What are your thoughts on Nitro bass boats?

[Kyle S]

Nitro's reputation is an interesting one in my eyes.

Some people seem to thoroughly enjoy theirs while others DEEPLY regret ever purchasing one.

I personally have zero experience with the boats outside of checking them out while at BPS.

It's hard to argue about how much 'value' that they offer considering all of the other boat brands pricing.

Right now you can buy a brand new Z20 with a 250 MERC XS for around $55,000.

I'm not in the market for a new boat, I just wanted to hear what everyone has to say about Nitro boats as a whole.

Any Nitro owners out there? 

[Jig Man]

They used to be low grade and didn’t hold up.  Things have changed.  Evidently Johnny Morris made some changes a few years ago.  I have a Nitro Z20 that is pushing 7 years old.  It is holding up well.

[Junk Fisherman]

I know enough guys that had Nitros and bought another to convince me that it's a solid enough boat.  Sure, a Ranger, Basscat, Phoenix or some other high-end boat is going to be a higher quality with higher resale but at how much of a higher price? 20K-30K?  That pays for a lot of potential repairs.  They look good and appear solid when I check them out at BPS.  I wouldn't hesitate to get one if I couldn't afford more.      

[Cbump]

I wouldn’t hesitate to own a newish one. The reputation has just followed them from years ago from what I’ve seen. 
 

[gimruis]

1 hour ago, Kyle S said:

Right now you can buy a brand new Z20 with a 250 MERC XS for around $55,000.

That is actually a pretty reasonable deal. I saw a Ranger Z series 55 year anniversary special edition bass boat at the boat show last month for double that.

[volzfan59]

My first real bass boat was a 1997 Nitro 640 (16') with the dreaded Force outboard, 90 h/p in my case. It was an excellent boat and motor, never gave me any problems whatsoever. The only reason I sold it was we outgrew it. I have several friends with newer Nitro's that love them. 

If I wanted a new fiberglass bass boat I wouldn't hesitate to purchase a new Nitro.

[Kyle S]

Everyones positive response is secretly what I wanted to hear if I'm being honest.

I dream of a much nicer boat and nitro is hard to ignore.

Thanks everyone!

@Jig Man Thats a great looking boat!

[Darnold335]

I don’t think as a whole nitros or trackers for that matter are bad boats. I think they are just simply more on the budget fisherman end of things. I think it’s more  keeping up with the Jones’s. 

[Jig Man]

1 hour ago, Kyle S said:

Everyones positive response is secretly what I wanted to hear if I'm being honest.

I dream of a much nicer boat and nitro is hard to ignore.

Thanks everyone!

@Jig Man Thats a great looking boat!

Thank you.  My wife saw it and insisted that I buy it.  Then she said it didn’t look good behind my white truck.  I was told to go find a red one.

[Woody B]

I'd guess that at least 1/2 of the fiberglass bass boats I see around here are Nitros.   I've told many of them "nice boat" at the ramps.  No one has had anything bad to say about them.   

[Captain Phil]

I believe I have probably fished out of or ridden in most every bass boat brand made.  In the early years, Trackers and Nitros had issues due mostly to poor materials and construction. This gave them a bad reputation.  Truth be known, many other bass boat brands were just as poorly made. Today, no modern fiberglass bass boat I know of contains wood and the quality is much better.  I wouldn't hesitate to buy a Nitro myself.  The only negative is you will be defending the boat with people who don't know what they are talking about.  You can catch bass out of anything that floats.  Pride of ownership is high on the list with bass boats.   The higher the price, the better fisherman you "look" to be.  Hence the reason you see so many expensive bass boats.   Your boat does not make you a better fisherman.

[Catt]

When Alan Stinson founded Nitro they were high quality, that quality dropped off when Bass Pro Shops bought em.

 

Those early boats put a bad taste in everyone's mouth. Took years to overcome.

[gimruis]

You might not get the same resale value you would with some other brands if/when you decided to sell it.  That may or may not play into your decision.

[Jig Man]

When I bought my Z20 I had been to the Ranger dealer 3 miles down the road.  I thought I had a deal made on the Ranger.  It didn’t turn out the way I hoped.  They held fast on their msrp and offered me 25% below trade value on my Champion.

 

The Nitro dealer was below msrp and gave me $6,000 more for my boat. The Nitro was $21,000 lower than the Ranger.

[Fishingmickey]

3 hours ago, Jig Man said:

Thank you.  My wife saw it and insisted that I buy it.  Then she said it didn’t look good behind my white truck.  I was told to go find a red one.

