This, i bought a 95 202 in pristine condition for 10k, another 12k in completely redoing everything to brand new condition and couldn't be happier. Took over a yr due to limited finances but after ordering a 57" garmin tm I am done. Got to build my dream boat with one of the best hulls ever made.

The young and energic me says Allison.
The competitive me says BassCat.
The semi-crippled me with pins and plates in my spine says stick with my bay boat.

thanks, I got really lucky when I found the hull and happened to have the money to buy it.

you can call kelly power at ulrich marine in mo. with any questions, he has all the answers. sartin will probably have them in as soon as they come available.

BassCat ... BassCat... BassCat...

Love em all, fished out of em all... however, for me, it's the kittykat all day. And it's not because the speed. They fish extremely well, and have a great ride. I will say, my second would be a Skeeter...so smooth!

The perfect bass boat has not been built. *They all lack in some area to me. It is true the big Champions ride awesome and run rough water better than any bass hull out there but they have a terrible list when at rest and all 3 guys are standing on one side of the boat.

Allisons handle like a Ferrari and will outrun any other bass boat on the market horsepower to horsepower. They are the most efficient hull on the water bar none but they are terrible fishing boats. They are unstable at rest when fishing and have terrible rod boxes. The wind blows them around like a kite on the troll motor.

Bullets have similar qualities to the Allison being lightweight and nimble. They have much better storage boxes and are much more user-friendly. The wind does blow them around while fishing but not as bad as an Allison. They do not fare well in the stump infested waters of lakes like Fork. I would compare Bullets to a Corvette.

Gamblers are a step up in terms of fishability compared to Allys & Bullets but are still not as stable a fishing platform as a Skeeter or Ranger. They are faster than the aforementioned two brands but not as fast as Allys & Bullets. Also a Corvete of the water.

Tritons "were" a good in between choice but rumor is they will be gone next year. They perform well for their size & weight and have a very good design in term of fishability. They are like Camaros or Mustangs.

Legend has gone by the wayside as well since Bass Pro acquired them. Great fishing boat with awesome finish out but not a speed demon by any stretch of the imagination.

It is true Charger owns the old Champion molds and are currently producing a very nice boat that looks just like the old 20' Champs. If you are a hard core Champ guy and have the money I would suggest you look at them. Just be forewarned the prices are the same as a loaded out Skeeter or Ranger and in my opinion you had better love it because the resale will be difficult. I am relatively current with regards to knowing what is going on the in the bass boat industry and I thought Charger had been out of business for 15 years.

Phoenix boats are slotted in the same category as Triton to me and this is no surprise seeing as how the same folks designed them. They run well for their size & weight and are laid out well for the serious fisherman. They were a good value for what you got the first 3-4 years they were on the market but now they are more expensive than a similarly rigged Skeeter with a Yamaha, slightly less with a Merc. I would say this boat is a Camaro as well.

Skeeters are extremely popular due to being a great looking boat and made in the Great State of Texas. The newer FX & FXR series ride really well and run well for their size & weight with a 250 HP motor. Yamaha owns them so that is the only motor choice. They are very stable at rest due to the sponsons on the transom and the width. The sponsons also help to minimize backsplash when coming down off plane quickly. Skeeter has had their share of quality control issues over the years but the factory in Kilgore makes things right and keeps the buyer coming back. I would say this boat is a Cadillac CTS.

Another brand not many folks have been exposed to is Falcon Boats from South Carolina. They are a 15 year old boat company with an impressive group of guys that design and run the company. One is a former Legend guy while one is a former Phoenix guy. I saw Brian Latimer's new 21' Falcon and it is a very nice boat, great finish-out. One of their features is the wide-body design. The front deck on the 20' & 21' boat is 99" wide in front of the console. It is massive. You can lay an 8' rod down flat on the carpet sideways across the front deck on either boat. The width upfront comes with a price however. They are not fast hulls. Width works against you with regard to top speed.

Rangers have long been known for their build quality & resale value. They are a 50+ year old company. Every doctor/dentist I know that fishes has owned at least one Ranger. They are laid out well and have great at rest stability. They are not especially fast hulls but perform adequately with a 250 HP motor. So now the burning question is, what will happen to the quality & customer service at Ranger now that BPS owns them? All of the senior design & management team is now across the road at Vexus. Same Cadillac CTS comparo.

Vexus is the new kid on the block in the high end bass boat market. This is Forrest Wood's kids & grandkids. Their new factory is One mile from the old Ranger factory. They hit a homerun with their new line of Aluminum boats with fiberglass interiors. The have two new fiberglass boats and I have seen both of them. As you walk up to them the first thing that struck me was Hmm, that is a DEEP vee hull. It looks like a multi-species boat you would see on Lake Michigan from the side view. It also has a gaudy looking metal "hood scoop" on the side of the boat that serves no purpose. One of the other key features of the boat is the "pickle fork" bow. I know this was done to allow the width to carry further forward but it is strange. Climbing into the boat (you need a short ladder) it is obvious they put a lot of thought into the boat. It has some awesome features. Vexus also decided to forego the lower pricing on the first few years like Phoenix did in order to get a few on the water. They went straight for the guys with deep pockets.

Mercury's new four stroke V8 line of motors is setting a new standard for performance on many of the high performance hulls. You do not have to be a rocket scientist to understand that a 4.6 liter V8 is capable of producing much more power & torque than a 4.2 liter V6. Yamaha had the advantage for about 7 years with their SHO series of outboards. I think the advantage has now shifted to Mercury with their new V8. It weighs the same as the SHO V6. As much as I like the Yam SHO, I now consider it old technology compared to the Merc.

I am currently shopping for a new boat and I will tell you it is a difficult decision. Part of me wants another Ferrari while part of me thinks I would be content with a Camaro (for about a week).

BassCat...... everybody knows it.
Feel
The
Rush

Ken, How come you didn't include BassCat on your very informative review ?

Good question.

BassCat is a great boat. Owned 3 of em. Very similar to Triton in terms of speed & performance. They definitely have a different look, not for everyone. When Ron Pierce was alive and running the company it was #1 on my list as far as performance & fishability. I would compare it to a Dodge Challenger. I came out of a Cat and went to a 20' Bullet. The Bullet was 10 mph faster but not nearly as good a fishing platform as the Cat. In my opinion they will not have the resale of a Ranger, Phoenix or Skeeter. That is not a knock on the brand. The other three just have a much broader appeal to most anglers in Texas.

I really feel like Vexus missed the mark. They had a golden opportunity to take a major chunk of the premium bass boat market but they missed it and missed it big. As I mentioned this is just the opinion of a bass fisherman that has been around a while and owned a bunch of different boats, some better than others. I am the King of Buy Hi-Sell Low.

While I lean toward higher performance rigs like the Bullet & Allison, I like the amenities too. The best of all worlds to me would be a 21' boat with the fishability of a Skeeter and the looks of an Allison that would run 100 mph with a 300 HP across heavy chop while driving it one handed.

Ken, check out a Caymas if you get a chance. I think you will be impressed.

Thank you Ken, it's nice to hear a reasonable and objective opinion.

We have been a Triton family since 2002 and up until the last little bit I would have said Triton,but having said that while I'm happy with my 2018 20TRX Patroit from things I'm seeing now about how JM is doing Ranger & Triton I would have to say I would look at a Phoenix or Caymas.

Come look at my Caymas, I’ll be picking it up this week.

What do you mean? What is JM doing to Ranger and Triton?

I'm in the market for a new to me boat....After reading 8pgs I don't know what the he77 I want know, thought I did but know reconsidering