Legend dealers

Im on the market for a new boat and looking for a legend dealer in that actually has a decent stock of boats. I don’t mind traveling but every dealership I’ve found only has 1 maybe 2 boats. I’m taking my time buying and want to see different models side by side. I don’t shop well on the internet, and on top of that the legend website kinda sucks. Any info on how you legend guys buy boats would be appreciated.

You might want to look for another brand or buy a used legend. After Johnny Morris bought legend things aren’t looking good.

Bassboatcentral has good info

No way I’d be looking for a boat that has sagging deck problems and no dealerships left to take it to for warranty.

You might want to look at new chargers. Blake's boats in Corsicana or Sartin marine at fork.

If I was in the market for a new boat that would be one of the first places I would look. I've heard nothing but praise for them. Only concern would be how long to get one after you order it.

Legend = R.I.P.

Copied from Bass Boat Central on 07/18/2018:

Wow good to know. No wonder they haven’t sent me my catalog...hahaha.

RIP Legend. Sale of the company is old news actually. Another high end quality product that basically was going tits up in a brutally competitive market. I have a couple friends with Legends and they were top notch. Really liked them. Sales seemed brisk right from inception but there's clearly more than simply a good product with decent sales to survive in this market. Sold out to Triton for I'm guessing penny's on the dollar and got what they could from it. Purchased just to move the brand out of the way of competition? Lack of competition is rarely a win for the consumer.

Don’t think this is very accurate.

Legend sold out to Johnny Morris who owns Bass Pro, just like Ranger,Triton and others. I never heard about Legend being in financial trouble but that also doesn’t mean it’s not true either I guess.

Actually the vexus group tried to purchase legend but Johnny stepped in and paid up....

Best way to beat the competition? Kill it so there IS no competition!Too bad. I like Legend boats!!

Rumor has it that a group of folks at Fork is putting together a Legend owners bass tournament...

Yep, remember Spartan Atlantic, Treasure City, Gibsons, K-Mart ? Now you have Walmart. The bass boat business is even more competitive and we'll soon see has the biggest gonads. Right now Johnny Morris and Skeeter are the big dogs and are holding the rest accountable. Without dealers in the major markets it's gonna be a hard road for the rest. Few will drive 100 plus miles to buy and service a $75,000 boat. Oh I forgot, there's the $105,000 rig at Cabelas and who knows what the new Skeeter Apex will cost you.

Skeeter Apex is 75k

Reality is (to me), the best boat being made is now a thing of the past, the V-20. Thankfully I got mine just over a year ago and from a dealer (Sartin Marine) who I know will stand behind it until I ride it into the ground. I'm not a new boat every couple of years guy so won't need a new boat for a long time and quite frankly there isn't one out there today I would want over this one anyway.

If I were in the market for a new boat I wouldn't hesitate to buy a 1 year old V-20 as long as it was from someone you know would take care of you long term.

Parts could be an issue down the line but I can't see that playing a major role. I had an Alpha 199 for 5.5 years and never needed a single part for it.

If you have any questions feel free to send me a PM.

In my opinion they are the best looking boats on the lake. Of course looks arent everything, and when it comes to spending the money I don't want to just settle. It'll take me a while to research the right boat for me, and when I do finally make my decision it will be customized down to the very last pin stripe.

Good luck because most of the big guys seem to be going away from the complete custom thing of year's past. I think Skeeter even went to a somewhat limit color options last year. If you look you can find some V-20's out there just make sure you get them through a dealer that will stand behind you.

Skeeter still has an option where you can custom color the FX 20 and 21.

Might want to read this http://texasfishingforum.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/topics/12829207/Re:_Legend_Boats#Post12829207

Theres are still some custom bass boat builders they're just not very well know, you have Norris Craft, there's one out of florida also who's name I can't remember, I guess basscat is still kinda custom too. We'll see what happens with Vexus... Most of the big brands have gone to cookie cutter mass production like they said with skeeter you only have a set # of color templates you can choose from now, quite a difference from skeeters roots and disappointing.

Where did you come up with that figure ?

