Bass Boats - Ranger Boats

nice response to the trim resulting in a high
bow angle at wide-open throttle. The 188VS’
bow attack angle and nimbleness across the
water make you feel like you are going a lot
faster than the GPS indicates.
Of course, those very same attributes lead
to a boat that takes a little driver skill and concentration
once the 188VS pops up on the pad
and you trim it to eek out those last couple
mph — or encounter boat wakes where it
pays to get the bow down.
■ Rod and dry storage are bountiful aboard the Ranger 188VS. Note the built-in rod organizer in the
port rod locker.
Seeing them fishing and motoring around
the lake in a boat that you’d swear would sink
at any second reinforced one of the points
common to all Ranger boats: They are built
well beyond industry standards and Coast
Guard requirements. That’s both good and
bad, depending on your perspective.
The good part is that Ranger’s boats are built
stout using the very best materials, from the
thick-walled storage compartments and highgrade
carpet to the resins, materials and the
bonding adhesives used to build the boat itself.
That makes for a boat that is going to hold up to
the most severe use for years while providing a
solid, safe and well-designed fishing platform.
On the downside, because Rangers are built
stout, they weigh more than many of their competitors’
boats, which oftentimes makes Flippin’s
finest a tad slower when it comes to
speed numbers.
Those who buy Rangers already know all
that and would prefer owning a boat that has
earned a strong reputation within the industry
for fit, finish and fishability. The Ranger
188VS dual-console looks like it’s going to continue
that reputation.
place) directly to the hull, fill the voids with
floatation foam, and the result is basically a
one-piece boat.
The 188VS’ solid hull negates the sound of
water slap and vibration, which, in turn, gives
you a very real sense that you are running in a
much bigger, heavier boat.
But it handles more like a sports car. The
wide 921/2-inch beam, coupled with Sea Star
Pro hydraulic steering, and the short hull make
it easy to slip in and out of tight areas or to maneuver
in the crowded waters around the boat
ramp at day’s end. This boat would feel right at
home on small impoundments, reservoirs, lakes
or on any river short of the lower Mississippi.
Out on the open water, those familiar with
older Rangers will find the 188VS very similar
in handling to the old 350V, which exhibited a
A TRUE PERFORMER
Speaking of wringing out the new Ranger, we
couldn’t resist doing that repeatedly because,
well, it was just plain fun.
Our test boat was rigged with an Evinrude
E-Tec 150 propped with a 22-inch-pitch Raker.
The 188VS is rated for up to 175 hp, which I’d
recommend for those with a need for speed
— or at least the need to see 60 mph.
The 150 ’Rude responds quickly and smoothly
to throttle demands, and with the little Raker
on the business end, it popped the Ranger to
30 mph in 8 seconds. That’s a fairly quick
holeshot for a boat that weighs somewhere in
the neighborhood of 2600 pounds with two
bubbas aboard.
Fuel economy is just as impressive. Evinrude
is big on promoting the fuel-efficiency of
the E-Tec technology. During our tests, the 150
E-Tec averaged 3.4 mpg from the time it rolled
on plane until it reached top end. The best fuel
number we saw was 4 mpg at 3000 rpm (29.9
mph), which gives the 188VS a cruising range
of nearly 140 miles on its 38-gallon fuel tank.
The performance disappointment came at
the top end; we could only get the 150 E-Tec
to turn 5200 rpm, which resulted in a top
speed of 54.8 mph. We were expecting a top
speed in the high 50s.
ONE TOUGH HULL
Ranger builds its bass boats with the notion
that the less flex between hull and deck cap
the better. To that end, they use a process
called “pulltrusion” to make the fiberglass
composite material used in the floor, transom
and deck. The pulltrusion composite is closer
in strength to steel than fiberglass. Plus, they
put stress-directed fiberglass in the strakes
instead of putty and use one-piece fiberglass
stringers to further stiffen the hull.
Add in structural bonding agents that cement
the deck cap (which is molded with the
storage boxes and other compartments in
38 April 2006 BassAndWalleyeBoats.com
■ The driver console is nicely laid out, including placement of the Lowrance X-135 depthfinder and
the array of toggle switches that control boat power. Legroom at the helm is enough to keep over-sixfooters
in the comfort zone.