07 620 ranger w/225 etec ho pros and con

[cornbuster]

looking at getting a 620 ranger with etec 225 ho just want some feedback had a 2003 crestliner superhawk w/ 115 yamaha 4 stroke decided to be a nice son and gave it to my dad for retirement loved the old boat just wondering what to expect from the ranger set up, mainly fish devils lake nd and lake oahe

[Auggie264]

There should be nothing wrong with the rig. Rangers are built very well and have a nice ride.

[PJM]

Cornbuster

Going from an aluminum to a glass you will notice a difference it how it cut the waves in big water. The motor seem popular with no negative feed back and along with the trailer I think you will really like it.

[jimcar]

Just so you know they only made that hull for 2 years because of complaints. The bow sits very low in water and will take waves over in anything more than 2 ft. Also the front compartments leak from this water over bow. I would pass on that and look for pre '06 or '08 and newer. There are a few '08 with slant back bow. Look for the ones with blunt nose. You will be happy with those. If you dont fish like that those boats have a very fast hull. My .02

[cornbuster]

also foud a 2007 619 vs w/225 yamaha 4 stroke perfect shape only $1500.00 less than 620 any difference in performane and does this have same hull as 07 620 that jim carr was talking ahout

[go ranger]

The 620 hull is just an awesome hull, the 619 hull is very similar but Ranger definitely has the 620 figured out. The 07 hull was not bad by any means. Yes they did change the 08 to improve how it cuts through the waves, but the 07 was not bad.

With the 620 (since 07), you can expect top speed 60-65 depending on motor. With the 619, expect upper 50s to maybe 60 with the right setup.

[stanton]

The 06 and 07 hulls were great hulls, and improvements over their predecessors. They did refine that hull in '08, but not in a major way and having been in both, I don't see any difference in ride or how it takes the waves. Any 620 though is going to be a solid performer. You can't go wring. The 619s are great boats too.

[PJM]

Just so you know they only made that hull for 2 years because of complaints. The bow sits very low in water and will take waves over in anything more than 2 ft. Also the front compartments leak from this water over bow. I would pass on that and look for pre '06 or '08 and newer. There are a few '08 with slant back bow. Look for the ones with blunt nose. You will be happy with those. If you dont fish like that those boats have a very fast hull. My .02

Jimcar

Are you saying that Ranger built this boat and it can't handle 2 ft waves without water coming in the front for two years, that does not make any sense. You should registar next time.....

[jimcar]

Registered or not, all I can tell you is I wouldnt buy a 06 or 07 620. Yes the waves will come over bow if trolling into 2 ft waves or idling. Its well documented by lots of people. Do a search or ask some pros. The front compartments will leak. My friend has an 06 and has filled the front comparts with water. Was at ranger for repair and didnt work. The 619 and 621 did not have this problem. It took them 2 years to correct it. Just look at an 05 and an 08. Very similiar hulls. There would be no other reason to change the hull on a top selling boat in a two year period if there were no problems. Rangers are great boats. I own one and I did my research before buying. Hope this helps.

[cornbuster]

thanks for all the info, but know confused by reading them that the 07 619 would be a better boat than a 07 620 for not taking water over the bow??? i know the 619 has less storage but will it acutally perform better in the waves than the 620....

[MadMax]

I have a 07 620 with the 225HO on the back. At low elevation the boat runs great. I have run the boat in the roughest water you can put it in from Lake Erie to Green Bay to Lake Oahe. The boat handles great! I did fill a front compartment up with water at Green Bay. I tightened up my latches and I have never had a problem since. The other thing you might check is that in 07 I got a 7 year warranty on the etec. To me that would be a big buying factor also. Boat, Engine, Trailer...It is a great package!! You cannot go wrong. I hope this helps.

[KTurner UL]

thanks for all the info, but know confused by reading them that the 07 619 would be a better boat than a 07 620 for not taking water over the bow??? i know the 619 has less storage but will it acutally perform better in the waves than the 620....

Cornbuster - keep in mind that mastering boat control should be your number one objective if you want to catch more walleyes! Now with that said keep in mind that very few anglers have actually spent the time and effort to master boat control is ALL conditions......

I fished out of the '07 619 and could not have been happier with how it performed in a variety of conditions. I'm a HUGE fan of 2 stroke engines so I won't comment on the 619 powerplant you are looking at. I will say you might want to take that for a spin before you buy. I'm attracted to Ranger's Fisherman series as I feel it's a performance boat and should be coupled with a performance powerplant. I've owned the powerplant you are looking at on the 619 and while I feel they are great motors, they are more designed for Sunday driving then performance...

Back to the '07 620 hull. While there were some tweaks to this hull I surely wouldn't be afraid of owning one. Again it goes back to boat control. If you like to troll into true 2 foot and greater waves then yes you will take water over the bow. But let's be real here, there are quite a few other brand boats that I've been in that also take water over the bow.... I know some guys have leaking compartments but most were fixed with a simple readjustment of the latch...

No matter what you decide enjoy the hunt and once you pull the trigger realize you are buying a boat and there WILL be issues..... Just the nature of the beast. Oh I'm sure there are anglers that own or have owned that perfect boat/motor combo but in my 48 plus years of existence I've met very few of them..... (At least when they are telling the truth)

Good fishing - Kurt

[kman]

I dont know that too many people are trolling "into" 2 foot waves unless your looking for trouble. Trolling with the waves, that I can picture.. And then you wont have any water coming over the bow. If you have the storage space for the 620 I would by all means recomend the 620 over the 619 for multiple reasons. Storage, ride, room.. Ken

[Cape Cod Basser]

It was my understanding that the earlier 619's had to be tweaked. That didn't make the others bad. Not handling 2 foot waves? I seriously doubt that. I owned a 2003 520 Bassboat. In 2006 I switched out a Ficht 225HO for an ETEC 225HO. The ETEC is a fantastic motor. You will love it. My 520 could handle very rough stuff on Lake Champlain. The ETEC would get my boat right over any two footers out there. You can ride a 520 at WOT in two footers all day. I've been on Lake Erie and fished as a co-angler in several tournaments while as a passenger in a 520. We speared some waves in some big rollers, but overall, I was extremely impressed the the way 520 performed in that stuff.
With all that being said, I'm sure a 620 with a deeper V-hull and the same engine would be a superstar. Don't believe the haters. You will be a very happy and lucky man with that rig. GO FOR IT!

[mudking01]

I have that exact boat. I do not have any problems with taking on waves, I fish Mille Lacs, Leech and Vermilion. I have never had a wet compartment. I could not be happier with the combo.