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Yup I probably should list my spreadsheet that I am keeping track and call everything out but I will have a blue seas 40a breaker for the fuse block and it will be mounted in the batter compartment. With work during the day I haven't had much time to work on things, I have it pretty torn up and I have the force mounted, Garmin really did a nice job of how things go together. I could only re-use 2 of my previous mounting holes, I should have been able to use all 4 but the Force has a side piece that hits on the nitro and pushes the mount over so I filled the other holes with epoxy putty and drilled 4 more holes. Under the nitro plate there is ample room to mount terminal posts for the trolling motor and terminal block for the graphs and m360 power. Still trying to settle on where to mount my fuse panel, I think I want to do it in the starboard locker but they have this big ole push light in there taking up a bunch of room, its where I think I would mount my livescope black box but still contemplating that. Working on transducers in the back right now, going with a garmin gt8 thru hull and then gt36 with a jackplate mount adapter. Still need to figure out where I am going to take the transducer cable through the splashwell and I guess use a clamshell for the entry. So still trying to figure out layout, I tend to be slow about things and over think them but thats where I am currently. I need to figure out mounts for my Bow and purchase the graphs, still waiting for my Basspro gift card for one of them. Taking half days off tomorrow and friday along with the long weekend I should make good progress. Pics of some of the stuff I talked about..

Not sure if this is the right place but thought I would follow up my searching for a new boat with how I am going to rig my new boat. I tend to try to get my best bang for buck and while looking at new boats getting one rig the way that I wanted was going to very expensive. I knew that in order to try to save some $$ I would need to find a basic model that I could get a deal on and then rig and upgrade it myself and so that is what I am doing. I was able to find a 2023 z19 with the basic features I was looking for and they kept increasing the clearance pricing and discounts that I finally pulled the trigger. Building the boat and ordering how I wanted it rigged would have been approximately 72K (lithium batteries and Mega360 not included in the attach build). Now there are some options out there that would have been cheaper like the z19 pro if I wanted to go with Lowrance or say a Skeeter ZXR19 with Birds but I wanted for whatever reason to go with Garmin units. Initial build will not have livescope but I will be able to add on which I plan to do this fall so here is the baseline build out of a nitro with what I wanted (see attached). Not exactly one for one since I am going with Lithiums for trolling batteries and their lithium option includes starting and trolling batteries. I am staying with AGM for starter and lithium for tm batteries. Again this is bang for you buck kind of build and always trade offs just documenting what I researched and what I am doing. Here is what I wanted in my build, Humminbird Mega 360, 10" Helix Bow graph for m360, Garmin 106/126 Bow graph (still haven't decided leaning towards 126), Console Garmin 106/126, Garmin Force TM (lots of good choices just decided to go with what I am using for graphs), Lithium TM batteries, 100ah hour batteries w/ bluetooth, no heaters 24v setup, Trollbridge 12x24 ( e.g., charge on the run, main like where boat is on lift has not shore power) brackets for graphs etc... Things that are on my list but not sure if I will do now or later this summer, Trailer upgrades (dexter suspension replacement, Bunk replacements with gatorbak, ramp and clamp), remote drain plug, livescope. Here is how I am saving me some $$.. Rigging it myself, the major cons will take me longer, not able to fish out of it until I'm done. Pro's will save some $$ in labor costs close to 1k, I priced it out locally, I will know how I have things laid out and give me a chance to really go through the boat plus I like doing things like this, I don't mind pulling and terminating wire and can do it properly. Another plus get to purchase more tools The other way I saved some money was utilizing the Humminbird rebates when they were available, for the Helix 10 and Mega 360 that saved $900 and when purchasing the boat bass pro had $1500 gift card that I can use for one of my garmin units. Here is my over all plan, install the trollbridge and associated wiring in the back of the boat, install the thru hull garmin gt8 transducer, install and wire the gt-36 transom transducer to the console. Run 8awg from one of my trolling motor batteries to fuse panel around console (haven't decided where to mount yet). Run 12awg from fuse panel to Bow of boat each for Helix, M360 and Garmin units. Using existing TM wiring, remove existing Minn Kota TM and replace with Garmin force. Install graphs at bow and console and install M360 unit to force. Welp thats the rough plan, already started taking things apart and working on mounting the Garmin TM. I have a spreadsheet that I keep track of everything and the costs and once I decide which way I am going to go with the graphs will be able to get a total but its going to be waaay below that build price. If anyone wants any details on any particular area and why I chose one thing vs the other let me know, I do a lot of research so I can at least explain my thinking etc..spent a lot of time reading about lithium batteries, kind of makes me want to do some solar project next

I looked at a lot of boats multiple times, I think most boats are well made, some more than others but there are a lot of good options. Just me but had a hard time with the cost to chase some fish but my current setup just was a big compromise for fishing and just had no rod storage etc. I still really like the Lund Pro V bass but new the delta was just more than I wanted to spend about 12k. I looked for used boats but even then the newer ones were priced more than the new nitro. I will miss having the jump seats for times when we may want to take a couple extra folks out and it by far had the most storage. Lots of nice boats out there just have to figure out which way you want to go, I looked at all the above and weighed things out and ended up here. Really appreciate everyone weighing in and offering advice etc. I like getting other opinions always nice to have and take into consideration, always learning.

