Vexus Boats

I have not seen a topic on IDO for Vexus yet so I thought I would start one.
Some extremely ground breaking design concepts and manufacturing process changes from your grandpas aluminum boat.

This aluminum boat is designed and built by the people reposnsible for making Ranger, Ranger.

This is the FIRST aluminum boat to offer all fiberglass truly waterproof compartments with Gasketted lids and compression hardware. For those of you accustomed to tin boats with wood floors and aluminum framed carpeted boxes, you don’t know what you are missing in true weatherproof storage.
Custom trailers, all deep cycle batteries are 31 class!! vs 24 you get in traditional aluminum package boats. Top of the line Electronics. Fully customize-able in every sense of the word. NO WOOD. Aluminum decks with Fiberglass compartments. Pro-grade splash proof live-wells with real plumbing (No over fill tube to jack around with, live-well pumpout, Fully Custom trailer w surge brakes, on board charger……. I could go on and on but Vexus appears to have taken aluminum boats to a new level.
Fun to see other new models. Apparently new models will be introduced monthly. Fiberglass introduced in the fall.
http://www.vexusboats.com

I looked at site but see no dealers or pricing?

Mwal

Aluminum boats with a fiberglass interior. Good improvement over the standard aluminum layout, but I wonder why not just make the hull from glass at that point also?

It will be interesting to see if their aluminum rigs are priced lower than comparable glass rigs. My experience between aluminum hulls vs glass is the glass performs so much better than aluminum. After owning glass I’d have a hard time going back to an aluminum hull.

Anybody know of they are only making bass style hulls or will there be deep V multispecies models offered?

The base pricing they showed at the classic was $25,800 for the AVX189 and $32,000 for the AVX1980. The 189 was priced with a Mercury 115 Pro XS 4 stroke and the 1980 had the same price for either a Evenrude 150 HO G2 or Mercury 150 Pro XS 4 stroke.

They will have all hull styles. I know there is a big water glass hull in the works….

The company has Forrest Wood, his grandson Keith Daffron, the Hopper brothers, and many other VERY key Ranger former employees behind it. George Liddle had the northern sales territory for Ranger and grew it to what it is today, you can bet he has dealers lined up. I think they have a dealer announcement upcoming. Like within the month.

Next week Ranger has a job fair in Flippin. I am guessing they are preparing for the exodus of Ranger employees that will want to work with a local owner vs Bass Pro shops.

If you looked at the Ranger Pontoons at the Boat show you would have noticed the lack of quality they put into those boats. Basically a tracker pontoon with a Reata sticker. I would have expected something to compete with Bennington or Premier, they are more on a budget line quality, at least the ones on display. It did not give me a good impression of where they are planning to take the lineup.

I saw they are expected to release 24 new models in the next 24 months. Kinda has me worried that they aren’t fully testing them if they are designing and releasing them that quick. But the pictures I saw of the first design were intriguing.

Interesting but do you have ties to this company? Your vast knowledge and sales tactics seem to indicate you do?

The base prices at the Classic were deceiving from what I have read. Basically nothing included in that price. Trolling battery’s and even auto bilge pumps are an add on package and the 1980 is going to be closer to 40k reasonably equipped for a tin bass boat.

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Nope, No connection in fact I am a ranger owner, since 1995. I have been watching progress since they announced the company in December. Since December Vexus has been sharing a lot of updates on social media. I am just glad to see something changing in the aluminum boat building technology besides new decals on the side of the boat or adding a Hammock…..

If you are a fan of Aluminum this should excite you. These are the biggest advancements in aluminum boat building in 30 years or more.

wormdunker wrote:

If you are a fan of Aluminum this should excite you. These are the biggest advancements in aluminum boat building in 30 years or more.

No offense, but they said about the same thing about the hydroformed hull on the Tracker Tundra and that hasn’t really amounted to anything.
Of the models I have seen on their site, nothing interests me at all. Until they show something that isn’t flat to the water I could care less about the rest of it. Just doesn’t work for how and where I fish. When/if they do, then I will check them out.

