I just bought a new 2011 Z8 with a 225 on it. It seems there are a lot of people out there who seem to treat them as a second rate boat for some reason. I know this will spark alot of subjective opinions but what I am looking for is objective reasons why you like or dislike them. In otherwords,I don't care if you think they suck or not, but why do you think they suck or not.

First off I must say I have not owned or rode in every boat out there, so I am certainly not expert, but I have owned a smaller Nitro boat for years and it was a great boat and never gave me a bit of trouble. As far as the new Z8, I have had it out 5 times now, and only once on choppy water, the ride is excellent, and fast. And I would challenge anyone to show me a boat that gets on plane as fast as thing does. The fishing deck is huge, can't think of any with more room, but could be I guess. Storage space is great. Love the independent live wells, and in my opinion the boat is one of best looking boats out there.

A question I have is the 225hp Mercury on my $38K Z8 Nitro built inferior to the 225hp Mercury I saw on the $60K Ranger I looked at????? The ranger had less fishing room less storage and again my opinion but certainly did not look as good.

I could pretty much say the same thing about Skeeter. People say "well Skeeter is made right here in Texas", but aren't they owned by Yamaha(Japan), not that that is a bad thing, but certainly not 100% American by any means.

Again I must say that I do not by any means qualify as an expert on the subject, But rather just I guy who loves to fish and bought a boat that he thought was the best bang for his buck.

So let the debate begin, and please try to back up any claims with some attempt at fact not just I own a Skeeter so Nitro Sucks.

The price difference is for the Ranger over the Nitro NOT the Merc over the Merc. You get what you pay for...to a degree. You also pay alot for name recognition.Good luck with your new ride...enjoy!

I looked at the new Nitro's since I plan on a new or newer boat in the near future and was leaning toward them for a while. I have about decided against a new one because after I add the options I'd like the price is up to what I can find a little higher quality boat, as far as details go, in one a few years old for the same price. I do like the large front deck and all the storage on the Nitros and you are right about them looking good too. The Nitro ride is good and as dry or drier than any I know of. One thing I was leery of was the front deck had really low sides and seemed like a rod could be knocked overboard easier than on other brands. Everyone has their own likes and dislikes and your rig is a really nice one, one that should give you a lot of pleasure. The ones I looked at appear to be much better built than Nitros from several years back. Those are why some people bash them as they do.

Well IMO there aint nothin wrong with them they are built alot better then the early 2000 to mid 2000 models still have some cheap stuff on them but honestly most major brands and I say most not all of them but most do have cheap stuff on them for the price you pay. They do have big decks to fish on the back deck is overly big IMO they could've made it smaller and put bigger storage back there. Far as your challenge on the holeshot my ZX Skeeter will spank that boat out of the hole I guarentee you on that I have buddys with the Z series one is a Z-9 w/250 pro xs and one with a Z-8 w/225 pro xs and they are slow coming out of the hole once on pad they are fast and smooth rideing though.

I think Nitro has made great strides in quality over the last few years. Their biggest obstacle is to overcome their past reputation as a cheaply made boat and to overcome the reality of poor resale value. This will come in time if they continue to improve, but it will take a while.

i heard issues with stress cracks in the 90s nitros; however, i have also heard that problem has long been resolved. the nitros also do have wood fiberglassed in them unlike the %100 composite boats. not saying this is a problem, but i would take a stab at those two things being the major price jab. heck, in my opinion i'm glad to see a quality boat for a realistic price. I hope they do make the rest squeal with their lower prices.

also, if you're braggin about your haul shot, you're gonna get SPANKED in the top end. thats just how props work. i run a chopper 29 on my norris craft and the haul shot sucks, but she'll dance on pad once its up to speed too. if i slap my 25 on, it'll dang near give you whiplash, but top speed is only in the upper 50s. depending on the lake, draw number, and spot i want to fish first depends on which prop comes out.

I looked at a lot of boats incuding the Z8, it was a very nice boat, I liked a lot about it , but ended up buying a Bass Cat Erya. Its your boat and your $$$ so your the only one that needs to be happy.

Oh and I will take that bet!! lol

I have a 2005 Nitro 750. I've had it for almost four years. The boat actually rides pretty good for a short boat, better than a buddy's 17.5 foot Skeeter. My only complaint with Nitro is that I've had to upgrade everything on it. TM from 12v to 24v, upgrade to decent graphs and replace the trailer tires and all of the trailer boards on the trailer. I think they are good boats, but one of the reasons that we got them cheaper is that they stock the boats with the cheapest extras they can get away with. I mean the new Z8's and Z9's don't even have rod straps on the fronts deck unless you pay extra. JMO, not knocking the boats, I like mine, just think they could rig them with a little better standard package. And I don't know why anybody would look down on you at the ramp with a new Z8. Wish I had one.

Nitro's are best bought second hand. There you might find some of the better value choices when compared to the way the other big names hold thier value. And yes, I find it very annoying when you see what the sticker price includes on a Nitro's sitting on BPS floors. Is having bow electronics really an "option"? Or how about a 25 Tempest as "standard" on a 250 ProXS?

Sounds like you are trying to justify your purchase after the fact. In my opinion, it's your money and if you're happy, who really cares why someone else doesn't like it. You've already bought it and you can't take it back.

For me, when I finally upgrade, a Z8 is on my short list regardless of what the overall opinion is. As with anything else, people always want to justify what they spent money on to others which is why you get brand bashing on ANY brand.

Asking opinions about a boat after purchasing said boat seems a bit moot to me...?

My buddy and BIL both have a z8 w/ a 200 and that boat runs, huge front deck and tons of storage. No complaints, I really want s CDC.

I would love to have one. They ride great and I love the front deck. The only bad I can say about them is their resale value is lacking and it's my understanding the hull warranty is only good for the original owner. If your going to buy a new boat and keep it for a long period of time I would say they are probably the best bang for your buck.

Just don't think that the quality is there. There is a reason that they can charge so much less than the rest of the competitors. I don't think that it is to make less profit.

I guess maybe I am trying to justify somewhat,and sure it is moot at this point, but reguardless of any opinions on here I am happy with the boat and wouldn't take it back if I could. Maybe I'm just too sensitive when I come across the all remarks that seem to frequently pop up when the subject is brought up. I was just wondering if anyone had a legitimate beef with Nitro or it was just one brand bashing against another.