Looks worse that it is, single axles are easier to move around and I was off some what but my garage is not deep enough front to back so always at an angle. If I get it in the corner just right you can pull a car in but not worried about that right now plus the boat stays in offsite storage or on the lift on the lake. Three car garage in a lake community, should have made the garage deeper and the single bay wider but is what it is..Hopefully a couple weeks I can have it on the lift on the lake but more work there since the bunks on the lift will need to be replaced/changed since the hull on these boats are different. Lots of work to be done all the way around.

Here is my followup, picked up a new 2023 nitro z19 last saturday. In the end for me getting what I felt was the best bang for my buck was the driving force. I know many consider it to be a budget boat but I think I have climb over them and read enough that I know most of the weaknesses and will see how it goes. I looked at a lot of boats but the 7K delta was at least for me not worth the delta but thats just me. For the most part I purchased the boat for what some used boats are selling for since the new market I think has slooowed way down but the used market hasn't caught up from what I can see. I think if your willing to drive and don't mind rigging or having it rigged they way you would like then there are some deals out there, if you call a 40K+ bass boat a deal, lol. I was able to find a boat that had what I was wanting with my plan always to rig it the way I want it so I really wanted a clean sheet as much as I could get. Basspro has a website that you can search for 500mi and see whats in the inventory - https://www.bassproboatingcenters.com/boats-for-sale/make-nitro/?zip=64101&orderBy=Price&OrderDesc=true&model=nitro^z19&distance=500#scrollToResult There are also independent dealers also so you have to search multiple ways but the offers as in discounts will apply to where ever they are being sold. The one tip that I will throw out there is that the boats on the floor room are not ordered by the dealers, factory builds them out and ships them and from what I can see is that whoever they have doing it doesn't have a clue with what a normal bass boat user wants. The factory floor models come the way they do and they cannot remove/swap items BUT what I learned and most salesmen do not know is that MOST factory items can be added at the build price. One of the biggest sticking points for me was I wanted a port console and not many had the port console, its removable but if you order it after the fact they charge you 2.5x the build price. I still have no idea who decided and why they do that since you could order a ranger console or triton console after the fact for not much over build price just the nitro that was crazy price. Long story but I found a salesman locally that told me about the ability when purchasing a boat that they could add items like the port console at the build price, he stated it was the one thing they COULD do to sell a showroom price so for me it meant that I could get the console at the build price, that sealed the deal. The only downside is the console will be shipped to the order store which means for me I have to drive 4 hours to pick up but the cost savings was worth it. Many of the build and order processes are so antiquated, they build the Nitro's in Missouri and they would save $$ by shipping it to a local store but no way to do it, lol. I think I will start a rigging thread since it's going to get a minor overhaul and maybe someone else may be curious how I am doing things, which I am doing myself. I will say that I already sealed the deal, house sits on a slight hill and wasn't sure about the engine cowl clearing the garage door opening and lowered the engine to take a measurement (it clears by 2") but in my zeal I needed to adjust my angle and forgot to raise it back up and you guessed it, scrrraaape...sigh, so my brand new engine now has a scratched up keel...sigh. Oh well I guess it was bound to happen at some point, felt like an idiot but is what it is... Couple of pics and the one in the sun does not do it justice, its a silver metal flake and in the sun makes all kind of pretty colors...really like it. The other pic is me tearing into it, already have it taken apart. Anyone has any questions let me know just wanted to follow up and post what I did...

I don't mind, 2005 Ranger Reata 180vs (Fish and Ski, not a deep v more of a bass hull), 115 Mercury Optimax w/ 215hours rebuilt power head in 2014 due to one cylinder leaning out. Listed it for 11K then 3 weeks later lowered to 10.5k and sold for 10K. I included the rebuilt engine information even though it was 10 years ago and had at least one person walk away due to that fact. But a twnety year old opti that hasn't had any major work well that would be a rare thing indeed. I learned way more than I wanted to know about the Opti's, if the compressor ever cuts lose or the air/fuel injectors bad stuff happens. You can't really do much about the compressor but you can keep your injectors serviced and that will go a long way to keeping things happy. I didn't know that until bad stuff happened, lol. The boat over all was in really good shape, I tend to take care of things, I live in a lake community so the boat was either on a covered lift in the summer or in enclosed storage over the winter. When I rebuilt the engine I replaced a lot of stuff and learned my lesson to keep the dual opti injectors serviced, I rebuilt myself. I probably could have gotten more the longer it went but was wanting to move on and get something more set up for fishing, just not enough storage in the boat, was a great boat when the kids were small and we would pull tubes etc, allowed me to also fish out of it but now that the kids are grown and out of the house I wanted something dedicated for fishing. I knew the first one that actually came out to look at it would purchase it since it's probably in better shape than, well most of the boats out there but the 115hp on the back was the biggest hindrance but when I purchased in back in 2010 115hp was the hp limit for my lake so it is what it is kind of thing.

