Larson FX

What are your thoughts on buying a Larson FX, knowing Polaris will no longer be manufacturing this line of boats??

Pros and cons??

I didn’t like them before they were discontinued.

They were cheap for a reason. I had them on my list and after sitting in one at the dealer it was obvious why they were cheaper. If you could get a smoking deal on one and that is your biggest deciding factor then go for it! There’s just nothing that Larson did better than anyone else in my opinion. Id still take one over most aluminum boats though.

I purchased an FX1750DC a month and a half ago, for a good deal I could not pass up.

To the comments of being cheap, they are not at the standard of Ranger but they are almost half the price as well. Its a price point thing. I have always believed you get what you pay for, and it is the same with Larson boats. That said, it is a nice boat with everything needed to go fishing and have fun. I do not see any quality issues that would affect usage. My comparison was between this Larson boat and a tin boat of the same price, and there was no comparison, I will take the Larson every time. I really wanted a Ranger Angler, to me it was the best boat for my usage, but at twice the price, or 10 years older, it just wasn’t a better deal.

As to the original question, Polaris did by Larson, and has put manufacturing on hold, but they did that because of Covid and the changing economy, not for good. My guess is that Polaris will take this time to retool and release a Polaris branded boat. And I would even bet you will see it with a Polaris branded outboard as well. I would not let any of that scare you away from buying a Larson boat, if it fits your needs, meets your budget, and it supports your recreation.

I agree with the above post, it’s a decent boat and if it fits your needs go for it. You could pay much more for a Ranger but then again it could turn out to be a lemon like the Reata I had. Then you overpaid and are disappointed.

I read that polaris dropped Larson FX, Rinker, and one other boat company that’s name escapes me at the moment. I assume they are still making the Larson pleasure boats and only dropped the FX line.

Here is the press release.
https://www.polaris.com/en-us/news/company/polaris-to-discontinue-production-of-rinker-striper-larson-fx-boats/

I think your biggest risk would be getting replacements parts specific to the Larsen FX models. Others will likely share your concern which effects resale, so you’d have to buy it right imo. I’ve noticed quite a few for sale since this was announced.

The press release by polaris said they will still continue to warranty, supply parts and service for the LX boats. How long they will stock parts is anyone’s guess. I know that crestliner and lund have discontinued parts on older boats.

I was hoping that Polaris would do a much needed refresh on the FX line. We need good competition at that price point to keep the others in check. So many people want to move up to fiberglass, but can’t justify the cost. It seems to me like there does exist room for a more affordable, bare bones fiberglass line. But then again, because of the weight and therefore, the bigger motor needed to push it, it’s hard to even put out an affordable line of fiberglass boats.

It seems like we’re at a point where the affordable boats are the 17 foot aluminums that can get away with the 115 or the 140 Suzuki. That’s it. Step up from there and you’re at the 40-50 on up price range.

I looked hard at them but ended up in a ranger last year. Truth is price once you optioned them out wasn’t as big a difference as you would think. Between the Reata I purchased and the fx the difference was under 10 grand. Also looked at the Lund glass boats and they were more expensive than the rangers.

There was a quality difference but usability seemed like they would be a fine boat. Paired with a Suzuki and you’d have a solid boat.

I wouldn’t hesitate to purchase one if the warranty was good. Probably some screaming deals out there.

sharpest looking boats I have laid eyes on. never fished out of one and almost pulled the trigger on a used FX17 few years ago but it was under powered IMO. I would not hold back anything if you get a good deal.

So I hear all this talk about “under powered” or “you have to max out the HP”. The one I bought is the FX1750 and it has the Mercury 115hp 4-stroke. Trust me, I had sleepless nights thinking it was under powered before I bought it. I will give you, it is no speed demon, takes a bit to get up on plane, but it is a fishing boat, not a pleasure or sport boat. With 2 of us in the boat, it gets up on plane just fine and will run 40mph in a moderate chop. Just fine for a fishing boat in my opinion.

Bit off topic, but it came with the Drotto already installed. What an awesome addition, makes launching and loading a breeze.