Ranger 619 Report

[Bear]

Well after 3 months of waiting I have taken delivery of my 619. Just thought I would give an overview of my thoughts on the boat for any one who might be looking at a rig like this. To start with WOW! The boat is everything I imagined and more. I have a Yamaha 3.1L 200 on it with the engine mounted in the third hole from the top with a 23P Pro Series prop. I also have a Yam. 9.9 High Thrust kicker on it. Overall the fit and finish of this boat is excellent. I am comparing this to a long line of Lund ProV which I have had. They had something to be desired as far as working parts and finis. Of course for the price of this rig it should be perfect but I know other boats in the same price range that are lacking in this area. Currently this boat is at the end of the break stage and I am running 5200rpm at 53 mph GPS with a full load. I have a 21P prop on the way which should boost my rpms up to hopefully 5400-5600. This should also help push my top speed up. The ride is way above the ride of my previous 1900 ProV. It is so much smoother and handles like a dream. Another nice thing that I had found was during break in I could drive around at 3000rpm and stay on plane with no plowing of the bow or boat hop. Fishing from this boat has been better than I expected. I have had a couple of tiller boats which I loved to back troll out of but my previous 1900 console I was unablt to do this effectively. With this boat I could backtroll extremely slow and still corner effectively with my kicker. The boat tracked perfectly. I was doing this in small roller of 1-3 feet. The water never did come up and over the back of the boat the transome broke the waves with no problem and rode right on top. Any waves larger would have splashed up on me but that is to be expected without splashguards. Overall I am extremely happy with this boat so far which is unusual considering I am very hard to please when it comes to my boats. This is all just my personal opinion.

Bear

[Nofish]

Hey Bear,

Glad to hear you are happy with your new boat. Enjoy........R

[Fishermanartur]

I got my Ranger 619 last week and tested new prop (Trophy 24p on 200 Optimax + 9.9 Merc 4) yesterday ... WOW ... It was bit choppy on Lake Ontario and the boat handeled SUPERBLY. Last prop I had was small hub Laser II 21p - not a good chiose. Vibrations that I had with old prop are gone just smmoth run :-) At the end of evening my motor had aprox 3 hours on it so I open it up for last run paddle wheel speed was 61 MPH and GPS 60.7 MPH. Please note that I was by mayself plus my dog and 1/2 my regular gear, 3/4 full tank, 4 batteries with no wind.

-o{Fisherman

[edge800]

way to go bear,glad you liked it. it was a long wait for my 620 (3 months) but after one trip on the water, well worth it!! I am curious though, i have on a laser II with a 16 pitch (on a 225 opti), and on gps, speedo AND stalker pro radar, i am at 67 mph. others have discounted this, but i also called my ranger dealer in the twin cities, and he did the math and said that is where it should be.

i am only telling this to possibly help, not brag about speed, because i bought a fishing boat, not a race boat. but it sure is nice when you fish the big water and might go 30 miles one way to get there as fast, and safe as possible.

glad to hear you like it, congrats.

edge800 }>

[JonnyMo]

The dealer I've been talking to goes with the prop that Ranger pre-rigs.......21 Tempest.

Sounds like your having real good luck with the 24 Trophy.

[Tim/Iowa]

I have a 620 with a 225 Optimax with the standard 21 tempest. I do have one question and that is how does it come out of the water? Mine is at the ussual at 58-59 mph. I would like to have a little more speed on the top end. Has anyone tried a Turbo prop yet??

[edge800]

sorry men, mine is a laser II 21 pitch, not 16 as stated. i am curious about the 24 and might give it a try. did you lose anything out of the hole, or did you just gain top end. glad for the info, and once again sorry to confuse any of you with the wrong pitch :'(

edge800

[edge800]

also - it runs 5500 - 5600 on the tach. i have not had the tach calibrated so i am only telling you what i see.

i achieved 67 mph with 3/4 tank, 80 lb golden retriever, and half my gear. i also race sleds so know for a fact the radar gun does not lie. once again it is only about performance, and in my opinion when you put out this kind of $$$, you are looking for just that.

edge800

[WalleyeRanger]

I also have a 620 with a Merc 225 Opti Dig. but can only get 58 with a 1/4 tank of go go juice. What kind of rpm are you running to get 67?