Update, sold my boat on Saturday and the winner was Craigslist, lol. I had it listed on Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist and had lots of hits on Facebook and had lots of questions and one that told me they were going to come get it but backed out. Lots of stuff on Facebook marketplace and I thought that would drive the sell but also listed on Craigslist and thats where it finally sold, so list high and low, you never know. Now I need to get the new one, pretty close but trying to close the deal taking longer than expected hopefully maybe by end of the week!

The selling slog continues, I had someone really interested and spent a lot of time discussing etc and they even agreed on a price and wanted to place a deposit which I said wasn't necessary. The next day they backed out, I know thats par for the course I guess we will see how many times it happens, still hasn't warmed up much so hopefully someone will want to pick it up sooner than later. I'm pretty honest about everything going on with the boat, I even list that I rebuilt the powerhead back in 2014, that was one of the reasons that the latest buyers backed out. I thought that was interesting since I rebuilt it in 2014 and have put over 100 hours on it since, lol. Oh well guess we will see what transpires next.

Amen to that, and that is why I am in a good spot since I am still fishing out of my old boat since it hasn't sold. Another great picture, looks like an awesome day to be on the water. One question I did want to ask, you upgraded I think to 10" Helix units, I was debating 10 vs 12 and know to go as big as you can afford but the price difference for the 10 vs the 12 is $800, ouch. I am leaning towards the 10" Helix unit on the bow, it will be dedicated to Mega 360 since I am going to run Garmin for all the rest. Just wanted to know how the 10" were doing.

Thanks A-Jay, yeah I have a long list of upgrades and the ones I have settled on for the most part do not have electronics on them, I want to rig them they way I want with trolling motor and graphs etc. Initially I was looking used and probably would have changed the title now if I could since the used market hasn't caught up the the new market. Originally was going to go 2-3 year old boat and try to save money but folks have priced their used boats sometimes more than what I am currently looking at for new boats. There are quite a few 2023 boats out there and they are not moving like they have in the past, they are not cheap but there are better deals to be had. I guess we will see as the summer goes but I've been to quite a few dealers and heard it said multiple times, boats are not moving like they had been. BTW I still really like the Lund Pro v Bass but its about 16K more, they really like that boat and just to much $$ for my budget. Again thanks for commenting...

Here's my update, I am closing to pulling the trigger, but can't make up my mind. I am trying to decide between a triton trx 19 and Nitro z19. Climbed over both of them multiple times, the fit and finish is better on the Triton, better warranty, better trailer but it's also 5k more. For 5k that goes a long way that I can put towards electronics, extended motor warranty and the other stuff I need for both boats. Not saying Nitro is a bad boat its just that you can tell a difference but 5k is 5k, lol. Going to look at the nitro again today, some things I do like better on the Nitro like the battery compartment hatch opens towards the boat vs the triton that opens towards the back. I've seen that in a couple of boats and it makes getting into that compartment really more difficult when in the boat, not sure the logic with that one but really do not like that at all. I think the Triton may have better resale value, the trx 19 comes with a 225 vs the z19 has a 200. I do not tournament fish and speed is really not a concern. Both come with a dual axle trailer, trailer on the Triton is c channel vs tube but I've not heard to many issues with either one. The triton is 19' 9" and the z19 is 19' 4", as my wife pointed out comes out to 1k per 1", lol. Anyone have anything else to throw out there that may make the 5k make more sense I'm all ears...I think I would be satisfied with either boat but trying to make up my mind.

Well yes and know, usually people have no problem bashing stuff, I mean the internet is full of that, lol. I'm still in search mode and may decide to go the cheap route which would be a nitro z-19. For a brand new 23 nitro I can get for almost 14K cheaper. After upgrading the TM to an ultrex I am 10k less and 10k would upgrade all my electronics and get me close to being able to put raptors on it. I know the quality is not as nice as a skeeter but having a hard time doing the math for the more expensive boats, I do not tournament fish etc and the lake I have my boat on now would do fine with a small tin boat but I want something to use here and at other lakes.

