Is there a difference in ride between a Skeeter and Ranger?

I would like to hear from guys who have ridden in both a Skeeter and a Ranger. I have owned a Ranger, so I know what the ride is like. Does a skeeter have the same smooth ride? They are both really nice boats with great features. I am wondering if the skeeter gives a dry ride in rough water? Does it beat you up or does is feel like you are riding on a cloud of cotton like in the Ranger? Thanks for your help.

Skeeter rides better than a ranger, ranger fishes better than skeeter. In my opinion. That's FX vs 520/521C. Skeeter is smoother and drier.

I have spent a lot of time in both Skeeter and Rangers. Owner the 24" Skeeter Bay and was a great boat. Spent a lot of time in various boat brands. I found that Nautic Star gives a very similar ride to both, but at a better price.

The age old debate.... Skeeter and Ranger are both great boats. To me there isn't a boat out there that will ride like a dream in super rough water. (In real rough water you're going to get bounced around a little and a good chance you may get wet on any boat) Now in choppy to rough water the Skeeters and Rangers are on the same field. Both have a good ride, both will keep you dry etc. Bass boats aren't really intended nor made for rough water that's why the northerners run the lunds, trackers, and othe v bottom deeper hulled boats.

When it comes to the bass boats, ranger, skeeter, bass cat, Phoenix etc...... They are all good boats with their pros and cons.

they both are exactly the same.

Thank you for your opinions. Looks like I need to take a ride in a Skeeter.

Skeeter is a good boat, if you ride in a skeeter and are disappointed then you are hard to please.

Sir! Yeah! go ahead and ride in both of'um, after that get yourself a ride in a Basscat. If you're considering a 20' boat then a Cougar or Puma would be your choice, then think about it!!
Good Luck,
Chuck

Depends on the driver.

Quality of construction would be most important I think. Before Tracker Marine acquired Ranger Boats they were probably the best constructed bass boat of all. Hand laid mat glass and a solid glass transom that was virtually indestructible. No chopper gun(chopped glass) made boats for me. As for ride, there probably is no difference since the hull shape is close to the same. The bean counters at Tracker Marine will probably change some things on the Ranger boats kinda like they did with all of the aluminum boat companies the have acquired by using thinner .090 aluminum instead of .125 thickness that the original mfgs used like Fisher and others. Jury is still out here.
If I wuz getting a Ranger, I might be looking at one made before Tracker's acquisition. Unless Skeeter has changed their construction over the years they are no where near as well made as the old Ranger heavy sleds. JMHO, no warranty implied

So Tracker has not changed the boat but they are not as good as quality as they were before Tracker purchased Ranger? Did I follow that correctly? Cause that is how it reads.

What boat hulls are made with a chopper gun? (A discussion that has been made here many times and on many forums. Yes it is a rhetorical question.)

I didn't say Tracker had changed the Ranger boat construction but I did imply that the bean counters may at some point do so just like they have done with all the aluminum boat mfgs they bought out. Every big mfg has their bean counters doing what they do to make the stock holder more money many times at the expense of quality. Can we say Harley Davidson and AMF?
As for shopped glass boats, I don't know of any specific brands using 100% chop off hand but know they do exist. Some are only partially made with the chopper gun. The basic hull may be mat glass and then the rest of the construction assembly put together with the chopper gun. Chopped glass construction is much faster and cheaper and can reach hard to get to spots. I think all of the boat mfgs may use a chopper gun to some extent. The question is how much.

They are both good boats. Owned both went with Ranger the last time and haven't looked back. It's all what you want in a boat and what you want to pay for. That being said I believe it comes down to the driver as far as a dry ride and the speed you are going!

Bass cat is a good boat but does not ride as good as good as a skeeter or ranger.

Unless you're just sold on a Ranger or Skeeter, you'll want to ride in a Phoenix. I'm an ex-Skeeter driver and they do make a good boat but I made the swap to Phoenix and never looked back.

I believe the Ranger is a far better ride not only in rough water but sitting still and fishing out of it. I have a 06-Champion and definitely prefer it over any other. I spend more time still than riding around in choppy water so I prefer comfort sitting first.

I fish in west texas where wind is always a factor. That being said, the ranger will trim down and get through rough water with less bounce, my skeeter I-class will do fine but the ranger is more solid. The fishing platform on the skeeter is the best on the market in the calm or in the waves. Both are dry fishing machines and you will be satisfied with your decision either way. If you know someone who can coach you somewhat on either brand in rough water it will be a tremendous advantage in your learning curve and let you concentrate on catching fish safely. Whatever you decide do not let our brand bias get to you but once you get on board with the ranger or the bug then you are expected to aggressively get on board with our bias, haha!!! good luck

A subject of a lot of debate and personal likes and dislikes. The real test is for you to get in one or the other regardless of the brand and "Check'um Out" as they say!!