Ranger was bought a few years ago. They are growing well beyond they capabilities and the lack of labor in the labor industry has everyone hiring. Notice any hiring signs around?

Hmm. Well let me know when they have a deep v and I’d take a look.

No Doubt Minnesota is hurting for labor, but we tend to give a way more money to unemployed than people care to earn. So yeah a lot of jobs open here. But in Flippin’ Arkansas, Been there?, there are only so many bodies to go around.

Johnny Morris has bought and closed several glass boat companies. Stratos was under-performing, but Legend was up and coming. Legend was also a custom boat manufacturer that had deep margins at the dealer level which means at the MFG level usually. He bought it and closed it to limit competition. People were out of work for the bottom line. Cant blame him but it is reality and to someone that worked in those places it probably would mean more to them than you and I.

Plenty to be nervous of in Flippin Arkansas from that perspective.

I understand these two hull types don’t appeal to a lot of Minnesotans but I am not sure how a deep v constructed like these are would not interest everyone. But there is a thread for a crestliner bass boat and Lund made an aluminum bass boat as well so someone wants this style of boat.

The things I think are pretty cool are the all aluminum super structure with aluminum floor w/I-beam construction, no plywood.

The photos of the transom structure are impressive. Boxed aluminum support braces across the width of the transom.

Fiberglass compartments with foam flotation in every cavity of the boat wouldn’t interest vs aluminum compartment frames and no gaskets or waterproofing.

Hand made/stitched custom matched seating.

Custom built trailer matched color, vortex hubs full sized spare.

Fiber glass console and side control panels.

I don’t and won’t own an aluminum boat again but even I think these advancements are pretty cool. But it does make me pretty excited to see what they do for glass boats.

American company starting up, providing jobs and building fishing boats, hecks yeah.

Good luck to em.

nhamm wrote:

American company starting up, providing jobs and building fishing boats, hecks yeah.

Good luck to em.

Agreed!

wormdunker wrote:

The things I think are pretty cool are the all aluminum super structure with aluminum floor w/I-beam construction, no plywood.

I/m curious how much you have explored the make up of Alumacraft and Lund for example. My boat is a 2006 Alumacraft and there is very little wood in it. Alumacraft announced last year that I believe ALL of their transoms are void of any wood. Previously they had multiple models throughout the lineup that didn’t have any wood in the transom, but now its supposed to be all, at least that is how I read it. Also all of my compartment doors are void of any wood. The main cockpit floor is wood as are the gunnels, but that is it.
I understand that some of those features you laid out are new to the aluminum boat scene, but honestly, my dry storage has NEVER gotten any water in it period so I don’t know if the “advancements” you talked about would mean much to me.
Its always good to have someone pushing the envelope and by the sounds of it the folks involved certainly have experience in the industry and trying new/different things, but other manufacturers haven’t been sitting on their hands either (case in point no wood in transom on alumacrafts)

The only wood I am aware of in either is in the flooring itself. The lids are aluminum, have been for a long time and the frames they reside in are also aluminum. But the overall floor cockpit and front deck are plywood. On front decks in both where deck meets boat sidewall there is not a water tight seal to keep water out of the bow storage areas. The aluminum boats I have fished in and owned years ago, the floors would soak some water in and hold it, eventually the s

They do give you a lifetime warranty on it at Lund. Not sure about alumacraft.

I guess my point is, until you have 100% dry, mold and mildew free storage compartments you don’t know how nice it is. You just don’t get that in aluminum.

Gonna be fun to watch.

wormdunker wrote:

I understand these two hull types don’t appeal to a lot of Minnesotans but I am not sure how a deep v constructed like these are would not interest everyone. But there is a thread for a crestliner bass boat and Lund made an aluminum bass boat as well so someone wants this style of boat.

The things I think are pretty cool are the all aluminum super structure with aluminum floor w/I-beam construction, no plywood.

