Another unsolicited customer testimonial. nel75929, glad to hear from you. if I can ever help call me .Gary Pender 512 250 9000

One of the keys to be successful in any kind of business is continuous improvement. Though not perfect, I would say Nitro has improved more in the last few years than almost any other boat company. I think it shows a commitment on their part to quality and hopefully they will continue with the program.

HasBen, thanks for your input and I know that it,s valued.

Thanks for the info. Nel and hasben

Ok, I've asked for details regarding what you get for $15000/$20000 MORE from Skeeter and Ranger but no one has provided anything . Nitro has improved and has held sales prices down while the others have had a decress in quailty and incress in price. I look at all of these boats daily and I'll tell you there is no differance.

Ok, we get it, you sell Nitros. If anyone will listen to someone who makes a living selling a particular item without realizing they might be just a bit biased.......go right on ahead, it doesnt effect me.

The fact of the matter is that, if for some reason, Tracker let you go you would move on & work for a Ranget/triton/stratos/skeeter/etc. dealer & your story would change just like EVERY other dealer.

Years ago I owned a Nitro TF185 I bought the boat used and it never left me stranded on the water. I am back in the market for another boat looked at a lot of the manufactures at the Dallas boat show. Now granted I am by far no expert on bass boats but when I seen a Skeeter with a m.s.r.p. of over 81,000.00 I almost hit the ground never did I think I would see a bass boat cost more than half of what my house did. Went to the Nitro dealer in S.Ft.Worth and looked at all the Z series except for the Z-6, I was very impressed with what I saw in the Nitro compared to my last one huge differe nce from then and now. Honestly what has Ranger changed in the past 10 to 20 years there storage isn't as big as Nitro leg room under there console isn't as deep as Nitro but bottom line is everyone likes something different its personal preference. If you can afford and wants to spend 80,000.00 on a bass boat drop the money but like myself I can't. But if I do buy a new boat it will probably be a Nitro. If you like ranger buy a ranger if you like skeeter by all means by a skeeter if you like Nitro buy Nitro most people have a budget on what they can spend on a boat so buy what you can afford and enjoy it the fish can't read what's on the side of the boat. Bottom line is have fun ripping lips and telling the stories about the one that got away and if any of you do get fish jumping into your boat because of who made it please let me know because that will be the one I buy.

Best Regards,
Fishfear_Me
Bass Fishing Rodeo Clown

Studying this, I really don't see the savings when you add freight prep, charges and then option up the Z9 to meet the what is on a compatible ZX Skeeter, The Z9 comes in @$43,815. I've been told by someone who just bought a new ZX Skeeter that you can get a new 20 ft model priced in the lower to mid $40k range. I crunched the numbers on the Z7 versus its Skeeter counter part and come up with the same thing. I haven't done this with a Ranger or any other brand of boat, but a I bet their are others out there that can compete in this price range just as easy, my two cents.....


Here's something else to consider when buying a new rig.......
http://skeeterboats.com/my_boat/

What Skeeter says about their construction....Can a Nitro do this?
http://skeeterboats.com/buying_guide/skeeter_innovation/freshwater/design/


Nitro's warranty...
http://nitroboats.com/about/NITRO_Z-Series_Warranty.PDF


What Nitro says about their construction....
http://nitroboats.com/about/quality-and-construction.cfm

E8C-ENG, I work because I enjoy it not because I have to. Having retired once and fishing ,boating and traveling for 3 years I decided to go back to work doing something I enjoy.

To get on here and make statements about our product that are not true would be self destrutive and I'm not motivated to speak about these boats because of my employ. And by the way ,I'm not a salesman and if I had to work to sustain myself I would rather sell Rangers/Skeeters because of there high gross margines, because the commisions you guys are paying to the dealers are off the charts.

Ogles- I agree about skeeters. I am coming out of a skeeter 20i and I absolutely loved it. I would not be having this conversation if not for one big thing..SERVICE DEPARTMENT. I had a terrible experience at a dealership that is supposed to be the flagship of skeeter dealers. I had my skeeter for 4 years and in that time span they went through 6 service managers. I had serveral problems with them and the last time I took my boat there it sat outside for 4 weeks and when I went to pick it up several pieces of equipment were missing. All they did was say "sorry" and "goodbye". Because of their service department they lost a customer for life. My decision is solely Ranger vs. Nitro.

I've been there with a Nitro dealer too. Had chip where the transom meets the keel and took it back to get it fixed. They farmed it out to a local fiberglass shop. The boat was gone for 3 months. Every 2 weeks I would call about it and they would tell me it wasn't ready. One day I got a mechanics lean notice on my boat from the fiberglass shop saying they were going to seize it if I didn't pay the bill. The shop told me the boat was ready for me to pick up 2 or 3 days after they got it and it sat there almost 3 months......This dealer is no longer in business....If you want to buy a Nitro I understand fully. I'd still look at the other brands a lot closer first.

