Ranger controversy

[steve(IL)]

***** First and foremost, I believe Ranger makes a top notch boat in terms of performance, quality, fishability and appearance.****
**** Next, I'd like to thank "MiFish" and "Not one to pick a brawl" who may be Grandpa-Joe or Ranger for their contribution to my other post "Why so many Rangers for sale?". Also, no ranting please.... I'm seeking intelligent discussion.

Somebody else counted - there are 221 boats for sale on the WC classifieds(as of 1-2 days ago) of which 49-50(22%!)are Rangers. I asked why so many? 28 of those boats have gone up for sale within days of one another which suggests that there is much validity to what MiFish had to say about Ranger's program - either directly or through dealers - to discount to Pro's & semi-Pro's.

Many of the 1-2 year old boats are selling at $5,000 to $10,000 or more(!)off what they would cost new. Somebody is eating that and I doubt it's all being paid by the fisherman. Ranger backers say it's beacuse they like to get in a new boat every year or two. Why get a new boat? We know - are told at least - that Rangers are built to last. The very worst depreciation occurs in the first couple years. Few people who work for their money and even those who have a lot would think this a good idea.

Question - Is Ranger giving the use of these boats away to Pro's and semi-Pro's in an an effort to create the appearance that Rangers are the Pro's boat of choice? On the one hand, I guess it's a calculated gamble - a marketing strategy - that doing this will sway enough regular people to buy their boat. Nothing wrong with that I guess(except maybe that someone has to pay for all this and it's got to be built in to the cost that you and I would pay for a Ranger). If true, it seems a bit deceitfull.

Question - "Rangers hold their value well" - does anyone know what "well" is? (I saw a classified ad from a guy who said the Ranger salesman lied - his boat lost $4000 a year during the time he owned it and was very disappointed.)

For the record, my name is Steven Ahlgren and my e-mail is goodogs@ameritech.net. I'm just a regular guy who has owned low end Lunds (16' X 25hp tillers) and an older Tuffy.

[Allen]

A couple of things, the boat that the guy only lost 4 grand on could not have been a 620, because he would have lost more than that in the first year. Notice a lot of the pro boats sell for 30 -32K LOADED. Last year at several shows, new 620's that I saw with Optis , batts, TM and maybe a depth finder went for at least 35K, and some even more. Now throw in all those pro goodies and the depreciation comes down even more. Is Ranger the only rig that loses in depriciation, NO. They all do. It is the price you pay to plan.

Next, the fact that 25% of the boats for sale are Rangers could mean a lot of things. Market share could be one, regional sales another, pro programs just another. Speaking of programs, I have in the last year found it truely amazing that Ranger seems to get the majority of negative comments regarding program boats. It is well known in the bass ranks that Triton is the most freewheeling with their program boats. From what I have seen, it is very similar in the walleye world too. By 'freewheeling', I mean that it seems easiest to get one on a program from them. I know of two FIRST TIME owners of tournament rigs who got program boats from E. Bentz and Co. This isn't sour grapes, I've been in another program for a few years. I'm just pointing out that Ranger isn't the only one passing them out like water.

[Craig]

I doubt Ranger gives many boats away to semi-pros or even discounting them. Rangers cost too much. And bluntly put, Ranger doesn't have to. A lot of very big names use Ranger boats. Until I see some substantive information to the effect that Ranger gives boats to semi-pros I am more than just skeptical. The real pros, the ones that make a lot of money can fish from any boat they want. If they're fishing from a Ranger there's a reason.

Advertising? I see a lot of magazine adds for Triton, Lund and others as well. Do they get space cheaper? And what about adds? Is there anybody on this board that bought a boat because of an add, the number of adds, or based on who fished from what boat in the adds? Is there anybody smart enough to read this board that bought a boat because of an add without shopping around and doing some comparions? I looked at hundreds of adds, dozens of boats, and followed this and other boards for a long time before I bought my Ranger. Ray Scott tearing down a lake in a Triton wouldn't have brought a second glance much less have changed my mind.

