115 pro xs on any 18 or 19 foot bass boat

[Jmerchant]

I was wondering if any of you have any experience with a 18-19 foot boat with a 115 ? If so what brand ? I am limited to 115hp on my local lake , it would be easy to skip that lake and go with a big engine but next option is a hour drive, and my local lake is a good one.

[Bud Kennedy]

If you are staying with a 115 then I would highly recommend an aluminum boat.  For my money it would be a Ranger RT188.  There are other tin boats in this category that would also meet your needs.  At least you would have some performance and a very good fishing platform for most lakes.

[Nutt]

I had a Yamaha 115 on a Skeeter SX-180 which was just under 18' and it was a glass boat.  The motor was plenty strong.  Top speed was 52 mph and I would pull my Daughter on a tube quite a bit, also.  It was also a very reliable motor.

[Rocketship]

I had an 18 and a half foot G3 with the four stroke Yamaha 115 on it. Top speed was right at 50 mph. Got pretty beat up on rough water. From what I have seen, Xpress makes the best aluminum boat. That Yammie 115 was absolutely bullet proof and so quiet that I would forget it was running sometimes when sitting still at an idle. It also got tremendous fuel mileage for an outboard.

[Bud Kennedy]

My next door neighbor at Santee bought a new xpress 18' with a Yamaha 115 four stroke just last year.  The boat performed really well and yes I agree it was super quiet.  The boat did not quite meet his personal needs and he recently traded it for a Tracker 175 pro guide with a merc 115 four stroke.  I rode in the xpress a couple of times.  Would run around 50 but it was a bit rough in choppy water but still got the job done.  For a tin boat the xpress is not all that light but certainly a good boat.

[jonboy]

In general, Anytime you go with any motor other than the max HP, the boat will handle sluggish and your fuel economy suffers not to mention it is having to work harder. It will work just fine if you are ok with that. If its a smaller lake and you wont be running much anyway, then go with it.
With that being said, the old thoughts about aluminum boats are long gone. They are not as good of a fishing platform as a glass boat but there is a ton of difference between them now and the aluminum boats of yesteryear.

[Princeton_Man]

Haven't seen the Ranger tin boat. I have no doubt it is first rate though. I have recently looked at the Triton and was very impressed with the deck space and layout. Saw a real nice used 17' Skeeter with a 115 not long ago. Owner claimed he could hit 55MPH and that it handled great. His only complaint was rough water. IMHO if you want the most out of a 115, go with a 2 stroke. I still believe a 2 stroke does a better hole shot and has a better power band. Got an Evinrude dealer nearby??

I guess I'd ask myself; you wanna go fast? or your wanna great fishing platform? Glass and aluminum both have advantages. I miss my Tracker at times. It didn't go as fast and blew around a lot in the wind but, it also bounced off rocks a lot better, less maintenance,  and was a lot lighter to pull down the road. -Jim

[Jmerchant]

Thanks for all the input so far guys, I have to weight my options now!

[Deadeye]

Take a look at the New Triton TRX 179. Don't let the number fool you, it is actually a 18'8" boat. Weighs right at 1200 lbs. Max HP is 115.

This is a brand new TRX boat line that Triton came out with this fall.

I haven't seen one in person yet, but I plan to. Priced good too at $22,000 base price.

[Jmerchant]

Deadeye , I just seen your post on here, I went and looked at a nitro z6 today and the dealer just took on triton so I was looking at tritons on the web and seen the boat your talking about! It looks almost to good to be true, they are having open house in February and are having tons of boats so hopefully they will have one . I'm almost already sold on it and haven't seen it yet! I'm restricted to 115 hp no if ands or butts! So hope this one is nice!

[Deadeye]

I haven't seen one in person yet either, but one of the local dealers has one ordered so I hope to soon.

Talking with a Triton Rep on another site he said they, the 179TRX,  are a Brand New Design and are based off of their larger 21TRX. He claimed that top speed with a 115 was running 50 mph or so +/-. Said the hole shot was pretty good and they at Triton think they have a winner here that is going to sell well to those looking for a decent sized boat at a lower cost.

They offer the 115's of several companies, so it's your choice. Mercury came out with a Brand New 4-stroke 115 that is 16 lbs lighter than the ProXS, reports say it runs as well or better. Might want to take a look at it as well.

[Basscat59]

Hi, I have a Mercury 115 optimax, it is not a Pro xs, on a BassCat Sabre. It will jump on plane, handles great and does not use a bunch of fuel. My top end is mid 40's which is plenty fast for the lakes I fish in central Illinois. Hope this helps you make your mind up.

[Dark3]

Just do this

[Jmerchant]

I think I have made my mind up , I found a triton 18xs with a merc 115 four stroke on it. Brand new boat I think I'm going to pull the trigger!

[BassMan83]

Just do this

That should move at a decent pace.

[Deadeye]

I think I have made my mind up , I found a triton 18xs with a merc 115 four stroke on it. Brand new boat I think I'm going to pull the trigger!

Congrads and have fun!

[Pferox]

I think I have made my mind up , I found a triton 18xs with a merc 115 four stroke on it. Brand new boat I think I'm going to pull the trigger!

Cool!! Let us know how the buying experience was and how you like your new baby. 

[Showtime22]

I have a Ranger R70 Sport (17ft glass) with a Merc 115 2-stroke.  I have a 4 blade prop.  She planes RIGHT up nicely and with the trim up, I'll run about 55-57 alone and 53-55 fully loaded with a 2nd fisherman.

[Jmerchant]

Well I'm the proud new owner of a Triton 18xs with a Mercury 115 four stroke! Pick it up friday will post pictures as soon as possible! Foothills marine in Morganton NC was great to deal with.