Moving to a new office: 2022 Vexus AVX 1880

coldfront · February 15, 2022, 09:07:03 AM

took a drive yesterday over to Clark's marine (Franklin, TN just outside of Nashville) to look at my new boat, complete the paperwork and hand off the $$$.
first met these folks a few years back when I needed help with the trailer under my Ranger RT 178. Local dealership was 'dis-interested' and short on any kind of suggestions, help. Not the folks at Clarks. So knowing I was going to be looking at a new boat in the coming years, I kept looking around. Went back to my local dealer and started the discussion on a new Ranger 188p ... things were going okay until we got to upgrades. slight resistance... and then we got to the coinbox versus center seat. was told ranger no longer offered it. that was 'it'.
Clarks had told me a year or two back that they were no longer repping rangers and had made the move to Vexus.
place the order for the boat the week ahead of Christmas, with some money down... was supposed to come in late Feb/early March... and it shows up before last week of January. One thing left to do to get it ready (install the Minnkota Ultrex 112lb tm - somehow they got an 80 on it...)
here are a few photos of the new office

early in prep process...

some photos from yesterday. showing dealer decal (have been VERY happy with these folks, has to be a reason why I've chosen someone 2.5 hours away...) changed/asked VEXUS for a small thing: replaced the white pinstripe with red... not/never an issue.

powerplant and jackplate

the 'office'. yes, that is a 12 inch Helix. my first foray into the world of Humminbirds... have a 12 inch up front as well to link into the Minnkota Ultrex and the Mega 360...

up front Trolling motor. one of the reasons I went over to look over the boat before dropping off the payment. got the wrong TM on... replacing the installed 80 with the 112 today.

upgrades that I put on this boat:
1. 112lb Ultrex: fish river sections a lot with heavy current. the 112 will be a very useful tool to hold or work upstream. jury still out on how it helps move through those late fall weed mats.
2. dual 12 inch Helix units. Old guy. Old eyes. need bigger images.
3. hydraulic jack plate
4. coin box
5. 4-bank onboard charger (one cranking battery; 3 deep cycles for the 36 volt TM)
6. red pinstripe.

reasons why I pulled the trigger on this boat? Recognitions, and thanks as follows
Bud Kennedy: you've been great at sharing your experiences and wisdom through the years. in this case, your thoughts on 'not putting off to tomorrow' was a big piece of my decision/timing. with those words in mind and some of the past year's experiences (health, death in family). Appreciate all you have shared through the years Bud. Thank you.
D.W. 'Dale' Verts: really appreciated getting to know you a bit this past year through IBASS. tremendous respect for you and your approach: highly competitive, worked extremely hard... but still shared information. perhaps not always directly, but for anyone who took the time... easy to connect the dots between what you shared 'here' and what you shared on your youtube site 'Hickbilly Outdoors' (great videos by the way). you fired up some competitive drive in me and that came out as 'upgrading' my tools to better unlock the potential of the waters I get to fish. We can talk all day, all year about 'skills': I recognize that part of the equation to consistently putting very large fish in the boat is access to the 'right water'. but the angler still has to 'be there and get them to bite' not to mention get them to the boat. it's not nearly as simple as it sounds.

and lastly, I was getting a chuckle over this
LOU: you have the white vexus. so as I contemplate IBASS in the coming year... this has been bouncing 'round inside my skull

new puppies, new girlfriends and new boats... things that get a guy excited.
pretty sure, though, I'll spend far less on the boat that I would on a girlfriend.

Capt. BassinLou · February 15, 2022, 09:19:48 AM

Congratulations!!

You're going to love that boat. Remember to make extra time on your trips for the all the people who are going to be asking you questions. That doesn't get old.

Enjoy!!

caddyjoe77 · February 15, 2022, 09:19:50 AM

sweet!! Very nice ride!! Glad you were able to get your upgrade and found a dealer that still understands what making a customer happy is all about.

WTodd · February 15, 2022, 09:49:11 AM

Nice...... if you have room for it I HIGHLY recommend a 2nd cranking battery because shit happens. Saved my butt a few weeks ago.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

coldfront · February 15, 2022, 09:54:28 AM

Quote from: WTodd on February 15, 2022, 09:49:11 AM
Nice...... if you have room for it I HIGHLY recommend a 2nd cranking battery because shit happens. Saved my butt a few weeks ago.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

will get a photo of the compartment. pretty sure we can't. at least and until perhaps I go with lithium technology. still waiting on those batteries to get 'just a little better'.the potential for over-heating/fire is something I probably over-think, but am not entirely comfortable with. do carry jumper cables AND that emergency lithium jump battery...
batteries are gels.

also, given that the boat is stored in the garage... that potential house fire moment?

I'm just going to wait a bit... keep wearing my suspenders WITH my belt...

