Before I give you my first impressions, I'll just preface this blog by saying this is the third bass boat I've owned and probably the 10th different bass boat brand I've ridden in over a 30+ yr. period.
Appearance/Aesthetics/Colors, etc.- Except for maybe Ranger and Triton, I think Skeeter makes the best looking bass boat. Yeah, I know that beauty is in the eye of the beholder..but that's just me. The glass on my boat looks good as well as carpet, trim, paint, etc. I didn't see any major flaws, imperfections, etc. I can't tell you how many compliments I got at the dock and out on the boat/water by other boat owners.
Layout- Can't say I'm too impressed with the layout of the boat..especially the fact that there is NO storage room/area under the seats. I have to store my anchor in one of the front or rear storage compartments. I'm not crazy about that thing bouncing around in there. Having said that, the other storage compartments are fine. The built-in cooler works fine and is well insulated. I put ice in the cooler on Saturday morning and Sunday afternoon it had not all melted. They also put the fire extinguisher right under the drivers feet. So, when I get up out of the seat the back of my sneaker hooked on to the plastic bracket and broke it off. What's with that? The compartment latches are terrible. They are hard to open and the latches are sharp. The recessed anchor cleats are terrible too..so hard to lift and they are so small I can barely wrap a rope around it and tie if off. I cut my finger on either the cleat or compartment latch..not sure. Pretty deep too. I'm glad I got the tilt steering wheel because the wheel would normally obstruct the view of my helm/console mounted fish finder. The front deck is HUGE..much bigger than any other 19 foot bass boat I've been on.
Hot foot- I'm not crazy about the fact that my hand throttle is not able to accelerate only put the boat in gear. All acceleration is done by the pedal. I thought I remember on my Ranger the Hot foot and side throttle worked independently. i.e. I could use the Hot foot or use the stick/throttle. I like that option.
Electronics- My Humminbird Side Imaging could use some fine tuning. I have to read the manual. I was also getting some interference on it. Not sure where that was coming from since nothing was on other than the outboard. I'll have to look at the SI transducer to see if it's clear of the transom sponsons. It might be getting bounce-back/feedback from them. Skeeter has sponsons on the transom that stick out a LOT further than other bass boats.
Ride- the ride was stable and dry. I can't say it was as comfortable as my old Ranger but my old Ranger was a lead sled. i.e. very heavy with a deeper V than the Skeeter. The hole shot was much quicker than my Ranger or Nitro probably because it's lighter and I have an 175 hp outboard rather than a 150. Overall a nice ride! The boat was running a little tilted to the left (off-balance). I'm not sure why. My daughter was in the passenger seat and she only weighs 125#. I weigh 185#. Granted, the two trolling motor batteries are on her side. But, that difference shouldn't take it off center that much. I'll have to look into this more. I'm sure with just me driving, it would be perfectly balanced. I'll be fishing by myself primarily so it shouldn't be an issue.
Gauges/switches- all the gauges/switches are well setup at the helm and easy to read..no problems here. I love the EFI..one turn of the key and the outboard fires right up. I didn't even have to prime the gas line bulb the first time. Why anyone would get a carbed engine these days is beyond me. I had a local dealer try to sell me a boat with a Carbed engine that said it's as good as an EFI. What a joke, and probably the reason I didn't buy a boat from the guy. How can you say that?
Trolling Motor- absolutely LOVE my Minn-Kota Fortrex 80 TM. It's so easy to lift and release. Plenty of power too.
Trailer- well, if I had to bitch about one thing..it would be on how HARD it is to load the boat on the trailer. In order to power load the boat on the trailer you have to have the trailer out of the water further than most bass boats. Otherwise, the bow and trolling motor will dive right underneath the trailer winch/bow roller. And, if you don't wet the carpets of the boat when you retrieve your boat, it will make it very difficult to load. To tell you the truth, I still haven't found the sweet spot on how shallow/deep to back the trailer in. I'm afraid to pull it too far up the ramp for fear I'll bottom out the prop on the launch ramp or have to throttle so hard the front bow pin will smack the trailer winch and bend something. I've been tempted to spray the bunks with silicone to see if it will make loading the boat easier. But, I'm afraid of that..for fear it will be so slippery that it hits the winch roller and slides back in the water before I get the winch strap on the boat. I'm going to try to wet the bunks first.
The trailer towed VERY well..easy to maneuver and absolutely no sway at any speed. That's pretty good for a single axle trailer.
Fishing- caught my first Smallie within 10 minutes of launching my boat..so it catches fish..ha. Really stable platform to fish from. I haven't used the livewells yet (catch n release). I won't use them until it's tourney time. Not going to enter any tourneys anytime soon. Going to learn how to use everything properly on the boat first- specifically the Side-Imaging Fish Finder.
Overall, I'm VERY happy with the boat. It doesn't sound like it from my first impression but there's nothing that I can't fix or resolve on the boat..other than a place for my anchor. Why couldn't Skeeter have allowed space under one of the seats? I don't think that space is being used for anything.
Stay tuned for a further, in-depth review. Fish ON! Rob
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