Another ??? for Pat our Resident Setup Man

I looked at Nitro 898 a while back, and after looking at a lot of different
boats that I'ld love to have I'm back looking at the Nitro 898.
One thing I ran across in my various questions and readi Pat Goff's comment
once that a lot of the Nitro glass boats can be tweaked and setup to run
substantially higher than the stock numbers listed on the Nitro Boats
website. As much as 8 mph in some cases. I am wondering if that is only with
the top HP rated motors?

Can the 898 be dialed in to run faster consistantly than its 58-61 MPH with
the 150 HP motor?

I know I know. If fast is my goal then I should get it with the 225, but I
am going to have to look at reality and go with what I'll be able to afford.
At less than $24K I should be able to afford it. (and add a couple $K for
upgrades to fit my circumstances) I want a 20' boat that can handle rough
water, and this is about the only one that I can afford that really falls
well in that category as a bass boat.

One comment I already got, (and have sene many times is) "If its rated for a
225 I can't see where you would be happy with a 150."

LOL. Ok, Whoever that was. Thanks for the stock answer.

My reply:
....and I may be happier with a boat that I can afford and actually buy than
one I can't and don't get. I don't want to sell it. I want to fish out of
it. I already have a faster boat. I have a 20' Baker Tunnel Hull with a 200
on it. Heck if speed were my number one concern I'ld just repower the Baker
with a modern 225. That would also be even cheaper than the new Nitro.
If resale price were my number one concern I would buy a Ranger with its
toprated outboard. The simple fact of the matter is I do not have $48K to
spend on a boat. Rangers have about the highest resale price (not to be
confused with value). On the other hand if I resell a 48k Ranger for 28K
after ten years (highly unlikely) or a 23.9K Nitro for 6.5K after ten years
the Nitro was the better deal financially. The net resale was higher on the
Nitro. It cost me less money, I would have less money tied up in it, and I
would have paid less interest if financed.

What I would really like to know from a good setup man is if the claims
about being able to attain better than spec speeds are true from somebody
who may have setup an 898 before. (Pat's opion is valued on this)

I do appreciate your comments about motor and resale, but I have been around
the boards, groups, and owned more than one boats before, and it has no real
relationship to what I want to know, but thanks anyway. An answer I tend to
give people myself if appropriate is get the most motor you can afford. I
can afford a 150 for that boat, and I do not want a smaller boat.


Bob La Londe

www.YumaBassMan.com

"Bob La Londe" wrote in message
...
I looked at Nitro 898 a while back, and after looking at a lot of different
boats that I'ld love to have I'm back looking at the Nitro 898.
One thing I ran across in my various questions and readi Pat Goff's
comment
once that a lot of the Nitro glass boats can be tweaked and setup to run
substantially higher than the stock numbers listed on the Nitro Boats
website. As much as 8 mph in some cases. I am wondering if that is only
with
the top HP rated motors?

Can the 898 be dialed in to run faster consistantly than its 58-61 MPH
with
the 150 HP motor?

***You can tweak and tune a Volkswagon Beetle till the cows come home but
you're still only going to get Beetle performance. Don't expect anything
different with an 898 powered by a 150.

I know I know. If fast is my goal then I should get it with the 225, but I
am going to have to look at reality and go with what I'll be able to
afford.
At less than $24K I should be able to afford it. (and add a couple $K for
upgrades to fit my circumstances) I want a 20' boat that can handle rough
water, and this is about the only one that I can afford that really falls
well in that category as a bass boat.

One comment I already got, (and have sene many times is) "If its rated for
a
225 I can't see where you would be happy with a 150."

***Allow me to make this comment. "If it's rated for a 225, I can guarantee
you won't be happy with the performance." Think about it Bob, you'd be
powering the boat with 75 less horsepower than the boat is rated for, NOW
add all of your fishing tackle (and I'd be willing to bet that adds up to a
fair amount of weight, let's say 75 pounds for sake of argument), anchor
(another 25 pounds), everything else that you normally keep in the boat
(tools, munchies, drinks, spare clothes, life jackets, etc., you're easily
looking at another 25 pounds), plus fuel, which for that boat is 50 gallons,
or roughly 300 pounds, another 300 pounds of water in the livewells.