Has she got a cute sister that thinks like her?

FM

 

[WIGuide]

There's a lot of conflicting information out there about them. I feel like a lot of it points to the ones that fail....fail hard. I've heard horror stories of fenders just falling off of trailers going down the road, gel coat messed up from the factory, lids coming completely unattached, etc. etc. They are a budget minded boat, which doesn't equate to them being bad and I'm not trying to knock them as there are plenty out there that look and fish just fine. I'm not in BPS or Cabela's that often but I usually check them out while I'm in there and some of the features are nice but there are also things about them that just make me scratch my head that you don't see on other brands.

 

Overall, they're a good budget option that gets people out on the water. Based on the size of White River Marine, their tie to BPS/Cabela's, and their ability offer incentives unlike other manufactures they'll be around for a long long time. As long as you get a good one, there's nothing wrong with them. 

[nocluefisher]

The only boat I ever owned was a 2016 z18. Had to have the ignition changed right out of the gate. After that it was flawless. Sold it 5 years later for a little less than I paid for it. 

[airshot]

A family that lives down the road bought a new boat about 10 years back.  It has sat outside all of its life. The cover was ripped during the second winter and was never replaced.  Then the boat sat uncovered out in the weather for the next 5 years.  Two years back he was late winterizing and his block cracked, he couldn't get a warranty claim even though he tried.  He swapped out a used engine that does not run very well.  When you talk to him about his boat, all he says is that it is a cheap piece of crap !!  The interior didn't hold up very long, the floors failed early, and the engine runs like crap and the dealer wont help him in any way....he will never own that brand again !!  

[Jig Man]

1 hour ago, airshot said:

A family that lives down the road bought a new boat about 10 years back.  It has sat outside all of its life. The cover was ripped during the second winter and was never replaced.  Then the boat sat uncovered out in the weather for the next 5 years.  Two years back he was late winterizing and his block cracked, he couldn't get a warranty claim even though he tried.  He swapped out a used engine that does not run very well.  When you talk to him about his boat, all he says is that it is a cheap piece of crap !!  The interior didn't hold up very long, the floors failed early, and the engine runs like crap and the dealer wont help him in any way....he will never own that brand again !!  

Only an anvil would hold up in those conditions and it would rust.

[volzfan59]

2 hours ago, airshot said:

A family that lives down the road bought a new boat about 10 years back.  It has sat outside all of its life. The cover was ripped during the second winter and was never replaced.  Then the boat sat uncovered out in the weather for the next 5 years.  Two years back he was late winterizing and his block cracked, he couldn't get a warranty claim even though he tried.  He swapped out a used engine that does not run very well.  When you talk to him about his boat, all he says is that it is a cheap piece of crap !!  The interior didn't hold up very long, the floors failed early, and the engine runs like crap and the dealer wont help him in any way....he will never own that brand again !!  

He could have purchased the best boat in the world, the results would have been the same. That's nuts.

[airshot]

For this reason, when somone bad mouths a particular brand, take into consideration how the boat might have been treated during its life!!!  Was the boat bad or was the owner bad about taking care of it ??

[Darth-Baiter]

my bass boat friend has a Nitro.  i wont even pretend to know which one.  it's blue.  and it is 21 feet long.

 

he used to wipe with a silk diaper when he was done.  i know, i have helped him.  now?  rode hard, put away wet is the better description.  he used it 3x a week sometimes.  it has been flawless.  his BIL bought one right after and used it once, bought an ocean boat and likes it more in the ocean.  that Nitro as been in his mom's garage ever since.  7 years?  one trip!  my bud tells me to buy it.  but no.  i am not ready for boat ownership.

[airshot]

On 3/5/2023 at 4:41 PM, Darth-Baiter said:

my bud tells me to buy it.  but no.  i am not ready for boat ownership.

You don't know what your missing !!  Had my first boat at 10 yrs old, currently 72 and still a boat owner, wouldn't be without one.....lol

[WIGuide]

@airshotyou beat me by 2 years! I bought my first one at 12. I 100% agree with you on the not being without one!

[volzfan59]

On 3/15/2023 at 7:31 PM, airshot said:

You don't know what your missing !!  Had my first boat at 10 yrs old, currently 72 and still a boat owner, wouldn't be without one.....lol

I agree with @airshot and @WIGuide. I didn't buy my first boat until I was in my 20's. I'm 63 now and wouldn't even dream about not owning a rig of some sort!