Hey guys~

My dad is looking to buy a new bass boat. I think he's decided on ranger, a Z20 to be exact, and agree with the decision based on consumer reports; but is triton a better deal? Is their that much difference in the two? I hear triton is faster, but ranger is more stable and has better fishability (quieter b-cuz hollow spaces are filled with foam).

Also, 20 or 21'? Is there really that much difference in 7"? If so, what are they? I've looked at both layouts, and seems to me the only difference is extra rod storage in the center of the Z21. I would love to hear everyone's input on this, so do post!!

             Thanks

size of the boat mainly depends on if youre gunna fish huge waters and how much storage you need.

as far as brand goes, ranger and triton are both great boats.

Sold my Ranger to buy a Triton, but the Zs are really really nice boats. You can't go wrong either way. IMO. I like a 20. Those 7" are kinda big. my friend has a TR21 and I have a TR20 and mine may even draft a little shallower, just a couple of inches though.

Both great boats. A few guys in my club have Z series Rangers and they are very nice. As by my screen name you can see I am partial to the Triton. You can't go wrong with either one. I would suggest your dad taking both for a ride if he can and decide what he likes better. He is the one shelling out the $$$$ so better to make his own choice.

GAMBLER ....woops, my mistake, that wasn't one of the choices.

If it was my money and had to choose Ranger or Triton, I'd have to go with the Ranger. The Z's are flat out awesome, especially the Z520.    

I grew up fishing Rangers and will want one until I finally get one I suppose. Once I was fishing a tourny where about fifty boats took off at once on a windy day where the water was already white capped just because of the wind. I seen several boats being tossed like nothing (nearly all of them actually), but my grandpa's ranger just cut through it like a hot knife through butter. That was what made me love the rangers.

A lot of times you get what you pay for but all too often you pay for a name. I can't say which it is in this case but I've never known anyone with a ranger that didn't like it. I could say the same thing about Visions as well though.

Whatever he decides I hope it lasts a long time and sees a lot of father-son trips with lots of fish!

Kevin

Its got to be a hard choise it was for me. I bought a Triton. The older ones were not as stable as the new ones I have a Tr 21x and love it. The reason I went with the Triton was the speed and overall look. I have a friend with a Ranger comanche and Mine is just as stable as his as far as room the are about the same. They are both good hulls. and fish about the same with all the same quality. eather one you choose will be a good choise and definatley go with the 21 more horsepower and your boat will never be to big

Hey guys~

First of all, I would just like to thank everyone for their responses. It seems to me most everyone has agreed with the old man as for the Z20 instead of the Tr 20x.

Again, I really appreciate the responses, but would like to know why you feel this way. What are the pro's and the con's of each? What makes a Ranger better, or a Triton better?

Since we compete in club tourney's, well we try to, we do fish both big rough water and some smaller water as well. So again, would spending the extra money for that 7" be a good investment? If so, why? If not, why?

Thank you all again for your time, and please keep posting!!

I've rode in Z's and I own a Tr-21. I like them both... What I've noticed is that the Ranger is more like a cadillac. its heavier and easier to drive but is slower. There is more deck space in a Ranger compared to a triton because the Ranger are so much wider. I guess it comes down to if you want more performance or luxury. The ranger rides better, but not much. I'm not really sure on which floats shallower but I know i've had my triton in some pretty skinny water. Also, you have to look at value after a few years, the ranger will probably hold its value a little more but its definitely higher priced new.

I went through this recently. If you and your dad want a thourough analysis look for on old post of mine called "buying a new tournament caliber bass boat" on this site.

For me, it was a matter of engine, the dealer, the economics, and resale. I bought my Triton 21X HP w/a Merc 250 Pro XS right and will sell it in a couple of years to upgrade to a newer model I'm sure. The Rangers were far more expensive and the difference was minimal at abest and no where near the price difference I was seeing not to mention that I'm not a fan of Evinrude which Ranger is pretty tight with at least in my area.

Both are great boats, but i'd take a skeeter over either of them.  The new I-class boats are so nice, as long as you don't buy them in yellow lol.

I'd take a Trition over a Ranger though

Neither, go get a Skeeter

I sure wouldn't base a major investment like a bass boat on some write ups in consumer reports.

All the major boat manufacturers are building quality boats these days.  You need to get out in those 2 boat brands on the water, along with a few more and test drive them to compare.

By excluding brands such as Bass Cat, Champion, Skeeter, Stratos, Gambler or Legend is to exclude a whole bunch of boats that may be better suited for your style of fishing.

Ride and decide.  

I have to agree with cart7t, also, I would look at what's closest to your home. Just in case something happens to the boat, you can take it around the corner to get it fixed.