bassin101

Anyone have any opinions on Nitro Boats? They are running some great deals on 05 models. Looking at the 929. This is a 20'9" boat w/225 optimax for 29,995. I have always been a skeeter man and I'm not familiar with Nitro.

In my opinion, it depends on how long you want to keep it. Nitro boats have a pretty bad reputation as far as quality and service after sale. That rep causes a generally lower resale value than most boats, so after you buy it you'll be 'upside down' for a long time as far as what you have in it and what you could get out of it if you try to sell it.

That said, I had a '91 180TF with a 150 FastStrike, and it was a very good and dependable boat. The guy I sold it to is still fishing tournaments out of it.

There is no way I'd spend or go into $30k of debt for that boat, or any other for that matter. I believe the bass boat market is going to experience a major correction, (just like the auto market is right now) and soon. New bass boat prices have gotten pretty stupid, mainly IMO because people are willing to go into a huge amount of long term debt. They simply aren't worth what folks are paying. A fish and ski boat will cost thousands less than a comparably equipped bass boat. Why? Because people will pay it.

The 929 is an awesome boat and anyone that says otherwise obviously has their own particular brand that they favor.The 929 isn't the fastest boat on the market but its got a great ride and handles rough water with ease.Its got tons of storage and nice features come standard that other companies charge you extra for.My first boat was a nitro and i put it through all kinds of #@%$ and never had any problems with it at all.Good friends of mine also have 9 series boats and have nothing but good things to say about them.
As far as the resale argument that always seems to get brought up by someone,if you do the math correctly you'll see that the depreciation on a nitro is no different than on other brands.Price an 05 20 foot ranger or triton and see what they're going for,40K+ depending on options is about the going price.You'll be getting a lot of boat for 30k if you do buy it.
I've heard guys like the one on here talk bad about nitro for years but i ignore them for a few simple reasons,Rick Clunn,Kevin Van Dam,Woo Daves and Stacey King just to name a few.If nitro is good enough for these guys to endorse and fish out of year round then they're probably good enough for your average fisherman!!

I have to agree. The bass boat prices are getting out of hand. I could never pay 50K for a boat that I only use on the weekends. I was just curious on the quality of a nitro. I would rather stick with the Skeeters and Rangers. I hope the bass boat industry comes back to reality before long.

Nitros are not ranked very good by J.D. Powers. Here's a link to their consumer satisfaction ratings

[url]http://www.jdpower.com/cc/boats/ratings/bass/index.jsp[/url]

Personally, I'm still a die-hard Champion fan. Apparently a dying breed.

I wanted to buy a Nitro many years ago so bad I could taste it. I did a lot of research on them, and found out that they were designed by people that used to be with Skeeter, and that many of the designs are the same because of that.

They also don't seem to have high sticker price of the Skeeters.

Now, should you buy it? Let me ask you these things....

Does it fit your needs?

Does it fit your budget?

Does it fit your body, that is do you fit in it comfortably?

Those are the things I used to help me decide, plus a few more.

I had heard that Nitro was not quite as finished as the bigger names, and I did see what I consider a few flaws in the finishing, but nothing major.

I have friends who fish Nitros and have nothing but good things to say.

Good luck, and let us know how things turn out, and what you do finally buy.

Danny

I bought my Nitro NX750 DC back in march and have nothing bad to say about it, other than I wish I'd got a bigger one for more storage room. Mines got a 90 and handles great on the water and doesn't hurt at the pump either, it has all the speed I need, tops out about 52mph.
This is my 1st ever boat, I been in Rangers and Procrafts before and in my opinion Nitro is a better boat for the $$$$, plus they look alot better to me.

Friend of mine has a 901 with a 200 on it 2002 model,i personally
think it handles well and runs good but i'd rather ride in my
'96 295 pro stratos,901 is rough in my opinion.If i was to buy
another id want to spend a day in regardless of brand
I.M.O
Whisker

Well here is my 2 cents worth.I have a 884dc with a 150 merc.I have fished out Rangers,Procrafts,Hayda Sports(owned one)and I will put my boat up against any of them in ride,handling and storge.I fish Lake Cumberalnd alot and I have never had any problem running even in the summer.Got mine 4 years ago and I think I could get close to my money back for right now.The new nine series even look better and from what I hear are very fast.Again only my 2 cents.Mike