[Grampa_Joe]

I would like to know who you talked to and at what dealer. I know people at every Ranger dealer in the state, so I'd like to talk to them. From the horses mouth, as it were.
I did a lot of tweaking to get my 620 to hit 60 mph GPS so I'm wondering about the 67 MPH. Are you saying that all of the above said 67 mph? The GPS, speedo, and radar? GPS is my only way to measure my speed as I don't have access to a radar gun but I would assume there wouldn't be a 7 mph variation. My speedo on the other hand, does say I'm going 67 Mph.
A few questions: do you have a kicker? Kicker lift? jackplate? have you tried a 21 pitch Tempest plus? If so, what does that say on radar? I would think the Laser wouldn't have enough bow lifting ability needed with this bow heavy boat to get that kind of speed.
Thanks
Joe Carlson

[edge800]

what i have seen with the laser II is since the fins are thinner, on plane it will produce a little more rpm. i know it is hard to believe but it is. mine came rigged with the tempest 21 and i never ran it, but will try this weekend just for the sake of checking.

my speedo seems about 3 - 4 mph slower than the gps and radar gun. without a doubt the radar gun WILL NOT lie. it is calibrated to ck a snowmobile within 2500' with an error of +/- .1 mph. why this is happening is hard for me to know. i had no idea that others would be at 60, and simply started posting what i knew and am now finding out of the discrepency.

one other gauge of the speed was running an 1850 yarcraft with the 225 on mille lacs coming in from a tourney together, i was showing 63 with two guys and full gear, and was barely edging him. when we got in i asked what he showed and he said 61 and he knew (at least this is what he told me) his gauge was accurate.

i will try the tempest this weekend and let you know. i would think with the thicker fins it should plane quicker.

"The Tempest Plus, Trophy Plus, and Laser II offer great planing abilities and top speed for many V-6 outboard packages." This is the quote from the mercury marine website about their props. I bought my boat from crystal marine, and had to deal with 3 different men, and when i called in about tech on the props, he seemed unqualified to answer, but told me the laser should do as i told him. i really doubt that he knew that, but was just anxios to get off the phone, especially since they do not rig the motors much, they do not get too concerned.

sorry this was so long men, and joe, but i truly am not into having the fastest, biggest, etc... i just posted my results and let it be as it may. hope this helps and when i come back from the weekend on mille lacs i will clue you all in again. thanks and keep enjoying the best boat on the water.

edge800

[Stu Pedaso]

Figuring he's got a lowball of 5% slippage, the gear ratio on the 225 opti is 1.75:1, he's running right around 8150 rpms to get 67 mph out of a 16 prop. Being that max rpm on the specs are 5000-5750, I hope he didn't waste the money on the extended warranty. If he's really running 42% over redline, I can't see it making it out of the regular warranty. :)

I'll give him benefit of the doubt and assume that he meant to type 47mph, which is what a 16 prop with 5% slippage will do @ 5750 rpm off a motor with a 1.75:1 ratio.

[Stu Pedaso]

Oops, that's what I get for not reading all the way down. Wasn't a 16. I still have an issue with the speed, though. You would have to be running a 23 prop to reach that speed @ 5750 rpms. A 1% (real world impossible) slippage 21 only gets you a mathematical 64.7. a 23 @ 5750 on your engine would get you 67mph @ 6% slippage. So if the radar , etc is right, you're running a 23 or 24, no ifs ands or buts. They might have mis-packaged your prop, or something, but the math doesn't lie. Not calling you a liar by any means, just that you're running a bigger prop than you think you are.

[Stu Pedaso]

Just in case my above reply got lost, I'd like you and grampa joe to read it. Thanks. It's threaded on the response to the original 16 prop post.

[Fishermanartur]

Last week when I pick up my new boat dealer told me he recomends Laser II prop 21p but just after I tested my new boat (motor NEW only 2000 - 3500rpm) I had a lot of vibrations at aprx 2000 rpm. After few runs I told my dealer that we need to change props. He had Trophy 24p in stock so I sad OK will test and if I dont like it he will change prop to one I like. When I tested new prop Tuesday 61MPH (speedo) my rpms where 5600 but I had to trim motor up a bit (dont have trim
gauge yet)and my hole shot was at 6 sec. compered to 4 - 5 sec with Laser II. But overall my stability was inproved with new prop and the boat had better feel to it. I fish inland Ontario lakes or HOMES lakes mostly and sable performence is imperative for me and this set up I like :-)
Dose any one use hydrofoil?
-o{Fisherman

[Thief River Fisherman]

It's always seemed to me that people who ride Polaris have had a tuff time talking about true speed!!

[Nofish]

Hey Stu,

I always tholught, and was told that the 24 p was too tall a whell for the motor to turn at that rpm, with such a heavy boat.

However, I suppose that if you take a mile to reach top rpm, the motor can certainly spin that wheel. But wouldn't power in the waves and holeshot really suffer?

Have fun......R

[Stu Pedaso]

I was just trying to make the math work, I have no idea how that prop/motor/boat would work in real world conditions.

[Gudnuf]

I recieved my 619 on the Memorial day weekend. I second everything Bear said about the quality. Unfortunatly mine is now in the shop for a erratic, false oil lite on the Merc 200 Opti-Max. The top speed I have obtained (GPS reading) is 58 MPH at 5600 RPM. Speedometer reads 67 MPH. Don't know the prop but is whatever was stock.

I am using a Minnkota Vantage 24 volt for back trolling and this woks well but I get wet. I am looking for splash guards. Any recommendations?

Love the boat. But wish it was out of the shop.

