Ah, ok. Thanks. Man, that's a tough commute.

Two weeks on on Two weeks off, Greatest job in the world

Ok, so I read more again today and STILL have not seen anyone list a fact about Nitro's inferior construction. I too believe there must be something.....just still looking for someone who knows.

I just got a Z6 a few months ago. I love it.

Ok I was going to buy a Nitro. I went and looked at a two year old boat that the local dealership had for sale. The whole front of the the boat was spider cracked. I asked the salesman why this was and he told me that the previous owner loaded it up too hard and that caused the cracks in the gel coat. My dad works.in a fiberglass shop and he told me that it is from thin and weak or thin glass that is flexing too much. There were also multiple cracks throughout the boat. The seats had already started coming apart as well. This is why I have formed my opinion on the Nitro brand.

If you want to buy the KIA of Bass Boats go ahead and buy you a Nitro.

thank goodness!!! thanks for giving a legit problem on a nitro! stress cracks were definitely common in the 90s models, i wasn't sure if that problem was resolved or not.

but here's an idea, how about you all state what is wrong with your rigs? eh? i know this isn't going to work, but seriously why not! if you own a ranger/basscat/legend/skeeter etc, what issues do you have with owning your boat? saying your boat is perfect is BS in this too. if you haven't had some issue, you either don't use it or its brand new. so lets hear it! if you own a boat that is <10yrs old, bought it when it was fairly new, and have actually taken decent care of it, what are some issues you've had?

More vague statements. I'm not protecting "my brand". I own a Triton and it's been flawless since the day my dad bought it new 14 years ago. It just bugs me when people make baseless statements to bash a boat brand. I have no affiliation with Nitro and don't own one or know anybody who does. But then again, I'm not making baseless statements about Nitro either.

I think Nitro's are great. I love all the differiant color choices Nitro offers. Also, the glove box isn't too big. I hate my BassCat glove box because I always loose stuff in it.

Wish my nitro would plane alittle faster,but other than that no complaints.

I dont agree with that at all. I have rode in all brands and the nitro is the best ride of any.

OK, I drive a 2008 Z9 so I will offer some input here. I am fairly unbiased and these are my observations:

It's a heavy rig. The hull is 300lbs heavier than a FX21 or a Z520 (I just looked it up) The overall package weight is 4100lbs according to the Nitro website and I bet this is before gas, batteries, gear, etc. I would bet that it is closer to 4500-4700lbs rolling down the highway. It takes a toll on the gas mileage. I have no idea why they are so heavy.

The good news is that equals a very solid ride in rough water.

People talk about the the fit and finish, but don't go into details, I will for a minute. Your 2011 Z8 probably doesn't have any of these issues that my 2008 Z9 has, Tracker Marine Group has made great strides in the last several years on these things. However there is considerable heartburn and brand damage because it took them so long to finally start making changes. For example wiring, look under my dash and its like a drunk monkey wired it. You can't tell what anything is other than just a big ball or wires zip tied together. Not the mention the wire is the smallest gauge they could get away with. This leads to electrical gremlins that are almost impossible to troubleshoot without a complete rewire. Everytime I start the motor the HDS8 reboots. Fun stuff like that.

Second point on fit and finish is the engine compartment, not saying it's bad, but it just doesn't compare the quality and layout of other boats I have seen. Plastic battery trays that are held in place by dry wall screws, battery layout and placement that was never designed for a 36V system, little stuff like that.

The pro's are the storage and fishability. The front deck has it's own area code and the storage is second to none. The Guardian livewells are HUGE. It's fast, easily 86-72 tournament loaded with the 250XS. Hole shot does suffer when it's loaded and full livewells.

Overall it's a great boat, but when you load them up like mine is (36v Foretrex, HDS8, HDS7, and all the bells and whistles) it's a 53K boat. For that price you have to compare it to the other mid 50's rigs and the above issues come into play.

However at 38K it's a freekin steal, so enjoy!

i agree with Grnhead. it was his first boat and he asked me all kinds of questions about them and i told him all the bad things i had heard. he bought it anyways and it changed my mind. I have a champion that is 19'6'' feet long, his is 18 and has more casting deck on front and back and more storage. i looked at little things like wiring and finish and it all looked really good to me. again it is what you can afford. being a teacher and coach, i don't make the bigs bucks and may never be able to afford a new boat of any kind ever, but if it ever happens the nitro will be the only one i can afford. i think all boats are nice and they all have their ups and downs. i have 3 friends with new rangers and the complain about space, but compared to what i have, would love to have theirs. same with used, i don't think brand has as much to do with it as how well taken care of it is. seen some high dollar boats that have leaks and things of that nature. you have a new nitro, and there are lots of people who have new nothings, so who cares.

my BIL's new boat, didn't put that in there.

My last boat was a Nitro I bought new in 95 a 180 TF with an XR6 150 Merc, I had owned Rangers up until that point, but marriage and raising a family made buying a new Ranger unrealistic.
The Pros first:
The best riding boat I had ever been in, great holeshot, plenty of storage, huge casting deck, fit and finish were more than I expected for the price.
The Cons or shall I say Con: When I got ready to sell it I realized that I had thrown away all the equity that I had built up in my other boats, that allowed me to trade on regular basis. I don't know if this is still the case but if you trade regularly, make sure that if you buy a Nitro that it will hold it's value as good as one of the big 4 boat MFG's rigs, other wise as my dad would say, be prepared to "ride and grin for a while" if you finance it because the moment you sign the papers all the equity that you may have enjoyed that allowed you to trade regularly is going to vaporize right before your eyes if you have the experience I had....
That being said I haven't owned a boat in 11 years and one of the reasons is I lost my equity so I had nothing for a down payment to go to the next rig. I hope to get back in the game with in the next year and if I go "new" it may very well be in a Nitro. More than likely I will go used in a rig between 10 to 15k, finance it for the shortest term I can stand, and cash that in for a new rig down the road. Probably for a Skeeter or a Cat.