Looking at buying a used 2011 Z-9, no previous Nitro experience , what are some of the pros and cons of this boat, has Mercury 250

Thanks

Love mine, huge front deck, lots of storage,
Rides well in rough water.
Came from a bass cat, and I haven't been disappointed

I love mine. Does great in rough water and has the large front deck.

You are going to hear from a lot of naysayers, most have never even been in a Z-9, just spouting out what they have heard. Take a ride in one see for yourself.

Never owned one, but I bet its a lot better boat than most think it is. I see them on the big water at Rayburn and they sure look like they get around pretty dang good.

Never owned one. But, haha, I have owned a smaller Nitro and I have been in Z9's in tournaments. I like them so much I ordered a new Z8. It should be here on Aug 1st. I know it still isn't a Z9, but it is very similar in hull design and has the same motor.

Having owned one. This, I can tell you. The fit and finish on the outside it great. The inner hull is a little rough. Wear gloves when riggin stuff inside the hull. The customer service, in the event you have to have help, is spotty from BPS. Might want to find a Nitro dealer like I did. Waco Powersports. Not a bass pro. But they are a Nitro dealer. (As well as other brands). Lots of boat for the money, but lower resale value. That's good for you. Bad for me. Lol. The Rapid Planing hull is good, but not any better than the rest. The boat is solid and, personal opinion, a good looking boat.

I owned an older version of this boat and it was by far the best riding boat I ever rode in especially in rough water. The only draw back I see to owning one is these boats weren't real good @ maintaining equity but these days not so much a problem because they are getting a better reputation in the market place. If you buy it right and everything checks out you should have one awesome ride..........

They are fishing machines. Love the layout. I would happily own one.

I have been in the Z9 with a guy on Hubbard. We were surprised by a big storm.Three foot rollers looked scary but that boat handled them with ease.

Thanks for the input,

I would never buy a new one because of their awful resell value. But I would definitely buy a used one, you will get A LOT of bang for your buck. You can get a loaded out Z9 less than 3 years old for $30K give or take.

Pros = You get a lot of boat for your money especially if you buy one slightly used. Huge deck, decent layout, Also, notice those that own them really dont complain much about them.

Cons = resale value. Normally, underpowered which is one of the reasons they sell for less. If you get one, make sure its well set up motor wise.

I wouldn't hesitate getting into a used one well kept...save a lot of money and leave more money for other things.

I have a 2014 z9. Pros-Storage, Handling of rough water, and overall design
Cons-Customer service. I had Triton and my partner has skeeter. The ride (handling of rough water and staying dry)in my opinion as well as my partner's is better than both. Again everyone will have an opinion but my next boat with also be a Nitro.

if somebody gave me one..I would take it

I will echo the comments above except for the resale value...in most cases (not all) a Z9 will be less expensive new hence the lower resale value.

I ran a 2010 Z9 for 3 years as my personal boat, a 2012 Z8 for one year and had some seat time in a 2013 Z9 for a few days.

Some thoughts:

1)Excellent rough water ride. Hard not to have a great ride when you are talking about a boat that big and heavy. Fishability, storage, room, etc. is second to none.
2)The dealership relationship is critical. Dealing w/BPS can be a pain in the rear for normal service items as you could imagine. Not going to "drop in" on a Friday headed out of town and expect them to drop everything to fix your item. I would recommend finding the best Mercury dealer in the area for your motor maintenance and doing non critical fixes during down time with BPS. If you are near Austin, Tracker Marine Austin is the exception to this rule, they rock when it comes to customer service and getting things turned around.
3)I don't think the 2011 had the RPS (rapid planing system) hull design. Either cup up on a 3 blade or run a 4 blade prop. It's hard to get that boat out of the hull without it when it's full of 50 gallons of gas, full live wells, donut eating partner and tournament gear. They did sell these boats with 225's and I think 200s...shame on them for doing so. I did some camera boat work for an elite guy and with the camera crew (3 guys +me) in the boat it just almost wouldn't break over with a 25p fury.
4)Rolling down the road they are considerably heavier than similar sized other brands. If you have a 1/2 ton you will feel it for sure and notice it at the pump.
5)I may get flamed for saying this but it's not a high performance hull design. It's more like a F250 than a Corvette if that makes sense. If you really get on it she will slide a little in the corners, mine chine walked (some do, some don't), like I mentioned the hole shot can be an issue. None of these are deal breakers or really that big of an issue.

Just some thoughts I had, PM me if you need additional details. Everything else is just part of owning a boat, realize stuff breaks, maintenance is key and enjoy it!