Sinkey, I started customizing a FX20 online, color, electronics, hyd. jackplate and before I could finish was up to $101,000. If I did have that kind of money no telling how long the wait would be. Custom ordering a bass boat in my mind is for lottery winners and even then it would take a few drinks.

Maybe here? Skeeter FX21 Apex

Of course that is just a boat, 250 hoss, and trailer.

A steal!!!......oh no, they have us just where they want us huh? We are bragging about "NOT $100,000".

$ 78,000 and change but didn't mention any goodies and we all know how those goodies can add up. Find one on a showroom floor, say Fun n Sun, and see the real price. I don't see one in my future anytime soon. Oh wait, the lottery is tonight. hmmmm

I think you forgot to add Phoenix to that list...

Seeing how KD sells Skeeters I bet he knows a little bit about them.

Phoenix is a great boat and one of my favorites but here's the problem, there's only ONE dealer within 500 miles of me and that's Fun n Sun. Take a moment and count the Skeeter dealers. Dealers sale the boats not the factory. Phoenix is not in the same category.

You cant go off that. Those are MSRP's and no dealer sells for that. KD is right. an FX 21le or FX21 is prolly going to put you around $75k. Depending on how you rig it out.

As far as build out of the boats, Skeeter and Phoenix are not even in the same category. Skeeter and Ranger are by far the best 2 finished out boats Ive been in. Phoenix is no where close.

Let me help you.

https://www.bulletboats.com/21ft-fishing-boats.html

You might be right about that as far as market share goes but they have a strong presence in the Elites and their sales have continued to climb each year.

So did Legend....in fact pretty much an identical pattern. Of course, I think Legend was bought for reasons other than sales.....Management personnel and a state of the art factory to name 2 of them. So, Phoenix may not go the same way of Legend.

This isn’t rumor....

https://legendownerstournament.com/

Former President Randy Qualles is even involved!

1000%, there is a pattern to this. There have been so many bass boat brands pop up since the 80's only to disappear. Your oldest companies seem to be the most stable, your Rangers, Skeeter and Basscat. If I were betting Phoenix will eventually go the same way Bumble Bee did, its just going to take the next economic downturn.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humour

I believe the Apex is a package deal and it comes with everything you'll need.

I wish I could Dig up the post where all the legend guys called me stupid for saying this would be the last year they were made. “They’re too good to fold”, “I just Spoke with Bill they’re fine” , “Randy said they’re just getting a bigger factory” blah blah. We all knew better. The minute Jordan Lee was out of a legend this season we all knew. They made a damn good boat, legend business owners weren’t as loyal as their boat owners.

I’m just glad the nitro guys from another plannet haven’t started commenting. Right now it’s down to Ranger and Skeeter for market share.

Last time I fished my son commented on how many BassCats were in the tournament
Seemed like mainly SKeeters and Basscats, few others mixed in

I love the layout of the Phoenix, just haven't fished out of one yet
Was sad to hear about Legend...one of my favorite deck layouts for fishing but newer ones ride a little different and you will get wet but that V deck is sweet

Loved fishing and will miss the Legend of Lake Fork tournament .
My boys and I always had a great time at that one and met some great guys throughout the years

Yep, just looked it over and it's really a nice rig. $ 78,500 and has twin poles, looks like a 16" Solix at the console and a 12" at the bow. Also has a 112 Ultrex oversized tires and custom wheels. Seats look custom too. Best packaged deal I've seen.

This is the first I've ever heard about Legend being junk boats.. I eventually one day want to get another bass boat and the Legend has always been my #1 choice. What's the deal with the new ones????

There is still a lot of boat manufacturers out there..
If your looking for custom stuff falcon has a few on the elite tour this yr
The ballistic stuff looks really nice!
I would not hesitate to buy a used legend and the charger 210 is a really nice boat!
Along with skeeter Phoenix and ranger
I'd even buy another nitro for the right deal lol

Sinky, Phoenix is the best riding boat on the water , you keep your pretty trim, IL keep my spine

Buy you a ranger and you will be broke! Buy you a basscat and you will be fast! Buy you a Skeeter and you will be happy!

I wouldn't have an issue getting a used Legend. Heck even 2008 210 champions are going for 30k+. If the motor is out of warranty it comes down to a boats routine maintenance anyways.

