motor on my first Lund It was a continual hassle and concern once we got out of site of the boat ramp. Mrs. Fin sold the boat the next year. Since then, every boat I've owned has had a Yamaha. I have since owned eight Yamahas and not a single problem. Thus, Mrs. Fin has a requirement that any boat with her name on it will have a Yamaha.
I've been told that Mercury has made some huge changes in the last twenty years, so Mrs. Fin's threats of divorce if I bought a boat powered with a Mercury might not be as valid. Still, a threat is a threat, and having just passed my 37th anniversary, I'm not risking my 38th celebration on the reliability of a Mercury outboard.
So, I've been casually looking for a fiberglass walleye boat over the last few years. The hard part is that the only fiberglass boats that come with a Yamaha are Skeeter (owned by Yamaha), Yar-Craft, and Vexus. All the others I'm aware of require a Mercury. Paying extra for a motor upgrade is not even a possibility.
Hearing mixed results on Skeeter durability (not sure what the wiring issues are, but I'm not an electronic tech). Hard to find many Yar-Crafts with Yamahas. Vexus is newer, a company of former Ranger employees, but finding those rigged with Yamahas is challenging and is usually reflected in a premium price.
The last year Ranger allowed a Yamaha custom order was 2021, with a few 2022 models that were on order when the decree came from White River Marine Group (Johnny Morris's group that is the new owner of Ranger) that Yamahas were not even allowed as a custom order. Not sure what part of Brunswick/Mercury he owns, but all of his boat brands must come powered with Mercury.
Around Christmas I was surfing some of the boat ads. Listed as a 2022 Ranger 620FS Pro, powered with a Yamaha. Wow, one of the unicorns. I reached out to the guy with a ton of questions. He sent pics. After buying him breakfast at SHOT Show, Schmalts offered to drive over and inspect the boat. If you ever saw the level of inspection Schmalts does on a boat, you'd encourage him to start a service doing such when he retires from Harley. His report, "As close to showroom condition as a used boat can get." His 16 videos and album of photos seem to confirm.
So, I am now the owner of a 2022 Ranger, meeting Mrs. Fin's requirement to be powered by Yamaha. To hedge her bet she warned me, "We better catch more fish out of that boat than we catch from our 2003 Lund." Damn, talk about setting the bar.
Now, I am touching up my old boat, getting it detailed, and questioning why I upgraded to the finest electronics you could buy, just last summer. The answer to that "Why did I do that" rests in Mrs. Fin finding out that you could have front/back side imaging that syncs with a Minnkota trolling motor. I'm gonna take a beating on that investment, only having fished about ten days with that new package.
Gonna miss the old 2003 Lund. It has helped us catch a ton of fish. It still runs like a champ, reflecting Mrs. Fin's detail to care and maintenance. It will likely be listed here for sale before I consign it with a dealer.
Anyone else get the fishing bug this winter and pass the time looking at boat ads? If so, what are you looking to get?