Yeah I understand its going to catch more wind, I was just surprised that when trying to find someone that says its an issue I didn't have much luck. I made a post with some other forum posts talking about the boat but awaiting mod approval. One specifically talked about the wind and stated they had not had any issue. I thought I would find posts talking about it but the only issue that I see most talk about is when its rough expect to get wet.

Here are some links talking about the wind not being an issue, again, probably better in a heavier glass boats but I've not found anyone that states its an issue - Really the only common theme is depending on wind direction it's a wet ride, your going to get wet depending on conditions. I just do not think you can compare the normal deep v walleye boats to this boat just not the same comparison, imho.

Understand, mod v is a little different from the pro v bass and really its about as heavy as my current glass ranger fish and ski since I only have a 115 opti on it. I get it the bigger heavier boats are going to do better in wind and I am sure that a 19ft glass with a 200 will be less pushed around than the lund 1875 pro v bass but really they weight difference between those 2 boats is not huge, the pro v bass is not a light boat. I have seen many posts talk about the 1875 where people are wanting feedback and wind usually comes up and most say its not an issue. Most all the owners I have read say they would purchase again. Just for an example here is a comparison of the triton trx 19 glass vs the Lund: Triton trx 19 boat weight - 1765 Lund pro v bass 1875 weight - 1475 Its lighter by about 300lbs, now I am sure that the weight does make some difference but I think the pro v is heavy enough that it should hold its on, again imho.

Honestly I think this video that @A-Jaymade shows how well the boat performs when things are not behaving, honestly Lund should have @A-Jay on the payroll - Really not sure how the other 19ft boats that I am looking at would have handled that, they would have been wet if the wind was in the opposite direction, I believe they were downwind, but even if you were getting wet the boat can handle it pretty well, imho. Thanks to @A-Jayfor posting stuff like that...

Understand, I done a good bit of searching and actually talked to some that own them and most have said wind is not an issue. The main problem I am having is that the lund is actually more expensive than a new triton trx19 or skeeter zx200 boat. It's not a lot but 3-4k buys a lot of stuff and add ons for electronics and shallow water anchors etc. I found a 2019 that supposedly has low hours and cheaper but lot of unknowns with that. Still leaning towards the Lund since it will just allow me to go to any of the larger lakes and not worry about the bigger water. LOZ and Kentucky can get pretty interesting and not due to the weather, I will be fishing middle of the weeks etc but still the Lund just provides me peace of mind.

Thanks this just confirms what I was reading and understanding, I dont think I would ever need DI from the TM and I think I could get it from the console if I need/want it so I think the US2 version would work fine. I am looking at the gen4 helix models so they all should be mega 360 compatible, I think I may go 10" upfront chirp model and 10 for console with DI/SI ducer at the back. I think when up front I would only be using the 360 function and using it for way points etc...But maybe I see if I can find some Gen3 and save some money. Ultimate I want to add garmin FFS to the front of the boat and have that and 360 setup but I also want power poles/raptors so its a long list, lol...:)

For me it has nothing to do with performance but has more tondo with the offset. I have read some having issues with SI/DI transducers etc. i am probably going to want to add some raptors/power poles and i think the offset will help or in fact be needed to mount.

I've talked to several and read on forums and pretty much its all good in regards to tracking with the trolling motor that I have read, that is not a concern on my part. Really most owners have nothing but good things to say about the boat, there are some cons but most say they prefer it over glass etc...YMMV...

The dealer I am talking to they do not put jackplates on the lunds so there is some reluctance in doing so, ya know, everything is fine without one etc...

Leaning towards the Lund 1875 pro v bass right now, funny I could pick up a Triton TRX 19 or a Skeeter zx200 for much less $$. Hard decision I think most of the boats are decent out there but I think the Lund gives me more options, extra seats for taking folks for a ride, better rough water handling then the other 19ft glass boats etc.

Hey @A-Jaydo you have a jackplate on yours, I think you might but thought I would ask. Sounds like it helps from a transducer interference etc, but thought I would ask and if so which one, thanks.

Yeah the sliding doors made it easy for the kids to get in an out, and if i took out the back seats, full sheet of plywood would fit, they really can haul stuff. My midsize pickup truck would have it hanging out the back, lol. I guess what I was saying is the Lund is I believe more versatile and by far has the most storage room. I think will handle any body of water that I would fish and if the weather turned etc I think it would do much better than the other 19ft glass boats.

Yeah the dealer said he could swap for a dual axle ($995), they only use Heritage trailers which they say are much nicer than the Shorlander. I've watched your video when you swapped the bunks off of your trailer (yeah I'm that much of a stickler about things) and have a single trailer now but I do not do much trailering at all right now and wanting to change that. Just need to make up my mind. Thanks for the input and quick reply as always.