LEGEND tournament is still happening so you can still fish with your boy.

Its just going to be sponsored by Charger now. The Legend owners tourney is moving to November.

You act like these are all mutually exclusive. I have a Bass Cat and it's both fast and extremely well made and has some of the best customer service in the industry.

I own a 2011 Legend I bought new form Sartin Marine. When I heard Legend sold to BPS I called Randy Qualls. He was non-committal when I asked him if the brand would continue past the 2019 year models. I think they will build the V20 for 2020 and that will be the end of them. BPS bought LEGEND for the facility. It is a 115K sq ft state of the art facility right in the heart of boat building country. Tritons are now rolling off the assembly line right next to Legend.

For comparison's sake, when Legend was at their peak they were building 700 boats a year. Triton was building 3,000. I think in 2018 Legend sold 300 boats. If you were the owner which one would you go forward with? I hate it but I think they will be discontinued like Champion.

Not the ones I've been in....jmo...

The Phoenix is no where near as smooth as a FX 21. Not even close. You forget. I just came out of Phoenix’s biggest boat. A 21 PHX. So I think I can give a good comparison.
I’m not trying to dog Phoenix. But I feel like it’s honestly a $40k boat with an $75k price tag. We were very unhappy with that boat as a whole package. Ride and build.

Me neither, I drove a buddy of mines because he wanted to see if I could get more speed out of it than he could (which I could) but as an owner of a Bullet XRS, that phoenix was no comparison whatsoever in ride and performance.

They get squirrelly around 70 with a 250 proXS...Ask Sinkey LOL...

Think you might be a little bit misinformed about both those.

The Phoenix is definitely a typo as he meant Legend. But he's dead on about the facility but they also did it as means to bring in Rusty to run the show which Johnny Morris had been trying to do for a couple of years.

legend never built 700 boats a year even in their peak

How many boats did they make in their peak year?

IDK how many they built in their peak years but they built a bunch in a short period of time, I'd say around 2010 I started to notice a ton of them in north texas especially around Texoma.

Oops! Thanks for fixing this.

Idk but they must have SOLD most of those few hundred boats a year in Texas.. seems every time I go to fork I’m surrounded by legends.. I’m not a hater, I thought the v series was pretty slick..

I stand corrected. I called Randy Qualls and he told me they were building one boat a day at their peak.

Ha ok, the two people that say a Skeeter rides better either have it in their handle name or Skeeter.com at the bottom.of their page . Come fellows, we know the truth

I feel that way about every single manufacturer out there. Except in Ranger's case the price tag is higher.

qo

LOL...exactly what I was thinking
My partner has a new Skeeter and my dad has a Skeeter and we take my Cougar when fishing tournaments when the winds going to be rough

I have a 17 V20 I'm fixing to post for sale. They said they would still honor the warranty.

But, but this guy said a page ago "Buy you a ranger and you will be broke! Buy you a basscat and you will be fast! Buy you a Skeeter and you will be happy!"

Actually Huckleberry is in a Bullet. But We do know the truth. My [censored] was in both driver seats of Phoenix and Skeeter. And I know what I know. That’s why I’m back in a skeeter and will never buy another Phoenix.

An experienced driver can make a 21ft boat ride better than it really is. When my partner had a 193 champion we routinely passed 21ft boats in rough weather. Truth is most guys are fair weather fisherman. It's night and day difference when it comes to experienced versus novice.

And I ran a Legend for 7 years. Now I run a Skeeter (21FXI), which rides as well as my Legend. Biggest difference is I'm dry after the run now.

I always love when these boat brand pissing matches get fired up. A-holes, elbows and opinions.....we all have them. And this all started with a guy saying he wanted to buy a new Legend but was having trouble trying to find one and was asking for help.

Texas= Skeeter/Ranger country for as long as I can remember, and probably always will be. And that's just fine by me.

So the 2 largest glass bass boat builders....go figure. Legend was really making its mark around NE Texas and in some other areas where they had pretty dense coverage due to some great dealer and owner loyalty. They also made the best boat out there for ME. However, as its been said over and over again, they decided the offer made to them was too good to be turned down. Any business owner has a number, it's a big reason why you build a company.

