Considering buying 189 Sport Need Your Input

[Paul Cullotta]

Last summer we went camping with some friends and I took my 901 with us. We fished and did some skiing and tubing. The problem was that it was less than comfortable to have people in the boat while we skied and it was difficult to maintain a speed that was appropriate for the younger ones and keep the boat on plane. The kids all had a great time and since they enjoyed it so much and can't wait to go again this year, (that's all they talk about) I thought maybe it would make sense to have a more family oriented boat. My problem is that I love to fish and the 901 is such an awesome platform. Will the 189 serve me well? Anyone on the forum own one that could give me their honest opinion? Has anyone else made the switch from all out bass boat to fish and ski?



Thanks

Paul

 

[Greg Meyer]

I have to tell you that the new Rangers "angler" seriues boats and the Reatta have the ski/fish down pretty good... The Nitro 288 is also very nice... The 188 seems a lot smaller than it is actually... So, look around...

 

[Paul Cullotta]

Thanks Greg,

A friend of mine is a Ranger sponsored pro and he is taking me to look at a Ranger Reatta for a comparison this weekend.

 

[TROY WAINRIGHT3]

IM ON MY SECOND 288 SPORT AND LOVE IT.LOTS OF STORAGE,ROOM,AND RUNS DRY. ME AND THE WIFE FISH TOURNAMENTS OUT OF IT SINCE THERE IS PLENTY OF DECK ROOM AND THE WINDSHIELD IS NICE ESPECIALLY DURING THEM MID TO AFTERNOON STORMS. RANGER IS AN AWSOME BOAT BUT THE THING THAT SOLD ME ON THIS MODEL IS THE 2 LIVEWELLS 1 IN FRONT AND 1 IN BACK.HOPE THIS HELPS.

 

[Mike Zechman]

I'll chime in now, I own a 2006 189 Sport, Greg there is no 188 anymore, totally different. 2 Livewells up front 2 in the back, lockable rod storage, limited to 6 7" rods, and thats tight. front deck is alittle small, but i made a custom deck extensio, now its big enough for 2 to fish up front. Plenty of storage for other stuff, plenty of room for 5-6 people, and I have the 200HP Merc opti with a 6" JP, and it made all the difference, I never have had a problem gettin outta the hole with it with any load in the boat, so whatever route you go get the MAX HP!!!!! Love the boat, been in canada with it,and some other big waters, no problems, absolutly love it, would buy another

 

[Bob G.]

I'll trade ya a 2000 Nitro 185 Sport for your 901. Truck's not for trade.



Bob G.



Edit: Trade plus value difference!!

 

[Mike Zechman]

Nice rig BOB! My Dad has the same boat only Blue and white instead of Green, what motor you got?

 

[Bob G.]

150hp XR6



Bob G.

 

[Mike Zechman]

Nice, what speeds do you get outta that motor? My Dad was going to up to the 150, cuz he has trouble with the grandkids and such in the boat and getting it on plane with the 115.

 

[C C]

Paul, I can't help you out with anything on a Nitro other then I didn't like the front deck for fishing space, it looked much too small for me. I shopped Nitro, Triton, Ranger and a couple of others before I bought a Ranger Reatta 180 with a 150 Opti loaded with every option Ranger offers and then some they didn't offer they ended up giving me for free.

The Ranger Reatta has a very large fishing decks front and rear. I only paid $200 more then what I would have paid for a Nitro loaded up. I have read that many people claim a Ranger ends up costing much more then other boats but I did not find this to be the case when I bought my boat.



I loved my boat and had no problem getting on plane with a full load and 4 people on board, no mechanical issues. I moved to another lake much smaller then the one we were originally on and I decided to give up the toy for a pontoon boat to putz around on. Would I buy another Ranger Reatta again? Yes, if I was in the market for a fish/ski.



Good luck!



Cass

 

[Paul Cullotta]

Thanks for all your input! That's what I love about this forum, you get fast, honest information. The people on here are the best

Troy,

the dealer I went to didn't have a 288 in stock for me to look at, but I would like to see one.



Bob G.,

Nice truck (I have the same thing only in white see pic in my library) . Is your engine fuel injected or carburated?

I currently have an Optimax on my 901 and would like to stay with the Opti.



Mike,

I'm with you on the max hp. Having power in reserve is a good thing. Your extension for the front deck sounds like a great idea, do you have any photos?



Cass,

Beautiful Ranger! I can't wait to see one this weekend. I like the idea of having a larger front deck. As for pricing I have heard on many occasions that by the time you option out a nitro, the difference for the Ranger is minimal.



Chris,

How do you find your boat performs pulling a skier?



Thanks again to all



Paul

 

[Mike Zechman]

PC901 take a look. I had also priced a Ranger and a Triton fs-19, here in PA, both those were around 3-4k more than I paid for this with same options, I would say definatley drive them all if you can, I did, and chose the Nitro

 

[Paul P]

Paul



There have been quite a few threads regarding fish n ski's as far as fishability goes so its worth a search.



I have a 188 with a 115 4 stroke efi and without question it is underpowered when it comes to tubing while carrying a fair number of passengers. The tube my comments are based on is a 3 person tube. GTet as much HP as you can afford if you plan on a lot of that.



If you get a Fish and Ski the deck extension is priceless. I bought mine from the dealer and modified it to include a seat pedestal mont so I could move my seat back on the front deck. The original location is too close to the bow and makes for tight quarters. Moving the seat back to the deck extension made a world of difference. See some of the photos in my library.



Paul P



Paul

 

[Paul Cullotta]

Mike,

Real nice deck extension, looks simple enough to build from the pics in you library





PaulP

Thanks for your input. The extension is a must have and I really like your idea of incorporating a hole to move the seat back. I am also a believer in putting as much HP on the boat as it will handle. You might not always use it but it's nice to know that you have it if you need it



VA Chris

Thanks for the additional input



Thanks for all the input I'll let you all know what I think of the Ranger after I look at it. I must say that I did like the 189 quite a bit though.

 

[Tod Alberto]

Hi Paul,



I have the 2005 189 sport with merc 150xr6. Prior to that I had 1995 185 fs with 115 merc and it was fine for pulling a tube but not for skiers/wakeboarding. The extra power with the 150 is well worth it and I would not go without it. The boat gets out of the hole nicely and runs 54-55 by GPS. No problem getting either skiers or wakeboarders up in a hurry. One of the drawbacks with the fish and ski is lack of storage on the deck while fishing. I keep 4-5 rods behind the passenger seats for transporting and another 2 on sides of boat in passenger compartment. This is great for leasurely fishing or small tourney fishing but not the biggies. BTW, I am selling mine, not because I don't like it but have gotten to be more of a tourney fisherman, my kids are no longer teens that like to hang on the lake with me, and I need the extra space. If interested in the boat let me know....it has lowrance 480 lms at dash, lowrance 102c at bow, snap in customized cover, spare tire, and 70 lb thrust trolling motor. I currently have the Z9 on order. Looks like a great boat, I just hope all this recall BS is not serious.