I am interested in an 18-19 footer with at least 200 horsepower for my retirement gift to myself. I like Ranger 518,Legend 191, Basscat pantera II, and Skeeter ZX 200. I am considering ride, comfort, fishability, and resale.
I don't fish major tournament trails and fish mostly on weekends and occasional local open tournaments and club tournaments. I am almost 60 years old and don't have plans to go pro! LOL!
I am aware that big boats ride smoother and Champion 203's are the smoothest, but I am not willing to spend that much on a boat.
Which boat should I buy and why?

Ranger.

Don't get mad at me, but it's the brand most retired guys go with.

Great fishing platform, stable, and probably has the best resale.

yep

Hmmm, I imagine that legends gonna ride the best, which is good for a old guy. But then again your retired. You can just go on the nice days.



Skeeter

I bought my 518 w/ a 200 Optimax in '99 and have yet to see a boat that can compete with it when all things are considered. I'm 59, retired since '04, and have been happy with it since day one. It'll fish 3 people easily yet is a dream come true for me by myself. I almost get tired of people asking if I want to sell it. I recently upgraded the electronics and trolling motor and plan to keep it forever. If the engine ever dies, I'll replace it, not the boat.

I love my Stroker. Light weight and fishes very well. Good in rough water (fish Amistad a lot) and still kinda fast. The 300xs gets great fuel milage at part throttle.
69 is not too old for speed.
old bob

From your choices, Id go with the Cat. Quality construction throughout. You can find a 3-4 year old Panterra at a very fair price and save yourself a ton of $$$$$$.

P.S. I don't own one, but have fished out of every boat you have listed.

Good luck, enjoy your retirement.

I love my 518 !!!, and my next boat will be another new 518... but if they're not making them anymore by then I'll just re-power this one, I like to keep my rig in the garage and it fit's nicely in a standard garage...it's fast enough with the 200 and will handle all the rough water I care to be in and it fishes great when on the trolling motor and there is plenty of storage...if you want/like 18 footer's - get one you won't regret it...just my two cent's.

You are concerned with "resale" value and "not willing to spend that much on a boat." Be,economically,smart and keep the boat you have.

I'm 67, retired two years ago and bought the Gambler you see here. It has a 200 on it and will run plenty fast for me. It is a 20'6" and has a deck that you could hold a dance on.

My dad is 64 and loves the layout of my skeeter. They boxes have plenty of room for all of his "stuff" and the floor collier keeps all of his "snacks" cold. The front deck is plenty big enough for two people to fish and a zx with a 200 will move on pretty well. The skeeter would in my opinion be the best all around boat. Then again, this is just my opinion. Good luck to ya and enjoy whatever you get to the fullest. Congrats on the retirement.. I only have 50 more years to go.

I would go with the legend because i have been in a 191 with a 200 merc pro xs and i can honestly say that after owning a 21 foot boat for years i would own a 191 any day. That boat handled rough lake conroe great and felt like a sports car doing it. I loved the center rod locker and the layout of the boat.

If you dont go with the Legend then i would go bass cat. The quality of the family owned boats will always be better then the others.

I love the fact that there are people that have actually retired before the age of 100, LOL! I hope that possibility still exists by the time I reach the age. I'm not quite 40 and can't imagine having to run this corporate rat race for another 20 years!

Enjoy your boat whatever it is. Please post pics so I have something to keep working for!!!

IMO, Skeeter or Ranger. The Legend, Champion, and Basscat have to much side to side movement.. I guess what I mean is a little less stable of a fishing platform. I dont know if thats from a more narrow beam or just the deeper "V" in the hull those other boats feature... what I know for sure is that having been on each of those brands in the 18-19ft length, the Skeeter and Ranger are WAY more stable.

Skeeter - I love the hull design and control. Some 2011 ZX200's are still in stock if you look around. The 200 SHO gets really good gas mileage. I'm not sure how much better but it seems to be around 30% more than the V2. 5 year warranty on the SHO with opt for 6th year at purchase.