D.W. Verts · February 15, 2022, 09:55:10 AM

Wow Kurt, very nice. I mean, NICE. With what WTodd said, my next rig I'm gonna install one of those jump thingies, just for that reason. Luckily, today's charging systems coupled with tremendous battery technology have fixed a lot of issues. I always carried around a set of jumper cables.

Dale

apenland01 · February 15, 2022, 10:02:30 AM

Great looking Vexus Cold! As for an extra battery, just get a GB70 and stick it in a compartment. Be sure to charge it every few months to keep it topped off. It has plenty of amps for the Mercury. It has saved me and a few of my fellow tournament fishermen over the past few years...

Capt. BassinLou · February 15, 2022, 10:05:19 AM

Quote from: apenland01 on February 15, 2022, 10:02:30 AM
Great looking Vexus Cold! As for an extra battery, just get a GB70 and stick it in a compartment. Be sure to charge it every few months to keep it topped off. It has plenty of amps for the Mercury. It has saved me and a few of my fellow tournament fishermen over the past few years...

This is exactly what I have and do.

FishaHallic · February 15, 2022, 10:33:21 AM

Quote from: coldfront on February 15, 2022, 09:07:03 AM
took a drive yesterday over to Clark's marine (Franklin, TN just outside of Nashville) to look at my new boat, complete the paperwork and hand off the $$$.
first met these folks a few years back when I needed help with the trailer under my Ranger RT 178. Local dealership was 'dis-interested' and short on any kind of suggestions, help. Not the folks at Clarks. So knowing I was going to be looking at a new boat in the coming years, I kept looking around. Went back to my local dealer and started the discussion on a new Ranger 188p ... things were going okay until we got to upgrades. slight resistance... and then we got to the coinbox versus center seat. was told ranger no longer offered it. that was 'it'.
Clarks had told me a year or two back that they were no longer repping rangers and had made the move to Vexus.
place the order for the boat the week ahead of Christmas, with some money down... was supposed to come in late Feb/early March... and it shows up before last week of January. One thing left to do to get it ready (install the Minnkota Ultrex 112lb tm - somehow they got an 80 on it...)
here are a few photos of the new office

early in prep process...

some photos from yesterday. showing dealer decal (have been VERY happy with these folks, has to be a reason why I've chosen someone 2.5 hours away...) changed/asked VEXUS for a small thing: replaced the white pinstripe with red... not/never an issue.

powerplant and jackplate

the 'office'. yes, that is a 12 inch Helix. my first foray into the world of Humminbirds... have a 12 inch up front as well to link into the Minnkota Ultrex and the Mega 360...

up front Trolling motor. one of the reasons I went over to look over the boat before dropping off the payment. got the wrong TM on... replacing the installed 80 with the 112 today.

upgrades that I put on this boat:
1. 112lb Ultrex: fish river sections a lot with heavy current. the 112 will be a very useful tool to hold or work upstream. jury still out on how it helps move through those late fall weed mats.
2. dual 12 inch Helix units. Old guy. Old eyes. need bigger images.
3. hydraulic jack plate
4. coin box
5. 4-bank onboard charger (one cranking battery; 3 deep cycles for the 36 volt TM)
6. red pinstripe.

reasons why I pulled the trigger on this boat? Recognitions, and thanks as follows
Bud Kennedy: you've been great at sharing your experiences and wisdom through the years. in this case, your thoughts on 'not putting off to tomorrow' was a big piece of my decision/timing. with those words in mind and some of the past year's experiences (health, death in family). Appreciate all you have shared through the years Bud. Thank you.
D.W. 'Dale' Verts: really appreciated getting to know you a bit this past year through IBASS. tremendous respect for you and your approach: highly competitive, worked extremely hard... but still shared information. perhaps not always directly, but for anyone who took the time... easy to connect the dots between what you shared 'here' and what you shared on your youtube site 'Hickbilly Outdoors' (great videos by the way). you fired up some competitive drive in me and that came out as 'upgrading' my tools to better unlock the potential of the waters I get to fish. We can talk all day, all year about 'skills': I recognize that part of the equation to consistently putting very large fish in the boat is access to the 'right water'. but the angler still has to 'be there and get them to bite' not to mention get them to the boat. it's not nearly as simple as it sounds.

and lastly, I was getting a chuckle over this
LOU: you have the white vexus. so as I contemplate IBASS in the coming year... this has been bouncing 'round inside my skull
new puppies, new girlfriends and new boats... things that get a guy excited.
pretty sure, though, I'll spend far less on the boat that I would on a girlfriend.

Boat looks great and with some very nice upgrades and your last picture is hilarious

.

WTodd · February 15, 2022, 10:50:33 AM

Sounds like you have the contingency covered but having a 2nd battery on a Perko switch makes it quick and simple.

