I understand your Sleeper analogy here Andrew. Are we talking about speed or trying to help someone decide on what boat brand to buy?

I don't think any of the four boats the OP asked about are turds but to each his own opinion.

I have run them all. I always look at safety first. All boats will perform in a similar fashion in calm water, its the bad water that makes or breaks a boat for me. A ranger has never failed on me in rough water. I have been on at times when I was literally praying to make it back to the bank. Then when I got there I turned around and thanked my Ranger for being there for me.

For me it came down to these in this order:

1. Look (including finish out mentioned by Ken A) and comfort of the boat
2. The Dealer - this is a BIG component of the long term ownership of the boat - Sartin Marine is mine and they are priceless
3. What you can afford - I bought a Legend that was 11 months old and was a sponsor boat for Dallas Baptist University. There are so many pro staff boats that come available each year and they are normally really good deals.

of the four mentioned ranger an skeeter build 10 to 15 boats each working day the other 2 manufacturers not nearly as many units go to bbc boats for sale site an with the production numbers see how many of each boat is for sale. the smaller manufacturers sell a lot more team boats. a skeeter or ranger 20 ft an bigger is a much easier sale in tx.

I bought a Cat because the dealer is 10 min from me.

Besides all the reasons previously mentioned, the look of a boat is important also. I think bass cats and Rangers have the best looking boats on the water as well on the trailer. Legend looks good on the water, not as good on the trailer. There is a pride thing about having a sharp rig. And if you can't catch fish like me, at least you look good trying.

OWN a Phoenix. If Phoenix didn't exist it would be Bass Cat or Legend. All 3 are great on looks and per the guys at Toledo Fiberglass, the best built.

1. Price vs. Value vs. Resale Value and Quality were my top 4 and all equally important.(I was buying used)cash, so I wanted the most/biggest/fastest/best bang for my dollar.
2. Ride - I have a degenerative bone disease, so this one was important.
3. Fishability- I wanted stability and for the front end to not "whip" around fishing in the wind.
4. Layout

What a post! No bragging no arguing, just information. Maybe a new trend on this board. Me I own a Legend. Is it the best boat? It is for me!!! It went over 70 on the test drive, had the storage I needed, handled rough water well, is semi-dry (none are totally dry), and fit my price range. Doesn't matter what anyone says it's your boat and you need to find the one that fits for you. Find dealers that will let you test the brands you have chosen and go with your needs. Let us know what you get.

Thanks to everyone for info, I'll give yall an update on decision in a couple of months

To answer Ken A question there is only a Skeeter dealer in this area.

Allison XB 2002 for me. It's a race and I'm winning.

Flys, floats or fu*ks, rent it don't buy it!

I could show you several 3 to4 foot stress cracks in my skeeter that I had after approximately 2 years. The first year the boat had 25 hours on it and the second year maybe anoth 80. I purchased the boat from a "pro" so I am the first registered owner and I paid for the hull warranty transfer. I sent Skeeter an email and they told me to take it into a dealer. I was told it was cosmetic and not covered under the warranty since I wasn't the original owner. I got an estimate for the repairs and they are $3500. If you are thinking about a Skeeter I can show you 30+ reasons why. Some told me to drag my boat to Kilgore and they'd make it right. That's no the type of service I would expect from the original bass boat manufacturer. Since stress cracks are cosmetic I chose not to pay for the repairs. You have to assume I'm going to take a hit on the resale. It is what it is, but I thought i would mention it because you are about to make one of the largest purchases in your life aside from your home.

Sent you a PM

I currently have two boats a Ranger fish and Ski, and a Redfin center console. I bought the ranger three years ago for the comfort level for family fun,I love the boat it is an older model but it is still in good condition. Got the Redfin 3 months ago for $375, looks like [censored] but for 375 I couldn't pass on it, and everyone in the family can fish at the same time without windshields to deal with. Here is my point, what works for you might not work for John and vise versa, best advise I can give you is take a look at them all and find the one that has the features you will use the most and buy it.