The photos of the transom structure are impressive. Boxed aluminum support braces across the width of the transom.

Fiberglass compartments with foam flotation in every cavity of the boat wouldn’t interest vs aluminum compartment frames and no gaskets or waterproofing.

Hand made/stitched custom matched seating.

Custom built trailer matched color, vortex hubs full sized spare.

Fiber glass console and side control panels.

I don’t and won’t own an aluminum boat again but even I think these advancements are pretty cool. But it does make me pretty excited to see what they do for glass boats.

Since you are wondering then: I guess I’m not sure why we should get terribly excited about an aluminum boat that has a nice glass interior. That sounds great but other fiberglass boats already have all the waterproof compartments and other perks.

Along with that they also already have fiberglass hulls which seem to almost always perform better than aluminum.

So what is so exciting about these boats having aluminum hulls? I haven’t researched the Vexus line other than 5 minutes on their website which didn’t tell me much other than they think they’re pretty great, so maybe I’m missing some details?

I heard employees at ranger don’t like the new owner or the the decrease in pay…….

So what is so exciting about these boats having aluminum hulls?

Aluminum is much lighter meaning it’s faster, easier to tow, and rides higher in the water so it can go shallower. It also stands up to rocks much better and easier to repair if something does happen.

Other than that fiberglass is quieter, more stable because of its weight, and can typically handle rougher water.

All depends on what your needs are.

Yep…need a deep v version for MN.

wormdunker wrote:

The only wood I am aware of in either is in the flooring itself. The lids are aluminum, have been for a long time and the frames they reside in are also aluminum. But the overall floor cockpit and front deck are plywood. On front decks in both where deck meets boat sidewall there is not a water tight seal to keep water out of the bow storage areas. The aluminum boats I have fished in and owned years ago, the floors would soak some water in and hold it, eventually the s

They do give you a lifetime warranty on it at Lund. Not sure about alumacraft.

I guess my point is, until you have 100% dry, mold and mildew free storage compartments you don’t know how nice it is. You just don’t get that in aluminum.

Gonna be fun to watch.

You are talking in generalities about some of the models, but I can assure you there has never been a drop of water get in my dry storage in my Alumacraft. Only the high end models have it. They have a plastic liner in them with a lip on the top that has a seal around it beneath the lid. No water is getting in there unless the lid is left open period.

munchy wrote:

So what is so exciting about these boats having aluminum hulls?

Aluminum is much lighter meaning it’s faster, easier to tow, and rides higher in the water so it can go shallower. It also stands up to rocks much better and easier to repair if something does happen.

Other than that fiberglass is quieter, more stable because of its weight, and can typically handle rougher water.

All depends on what your needs are.

The idea that glass is heavier than a comparable tin boat is not always the case, when you start adding high HP motors to a boat the aluminum boat takes a lot of added reinforcement which ups the weight to the same as glass if not more.

wormdunker wrote:

No Doubt Minnesota is hurting for labor, but we tend to give a way more money to unemployed than people care to earn. So yeah a lot of jobs open here. But in Flippin’ Arkansas, Been there?, there are only so many bodies to go around.

Johnny Morris has bought and closed several glass boat companies. Stratos was under-performing, but Legend was up and coming. Legend was also a custom boat manufacturer that had deep margins at the dealer level which means at the MFG level usually. He bought it and closed it to limit competition. People were out of work for the bottom line. Cant blame him but it is reality and to someone that worked in those places it probably would mean more to them than you and I.

Plenty to be nervous of in Flippin Arkansas from that perspective.

Could you please call down to the Legend plant and tell them to stop today? They have been working on the new V21’s and V20’s didn’t get the inside info that you have. I hate to think they have been getting paid all these weeks without knowing they were closed down. Then again if the checks are still coming in I guess I’d continue to show up and build the Legends too.

curleytail wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>wormdunker wrote:</div>
I understand these two hull types don’t appeal to a lot of Minnesotans but I am not sure how a deep v constructed like these are would not interest everyone. But there is a thread for a crestliner bass boat and Lund made an aluminum bass boat as well so someone wants this style of boat.

