Looking at a 2012 189 VLO. Any Stratos guys out there that can chime in on the brand or model? I've always thought of Stratos as the Kia of the bass boat world but I really like what I see.

Nothing wrong with a Stratos, never owned one myself but have fished out of them. They have a good smooth ride and a fast hull.

Used to fish out of a 201 and had no issues. What about them makes you feel they are the Kia of the boat world?

Stratos doesn't get a hole lot of love in Texas simply because of the Ranger and Skeeter following but they make a very good boat with excellent handling and performance qualities. I've fished out of the 189 VLO and the 294 EVO and both are solid fishing platforms with great big water rides that are worth taking a look at. I'm hoping I'll run across someone with a 201 EVO so I can fish out of it too.

I've owned 2 Stratos boats over the years and actually sold my 03' Ranger in 05' to get back in one (98' 201PE) which I still own today. I re-powered in 08', several electronic upgrades, trolling motor and routine pump and battery replacements and haven't looked back. All of the wiring, gauges, switches and hardware are original and working. I'm sure one day time will catch up to her but it doesn't look like it will be any time soon.

I cant speak about a 189, but I have a 03 201 Pro XL with a Merc Pro XB, that will flat scat... And the bait and rod storage is still better than any of the newer rigs I have looked at recently. Like someone above said all the switches, wiring is still rock solid and everything works (I did put all new Livorsi gauges in it),, 14 years old. Now there crappy box tubing trailers I dont care for, I had to re-do mine recently due to a rusted out back cross member. But the boat is as solid as any. Ive had a Ranger as well and wouldnt trade back... Check that trailer close!!!

I have been to the plant and saw them being made. The only difference between a stratos, triton, and ranger other than the obvious like hull design, layout, and the bells and whistles is the materials they use in the transoms and stringers. All the fiberglass and gelcoat is the same. Think of it as ford, Mercury, and Lincoln. The stratos uses a material similar to a hard styrofoam (but it's not), the tritons use some sort of hard plastic board, and the Rangers use the pultruded fiberglass. This is since 2009 or 2010 when they were bought out and moved to the ranger plant. For the money, build quality, and the ride I think they are hard to beat. The only thing near the same price point to me is a nitro and their finish work and plastics are not very good from what I've seen.

Honestly, their affordability. They aren't advertised as much and don't seem to be as popular as other brands. I've never heard anything bad about them so I was just curious to see what the masses think of them. The one I'm looking at seems great. Just wanted to do my homework.

Damn good boats. If you like it ,buy it.

I had a '96 201 XL that I fished out of for 10 years averaging. 30 weekends a year. It was a great boat & took the rough water better than my current Skeeter zx225. Never had any issues. I,d buy another one if a good deal presented itself when in the market.

I am far from an expert but my 03 Stratos 185 DC is a lake worthy boat imo. It is a far better boat than I am a fisherman.

I never owned one but have looked at them. The only thing I really don't like is the big step from the passenger compartment to the back deck. I know its a small thing to fuss about. But It's the way I feel. This is just personal thoughts.

I had the 189VLO with the 150HP etec Evinrude. The boat would run! About 68mph. I bought it because I got a good price. It fished great, and was laid out better than the boat I have now.
Looking back, I would have gone ahead and put a Minnkota Fortress on it instead of their second line troll motor, but out side of that, I loved that boat.
Like an idiot, I thought I needed a bigger boat with a 250 HP on it. I really didn't but I traded it off anyway. Whoever bought it, got a fine boat.
I really liked the 294 with the 200 HP but there wasn't one around at the time.
Stratos doesn't sell well down here in the South, its kind of like the Charger line. That is another great boat but you don't see many of those down here either. Someone said that Skeeter and Ranger own this market. That's probably true, and the market is also very competitive with Triton, Bass Cat, and others.
You can have confidence in your purchase if you go ahead with the 189 VLO.
If I had to do it all over again, I'd get a 294.
Good Luck

I ran my Stratos for 20 years with no problems. Great boat no issues the intire time I owned it.

I'm running a '95 Stratos 201 Pro, still kicks a**. The drawbacks are simply that they aren't too popular here in Texas.

Javelin was the Stratos knock-off.

Both boats are sufficient but old tech.

Didn't Javelin fold into stratos?, think the two companies share heritage.

Nope. Javelin and Stratos were bought by OMC. OMC turned Javelin into their 'basic' bass boat and Stratos their upscale bass boat. The Javelin line was eventually dropped and the Stratos brand continued with another manufacturer.

