powerman970

I was skeptical at first but I just bought my first new boat. I have been fishing from an '87 model 19' Stratos fish and ski that I bought used a few years back but it was heavy for my little 6 cyl Toyota and it was not uncommon for me to burn 30 gallons of gas per outing. I decided that a new boat would be cheaper than gas for the old one. I just got the new Stratos 176 XT with a 2 stroke Yamaha 50 and I am happy as I can be. Still breaking it in but it seems to be getting excellent fuel mileage and the boat handles great. Not the fastest boat on the water but I get a little over 30 mph out of it. If anyone is considering aluminum for the cost but would rather have a glass boat I would definitely recommend it and the cost is about $1000 less than comparable aluminum boats.

I just bought a new Stratos 176 with a 50 hp and my dealer gave me a transom saver with it. That said, he explained to me that a transom saver does not actually protect the transom as much as it protects the trim cylinders. The motor bouncing a little is not likely to damage the boat itself but plays heck with those cylinders. Maybe he is full of crap maybe not, but while I have been fishing all my life this is my first new boat and it sure is a cheap way to keep it in good shape.