New (to me) Ranger 690VS, Mariner 175 EFI

Picked up a new (to me) rig over the weekend. 98 Ranger 690VS 30th anniversary edition. Pushed by a Mariner 175 EFI and a 99. 4stroke kicker. Boat has super low hours on it, and clean. Currently replacing the Trolling motor and Electronics.

Anyone run a 690? Mariner EFI? Happy with it? or? Anything common I should address on it?

Congrats………I’ve heard many times that the 690 might be the best Walleye boat Ranger ever made! Enjoy and be safe.

Sounds just like a friend of mines boat, did you buy it from Fred S.? That 175 is a good motor, used to stall at idle once in a while when cold but would always start right back up, not sure why it did that but it never caused an issue.

I bought it from a guy named Gary.
Super pumped to fish out of it, just picked up a 80lb Terrova yesterday for it.

I have a 98′ 692 with a 175 merc…… absolutely love the boat!!! ive been in a lot of never 619’s and I will say that I like it much better than the new ones…..

Sweet rig!

I ran that exact same combo and year with the only difference being my kicker was on the starboard side which caused the boat to lean a little that way and the fact that I was NOT skinny! I Loved the boat and my brother still complains that I sold it. I fished Mille Lacs a lot as well as Lake of the Woods and the Rainy River. My 175 EFI was bulletproof and the only added maintenance was changing the impellor every other year. I think it is a good idea to let the EFI warm up to before rolling on the power. I had 61.9 mph on my gps with just me, a life jkt and throw cushion, and a half tank of gas but would normally run in the low 50’s loaded up. The only thing I would have changed was to move my kicker to the port side to offset a little weight but yours is already there. Good luck and enjoy your fishing machine!!

was your kicker clamped on the back of the boat or was it on a panther static mount that was bolted to the hull?… mines clamped to the hill and has damaged the glass due to the round clamp pads

Mine was on a CNC tilt bracket. You could have that fixed and a Panther or CNC tilt put on then. I see if I can dig up a picture and post it.

I run a 690 with newer motors but you will love the boat. It’s design and durability were waaaaaaaaaay ahead of it’s time. Musky and walleye guys have a secret strange passion for 690s of any kind. Incredible resale value from what I have seen. congrats!!!!

Thanks for all the feedback guys. I hope to hit the water friday after I change the impeller, spark plugs, and service the lower unit. Terrova got bolted on tonight, still need to finish the connections, but it’s taking shape! The kicker is mounted on a Minnkota Power Up which looks very similar to a Panther Lift.

that would be great!. I have a panther static mount I need to put on but I just thought it was weird that most of the 690 series boats with kickers were mounted right to the hull and all of the newer 619 620 621 have the panther static mount

Nice Rig!

Congratulations, it looks pretty sweet.

As noted by a few others, that is a pretty popular boat, so I think you will enjoy it.

Paulski

Great looking rig.

Thanks for all the replies!

So far, I’m liking the boat except for how it performs during take off.

I just got back from a 5 day trip on Rainy Lake, and I fished with only 1 other guy and his gear, and taking off the boat would sky the bow, and just plow not getting on plane at time until my buddy got up and moved toward the bow to sit it down. Once on plane it was fine. A bit of porpusing taht I’m working on, but the holeshot is terrible.

Currently running a 4 blade Trophy 19pitch. What have others run?

Not to insult you, but you have the motor trimmed all the way down on take-off, right?

Yep, Motor trimmed all the way down.

Quote:

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Yep, Motor trimmed all the way down.

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Hmm. Something doesn’t add up.

How much gas in the tank? I am running the same setup with a 4-blade SS 21P Trophy Plus prop. What was your RPM on top end? Still sounds like motor is angled up too much. Check which hole the pin is in?

not sure what prop you have but, I put a 19 pitch 4 blade and its good… I can still get low 50″s empty and 49 or so loaded with musky gear and 2 people. and I really cant over rev it either…. actually im not 100% on the 19 but almost positive. I can double check if you want me to…

Thanks for the feedback everyone. Turns out, the Trophy prop being smaller diameter than the hub it required a “Prop seal ring” on the prop which it did not have. I have since bought one, and installed it. MUCH better holeshot, running on plane, and overall performance.

Hookem, if you’re on Facebook you should join the 690/692 fan club (assuming you’re not already there). If you need an invite to join, PM me.

Congrats Hookem!
Your gonna love it. Just could be the last boat you’ll ever need

Thanks everyone. So far, its been a great boat.

I’d still like to tried a Trophy 21P just o see the difference.

I’ll check out the fb page. Thanks for the info.