Vexus boats

[Weatherby5]

Has anyone seen the new vexus boats that are coming out, or know any info on them

[Javelin 180]

I have seen pictures of them and a price (WOW) they are definitely proud of them they do look nice but I don't think the crappie I catch really care ��

[rnvinc]

Rickie

[wicklundrh]

The only information I know is on the company itself.

It is founded by Forrest Wood's granson. As many know, Forrest was the originator of Ranger boats. Forrest sold ranger in 1987. The company went through several hands before ending up in a holding company in the late 2000's. Many boat companies owe a lot to this holding company for putting money in to them and keeping them going through some tough times. The holding company sold Ranger Boats to Johnny Morris (along with Triton and Stratus) at the end of 2014.

Many people were displeased by the sale based on the previous track record of Johnny, BPS, and their dealings with other companies. Within weeks of the purchase, the top members of Ranger (some of whom had been with them for more than 30 years) resigned from the company. These same people are currently with the Vexus company.

My understanding is that Vexus is trying to come up with boats that will exceed quality expectations without exceeding the dollar value. Unfortunately, it takes time to establish a lineup of boats. Many people are waiting for them to come out with their higher end bass and deep V models. Speculation is that the current model is not a home grown boat but rather a hull purchased from another company.

The current market (as it stands) is rediculous. The top of the line Ranger, Triton, and Stratus in 2017 sold for 74k (no small chump change). These were all deep V boats (I don't research others because I am not interested). This would be equal to the 621 VS with a 350 motor. Fast forward 12 months, that same boat in 2018 sells for 94K (A 20K jump in one year). Other companies saw the jump in price and also jumped their prices. The writing on the wall though (as it appears) is that they "overvalued" several boats in order to make one particular boat stand out. Nitro boats did NOT change from last year. So, a 21VS last year at 72K, is the same this year. Why is that important? Because the same guy that owns Ranger, Triton, and Stratus boats also happens to own Nitro boats. If you drop sales in one market by 10% but raise it another by 25%, it is a win!

I think Vexus sees this and is trying to come up with something to rival. Besides, Johnny, for the most part, is in bed with Mercury. That is the only motor you can get on a tracker or a Nitro boat. They are also pushed heavy in the other lineups.

[gatoloco]

I have seen the boats and they are a nice rig but for the price not sure. as stated earlier I don't think that the crappie will care what boat you fish out of.

[barrelslime]

I was hoping they would release an affordable boat. NOOOOOOOOOO, They have fetchers iv never seen on an aluminuim boat but $$$$$$$$$$$ Im out

[huntinslabs]

Where are yall seeing prices? Web pages I found are info limited with tons of pics and no specs or anything.

[skeetbum]

I'm glad to see that the folks from Ranger have tried to get things moving but as much as I like them, lets face reality. I'm fishing from a 30 year old bass boat and I'm not coughing that kinda change for a boat with a price that competes with my house. I'm sure there will be a market for a while for the high end boats but I too am out. After 2000 most manufacturers went to all composite construction so to my way of thinking they just last longer if they are stored right and kept up. Should I chose to upgrade I guess I'll just have to look into another good used one.

[Granite]

They have two hulls right now , step hull and a pad hull. Step hull is 39,000 pad hull 42,000,both are nicely equipped. Fiberglas boat to be out by fall.

[wicklundrh]

When tournament fishing, there is a ton of varying opinion on the subject. When I first got in to it, I was under the impression that a lot of the big named guys were all getting "free" boats. After being in it for awhile, I quickly found out that it is not the case. Sure, there are some guys out there that are representing companies and getting freebies. By and large however, the vast majority of them fall in to a couple of catagories. The more popular one is to have a deal with a dealership. Those dealerships get factory support. You purchase a boat on a contract for a greatly reduced rate. After a set period of time (in the contract) you MUST purchase a new boat. More often than not, it is usually around 3 model years.

Most of the guys order their new boat and then list their old ones. The majority of them can list them for any price they would like. A lot of them will sell the boat with everything included. Fish finders, gps, rod holders etc... The hard part however is if they get their new one and the old one isn't sold yet.

The next class of guys are usually sponsored by Mastercard and Visa!!!! That is, they purchase the stuff on their own dime. They tend to hold on to it a little longer too. The hard part for these guys (myself included) is that we always have in the back of our minds what we want and what we think we need in order to compete. Just like with racing, many guys do their best in lower equipment in the hopes to get noticed. As if to say "if he can do that with this equipment, look what he could do with MORE". Unfortunately, I have seen many guys tell themselves they need bigger and better. So they basically sell the farm and become boat poor!

In what I do, we fish rough seas. Often times we might run 50 miles one way to get to fish. We are not talking about club tournaments or weekend fun events with 5k on the line. We are talking high dollar tournaments with 80k or more on the line. Sure, you can compete in a 175 boat with a max HP of 150hp but you might not be competative. In the end, you have to look at your overall goal and plans and the finish that you are happy with. I've fished big tournaments where boat means nothing. Everyone is equal due to the size of the lakes. Then I've fished tournaments where, if you don't have a 250hp or bigger motor with a boat that holds 60 gallons of fuel, you are not going to get to the fish!

I know guys that own 80k boats, work three jobs and live in a trailer park. I guess it is what is important to them. My boat isn't cheap but it is paid for. So is all the equipment. I've wrestled with stepping up to the bigger boats based on my tournament finishes knowing that if I had that boat I would be able to finish higher. The problem becomes, at what point in time do you STOP. It might take you three years to earn enough money to pay for it. When is it ever going to be enough. I've never tried to keep up with the Jone's.