Mercury 250 Pro XS 4 Stroke...on my 2018 Ranger Z521c first look

Great video Ken. Awesome rig too!

Pretty boat!!

I think all the naysayers will change their tune on 4 strokes once they get a chance to run one for a while. It's nice to never worry about putting oil in your boat...

Amazing how they kept it under wraps all this time.

Thanks Ken , great video and good info

Nice rig!!

Very nice, enjoyed your video. And Congratulations!

Beautiful boat... WOW!!! 73 on a Ranger?! That's incredible!!

And quite possibly a record

[censored] I just answered tmd in wrong stream....hold on

Not a record, I had my last Ranger, a z520c, up to 86 once. I should probably mention it was on I20 behind my truck, but still it was traveling at 86 mph...

In truth I had my last boat run 73.7 one time, it was January of this year, about 28 degrees, had a brand new prop and 10-12 mph tail wind by myself. Exact same boat with that prop with slight ding in one ear about month later, two guys and reverse to same headwind on a 70 degree morning would only run 64.9. So much of speed is how you load your boat, not just how much you put in it, but where you put it in your boat, which FYI is why I suspect when Moonpie Evans was official at Bassfest in Skeets boat last year all he had in front center box was a towel. weather conditions make a big difference AND that prop being pristine is huge. A little ding, or loss of cup causes prop to be inefficient. Check out Mercury Prop Slip calculate (just google that term it will pull up) and see what going from say 7-10% prop slip difference makes on speed. If you have a fixed jack plate, getting motor height is really important as well, and changes over the seasons. Per Ken A. to get absolute minimum prop slip you want your prop shaft spinning at an angle as parallel to water line as possible (Ken correct me if I’m saying this wrong). Therefore you need to get motor height where you can get lift to get boat up, but keep shaft as level as possible.

I was just yanking your chain about the speed. It’s a pretty sweet rig.

Trust me, you run a Ranger and you get your chain yanked all the time about speed. I'm in the incredibly fortunate position of being able to run any boat I want, and i have fished out of every boat currently made. I can't find anything I'd rather fish out of based on all factors to consider, safety and comfort in rough water, stability when fishing, how the storage is set up, finish, and honestly resale value. There was a time Rangers were, by a fair $ amount, the most expensive boat on the market. That's not even the case any more, this boat fully rigged is about the same as any other premium boat maker in a 21 foot version, and the resale is just better as far as how fast you can sell them and % of original value. I'd be hard pressed to but anything else based on current options. You didn't ask, but my two cents!

That is correct Ken. The problem with bassboats is once we get them loaded down we have to start trimming the motor higher to get the prop to lift the hull free of the water to reduce drag. As you change the angle of the propshaft you begin to lose efficiency.

Unfortunately the fastest hulls are not necessarily the best fishing platforms.

Ken A, Give me the speed!!!

Very nice Ken!