As much as I hate to, I have to agree with Gary Ponder here. five years or more ago Nitro was what I felt trash. Today however they are very nice and well made boats (BTW I own a Ranger). I have looked at several brands of new boats this year and while yes Ranger, legend, phenoix and basscat may have just a hair more fit and finish, Nitro is right there with them and at least as good as Stratos, skeeter and some others. It is also true you can get a Nitro with HDS units, Powerpole/talon and all the other stuff that the others have for no less than 10K less than the other boat with the exact same options.

Not sure if I want to jump in but here goes.... I've owned several different boats over the years From Stratos, Champions, Rangers and Tritons. I would say my Tritons have been the best boats I've owned, but then again it's a personnal choice after owning the different brands. My last Ranger came from the factory new with scrathes and scapes and the carpet didnt fit correctly. Boat had to be sent back to factory to be fixed. Took 4 months before i got the boat back and it was new to start with. Thats was my last Ranger. My last 4 boats have been Tritons with no problems, great boats IMO. Sold my boat 2 years ago and now I'm purchasing a new boat. The dealer I purchased my tritons from was one of the largest dealers of Tritons in the US switched to Nitros in 2010. As he stated, he thinks your so called name brand boats are pricing themselves out of the market for your everyday fisherman. We priced out a new Z9 veres the samesize boat in Tritons line and there was a 21K difference in the boats. Why? Dont have a answer.
Here's how I looked at this process.... You take boat Brands A to Z, they ALL use the same after market manufractors for their Outboards, Trolling motors, Electronics, Hyd steering, Gauges, Batterys and Chargers, Blinker trim, Hootfoots and even the trailers they ride on are similar or the same. What your left with is your fishing platform, all similar in layout. Platform front and rear, livewells etc.... If you check out their construction you will find that 2010 Nitro has upgraded their construction and meterials. They use the same grade marine carpet on their decks, same fiberglass materials for the hulls and caps ect... Nitros has contiuned to improve their materials and quality of their boats to the point where they and coming up to the same quality of those Brands A to Z and is much better than most. Now, it's a personal choice, if you want to spend that extra 20 to 30K more for a boat, your choice. Myself, I can spend the 60 to 80K on one of those brands, am i going to, hell no, makes no sense, dont see the reason. Can buy a quality Nitro that will be a execellent boat for my needs and i dont have to take out a 15 year loan to pay for it. With all my past boats and after my research my next boat will be a Z9, with money left over in the bank. Personal choice, thats why there so many choices for everyone.

Service is a key component in the buying decision. I've heard all of the poor service stories . A service experiance good or bad is a result of just two components. People and or process.If a dealer is commited to sustained business growth he/she will hire,train,motivate his staff and reward them accordinly. Someone said something about six service managers in a short period of time. Yes, this distroys the customers experiance and is typicaly a sign of poor business practices. I live by the rule that the most important decision I make as a manager is who I hire. Why would you hire someone that does not support sustained growth? I've been in my service manager position for just under 3 years and had no service management experiance prior, however had a lot of management experiance and high performance outboard experiance. Our store has developed lasting long term relationships with our customers who will not go any where else. Service sells boats. So if you are considering a new boat, price and service are the primary considerations. Nitro has improved and is listening to their customers. My question is why would you defend poor survice and pay $2oK more. Tracker Marine Austin Tx. will not dis apoint you. SERVICE WHILE YOU WATCH NOT WAIT. ALL 2/5 YEAR OLD BOATS CLEANED BEFORE YOU PICK THEM UP. Gary Pender 512 250 9000. One more comment, my service department has had no personnel changes in 2 years except that we hired a rigger who has completed Mercury University and will be certified as a tech. and is being promoted to a tech. position. WE ARE LOOKING TO ADD A NEW RIGGER, WHO WILL BE GIVEN THE SAME OPPORTUNITY. Our store has had double didget increases in service and parts sales inspite of gas prices, historic droughts for 3 years. We must be doing something right given that dealers are dropping off the radar daily.

I went to BPS Garland today and looked at these boats again. I opened every compartment on a Z6 and looked at the fit a finish and everything seemed to be in order for a good boat. I was even able to feel the fiberglass construction inside the hull, I pushed on it with my hand outside the hull in the same spot and it felt plenty thick and solid. I do agree that other boats do cost $10k to $20k more but if you look closer, the same people that build these boats also often build boat that can go toe to toe with a Nitro, price wise and in every other catagory. It's all in what flavor you want. These high end boats aren't built for working stiffs like me, but for the guy that owns the construction company or landscape business, etc. that has been very successful that is going to go out and pay cash for a premium boat like the Commanche Ranger or Skeeter FX class as a reward to himself for that success. I got this directly from a Skeeter factory rep. Skeeter builds the ZX and TZX class boats for guys like me, Ranger does the same with the Z100 series boats. Tracker/Nitro builds a good boat but they have always marketed their boats with a lowball price that always ends up costing quiet a bit more than the advertised price by the time you factor in prep and destination fees and a hand full of add ons. In the end it really boils down to what you want, what is visually appealing to you......That little Z6 really got under my skin this afternoon, it was in my favorite color combination in a Nitro. It sure was hard to walk away from it, but I knew I had to. I'm paying for college right now and need to pay off a few more things before I jump.