Chuck

Whoever said that it depends on who's driving made a valid point. Also, the two brands have run different hull designs; if you're talking used boats there may be a difference in the models. Some of the older Skeeters were very loose-handling boats that could never boast of a soft (or dry) ride, but as the brand evolved the hulls got a lot better. You'll find folks loyal to both brands, and realistically, I imagine you'd be happy with either one. But the best hull design out there won't achieve its potential with a driver who doesn't know the boat and how to drive it.

No boat rides like a champion and I'm a skeeter owner.

Except skeeter, ranger and legend and I'm a former champion owner who thinks a lot of the champion boats.

Ranger breaks waves differently then a Skeeter. Each hull has a wave they do well in, and a wave pattern they don't do so well in. Pretty much true for all boats these days.

I think the Ranger hull design may be a knock off of the old Sidewinder boats, one of the smoothest most stable sport boats back in the 60's and 70's. Sidewinder had over 20 law suits against other boat MFGs for patent infringements of their hull design. Not to worry now since Sidewinder is no more. Anybody who's ever rode in an old Sidewinder low profile knows how good they were and fast too.

My '94 bass cat pantera 2 is a more comfortable and drier ride than my partners 2010 Ranger 521. This is after being in both of these boats over 30 times each.

The boat that I run right now rides as good as any I have been in, that is not at all the selling point to me, the way a boat is laid out, fit and finish and how the boat fishes are all more important to me, I think a Ranger is at the top along with a few more that fit into this category, in other words, the total package, the two boats mentioned ride about the same imo.

To me they are pretty close to the same

A lot has to do with how each is driven.

Thanks again for your comments. Y'all gave me a few more ideas of what to look at before making a decision. I appreciate your help.

Couple of friends have Skeeter FX 20's & I have a Ranger 521. I have spent many hours in each and some of that time traveling way too many miles on Falcon in some uncomfortably rough water. I can tell you for sure that from a ride standpoint I honestly can't say that one rides noticeably smoother than the other in rough water. Neither is what I would consider "the smoothest/driest rough water ride" but I rate both very good. You didn't ask for input on other brands so I won't throw other names into the mix(novel concept). I will say that from a performance standpoint the Skeeter feels more responsive("sportier") from a handling standpoint and the Ranger feels better as a fishing platform. I use the word "feel" because most of these comparisons come down to simple opinions anyway. Not things you can rate with a radar gun or a measuring tape. Also, comparisons between the FX & the 521 always come down to splitting hairs for me. Both great "high end" brands with compairitivly fair resale(no such thing as GOOD resale if we are talking new). I love both brands. Good luck w/your decision.

I think both are top of the line in quality. Like 361V said, go with personal preference. You can't lose with either of these. Go with what you like the best.

I will throw out a name. Champion IMO is a notch below in quality in comparison to Skeeter and Ranger. But if you are looking for the smoothest ride you might take one for a test drive. A notch below in quality isn't a knock on them at all. They are still fine boats. Just sayin they are not quite on the level of Ranger and Skeeter. But they handle great, and take the rough water awesome. I spent the day in one fishing a tournament on Texoma. I was dreading it because the lake was rough and I have disc issues in my back. The guy I was with had his Champion rigged with a hot foot and tilt and trim on the steering wheel. And he knew what he was doing. He drove the heck out of it all day. I was very impressed with that boat. It handled great and didn't jar my fillings out and I didn't have to go see the chiropractor afterwards.

Length of boat has a lot to do with the ride in rough water.

Look at the trailers. Rangertrail is head and shoulders above a Skeeter trailer. You can't go fishing if you can't get to the lake. LOL

Please call Monte at Fun n Sun Boats and Tackle and take a ride in a Skeeter. Because they are different boats and they are not built the same. For example: The widest part of a skeeter is at the console, not at the back corners like other boats are; Skeeter has stringer system that include 3/8" aircraft aluminum all the way into the transom. That will allow the boat to be suspended in air by the transom only. Skeeter is faster. These are all facts that can be proven by going over the boat with Monte. Take the Demo ride! If you don't like it, at least you gave yourself a chance to look at the boat and see for yourself. I have had 5 Rangers(won one), 4 Champions, 1 Triton and 10 Skeeters. I know a little bit about these boats and each one of them has something I like. A Skeeter just has more things about it I like and suits me better. I hope this helps.

I've had 2 Skeeters, 2 Rangers and a Bass Cat and the Kitty Cat rides better than either Ranger or Skeeter, IMO.