Business get bought up all the time to get rid of competition. I think Randy got offered a good deal and he sold. He had JM and Vexus people bidding a good position to be in. Good for Randy.

I have owned Skeeter 20I, VX521 and Z522 Ranger. The 921 Phoenix is by far the softest riding boat I was ever in. The guides I have used had FX21 and they were not even in the same class as for ride. The lay out is personal preference for any brand. I have been to the Skeeter factory and seen boats being warranty with new hulls being put back under them. The consoles of the Phoenix can be change out to different styles or if you just need a new one.

I could run my Phoenix 921 up to 75 with two men and tackle you just have to get use to driving a Phoenix just like in a Bass Cat or other high performance boats. Yes the Rangers and Skeeter are point and go and there is nothing wrong with that. They just won't run or ride with some other brands.

The are some great brands and people can buy what they like but just because someone says a Skeeter is a better ride its just not true if you know how to drive the Phoenix. Rick,with Bass Cat, says it best when you are talking ride in different brands you need to be diving at the same speed. You should not compare a 68 MPH top end boat to a 75 MPH boat. You should put both boats at same MPH then see the out come.

Phoenix is a well run company and it isn't running like other brands it can go through a down turn because of management. They run the company with cash on hand and without over running cash. They are selling a lot of boats and more then Legend ever did. There is dealers in DFW, Longview, and Vidor tX that I know of all within a few hundred miles of Dallas. The other two where in business before FunNSun.

The dealer at Longview has great service. I know a dealer around lake Fork that wanted Phoenix but they just couldn't get them so his SECOND choice was Skeeter.

Phoenix can't keep up with dealers and can not take on any new ones because of it right now. The last number I have seen is Phoenix is around 700 boats a year now and limited in space to grow. That is where a huge amount of Legends business went to. I wish Legend was still here its one of the best looking boats for sure, fish out of a buddies 211 for years great boat. He is and old guide and he gets to drive a clients boat from time to time that is a Phoenix 921 and like most he says its the best riding boat and nothing is close.

I guess everyone has their own opinion about boats but if you look at the big picture it becomes more clear. I will like to see the number of boats build each year by Phoenix, Skeeter, and Ranger of just their Bass Boats and see what the number is without the walleye, runabouts and bay/offshore boats and see how Phoenix stacks up to them considering they have only been making Phoenix boats since about 2009.

This is very true. ^^^

Take that guy and put in both boats on same day then you get a better comparison.

I don't have access to the numbers, but I'd be willing to bet Nitro sells more glass boats nationwide than either Ranger or Skeeter. And I agree with you and the principals of Legend........everyone has a number. Good on 'em for getting it.

I couldn't agree more! I was literally in the PHX one morning, and a FX21le that same afternoon. That was the day we made the decision to go back to Skeeter.

Ranger sells the most by a large margin, I used to have the sales chart over the last few years and it wasn’t even close.

Texas= Skeeter/Ranger country for as long as I can remember, and probably always will be. And that's just fine by me. [/quote]

So the 2 largest glass bass boat builders....go figure. Legend was really making its mark around NE Texas and in some other areas where they had pretty dense coverage due to some great dealer and owner loyalty. They also made the best boat out there for ME. However, as its been said over and over again, they decided the offer made to them was too good to be turned down. Any business owner has a number, it's a big reason why you build a company.[/quote]

I don't have access to the numbers, but I'd be willing to bet Nitro sells more glass boats nationwide than either Ranger or Skeeter. And I agree with you and the principals of Legend........everyone has a number. Good on 'em for getting it. [/quote]

Ranger sells the most by a large margin, I used to have the sales chart over the last few years and it wasn’t even close. [/quote]

yes my point is if you go to just bass boats and not all sales it will be much closer. the numbers for all boats is ranger is about 3 times more then Phoenix but their numbers include all the models not just bass boats, I have never seen one with just bass boats.

Yes Sinkey sorry you had bad experience with Phoenix but a lot of us and most who buy Phoenix chose the brand for the very reasons you got out so a lot of us disagree with you. I wish you all the best on your new ride you will enjoy it since its what you want. I don't like Skeeter so I would never be happy with them. just different needs and wants out of a boat.