So we're looking at easily 775 pounds just in "stuff" that you have to have
in the boat.

Now add you (let's say 225 pounds) and your beer bellied partner at 250.
That's a total of 475 pounds and we haven't had him put his gear in the
boat, which is easily going to be another 25 pounds. So we've added 1,275
pounds to a boat that already weighs in at 1,790 pounds.

You're asking a 150 hp outboard to get better performance when it's being
asked to push 3,065 pounds???? I'd be impressed as heck if it did reach 58
mph. You cannot look at stated figures, because they're always going to use
figures that don't include a full load. It's with livewells empty, 1/4 tank
of fuel, one person on board and NO gear.

Heck, even with my boat I lose 5-7 mph with full load, and that's powered by
a 250!

Get decent performance from a 150 powered 20 footer? I don't think so my
friend.
--
Steve @ OutdoorFrontiers
http://www.outdoorfrontiers.com
G & S Guide Service and Custom Rods
http://www.herefishyfishy.com

SNIP

I guess I just quit then.

"Bob La Londe" wrote in message
news:1113957332.2a8c7bb45ed8f9dada558b29bd7c1b8a@t eranews...
SNIP

I guess I just quit then.

No reason to quit, just have to re-think the whole purchase.
--
Steve @ OutdoorFrontiers
http://www.outdoorfrontiers.com
G & S Guide Service and Custom Rods
http://www.herefishyfishy.com

"Steve @ OutdoorFrontiers" wrote in
message ...

"Bob La Londe" wrote in message
news:1113957332.2a8c7bb45ed8f9dada558b29bd7c1b8a@t eranews...
SNIP

I guess I just quit then.

No reason to quit, just have to re-think the whole purchase.


Just plain can't afford a fifty thousand dollar boat (46 + tax). I'm gonna
have to give up on it.

Run what I got until it blows. If I win a boat in the mean time great. If
not... well I have caught a lot of fish from the bank in the past...

Bob,
If I can be frank, I tried to give you a pretty straight up answer on BFHP,
but the 898 is not one of my favorite Nitros, or is it one of my favorite
boats at all. Especially if you're planning on putting a 150 on it.

That hull has some serious issues, first is holeshot, I don't think you can
get better than an eight or ten second holeshot with a one fifty when you're
loaded. With a 225 EFI, filled livewells and fuel, it was at best eight.

I worked on that boat as much as I could, and it just never responded much.
With a 150 and two people and full load, I seriously doubt you'd ever see
55 mph.

The boat doesn't handle well, and doesn't ride well at all, especially
considering it's a twenty foot boat.

Now, here's a kicker, you can get a nicely equipped Bass Cat Pantera Classic
now for 25K, with a 200 EFI, and have a lot more boat/motor/equipment, with
a superior warranty, ride and resale.

If you'd like to continue this in private, drop me a mail at work
and I'll give you the details.
"Bob La Londe" wrote in message
...
"Steve @ OutdoorFrontiers" wrote in
message ...

"Bob La Londe" wrote in message
news:1113957332.2a8c7bb45ed8f9dada558b29bd7c1b8a@t eranews...
SNIP

I guess I just quit then.

No reason to quit, just have to re-think the whole purchase.


Just plain can't afford a fifty thousand dollar boat (46 + tax). I'm
gonna
have to give up on it.

Run what I got until it blows. If I win a boat in the mean time great.
If
not... well I have caught a lot of fish from the bank in the past...

"Pat Goff" wrote in message
...
Bob,
If I can be frank, I tried to give you a pretty straight up answer on
BFHP,
but the 898 is not one of my favorite Nitros, or is it one of my favorite
boats at all. Especially if you're planning on putting a 150 on it.

That hull has some serious issues, first is holeshot, I don't think you
can
get better than an eight or ten second holeshot with a one fifty when
you're
loaded. With a 225 EFI, filled livewells and fuel, it was at best eight.

I worked on that boat as much as I could, and it just never responded
much.
With a 150 and two people and full load, I seriously doubt you'd ever see
55 mph.

The boat doesn't handle well, and doesn't ride well at all, especially
considering it's a twenty foot boat.