The things I think are pretty cool are the all aluminum super structure with aluminum floor w/I-beam construction, no plywood.

The photos of the transom structure are impressive. Boxed aluminum support braces across the width of the transom.

Fiberglass compartments with foam flotation in every cavity of the boat wouldn’t interest vs aluminum compartment frames and no gaskets or waterproofing.

Hand made/stitched custom matched seating.

Custom built trailer matched color, vortex hubs full sized spare.

Fiber glass console and side control panels.

I don’t and won’t own an aluminum boat again but even I think these advancements are pretty cool. But it does make me pretty excited to see what they do for glass boats.

Since you are wondering then: I guess I’m not sure why we should get terribly excited about an aluminum boat that has a nice glass interior. That sounds great but other fiberglass boats already have all the waterproof compartments and other perks.

Along with that they also already have fiberglass hulls which seem to almost always perform better than aluminum.

So what is so exciting about these boats having aluminum hulls? I haven’t researched the Vexus line other than 5 minutes on their website which didn’t tell me much other than they think they’re pretty great, so maybe I’m missing some details?

Some people would rather have aluminum hulls over Glass due to conceived durability and flexibility. In some cases aluminum are lighter but in 19-22′ tournament boats that is a fairy tale. They all weigh the same.

So I guess the Aluminum hull with Glass interior offers the best of both worlds to Aluminum boat guys.

I luckily haven’t done any side by side durability tests of aluminum vs fiberglass. Many seem to call out the superior durability of aluminum vs fiberglass.

Maybe that’s truly the case but I have a hard time believing it. I think both are going to stand up to regular bumps here and there just as well as each other. Rocks might be more likely to scratch the clear coat on glass, but that can be fixed easy enough. I actually think glass can probably be more seamlessly repaired than aluminum.

Either way, if somebody hits a rock going 30 mph in either boat it’s probably going to do some damage that needs to be repaired.

Some aluminum boats are lighter yes, but I agree that when a person gets into bigger “premium” aluminum boats the difference becomes less.

I don’t have a problem with their design and its unique, but if the cost of them rivals a good glass boat I’m curious what the selling points will be.

Be interested to see where this company goes.

Tucker

I’ll be interested to see their aluminum boats, had hoped to see one at the NW Sportshow. But I will be comparing them to my Lund Pro-V Bass that is a proven big water hull, deep-V ride, huge storage, an established dealer/service network, made locally… and also has zero wood in the boat to rot.

Be interesting to see where this goes, but there are a lot of hurdles.

Quality boat construction costs money, and many of the things that quality boatmakers do to increase quality and durability run counter to what midwest guys have been raised to believe a walleye boat SHOULD have. Midwest guys want lots and lots of plush carpet and padded trim, lots of little compartments, electronics hanging off of everything, etc. All of this costs money and decreases durability, but that’s what guys here pay for because that’s what a boat “should” have.

Also, AL hull thickness and trailer quality also has to be downgraded to hit a Midwest price point. Manufacturers know that most midwest buyers will never notice this downgrade because boats in the frozen tundra get so little use that the low build quality takes years to show up.

As I’ve pointed out in the past, take a look at the build details of a quality saltwater CC or a west-coast style aluminum V and then compare it to a midwest walleye boat build. Stainless steel everywhere, no carpet, heavy duty hardware, through-bolt fasteners, no cheap wood screws, heavy latches, gasket seals, no wood floors, everything riding on galavanized trailers with no pretty glossy paint jobs to rust, etc, etc. But the reason these boats aren’t sold here is that pretty carpet and lots of Naugahyde is what buyers here buy.

Grouse

If I had the money to buy a new boat I would be buying one like a west costs style boat that you describe Grouse. Vexus better be popping out a Deep V soon while the hype is still up.

I read on another forum that they will have a multispecies boat out in 2019.