I recently bought a 2012 Stratos 176 with a 70 HP Yamaha 4 stroke. This boat has many of the little things that you see on many expensive boats. It's not extremely fast but will do over 3o MPH with 2 on board w/o being wide open. That's fast enough for me. It came with a MK 45 Edge recessed foot control and 12 V battery. That's usually enough except in high winds. A 24V 70# would be better but battery area is limited. The ride is very good and plenty of storage and deck space for that size boat.

This is my 2nd boat after selling my previous 17 footer that was 4 years old when I bought it and owned for 15 years.

I'm extremely pleased with my Stratos 176. Love the 4 stroke motor.

I wouldn't hesitate to buy another one.

A Little History:

Stratos, Javelin, and Hydrosport were built by OMC in Old Hickory TN. OMC's parent company was Bombardier. OMC folded and sold the company to Genmar Holdings who later bought out Ranger and stopped building Javelin and Hydrosport then later were bought out by Platinum Equity. I owned 2 Stratos boats in the early and mid 90s and never had any issues with either of them. The bad thing about them back then was being an OMC product you would rarely see any of them without a Johnson or Rude hanging off the back. If you found the rare one with a Merc on it, it would usually outrun all others! LOL Earl Bentz was the original owner/designer who sold out then started Triton across town in Ashland City, a few years later. I think Earl still had something to do with OMC during the sale because Ranger acquired Triton/Brunswick Marine shortly afterwards. Alan Stinson was their head designer for a time and actually built a hand-full of boats that were true rockets. ASX (Alan Stinson X Project) was I believe their model designation. Occasionally you may see one of them up for sale, these were the fastest Stratos boats ever built. Alan designed boats for Skeeter and was actually the founder of Nitro which he sold to BassPro. Its really funny how these guys travel from company to company and most are somewhat connected to each other.

OMC was never owned by Bombardier. OMC went bankrupt and it's assets were sold off. Bombardier bought the Evinrude and Johnson motors. The boat companies that survived were purchased by others including some by Genmar (Irwin Jacobs).

OMC purchased 11 boat companies in order to put their products on them right when the economy went into a dip and they ended up closing many of them and it eventually led to bankruptcy.

Ficht Fuel Injection and their oil injection system also did a lot of damage to the Johnson and Evinrude motor reputation. They lost a lot of dealers due to the boats coming with an OMC motor with no options for those buyers wanting a different motor on the boat.

I don't think any of this has a bearing on the Stratos boats built today. Different manufacturer, different motors and different owners. JMO

Have not owned one, but have ridden in several different Stratos models. Was very impressed with hole shot, top end and overall smooth ride. I wouldn't hesitate to own one.

The last four of my boats have been Stratos, to me they are a great boat and have never had any problems with the finish or hull or anything else for that matter. I think they sell more boats then Bass Cat but are more popular in the eastern part of the country, you won't be sorry if you buy one and your wallet will thank you.

I have a '03 201 Pro XL and it has been a very solid boat for me. I like the storage layout, smooth dry ride, and above everything, it's reliability. When I'm ready, it's ready! Main thing, as with any boat, maintenance. Treat it good and it'll be ready to take you fishing.

My buddy owned one when I lived in Tulsa. It was extremely fast but he could never get the chime out of it, and he knew how to drive fast boats. He thought it was a faulty hull design. That's one of the reasons I've never looked Stratos way when purchasing

We all drive them too fast anyway.
Another little touch I liked is the carpet in the bottom had snaps on it where you could pull it up and wash it the right way. I'm anal over keeping my boat clean. Also liked the ice chest up in front of the console.
Mine was a 2013 189VLO

I have an older Stratos 185 DC. i like it just fine, especially given what I paid for it as my first boat. I am far from an expert, but it is a better boat than I am a fisherman in any event.

Im it the market for one. But I'm looking for a 294,295, or 200 pro xl. But they are few and far between. From the research I've done they seem to be fast and a decent ride in rough water. I haven't ridden in one yet but will have to test one before I buy one.

I own a Stratos 285 Pro XL and I love it, great hole shot and decent ride in rough water for a 18 foot boat. My only complaint is the front deck is a little small for me and the rod lockers are not fit for rods of 7+ feet...which is almost every rod I own. The back deck is huge though so that makes it good for co anglers. Also had a Stratos 201 Pro Elite that was very fast with the old Evinrude Ficht when the motor was actually running, I liked the layout of the 201 a lot more than the 285, but beggars can't be choosers. The extra 2ft didn't hurt either.

How old are you? Above 30? Ride and decide on your own

If it was the early (99-00) SS extreme then it was no doubt the hull. My dealer told me they almost recalled them because they would walk and fall off pad. That Kept me from getting the SS so I bought the 201 Pro Elite. In 2000 I bought a new 1999. Man would that boat fly. Would probably still have her today had a divorce not got a hold of her

If you have a 2012 it was built in the ranger plant in Flipping, Arkansas