I am in the market for a new boat. I would like to hear pros/cons on the z-8 or the z-9. There is about a $20,000 difference between Nitro and the others. Thanks.

I have fished off my bil z7 and i was very impressed.

If you own a big name brand boat already and have equity in it "doooon't dooooo iiiiit" if you plan on trading up in a few years. I did that few year back, selling a Ranger and buying a Nitro. Let's just say it lightened my wallet quiet a bit......Nitro builds a good boat and are great value but the the boat market as a whole doesn't have much respect for that value and it is reflected in what folks are willing to pay for the Nitro a few years down the road....

I fished in a Z9 and was not impressed at all.

A bud of mine has a 2007 21ft Nitro w/225 Optimax with less than 50hrs. I have tryed to help him sell it. 23K and no lookers. In other words the resale is terrible.

Old perceptions, resale values are contingent on a lot of factors such as local economies,boat condition and so on. we have traded this year 5 or six prior Ranger/Skeeter owners out of their preceived top of the line boats into Nitros and every one is impressed with the boats and the $15,000.oo or so they saved. Large fishing decks, great styling, storage, rough water ride,economy and performance. Quality since 2007 has surpassed the others. The only true measurment of quality that is quantifiable is warranty claims which is hard numbers and not just opionas, or I heard, or my buddy comments.Warranty claims are almost non existant. These boats are as good or better than the others and represent huge value. Tracker/Nitro is the largest manufacture of this type of boat and has reduced it's production cost by acheiving greater economies of scale than the others and this cost reduction is passed along the end user . I'm sure that as time moves forward you will see a migration of Skeeter/Ranger owners into Nitros due to the value. As far as resale goes , I would rather have 15,000 in hand now than gamble on future values. Resale value is only a small percentage and would not come close to the original up front cost savings of the boat. Simple concepts such as The time value /present value of money come into play, given the nature of boats being a deprecating asset and not an investment.Nitros by far help people save money up front.

Resale value is a weak argument. Purchase price - resale = total cost of ownership. $15,ooo up front in hand or less borrowed most certainly can not be recovered in resale alone. $15,000 extra on a loan, cost more if the so called top of the line boat is financed. Interest expense has no value to me and adds up quick thus reduceing and resale savings that might be realized. I think that it boils down to old pre conceived individual ideas. Sort of the old FORD vs CHEVY rivals of the 1960's performance car wars. CASH ON THE BARREL HEAD UP FRONT GIVEN THE SAME QUALITY PRODUCT SHOULD BE A MAJOR CONSIDERATION.

Thanks guys. I sold my skeeter I class last year and I am getting boat fever. I looked and played with every boat manufacturer yesterday at the classic in Shreveport and I came away very impressed with nitro. There was a $20,000 difference and the nitro had a power pole, padded deck, more storage, and the upgraded electronics that I wanted. I can find very few complaints on the boats or the nitro service department which speaks volumes to me. I had horrible service experiences with my skeeter.

Good luck with the fever.

Dayne- WhAt did you not like?

Not to knock Gary but he is selling his own product. I have not looked at any new Nitros but a few years ago I looked and there was a huge difference in the quality compared to a ranger.

RangerP, I'm a Nitro dealer but if I could not justify the value argument I promise I would not.Posting here would be self destrutive if the argument could not be backed up. I think maybe next time your out and about stop and look at the Nitro with a critical eye and then provide specific items that don't meet the standard. I would like to know. $15,ooo to $20,ooo is a load of money and could be used for a lot of upgrades like power poles, lss1,hds 10 with cash left over. Just my 2 cents.

Ranger P is there $20,000 difference? There is not in my skeeter I class. What in your opinion are the drawbacks to the nitro if you dont mind sharing? Thanks again for all the input guys.

I do believe that you get what you pay for. I don't however know the quality of the new Nitros. Please don't mistake this as "bashing" them because I am not. From what I have heard others say that when you upgrade everything on them to bring them up to where the other manufactures are they are a lot closer in price. In my experience when I was looking for a boat a couple of years ago I looked at several used Nitros and the seats were already torn,carpet was worn, and one of them had alot of stress cracks on the whole nose of the boat. The salesman told me they were there because the last owner loaded the boat too hard and it happened when the bow eye would hit the roller. My dad works is in the fiberglass business and he told me it is from too much flex from thin glass. Also I talked to some fiberglass repair shops and asked what brand boats do they see the least and Ranger was at the top of that list.

What upgrades, these things need to be defined to quantify, ambiguity means nothing.Torn seats, bow damage tend to be owner induced. I also belive you get what you paid for but so far no one has justified the price delta. Used boats are just that... did prior owner keep it covered, or garaged, stand in the seats with out regard.All contingent, owner variables. Come on guys these negitive comments are a simple hear say. Thin fiberglass.. come on .No such condition exist. I own and drive several 100 plus mph, gps boats and it's not uncommon to get gel coat crazing due to wave impacts or torque twist of the hull under power...300 hp on a 500 lbs hull. ck the weight of all of the boats and you will see. This is quantifiable. This is simple negitive preception. I own a Ranger/Skeeter ther fore I don't like the others.If you have $10,ooo or $20,ooo to burn go for it . It's your money. I talked to SOME fiberglass shops... give me a break, from what I have heard from others, PLEASE, STOP THE BULL S...RANGERP NOT TRYING TO BE A JERK BUT COME ON. Quantify the preceived preceptions with real measurable facts