I too have the same thoughts about lithium batteries. I just replaced my cranking batteries with 2 new gel blue tops and hope I get another year or 2 out of my trolling motor batteries and then I'll need to decide on lithiums for that. I also need to see if my on-board charger works with lithium.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Pat Dilling · February 15, 2022, 11:18:57 AM

Congratulations! A friend has the next size up hybrid Vexus and really loves it. With a 112 on that boat you should be able to pull skiers, or at least a tube.

I have similar thoughts about the lithium batteries, when my troling batteries are done I will probably go that way too. I have a Perko swicth that lets me jump the motor from the trolling batteries. It works great.

Capt. BassinLou · February 15, 2022, 11:19:35 AM

Quote from: FishaHallic on February 15, 2022, 10:33:21 AM
Quote from: coldfront on February 15, 2022, 09:07:03 AM
took a drive yesterday over to Clark's marine (Franklin, TN just outside of Nashville) to look at my new boat, complete the paperwork and hand off the $$$.
first met these folks a few years back when I needed help with the trailer under my Ranger RT 178. Local dealership was 'dis-interested' and short on any kind of suggestions, help. Not the folks at Clarks. So knowing I was going to be looking at a new boat in the coming years, I kept looking around. Went back to my local dealer and started the discussion on a new Ranger 188p ... things were going okay until we got to upgrades. slight resistance... and then we got to the coinbox versus center seat. was told ranger no longer offered it. that was 'it'.
Clarks had told me a year or two back that they were no longer repping rangers and had made the move to Vexus.
place the order for the boat the week ahead of Christmas, with some money down... was supposed to come in late Feb/early March... and it shows up before last week of January. One thing left to do to get it ready (install the Minnkota Ultrex 112lb tm - somehow they got an 80 on it...)
here are a few photos of the new office

early in prep process...

some photos from yesterday. showing dealer decal (have been VERY happy with these folks, has to be a reason why I've chosen someone 2.5 hours away...) changed/asked VEXUS for a small thing: replaced the white pinstripe with red... not/never an issue.

powerplant and jackplate

the 'office'. yes, that is a 12 inch Helix. my first foray into the world of Humminbirds... have a 12 inch up front as well to link into the Minnkota Ultrex and the Mega 360...

up front Trolling motor. one of the reasons I went over to look over the boat before dropping off the payment. got the wrong TM on... replacing the installed 80 with the 112 today.

upgrades that I put on this boat:
1. 112lb Ultrex: fish river sections a lot with heavy current. the 112 will be a very useful tool to hold or work upstream. jury still out on how it helps move through those late fall weed mats.
2. dual 12 inch Helix units. Old guy. Old eyes. need bigger images.
3. hydraulic jack plate
4. coin box
5. 4-bank onboard charger (one cranking battery; 3 deep cycles for the 36 volt TM)
6. red pinstripe.

reasons why I pulled the trigger on this boat? Recognitions, and thanks as follows
Bud Kennedy: you've been great at sharing your experiences and wisdom through the years. in this case, your thoughts on 'not putting off to tomorrow' was a big piece of my decision/timing. with those words in mind and some of the past year's experiences (health, death in family). Appreciate all you have shared through the years Bud. Thank you.
D.W. 'Dale' Verts: really appreciated getting to know you a bit this past year through IBASS. tremendous respect for you and your approach: highly competitive, worked extremely hard... but still shared information. perhaps not always directly, but for anyone who took the time... easy to connect the dots between what you shared 'here' and what you shared on your youtube site 'Hickbilly Outdoors' (great videos by the way). you fired up some competitive drive in me and that came out as 'upgrading' my tools to better unlock the potential of the waters I get to fish. We can talk all day, all year about 'skills': I recognize that part of the equation to consistently putting very large fish in the boat is access to the 'right water'. but the angler still has to 'be there and get them to bite' not to mention get them to the boat. it's not nearly as simple as it sounds.

and lastly, I was getting a chuckle over this
LOU: you have the white vexus. so as I contemplate IBASS in the coming year... this has been bouncing 'round inside my skull
new puppies, new girlfriends and new boats... things that get a guy excited.
pretty sure, though, I'll spend far less on the boat that I would on a girlfriend.

Boat looks great and with some very nice upgrades and your last picture is hilarious .

That last pic is pretty funny.

Sent from my SM-G998U using Tapatalk

Bud Kennedy · February 15, 2022, 11:31:43 AM

Congratulations on your new office. Looks like you made a great choice including deciding to live in the moment.