I really could care less about which boat you can drive and have a cup of coffee in while running wide open, any 20 foot plus bass boat will ride just fine, layout and the way they fish is number one,

It really doesn't matter which brand you buy. If you strap a ayeti cooler on it it will be the best boat on the lake!

Skeeter hands down. Riden in all of them and driven by the guys on the FLW Tour.

Skeeter is the only one you can relax and not do "crunches" in all day long.

The Ranger ride costs about 15-20% more..

Somebody said something about a Champion ride better than a Ranger. I am a Champ owner and a previous Ranger owner. Love my champ but it is not the rough water boat my Ranger was. It is all in the way you drive the boat, pure and simple! All of the top brand boats are good. You can run faster trimmed into oncoming waves but trying to run too fast with following seas can get scary. Here at Texoma the lake can get just like the ocean and no bassboat will ride very good.

Just a little different perspective from my point of view:

When your young and fearless you want a mega fast boat with all the goodies, maybe a skeeter or even a bullet, with a 500hp outboard, later in life, you decide that there are more important things, like customer service, fit and finish, so you purchase a top of the line basscat, years later after being a successful businessman and uphold your financial status, you purchase a top of the line ranger, with 400.00 reels,and 300.00 rods. Now closer to retirement, and with the stock market in chaos, you decide that basspro shop brands are just as good as your previous 700.00 setups, and with a bad back,loose dentures,kidney problems and a case of hemorrhoids, from riding in all your previous bass boats, after talking with your buddies you find out that Champion is no longer made,you say screw it all sell everything,buy a bay boat and start fishing for Sandbass.

IMO,with the way boat technology is nowadays,and if you compare the right models,there is really not a whole lot of difference,it will boil down to how well u can DRIVE a boat. Go out and test drive as many as u can,what you plan on doing with the boat, storage will be important, customer service,and how the company stands behind there product, then decide. Once you purchase your dream boat,take the time to learn how to drive it correctly,that alone will greatly improve the performance.

Good luck with whatever you decide

.........so by your logic...... A John boat with a good trailer is going to out do a new skeeter as long as it has a better trailer? Great concept.

Absolutely agree, of the major brands I've been in basscat was by far the roughest, but was also the fastest, its a trade off.

Not what I said at all. Look at the difference in the trailers as this is how you get a boat to the lake. Nobody builds a trailer as good as a RangerTrail. Nobody. That should have some weight when deciding on which brand you buy. Cheap trailers break down more often than well built trailers so If you can't get to the lake because your Skeeter trailer is broke then I guess a Jon Boat would outfish a Skeeter.

Jimmy is right you can't beat a Ranger for quality,IMHO

&amp

If you're spending that much time enjoying the riding....you aren't fishing enough! Buy the boat that fishes the best.

With skeeter your stuck with a SHO. That can cost you time off the water

As it is with so many things. It is not necessarily the chopper gun that is the problem but the operator. I ordered a Ranger from the factory in 1985 and it has been used and abused for close to 30 years. It will turn 30 in November and is still on the water with no cracks or leaks. I picked it up the day before Thanksgiving in 1985. It is a chopper gun boat. The only problem that I know of is the hulls can be heavier.

actually, when you have a gf/wife, it makes a huge difference how comfortable it rides. if she likes the ride, she's more apt to go with you. hard to get mad at you fishing if she is there with you.

you can hear a skeeter from across the lake

Having owned all three, I would seriously disagree with the above. It sounds to me like you guys rode with someone who didn't know how to handle his boat.

I rode with myself and I'm the best captian they is......... Just ask me and I'll tell ya.

I believe that when Jonny Morris purchased the ranger boat group he left ALL the current people managers and associates in place and currently NO plans to change the construction or quality of their boats. What he did do is used the hull design from the Triton 21 foot class boat for Nitros new 21VS bass boat. Nitro has had the best selling bass boat 20 foot and under for the past few years, now he's using the Triton hulls to get into 21 plus boats with Nitro. Mr Morris is a very business smart individual and I don't believe he'd change anything to harm the current sales of ranger boats. He just now owns 70 percent of the boat sold.
Just my feelings...and the feelings of individuals in the industry that I've talked to...

That's like saying skeeter or ranger or bass cat are bad boats because a motor blown....... You wouldn't hear a skeeter across the lake over the motor on the back of said skeeter. The same motors they put on Rangers.

A ford and Chevy argument, if a guy or girl is in the market the only good thing they can do for themselves is to get in whatever boat that appeals to them, run it, and make up their own mind.

I rode in a 2013 Cougar FTD with the guy you bought your boat from on little old Lake Houston. It was the worst riding boat I have ever been in. After that ride I took Basscat off the list, I would never own one.