Bust Out Another Thousand
Boat
Every boat should come with a little monkey to crawl around inside and fix everything

FYI,
I bought a 25' fish tape for $12 from Fry's Electronics last week. That place will surprise you with all the tools and gadgets you can use to improve your boating/fishing experience - and their prices are better than most places.

still a dam shame that a 60K boat could be improved so much...I'm curious to see what these 60k rigs will look like 15 years from now. Something tells me they're not built as good as they used to be.

I had a 2006 Basscat PIV and finish on it was subpar. All you have to do was look underneath the dash and you would see some miss cuts on the fiberglass The wires werent harnessed together but rather just all in a mess. They had placed screws on the gunnel valleys of the rod lockers so it leaked. Pop rivet type nails that werent sanded on the trailer would snag ur skin or cloth when you would towel it down. I think Legends are well finished compared to most.

$60k doesn't even get you some threaded inserts in your boat? That sucks.

If boat manufacturers are going to charge those ridiculous prices, that seems like a small improvement to make. Just my opinion. My boat cost $13,500 new 14 years ago and I can understand not going the extra mile at that price point. But any boat that lists for $40k or $50k or more should really be built better than that.

Legends do have a nice finish the inside of the compartments look just like the outside same color of your boat hull and smooth with a clear coat Legend makes agreat boat and will probably be my next or a Basscat.

Have you taken your rub rail off yet and checked those screws? If not do it, you will be surprised.

Chad is right on. If you paid $60k for a Lexus or $45k for a truck, the fit and finish are better and the service is typically better. I understand the manufactures of auto's make thousands of vehicles and boats take a pounding on the water but $45-$60k should get you a flawless boat off the factory floor. In my humble opinion, all the boat manufactures could improve on fit and finish.

Just my opinion.

Guys, it is all just part of the game. It's just like automobiles. For the average Joe, it is almost impossible to work and and make repairs to the newer vehicles. It takes a certified mechanic and a computer to fix these things now days. If your boat wiring is to complicated or hard to install, then you take it to a mechanic for repairs. See the pattern. It's all about the money.

i was thinking about this exact thing yesterday when looking at a boat. i dont know if I ever want to buy another one.. ahh heck... who am i kidding... I will however check out Legend, Basscat, and Phoenix before I buy another though.

I'm 110% with you man. I have an 02 Ranger and have been looking at the new boats over the past couple of years. It's all of them too, the fit and finish is definitely not what it used to be. I somewhat agree with the guys on the Legends and Cats that they do a better job. Champs, Rangers, Skeeters, Tritons, Stratos all of them I have looked at and kicked the tires in the last few years have fit and finish issues. It's like you pointed out, quite simply they are cutting corners. Cheap hinges, screws in fiberglass, poorly glued carpet, rough corners on carpet. etc...etc...

Over the past 15 years I've owned Ranger, Triton and now Skeeter. I've gotten the dreaded fiberglass splinters from all three. Just part of owning a fiberglass boat. The Triton X2 was probably the worst fit and finish boat I had. After a few months it seemed a lot of things were coming loose. I'll probably stick with Skeeter for their ride and fishing platform. Legend builds one heck of a boat.

I bought my boat in '99 and looked close at the major brands. Most brands surprised me with the amount of cheap plastic molding and trim, unfinished raw fiberglass under the covers, and sloppy wiring. I ended up with a champion because there is no molded plastic anywhere and all the hardware was stainless. The trim is aluminum. In a nutshell they kept it simple. All the wires were labeled, etc. 10+ years later I have no complaints and will re-power it before I buy another boat.

Is this tool actually known to others as "Fish tape"? I work right next to Fry's so I might go pick one up. Just not sure if the Fry guys will know what I'm asking for.

Thanks!

All it takes is one manufacture to raise the bar in fit and finish and others will follow so hopefully in years to come we will see better quality builds.

The guys at Fry's will probably know what it is. Get a STEEL fish tape not nylon. The nylon ones are not rigid enough to stay on course in the inside gunnels.