Now, here's a kicker, you can get a nicely equipped Bass Cat Pantera
Classic
now for 25K, with a 200 EFI, and have a lot more boat/motor/equipment,
with
a superior warranty, ride and resale.

If you'd like to continue this in private, drop me a mail at work


See Bob, I told you there were options.
--
Steve @ OutdoorFrontiers
http://www.outdoorfrontiers.com
G & S Guide Service and Custom Rods
http://www.herefishyfishy.com

Well, maybe, but its a 19' boat and the nearest dealer is in a town in the
next state I never heard of before.

Locally I have a Ranger dealer, and a new Skeeter dealer that doesn't have
any boats yet. O, yea, and a Gregor dealer with a bad attitude. LOL.

We shall see. The Baker is running pretty good these day. I'm getting more
and more resigned to just running her til she drops. She's a good shallow
water boat, but not sure I like the idea of fishing big water out of her.

Bob La Londe
www.YumaBassMan.com

First thing Bob,
That Pantera rides and handles better than the Nitro does, I've got enough
time in both to know. The Nitro pretty well just beats the water down.

Second, do a little research, Bass Cat is a whole different boat company.
There are hundreds of customers with no dealer nearby, and they bust their
butts to keep those guys running and happy. The only boat company, where
you are the customer, not me (dealer) You just let me know what nearby
dealer provides the best motor service (Merc or Yamaha preferred) and Bass
Cat will have everything on the boat handled from their end.

They didn't take the J.D. Power award away from Ranger by slacking off.

"Bob La Londe" wrote in message
news:1114020775.0b27cb8cded848aead8b54a38461e907@t eranews...
Well, maybe, but its a 19' boat and the nearest dealer is in a town in the
next state I never heard of before.

Locally I have a Ranger dealer, and a new Skeeter dealer that doesn't have
any boats yet. O, yea, and a Gregor dealer with a bad attitude. LOL.

We shall see. The Baker is running pretty good these day. I'm getting
more
and more resigned to just running her til she drops. She's a good shallow
water boat, but not sure I like the idea of fishing big water out of her.

Bob La Londe
www.YumaBassMan.com

"Pat Goff @yahoo.com" pmgoffjrbot wrote in message
...
First thing Bob,
That Pantera rides and handles better than the Nitro does, I've got enough
time in both to know. The Nitro pretty well just beats the water down.

Second, do a little research, Bass Cat is a whole different boat company.
There are hundreds of customers with no dealer nearby, and they bust their
butts to keep those guys running and happy. The only boat company, where
you are the customer, not me (dealer) You just let me know what nearby
dealer provides the best motor service (Merc or Yamaha preferred) and Bass
Cat will have everything on the boat handled from their end.

They didn't take the J.D. Power award away from Ranger by slacking off.


I have done a little looking and Bass Cat was on my short list. in the past,
but its really hard to research prices on boats. I imagine that is part of
why Tracker/Nitro sells so many boats. People can look and see what the
price is.

Well, at present we have a Skeeter/G3 dealer (with no boats) so obviously
they do Yamaha motors. I know their main mechanic personally. He is my Yuma
Bassmasters backboater. I know for a fact he is not yet Yamaha certified.

Mercury is a mixed bag. We have two shops that work on Mercury. One is
fairly responsive, but I have not been 100% satified with the service
quality. The other has a, "we'll work on your boat whenever we are darned
good and ready and not one second before," attitude. I have never actually
had them do any work because I'ld like to have a clue when I might see my
boat again. I mean other than someday. That leaves Evinrude. Now I know
Gary (Davidson Marine) sends his mechanic off to school and keeps him up to
date and has all the latest diagnostic software on the computer in the shop
because I always hear him complaining about the cost of it.

Marginally I would say that I could get the best quality of work out of
Davison Marine, but service is mixed. Gary is always willing to give me a
discount on parts and help make sure I know what I need to know when I do
service myself, but I can't really count on being able to get my boat in and
out of the shop in a reasonable time if I don't want to do it myself. This
concerns me when it comes to warranty or service intervals. Also, this is a
small town. (relatively speaking) I am not 100% certain I will get the same
engine service and response if I don't buy it from him. He keeps showing me
Rangers of course. LOL.

Bob La Londe
www.YumaBassMan.com