Anyone going to the boat show today?

I plan on geting there around noon to look around.

Most uf us have to work for a living…

leaving in 15 min

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Most uf us have to work for a living…

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Well I made it back from the show.Good place to kill a few hours but pretty much the same as every year.Still a good place to compare boats and prices under one roof.Very few people there but I didnt expect it to be busy during the day.

What did you guys think of the prices?

Same as last year too high.Interesting though the 20 foot Skeeter tiller was marked $31,500 and the Ranger 620T was 50K.Big difference for a similar boat.

were they rigged similiarly? not trying to stir the pot by any means but that’s a significant difference!

To tell ya the truth I didnt look real close but neither one had much for rigging on it.I thought the 620T was closer to 40K but they must have went up over the years.

That Skeeter 20 foot tiller is priced really well! But..it has a 115 and I believe the Ranger a 150. Not positive…maybe someone could verify.

I love those Skeeter tillers!

Ya the Skeeter had a 115 Yami and the Ranger had a Merc but I didnt see what size and it was probably a 150.Im thinking the Ranger probably had a power steering system on it to and probably not the Yami.But not sure.

I’m going today…to the 1 in Fargo.

Opens at noon. See you all there?

I believe the Ranger requires power steering on any tiller motor over 125hp.

That is a good price on the Skeeter but I would imagine that you will want a 150 for performance (and I say this without having driven the boat) but on the Ranger it is a night and day between a 115/125 class engine to the 150.

I will be down at the show first thing Sat am for a little bit so I am anxious to see that skeeter in person.

Jack – safe travels to ND!

ted

Ted, the 20-foot skeeter tiller will touch 42 mph with the 115 4s (2 guys, half tank of gas). The boat is also available as a 150 4s tiller/mertens combo.

I have access to a 20-foot tiller with a 115…drop me a line if you’d like a personal tour. I can also get one down to Everts if you’re interested in seeing how she fishes.

This is the WX-2000T that we can take for a spin.

I don’t want this to be about what’s better a Skeeter 2000T or a Ranger 620T, but anyone who’s considering the two should defiantly compare them side by side. There’s many differences, but all I can say is check out the rod storage. I’d go crazy untangling my rods in that Skeeter. The individual tubes in the Ranger are the best thing since sliced bread IMO. Even the rod tubes that Skeeter did have in their 18 footer were too short and caused rod tips to be damaged and stuck. Most peoples response to this problem is the rod sleeves you can put on each rod. Even though that would work I can’t bring myself to waste that kind of time. I’m all about efficiency.

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I don’t want this to be about what’s better a Skeeter 2000T or a Ranger 620T, but anyone who’s considering the two should defiantly compare them side by side. There’s many differences, but all I can say is check out the rod storage. I’d go crazy untangling my rods in that Skeeter. The individual tubes in the Ranger are the best thing since sliced bread IMO. Even the rod tubes that Skeeter did have in their 18 footer were too short and caused rod tips to be damaged and stuck. Most peoples response to this problem is the rod sleeves you can put on each rod. Even though that would work I can’t bring myself to waste that kind of time. I’m all about efficiency.

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By all means put them side by side, and on the water also then tell me were the extra 10 grand is on the Ranger ????

The 620T in question has a 200 Verado on it ($50,000). With comparable 150 Yamahas on the Skeeter and Ranger, there still is about a 10K difference….And IMO, the Skeeter has a better layout and features.

The most SHOCKING thing I saw at the show was the 2075 Pro-V at Nelsons display. $74,000+ for an aluminum fishing boat?

Where were the Warrior boats? I saw one 1890 tiller.

That was the Lund with the 300 Verado and the 15 kicker…what a monster!!

Yep, there was one Warrior there from the factory. We were there looking hard at the steering system. The Sleeter boats, even the 20 foot tiller don’t need steering assist.

