My 201 Stratos with a 200hp Johnson would run 78-80 on a good day with quite a bit of chine walking but other than that it was very very stable. Only when pushing it to the max did it get a little quirrely. Good smooth, dry, and solid ride otherwise. I miss that boat but not the fuel bill!!!!

It will chime walk some if it is empty but yes the hulls are faster and the jackplate makes a huge difference it makes you able to fine tune your rig. It has a 24p raker prop. Sat I had a full tank of gas full livewells me and my buddy and all our gear and I was able to hit 60 sometimes 61 with absolutely no chime walk.

Does a faster hull mean a less stable one?

Not necessarily. You do have to actually "drive" a fast boat. My 21' Bullet doesn't chine walk until you're over 80, and even then, once you know how to drive it, you don't get any.

over 80 my lord how fast were we going in the xpress it felt like 80 but I'm sure it wasn't even close lol

50ish, lol

My 201 Stratos with a 200hp Johnson would run 78-80 on a good day with quite a bit of chine walking but other than that it was very very stable. Only when pushing it to the max did it get a little quirrely. Good smooth, dry, and solid ride otherwise. I miss that boat but not the fuel bill!!!!

I understand about the fuel bill. My previous boat was a 2002 Tracker with a 40 Merc. I would put $20 in it and it would last me a looooong time. When i bought my Ranger, before i took it home i stopped to fill it up. $72. I about fell over. My truck costs over $100 to fill, the boat is $72. I need a loan just for a day on the lake. It was so much easier and cheaper when i had a Jeep and a Kayak. Still have the kayak, but it just cant hold the amount of gear my Ranger can. lol

this is my 2000 Ranger R81VS with a 150 Mercury. Just got it last month

I understand about the fuel bill. My previous boat was a 2002 Tracker with a 40 Merc. I would put $20 in it and it would last me a looooong time. When i bought my Ranger, before i took it home i stopped to fill it up. $72. I about fell over. My truck costs over $100 to fill, the boat is $72. I need a loan just for a day on the lake. It was so much easier and cheaper when i had a Jeep and a Kayak. Still have the kayak, but it just cant hold the amount of gear my Ranger can. lol

My current rides have a 50hp 2 stroke and a 20hp 4 stroke. I can fish a long time on 6 gallons. The Stratos held 50 gallons and that would last maybe 3 hours of running and gunning during tourneys. So what nearly $200 at todays prices??? I ain't made of money!!!!!! Some days runnin was a lot more fun than fishin LOL

Thats my problem. Im not used to having a boat with speed. So now i find myself driving around wasting gas more than fishing.

Have a 8hp nissan motor instead of the 2 horse n the pic. Bought the best I can do for myself while I am still in school

Have a 8hp nissan motor instead of the 2 horse n the pic. Bought the best I can do for myself while I am still in school

Hey, it gets you on the water, right? That's all that matters, IMO.

Question though: how tough is the rubber on that? As in: do you have to be extra careful not to get it hooked for fear of puncturing it? Presumably they are fairly rugged.

its made of some pretty strong material, hypalon rubber I believe. I doubt I have anything in my tacklebox capable of doing any real damage to it, except for maybe my fishing knife. The raft I had before it that was made of PVC, however, was a different story. Had to patch it up after almost every trip and never went fishing in it without an air pump or a bucket to scoop out water. Had some pretty wet and miserable trips in that thing

Heres my new boat. It's a 2012 186XT Stratos with a 115 Evinrude E-Tec. This is the third bass boat I've owned, but the first brand new one. I absolutly love it! I was a little concerned with a 115 hp on a 18.9' glass boat, but the E-tec pushes her right along. Solo I can get 50 mph, and with a partner and his gear its about 47. Great on fuel and oil.

The dash.

Not sure why I cant put these all on one thread, but heres a few more pics.

Last one.

Thats a good question. I just picked it up a couple weeks ago and didnt even notice. I just went out and looked and am pretty sure there is'nt one? I'll look allittle more tommorrow but I didnt see one on the trailer anywhere. You would think that would come standard with a new boat.

Thats a good question. I just picked it up a couple weeks ago and didnt even notice. I just went out and looked and am pretty sure there is'nt one? I'll look allittle more tommorrow but I didnt see one on the trailer anywhere. You would think that would come standard with a new boat.

My new Lowe didn't come with a spare. Like you I thought it would be standard with a new boat, but it wasn't

11 foot pelican, this is 3 years ago it now has swivel seats installed...live well, battery compartment, hooked up...its not a big expensive bass boat, but it does the job.

11 foot pelican, this is 3 years ago it now has swivel seats installed...live well, battery compartment, hooked up...its not a big expensive bass boat, but it does the job.

Nice Ride Buddy ~

And welcome to BR !

A-Jay

thanks A-Jay, i have been reading BR articles for years

Hear are a few of mine.

93 duracraft (not sure of exact model) 00 90 horse Johnsonand some other goodies

This is a video of a 2013 Phoenix bass boat I fished out of this weekend on Perry Lake in Kansas.

Nice boat Shane. Did you get it in GA.? That fishfinder looks like a nice one to. What year? Were you able to keep the other boat?

i hate looking at the pictures of you Florida guys. Nice looking background and knowing your water has giant bass. Illinois isnt as fun as Florida.