WTodd · February 15, 2022, 11:51:55 AM

Ok excuse my ignorance but if the outside of your boat is fiberglass check to see if your bunk boards are pressure treated or not. If not you'll be replacing them in less than 3 years. Sorry for the downer but it's better to know now.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

coldfront · February 15, 2022, 12:06:54 PM

Quote from: WTodd on February 15, 2022, 11:51:55 AM
Ok excuse my ignorance but if the outside of your boat is fiberglass check to see if your bunk boards are pressure treated or not. If not you'll be replacing them in less than 3 years. Sorry for the downer but it's better to know now.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

it's all aluminum. some nice internal stuff is fiberglass. the livewell, for example. will post photos when I get it.
on my current ranger RT, I replaced the bunkboards with 'ultimate bunkboards' https://www.ultimatebunkboards.com/store/supreme-bunk-boards
that was with an aluminum, unpainted hull. not quite sure what to do with the vexus painted hull... but will discuss, consider.
you are correct: wood bunkboards? just a matter of time...

Bud Kennedy · February 15, 2022, 12:07:42 PM

Quote from: WTodd on February 15, 2022, 11:51:55 AM
Ok excuse my ignorance but if the outside of your boat is fiberglass check to see if your bunk boards are pressure treated or not. If not you'll be replacing them in less than 3 years. Sorry for the downer but it's better to know now.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

This boat is Aluminum

coldfront · February 15, 2022, 12:17:07 PM

Quote from: Bud Kennedy on February 15, 2022, 11:31:43 AM
Congratulations on your new office. Looks like you made a great choice including deciding to live in the moment.

thanks bud. always appreciate reading your thoughts, discussions. helps me think through things...

WTodd · February 15, 2022, 12:18:44 PM

Thanks Bud......and disregard my post

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

fishballer06 · February 15, 2022, 12:40:11 PM

Gorgeous ride. I hope you love it!

FishinBuck07 · February 15, 2022, 12:50:05 PM

Congrats on the new ride! They are very nice boats, my buddy has one.

Capt. BassinLou · February 15, 2022, 01:00:24 PM

Quote from: WTodd on February 15, 2022, 11:51:55 AM
Ok excuse my ignorance but if the outside of your boat is fiberglass check to see if your bunk boards are pressure treated or not. If not you'll be replacing them in less than 3 years. Sorry for the downer but it's better to know now.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

That's a tin boat. I have the same one just 2 years older. Bunks are still doing great. I check them often, but it when its time to change them I'm going with the bunk system you have Walt .

WTodd · February 15, 2022, 01:08:34 PM

I know tin reacts poorly to treated lumber but with the Gatorbaks I have the boards aren't completely encased like with carpet so couldn't you use treated with the Gatorbaks without any adverse reactions?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Capt. BassinLou · February 15, 2022, 01:25:20 PM

Quote from: WTodd on February 15, 2022, 01:08:34 PM
I know tin reacts poorly to treated lumber but with the Gatorbaks I have the boards aren't completely encased like with carpet so couldn't you use treated with the Gatorbaks without any adverse reactions?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

That's a great question Walt. Honestly, I don't know. I would assume one could, but I'm not 100% certain. That's a good question to ask Gatorbak.

I do know however, that my next set of bunk boards will be from: https://www.ultimatebunkboards.com/ I confused these with Gatorbaks.

coldfront · February 15, 2022, 01:47:20 PM

Quote from: Capt. BassinLou on February 15, 2022, 01:25:20 PM

That's a great question Walt. Honestly, I don't know. I would assume one could, but I'm not 100% certain. That's a good question to ask Gatorbak.

I do know however, that my next set of bunk boards will be from: https://www.ultimatebunkboards.com/ I confused these with Gatorbaks.

Lou, I put the ultimatebunkboard SUPREMES on my trailer a few years back. look like new today. no maintenance, no worries.will replace the boards on my vexus with these in a bit too.
keep your bow strap attached until in the water. they're not 'that slick' (my RT 178 doesn't slide off like it's on ice) and I have to power off... but always always always 'better safe than sorry'.

Capt. BassinLou · February 15, 2022, 01:52:28 PM

Quote from: coldfront on February 15, 2022, 01:47:20 PM
Quote from: Capt. BassinLou on February 15, 2022, 01:25:20 PM

That's a great question Walt. Honestly, I don't know. I would assume one could, but I'm not 100% certain. That's a good question to ask Gatorbak.

I do know however, that my next set of bunk boards will be from: https://www.ultimatebunkboards.com/ I confused these with Gatorbaks.
Lou, I put the ultimatebunkboard SUPREMES on my trailer a few years back. look like new today. no maintenance, no worries.will replace the boards on my vexus with these in a bit too.
keep your bow strap attached until in the water. they're not 'that slick' (my RT 178 doesn't slide off like it's on ice) and I have to power off... but always always always 'better safe than sorry'.

Thanks. My bow strap is always attached, and its not removed until I'm about to launch.