They sell a lot of boats to EX skeeter owners and I am sure skeeter gets some back. These are all the resaons I tell people to drive in rough conditions before you buy.

Couldn't agree with you more bud. Bottom line is we are happy now.

Boats are a whole lot like women - they all ride different but you can still love all of them..

I can tell you right now my Triton 21 TRX will ride better and out run most by God !!!!!

I haven't ridden in any 21' boats so I have no comment about the ride but based on the looks and the way it's rigged I would be tempted to buy the new Skeeter Apex. For $78,000 you get a fully rigged boat with Ultrex, !5" and 12" Solix, twin poles, hyd. jack plate, oversized tires and wheels and the new Skeeter trailer. I mean that would be hard to beat.

I think that will change over time now that Johnny Morris owns them, Nitro/Tracker will always be his #1, you look at that graph up there and Ranger sells went down by almost 10% last year, but Nitro went down too. As far as that 1 Procraft sold LOL.

Just sharing my opinion. Last three boats were a Champion 202, Champion 206 and now a Phoenix 921. My son and I rode in a Triton TRX 20, Ranger 522, Skeeter FX 21 and Skeeter FX 20 before deciding on the Phoenix. Primary reason was we spend around 75 days a year on Rayburn and Toledo and the Phoenix was the only one that seemed just as good in the big stuff as a champ. I agree driver can make a difference but when it’s blowing 15-25 on Rayburn I’m very pleased with the Phoenix.

That Phoenix is a 21 footer correct ? Just noticed the Triton and Skeeter were 20's. To me the ride of a boat is about 20 percent of why I would buy it, performance, layout, fishability, and quality makes up the other 80 %, in my estimation there are probably at least 10 boats that are made that can do everything I would want in a boat, so it comes down to looks and how close the dealer is for me.

Well, I started this thread and wanted to thank everyone for their input. I think after reading all these comments I’ve decided to make my decision..........I’m buying a kayak, THANKS GUYS

Yea but are you going to buy a sit-in or sit-on yak? With peddles or just a paddle?
Possibilities are endless,lol.

what brand kayak?

the red ones are so much better than the green ones --i had a green one for years but i now have a red one ---- its got to be at least TWICE as good as my green one was !

I have never test drove a Phoenix but they strike me as more of a fast boat, basically the new Stratos not a better big water boat like a Champion or Charger. Legends definitely rode the fence of both they had a great ride but I saw some really fast ones that guys had propped just right.

Great pic!!!
My son and I were fishing that one when he caught it. He was pumped for him. My boy is fishing College deal now and after I let him take my Cougar out of state for a regional tournament at it came back with 79.2 mph on the GPS, I decided he won't be using my Cat any longer LOL
We found a very clean 97 Champion 181 with a Merc and I will put that boats ride up against any of them in the rough stuff...including Rangers and BassCats....they are simply the best rough water hulls ever made IMO.

Hes done with college fishing and he's been talking about selling the Champion to buy a duck/river boat
.

Phoenix will slowly keep climbing up the chart. I'm on my 3rd one and I love them. Layout, speed, handling, etc. I went from a 920 to a 921, then back to a 920. Everyone has different preferences, and I feel like Phoenix satisfies every single thing I look for in a glass boat.

I need a new picture. Hunter will be a senior this year. He and his partner have won AOY in the SETX High School deal the last two years. Last December we went to Oklahoma and bought James Elam’s 921 to use Hunters last two years of High School Fishing. We fished about 15 High School tourneys this past year including nationals at Pickwick and Kentucky Lake. He also fishes some team and adult stuff on his own. Since last December we have put 130 hours on the boat and couldn’t be happier. The ride is probably may favorite part of the boat along with the huge front deck. We run about 68-70 with three of us in the boat in the hot summer. 72-74 with a couple folks in normal weather.

Every ranger commercial I see, it says “ranger boats, still building legends one at a time”

I think Legend is history, Stratos sold more boats and ole J.M. got rid of them. Sounds like he wants a monopoly. Sad to see.