Looking for a boat

[Andy Fowler]

I'm looking for my first boat, and got my eye on a 640 lx but it has a 50 on it. Any pros or cons about his boat? Whats the top speed and are there any problems with it outta the hole with the 50? Money is an object so suggetions are welcome??? Thanks

 

[Bruce Freeman]

Sounds way under powered to me, if it will get on plane you will be lucky to get 40mph out of it. I had a 17ft tin boat with a 60HP Merc and it topped out at 41 gps after years of tweaking. What you need is my 18 1/2 Champion with a 150 and all the toys to go with it...



BF

 

[Chris F.]

I use to have a 640 with a 75 on the back. If I remember right it ran in the mid forties. It was my first boat and was very fishable on the lakes here in Kansas. I then upgraded to a 901 because I wanted bigger and faster. It also handles bigger waves from the strong winds here in Kansas.

The 640 was very stable and fishable and had a fair amount of storage. I had no regrets in buying that boat for my first bass boat. Chris F.

 

[Bill Wright]

Buy what you can afford. You can always upgrade. I did,three times now. Some guys on this site think bigger is better but its what you got in your pocket that counts

 

[Bruce Freeman]

I agree with Bill, what you can afford will catch you just as many fish.



BF

 

[KEVIN WERHAN]

I purchased my first new boat this summer, yes it was all I could afford with a mortgage,

3 kids, dog, etc.. 06 tracker pro guide 16' with a fire breathin 50 hp 2 stroke, lol. Mine tops out at 31 mph, I knew it was not going to win any races, but its new and its mine. I have

fished with a guy that had a 640 lx with a 75 hp., the boat flew. He said he had done some

minor mods to the motor, it hit 50 mph. Thats movin on a 16' boat. My guess is with the

50 on the boat, it wil probably go 35 or so. I guess what I'm trying to say is, you need to

decide whats more important to you. Don't buy something that you won't be happy with. If you just want to fish and have fun, then the 640 with the 50 will be ok.

 

[Greg Gutierrez]

Im just glad you didn't give him a screaming deal on a 2008 Z9 with 250 ProXS!

 

[Bruce Freeman]

Don't take me wrong as a fishing platform the 640lx works great, I just think it is way under powered and he will not be happy with a 50hp engine. Upgrade to the 90 at min? If you are paying cash thats great but if you have to finance then spend the extra dollars. You always have the option to let off the throttle to slow down, but you don't always have the option to get out of the way.



BF

 

[Bill Wright]

OK, I agree with Bruce F, please, please dont buy somthing you wont be happy with ( I wasnt thinking) But buy what you can afford and understand you can upgrade. Make sure its a good boat.

 

[byron cooley]

I bought a new 640LX in may of 04' with the 05' 75hp Optimax. I only fun fish on the weekends and don't tourny fish or fish big water. The 640LX is a great rig for it's size and can't be beat in a 16' glass bass boat. Mine flat out walks away from the little stratos 176XT's with 75's at the lakes. With the 75 Opti and a 20" LaserII that has been ballanced and blueprinted up to a 21" and a light load it will hit 46gps at 5740rpm on the smartcraft monitor all day long. With a correctly proped 50hp I think 35-36mph is about max. Something about the design of this little hull allows it to get up on plane fairly quick with little effort. Mine jumps right up on the pad and handles great in up to 2 foot chop. It rides right on the top of the chop and is real dry. It will never be a big water boat but I enjoy the hell out of mine and I'm sure you will too.

 

[TrepMan]

Andy - Listen to the age advice of your elders like Bill - paying cash now is more important then ANY payments and interest you will pay on a boat you can't afford!!



I went from a 10ft inflatable raft with oars to a 10ft aluminium with a 5hp to a 14ft jonboat with the same 5hp, to a 17ft Tracker aluminium with a 40 merc and steering wheel which went 30 mph on my GPS and was FLYING compared to my 5hp! I ran that boat for 6 years after paying it off in 12 months, and if a great deal had not come up on my current 700lx I would still probably have that Tracker.



First define your budget that under NO circumstances will cause you to not pay your rent/mortgage, car payment, contributions to your 401k/retirement and food. Then decide what type of boat suits the water you fish (shallow flats boat, bass boat, walleye boat...) then look for a good deal in the price range you can afford and have it checked out by a competent mechanic before you buy it.



The 640lx is a great boat, Dan N. on this site has one with a 90, fit his budget for cash perfectly, fits in his garage, easy to tow behind his small SUV and on the lakes we fish in GA no reason unless its gale force winds he is not safe and confortable. My 700lx is only 8 inches longer. The 50hp like other says if propped right will plane, but you are probably looking at best in the low 30's for top speed. If you don't fish long lakes/rivers, or don't mind driving a longer tow to get to the area you like (I did the same thing with my 17ft Tracker), and its in good shape, go for it!



Trep

 

[Dan Nevill]

Andy,



I'm the Dan that Trep is talking about. My 640LX is my first boat. I bought it used in mint shape. It has the 90HP and tweeked to the max. I'm getting 48MPH on GPS with me, a second person, gear, live well full and full gas tank. I have upgraded the two fish finders and added a frew other items for night fishing. I also added a swing hitch on the trailer for extra length, low lake level and to fit in the garage. I tow it with a Mazda Tribute.



On the handling. Now that i've had it for a year I'm very comfertable with it in most any conditions. You do get wet some in rough water but it's only water. I've had it air born and nose dived to water over the front. Scarry but survived. So what i can say is the 640LX is a great entry boat with great performance. I love it.



Also being my first boat and bying used I have been prone to do more things with it. One real import thing I added to the boat that I would greatly recomend is a Keel Sheild. The lake i fish has a lot of rocks and the lake drops quite a bit in the winter so I beach it alot at the ramps.



Any question just let me know.



Also my boat is better looking than Treps.



Dan

 

[TrepMan]

Oh, Oh, "Also my boat is better looking than Treps." RIGHT!!!!



No WAY dude!!

 

[Mark Gross]

Bigger is better but it also comes with a price. You end up paying more all the way around. Insurence is more. The larger the engine the gas you consume .The larger the boat the more time you will have to put into to the up keep .



It doesn't end there . I'm fortunete enough to own my boat outright but if I had to take a loan out it wouldn't happen. I would be just as happy with anything that floats. As long as I could still fish. After all that's the main purpose of having a boat to begin with, to fish.



Life is about priorities and your family should come first.



Mark