I believe that anyone smart enough to earn the money to buy a boat has the good sense to make a decision on what boat best suits their needs. I bought a Ranger. If my buddy buys a Triton I'm not going to think he's stupid. I just might question his manhood and taste...just kidding guys! My purchase fit my needs. Yours will too I'm sure.

Part of the story is Ranger has been around a while and they've had and still have a big chunk of the market. And look at the Ranger market. My gosh, you either have lots of money to play with, buy used, or get a deal on one which is what I lucked into.

What you're really asking is whether there's something wrong with Rangers that makes people want to get rid of them in a year or two. Check out this and other boards and look at the number of complaints about Ranger products and service. You won't find much of anything. Now do the same for every other boat you can think of.

As far as boats losing $5,000 - $10,000 their first year, if you're paying $35,000 - $55,000 out the door costs to begin with is that to be unexpected given the initial costs? One of the guys that bought a new Ranger told us on another board he paid $57,000 for his.

[Mark Broderick]

Hey Steve. Heres how I see it from the other side of the coin.First lets say that very few boats are 'given' to Pro's. I think I could count on 1 hand the PWT pro's that are given a boat.
Now the large drop in price for the first year probably reflects only the amount of money that the 'owner' has into the boat. Lets face it. You give a boat company that kind of exposure, you can bet their not paying top retail from a dealer. We also don't have to retail all of the electronics or trolling motors.
Now heres where the recreational angler benifits. I would rather sell my boat now, for only what I have into it,and get my new boat ordered for next year, rather than try to make a couple grand off the sale, and possibly end up with 2 payments and sitting on 2 boats in the spring for a few months. With these payments that could add up quick!!
The reason for this? Because of the great price given by boat manufacturers and other sponsors, we owe it to them to represent them in the newest, most recent models available.
Example. My 2001 model boat with 2000 motor, and all new gadgets is for sale for 31,400. To buy it new at this years sport shows, and have it rigged like it is would cost a buyer about 38,000. Remember that , well at least here in Minn,you save 2,000 bucks because you only pay sales tax on the trailer. We had to pay taxes on the whole package.
This, in my opinion, should help to explain why that first year looks so bad. Hope I helped. Most Pro's boats are a great way to buy a top level Walleye rig. Lots of guys buy the same Pro's boat each year to take advantage of the price, and stay current themselves at a fair price because now their old boat is still at a resonable price for the third year of use.

Big ones are biting!! Bye
NPAA #58

[steve(IL)Thanks-Mark]

Thank you for your reply and candor. It still seems like there are a lot of Rangers for sale. Others mfg's Pro boats should be filling up the board to then.

[Ben Remer]

Everyone boat company is different. Some require you to get a new boat each year if you are on their prostaff. You buy the boat for manf. cost, say about 60% of retail. You then sell the boat for whatever you want, usually making a decent penny. NObody really gets paid by there sponsors, and this is one of the perks you recieve. It really has nothing to do with what boat is better...Ben Remer

[John]

For what it is worth, Ranger doesn't typically give boats to pros for "free". There is a catch. In 12 months a memo comes due and they either sell and pay the memo or they buy the boat outright. Most often they sell it and payoff the memo. Motor deals vary with many pros. Some get a motor or two per year (OMC Elites), some get at a huge discount. This is how you/we get such a good deal on their one year old boats. The motor price is low, the boat is discounted and the accesories are usually had by the pros at a significant discount too. There are very few pros who get boats for free. I know of some on the BASS tour, but one I know is not with Ranger.

The pro one year olds are good deals. You just need to find one with the toys you want and the price you want. You may want to find out about the service record of the motor. Certainly OMC and Merc keep these on file.

[RedTheRangerMan]

More to the point though, Ranger "Memo" boats are very hard to come by. Not many anglers get them at all. Most of the guys running Rangers are not selling them every year. There are a number that do,but for the most part the average guy who buys a Ranger keeps it for several years. I keep mine for a spell. I kept my last one for almost 4 years. I sold it as i loved the 620 more than the 692. I plan to keep this one for several more years. (PS. I bought them both with loans)