95 Ranger 681

[Gut Hooked]

Has anyone had much experience with this boat? I am looking at buying a use one and wondering how it was.

Gut Hooked

[Walleye Wozy]

ranger boats are awesome. good choice. im gonna get one when i save up enough money. good walleye rigs and a great combo with a yamaha 150 motor.

[Craig]

I have a 1997 681VS with a 1997 Evinrude 115 Intruder two-stroke on the back. I am very pleased with the boat.

Ranger boats are built extremely solid and the 681's are no exception. If Ranger had built the Titanic it would have been the iceberg that sunk. I put an hour meter in mine and cutting through the dashboard was a real task. It has to be 2 inches thick. Everything about the boat has a feeling of solidity. There is absolutely no flex crashing through waves. Wiring is done right with heavier gauge wire and a schematic under the storage area immediately to the front of the console. Storage space for this size boat is very good. Despite what everone may tell you I haven't seen any gelcoat cracks at all and I'm well into my second season with the boat.

The downside to all of this is the boat is very heavy. With a full tank of gas, ready to go fishing you're talking over 2500 pounds for boat motor and trailer. You ain't a gonna pull this with a four banger, and maybe not with a small 6 cylinder. My Astrovan with a 4.3 litre V-6 does a great job with it while my 3.0 litre Aerostar was taxed mightily.

The boat is very fishable. It will fish three guys, but two are much more comfortable. It is very stable. You will find it handles rough water very well. I've fished fairly comfortably when bigger bassboats went in. On the other hand going into shallow water you wouldn't think twice about in a bassboat of similiar length can be quite an adventure with the 681.

If you want any more info feel free to E-mail me at XCTYCoach@AOL.com. Good luck.

[RedTheRangerMan]

Well, I can't ad much there. However, even though the boat is a littlwe heavy for it's size in comparison to some other boats, it will absolutely fly with a 135 on it's tail!

The "extra" weight is also not a bad thing. Rangers are buit well. Very strong, very stable. Foam blown everywhere. That will always ad weight to a boat. Also, Ranger bonds the cap to the hull, the entire length of the boat. On every model. When ranger is done, other than lids, the dash and accesories, you basically have a one piece boat.

I cannot think of one person I talked with or know that bought their Ranger for blistering, leave em all behind, top end speed. But I will point out that you can and probably will pass by some comperable rigs with bigger motors. Hull design is important.

Not just for crashing waves or high end speed. Stability at rest, fishablity and maneuverability are all important factors to consider.

[miket]

I have a 99 681 ranger with a 115 hp 4 stroke Yamaha and a buddy of mine has a 96 681 with a 115 hp(I think that is max on his hull while mine could go to 135hp) 2 stroke Yamaha. I bought mine because of the way his performed. Good on the water, stable and able to take heavy water when needed and very comfortable for two to fish in (three gets kinda crowded). My top speed is about 42 mph, fast enough for me. We both fish here in Kansas (wind blows most of the time so you fish in it) and take our boats each year to lake of the Woods, Ontario. The 96 looks almost as good as the day he bought it and he contends his next boat will be a ranger because of this one.
If you have shopped you already know they hold their resale. If you want to hear more just drop me an e-mail. Good luck in your purchase and the best of fishing to you. miket!