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The most SHOCKING thing I saw at the show was the 2075 Pro-V at Nelsons display. $74,000+ for an aluminum fishing boat?

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Honest to God, I bought my first house for right about that amount. And that was less than 10 years ago.

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I don’t want this to be about what’s better a Skeeter 2000T or a Ranger 620T, but anyone who’s considering the two should defiantly compare them side by side. There’s many differences, but all I can say is check out the rod storage.

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The WX-2000T has 3 rod storage areas. None of them have tubes. The bow storage area would be perfect for shorter spinning rods or shorty trolling rods, and the storage areas down the sides are perfect for longer rods. I can fit an 8-foot trolling rod in one of those side compartments without any difficulty.

If I were a tiller guy, I’d be driving this boat today. From a guide’s perspective…the amount of fishable space in this boat is simply incredible, and the storage spaces, are simply vast. Good luck trying to fill them….you’ll almost certainly need to buy more tackle to do so. And yes, the boat is considerably less expensive than a comparably equipped 620T.

For some pics of the rod storage areas in the WX-2000T, check out this link. If you’d like a personal tour of the boat, or would like to give it a spin at Everts, drop me a line. Thanks!

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The most SHOCKING thing I saw at the show was the 2075 Pro-V at Nelsons display. $74,000+ for an aluminum fishing boat?

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Honest to God, I bought my first house for right about that amount. And that was less than 10 years ago.

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Well the “boat show special” was only $63k….

Jami

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That was the Lund with the 300 Verado and the 15 kicker…what a monster!!

Yep, there was one Warrior there from the factory. We were there looking hard at the steering system. The Sleeter boats, even the 20 foot tiller don’t need steering assist.

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I’ve got the Titan steering on my 1790t Skeeter.

After running it for a little over a year I don’t think I’d ever buy another bigger tiller without it.

Night and day difference with the Titan. Running rough water isn’t fatiguing like it used to be.

I’d rate it just as important as a good electric motor or a graph/GPS.

Couple things here – if you have never driven a larger tiller (90 hp plus) with and with-out the steering system I don’t believe you are qualified to have an opinion on it’s effectiveness. I will challenge you to drive without steering from the SE cornner of Mille Lacs to the north sand in honest 4′ waves to fish a tournament day, fish and then turn around and drive back. Nothing short of arm numbing. My point is that you WANT the steering system without a doubt for no other reason than your safety!

Comparably equipped. The 620 T had a tandem axle trailer w/ brakes on both axles (as required by MN state law), electronics, electric motor, 4 seats and a host of other ‘standard’ features that are options on most boats. This is $4K +/- worth of features here that need to be factored in. Ranger also has a promotion right now offering a free cover, tournament fee voucher for up to $750, $250 of free Rapala lures (and pro-staff pricing for up to $2K worth of product) plus other benefits.

Since the $10K number is being batted around without justification it would be nice to see a quote for both rigs with the same features/option and engines – feels to me like this will add facts to this post.

Also, the cost of a boat is not only what you pay for it but how much you sell it for when you are ready to exchange for a different one.

My $.02

ted

I priced a 2007 620T last year (it was a brand new hold over). It was $6,000 more then the Skeeter I ordered this winter and the dealer told me when I priced the Ranger that I was saving $3,500 by looking at the 07 vs the 08 they also had on the show floor. The options did differ slightly. The graphs were different (HD10 vs 112 on the Ranger), 101 TM vs an 80lb Vantage on the Ranger, 4 batteries vs 3 on the Ranger (on board changed to 4 bank too). They both had/have tandem trailers and Yamaha 150’s with Mertens. I was also able to pick EVERYTHING I wanted with the Skeeter vs taking what was sitting on the floor.

Since I haven’t seen a used 20’Skeeter tiller for sale I can’t tell you how the resale is.

My information on the 620T is 8 months old but I don’t think I am “batting around” the 10K number and I’m pretty sure the Rangers haven’t dropped that much (if any) in price.