You only live once so live it up! I'm gonna fish in style and and get wind burnt on the way to fishin hole!

I've never rode in a Nitro but I did look at them and was about to start the buying process on a Z7 when I found my Ranger. Nitro advertises lower prices but by the time you option them out with everything that comes standard on other boats, you are pretty close in price.

I'm happy with my purchase and I hope you are happy with yours.

I have a 2010 Z-7. A guy I fished with has a 2011 BassCat. We fished a tourney out of my boat (his was in the shop) and one of the best lines of all time was uttered, "why were you fishing out of a Pinto when you have a Cadillac in the garage".

I fish mine pretty hard and it's never given me a minute of trouble. With that being said, the issues I've had with are with the motorguide TM but most of those are self inflicted. I would never consider the Pinto's in the same category as a Cat, Skeeter or Ranger but they newer models aren't bad for the money.

I've found this to be true. The local BPS has a nice Z9 on the floor with a 250 ProXS. The sticker is like 44,995 or something. I'm not sure the what options are, but I know that didn't include any big ticket items like Side Imaging or Power Poles.

My old partner has a Z9. I'll give two thumbs up on the great ride and the huge front deck. Other than that, I do not like the boat. He takes care of his boat, it's in a AC shop when not in use. The chrome around the gauges have peeled off. Stress cracks all over! Carpet is pulling up in spots! Seats are already tearing! He is always fixing little things with it, items that Nitro cut corners on to save money.

I run a different brand boat that is 6 years older than his nitro. I fish my boat hard with a lot of hours on Texoma in the rough conditions and hot sun light. Cosmetically my boat is in a lot better condition.

I know it's been said already, but I wanted to confirm it--due to my own personal tour of the Nitro factory. The reason for the lower prices is because of lower personnel costs. They do indeed use monkeys, which they pay with keystone light and lucky strikes.

Seriously...they make entry-level, tournament-ready boats. And that's how they are advertised. You can buy them off the showroom and go fish. You can buy the upgrades if you want. Are there better boats? Who cares? Buy what you want. I have a 94 tracker 175. I put fish in the boat, and have a GREAT time doing it.

bought a Z-8 in august 2010, 225 merc. I fish fork 95% of the time and I run that boat like I stole it. only complaint is I knocked the letters off the first day I had it. other than that its a solid boat and for the price, $34282 out the door it was hard to beat. added hds 10 and 7 and a 101 minn kota, battery and I did change the charger, maybe another $5000 to $5500. Looked @ other rigs for way more money, but just couldn't see it.

OK, well I've read through most of the seven pages of post here and I'll put my .02 in. I've owned three bass boats in the last 16 years; a new 1996 Champion 186 till 2000, a 2006 Nitro 640LX from 2009 thru 2011 and currently a 2007 Ranger 188vs since June 2011. Fished the in between years out of my partners Cajun.

The Champion spoiled me with a great fishing platform and legendary handling. It did have its issues, mostly with wiring, but still an outstanding boat.

The 2006 Nitro was a good boat,just too small. No problems with the boat other than size and realizing it was a just not set up with the options I need. Too small of a trolling motor 12V vs. 24V, basic electronics and few options. My biggest issue was with the trailer, bunk boards rotting and lights constantly going out, bad trailer wire connections.

Well I did what we all do- I started upgrading and this is where I started noticing the shortfalls of the Nitro. As mentioned earlier wiring was confusing at best with no labels on anything. Posters have mentioned the finish of a Nitro, try replacing the 8ga 12v trolling motor wire with heavier wire for a 24v system, added a 24V Minn Kota 70lb. You'll have more fiberglass splinters than you can count. The fiberglass where the trolling motor mounts is no thicker than the rest of the top cap, I reinforced it with alluminum angle to beef it up. Needless to say after this and other upgrades it still wasn't what I was looking for and after the upgrades I still couldn't sell it for what I wanted. I paid $10,000 for it in Jan. 2009 and after over $2,000 in upgrades I ended up only getting $6,500 for it.

So last year I started boat shopping and have to admit the Nitro Z7 was at the top of my list mainly because of advertized price. That was until I started pricing upgrades; I immediately noticed on the Z7 that once you start adding the features most of us would like; bigger trolling motor, 3 bank charger, better graphs and/or side imaging, SmartCraft,keel protector, boat cover, etc. the price jumps dramitically and quickly. All said and done I was looking somewhere in the $36k-$37k range.

So I started looking at other brands and decided that I really wanted a Ranger and started looking at the new Z118. Without listing everything out I'll just say that with all the options listed above I was in the $39k-$40k range. Hmmm, to me it was a no brainer.

I know your probably saying that "you bought a used '07 Ranger 188 and not the NEW Z118" Yep, my next point. I bought a used 2007 188vs with all the options: dual console, HDS 7 two HDS 5's, Hamby, trailerable boat cover, Smart Craft, 3 bank charger, and lets not forget the Ranger trailer all for 20K, found several cheaper since though.

The same week I bought the Ranger a buddy of mine did buy a brand new Z7. Nice boat, fast, lots of room, beautiful boat, just a great fishing platform.

Just a few observations: Comparing the entry level '06 Nitro to the 2011 Z7 they have obviously changed the way they build the boats, its getting better. However I do think the Ranger is better constructed boat with more attention to detail than Nitro. The two things that I believe that really set them apart are: the trailer and resale value.

First: In my humble opinion I believe the Ranger trailer is second to none and its not an upgrade, its just thier standard. LED lighting, fold away tongue, back up lights, brakes, Road Armour finish. Our boats will spend way more time on the trailer and being towed than they ever will in the water.

Second: Resale value, I believe as most do that Ranger will hold its resale value much better than a Nitro.

I am not here trying to say that Ranger is the best either, I am just giving my opinion based on my expierence with both boats. There is no doubt in my mind that Skeeter, Triton, Legend, Stratos Elite, and several more that I'm forgetting make an excelent boat. I will add that I've paid attention to the old boats I've noticed out fishing and they are almost always Ranger, Skeeter, and Champion. That tells me these manufactures must have done something right.

Is he happy with his new Nitro Z7? Yes! Am I happy with my used Ranger 188? YES! They are both good boats, buy what you like, buy what you can afford and just fish. The fish do not care.

Since everyone seems to be so worried about having the best of the best, why are there so many toyotas at the boat ramps? Sorry off topic

I have fished from a few and they all have been good boats, never owned one, but the fish-ability is good in my opinion.

******SKEETER******

Here's a question you may ask yourself about any boat manufacturer: Do they put a small engine on the back so the upfront price is appealing? If so, what else to they skimp on to get a good price point? They might be good boats, but I'll never trust a dealer that does the shell game with motors, electronics and other necessities just so the sticker price looks good.

Resale is terrible on nitro.

I Love My 2010 Nitro Z-7

Nicely said srasb.