[edge800]

well i have just gotten off the water while loading the boat for the mille lacs trip. this is what was founded, and expecting ridicule by the others above, bear with me and believe it if you will.

with the tempest plus 21 pitch the boat DEFINATELY comes out of the water quicker and TRAVELS much smoother overall. once again conditions were near glass on my lake, so both rides are comparable. speedo - 61 mph, gps - 64.2 mph, radar gun - 64.1 mph. these are as we saw them, no different, no lying, no nothing. as i cannot express enough of how i really could care less about speed with this boat, i am just looking for the best performance as you all are.

and to prove that, i am leaving the tempest plus on because i liked the handling better and the push out of the hole. WOW beleive that, i am giving up 3 mph for a better ride. that alone should prove to others this is not a joke. i will quit posting for now since i have nothing else to say but this boat is BY FAR the best on the water when it comes to OVERALL ride, fishability, comfort, and most of all enjoyment. so if you want to go zooming past, be my guest. i like this combination now and will love it even more in the big water of mille lacs this weekend.

by the way the rpm was 5450, about 150 revs lighter than the same pitched laser II. my theory of a thinner fin is then justified saying it will rev higher.

hope this helps to those that are looking for it, to the others, go to another post and brag about your tin cans to someone who cares, because we in here obviously do not.

edge800

good fishin' to all

[T-Mac]

Edge...Nice rig...but, believe me...you don't have a 16 pitch prop on it.
Probably just a typo...but believe me , guy...a 16 pitch would over-rev and produce a slow speed.
Heck of a hole shot....it would have, however.

[T-Mac]

Yes....I read further.. and see what you said about having a 21 Lazer II.
OOPS.... Sorry should have read further before
posting.
Lazer II 21P is what we put on that rig. GOOD prop !

[Bear]

Edge,

Is your 619 a single or dual console. What were you running as far as amount of fuel and did you have anything in the front of your boat wieght wise. I am starting to see a pattern of weight being a real factor in the performance of this boat. I can't wait to get some more props and try them out. I have a 21P Pro Series and a Tempest 21P coming to try out.

Thanks

Bear

[edge800]

bear - i have a 620 vs with full glass and 225 opti. the only thing in the front are pfd's and rain gear, all other weight is in the back and always will be. today i had 3/4 tank of fuel (50 gal capacity), rods in storage - 6, 80 lb golden retriever by my side and smooth conditions. i achieved max speed at full trim out, this is rare to me, so it also proves what you are thinking: the weight is the key. if i were to add weight to the front storage compartments, it would be in effect trimming the motor down a touch. and when i have done this, it loses at least 1.5 - 2 mph on gps and radar.

i also run the 74ap minnkota genesis up front. my anchors are stored in back along with 4 batteries, xtra oil, etc...

gudnuf - my lite did the same thing, had to take cowling off, and bleed air out of oil resevoir in motor, but it still would do it. now i turn off motor, and after getting into the gas, it does not do it. talked to another and he had the same thing and he told me to try turning it off, starting and don't let it idle too long and he was right. but always better to be safe than sorry, so good to have it checked.

hope all has a good weekend, feel free to email me direct if you like and i will talk more after sunday nite at mille lacs. later.

edge800
stepht@spacestar.com

[Don]

Not calling you a liar, but if that boat is running 67, you have the only 620 running that fast. In fact, a lot of their bassboats with 225's don't run that fast.

[Grampa_Joe]

I have to see this "Super Ranger." I'll be on Mille Lacs Sat afternoon through Monday. I have a dark blue/sliver 620 with a 225 Opti. NPAA #355 on my motor. If you have a radio, give me a call. I'll be staying at Eddy's.
Joe Carlson

[Stu Pedaso]

Not sure if the tin can comment was directed at me. My boat's not even close to yours, not making any comparisons. I think your tach might be off. 64.2 mph is 5950 rpms (5947 to be exact) with your motor and a 21 prop with 5% slippage. I'm a truth freak, and the answer is out there, whether it be in the prop, tachometer, or whatever. Disclaimer: It's not my opinion, or anything. It's kind of like saying "I have 50lbs of water that weighs 55lbs." It just isn't possible. So, I'm just trying to figure out where the extra "5lbs" is coming from. With the water example, it's probably the bucket. I can't figure out where the magical 4-5 mph is coming from. Note: I am GENUINELY curious, I'm not trying to be a prick. I would have dismissed you as a liar/exaggerator before, but the radar/gps readings have me genuinely curious. I'm going to double check my formula for accuracy, and I will post a huge apology if there turns out to be an error there. Until then, let's try to figure this bugger out.

[Gudnuf]

Edge 800

Does your boat have "Smart Gages" on it? Mine has the analog 4 lite, The shop thinks the problem is related to analog verses "Smart Gages". I have bled the motor oil reservoir an number of times and it will clear for a short time but the oil lite / horn comes back on once I get it back in the water. That is why its in the shop.

[edge800]

gudnuf - tell me what your shop says about your oil lite problem, i will be curious to find out.