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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
Apr 19
2005
***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
Apr 19
<SNIP>

I guess I just quit then.

Bob
Apr 19
No reason to quit, just have to re-think the whole purchase. Steve
Apr 19
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
Apr 19
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.

Pat
Apr 20
See Bob, I told you there were options. Steve
Apr 20
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

Bob
Apr 20
   

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