Ranger 618VS..Anyone Out There Have One Of These New Rangers?

[Lanny]

If you do tell me how you like it. How is the rod storage, general storage, ride, how about at rest, any & everything you wish to share. What size motor, what speeds; lay it on me. I think I want one!!

[Sam]

This boat is really just a bass boat with a deeper hull. I don't think it's going to be a big seller for Ranger. Ranger dropped this model a few years ago because it did not sell well & they are trying it again. If I were you I would pass on it. I don't think it would really fish either bass or walleye well.

[t.o.]

I love mine. +/-60 with a 150. Fishes great, handles rough water well, not to big, not to small, just an all around terrific MULTI_SPCIES boat. Storage is a little skinny but outside of that, it was and still is the boat for me. Just my 13 cents worth.

[Lanny]

How does the boat work with 3 people in it? Where would the 3rd person sit while running down the lake?

[t.o.]

The third person has to travel in the floor mounted seat near the front. I don't routinely fish three so it's not a concern for me.

[tom d]

We fished 3 in the boat for a full day. We were casting shorlines and all of us fished standing up until my back started to cramp up. Then I move to the front and took the bow seat.

The boat driver fished by standing on the back storage lid. He says he can fish all day from there but also bought the "extension" available for that lid for $400.

When we motored, two of us sat side-by-side (the driver and me) and one of us moved the bow seat back to a safer pedestal rearward and sat in it. That passenger faced the back to get out of the wind and to have any room for their legs.

The boat was stable and really does do 60 mph (speedo) with a 150 Ficht on it. It was turning 40 mph at 4K rpms, if I remember correctly. The boat really wanted to run!

The owner was primarily a bass and musky fisherman. The ride (adjusted by speed to the "comfortable wave rhythm") was pretty good even in some bad wind and lots of white caps.

For me, it is not the right boat. I am primarily a walleye fisherman and I fish 3 people in my boat often. We like to bottom bounce and while the 618 is 5 inches wider than the old 681, it still does not have a lot of room. Rod storage appears to be good. I did not open the other hatches as it was not my boat. There DOES seem to be decent storage if hatches are an indicator.

Personally, I think Ranger missed a bet on this boat. They did fine with the design changes but should have left it called the 681. They need a true 618 in the mold of the 617, 619, and 620 and this boat is NOT it. The 617 was not big enough for me but I cannot get the 619 into my garage. A true 618 in the design philosophy of the 617, 619, and 620 would have been perfect. Instead, I bought a Lund.

By the way, there is no optional port console and the passengers really take the wind in the face. On our inbound trip, it was raining. Rain in the face at 40 mph hurts. The low windscreen on the driver's console helped him a bit but not much. The IPS hull on my Lund does not match the glass hull of that Ranger, but I would rather have had my dual console Lund for the ride home.

For its purpose, the 618 is a good boat. Like I said, it just does not fit my needs.