Dream Fishing/Family Boat - Triton 190-FS?

[NCLaker]

I'm in a situation where any new boat I get will need to be a fish & ski (more fish than ski). It'll be a few years before I can chase after my dream boat, but had always had figured the Ranger Reata was the one for me.

Now I have a new one competing to be tops on the list. Triton 190-FS.

Anyone have any feedback on this boat for Fishing? and how does it work for family recreation? Is it pretty stable ride and dry? I've also read that you can experience the "Triton Wobble" at WOT depending on your setup - anyone know anything about this?

I love the large front/rear casting decks for a F/S, and max motor is 200HP (I think with this it tops out at 65-70mph). Hard to tell from pic's, but doesn't seem to have a lot of rod storage, and the person weigh capacity seems low at 770.

Thanks!

[PerchJerker]

I'm not really familiar with that Triton model so I can't answer some of your questions. But I can tell you this, the hull design will have a lot to do with how stable the boat is. When you're looking these boats, look under them at the hull ---- some fish and ski models are built on bass boat hulls, others are built on a deep V hull. That will affect how the boat carrys a load and how stable it will be in different conditons.

[titelines]

I have no experience with this particular model either, but we do have a fish/ski. I agree on the hull. Ours is built on a bass boat hull, and is fiberglass. The low profile and the added weight make ours very stable in the water. The great thing about these is the ability to convert from fishing to recreation easily. We'll often fish in the AM, then have some lunch, ski/tube & relax until the night bite. Very versatile and comfortable, especially if you have people who are short on patience when fishing.

[Deitz Dittrich]

NC- The "triton wobble" is called Chine walking. My triton bass boat only did it when I had a very light load and very little gas. I had the TR186 W/ 150 Johnson. It would walk a little when it hit 62MPH.. My new Cat will walk like crazy when I hit 72mph.. You are supposeldy able to learn how to drive the boat so it doesnt do it.. I was able to control the Triton with ease. I have yet to ride in a fish and ski that had a chine.. but I could be wrong.

[cvanderweyst]

My friend has a Triton that looks very similar to this. It has a 150hp Merc but is rated for a 200hp. It Is fairly rough riding because of the shape of the hull not alot of the boat is in the water at WOT. It is also slow to get on plane but top speed is good a little over 50mph. It also has a 8hp yamaha kicker, a must for walleye fishing. I know he is looking at getting rid of it for a tiller but it is definately a nice fishing boat.

I was trying to get a shot of the deliciouse sheephead in the front of the boat.

[NCLaker]

Thanks for the feedback guys!

[hydro]

I went through the same decision process a few years back and settled on a Viper (Coral) 202 F/S. My boat is a 20 footer and powered by a Merc 200 EFI. My objective in the decision was a boat that would provide a functional fishing platform, be able to contain 4+ people for recreation, and go fast (I'm still a little addicted to speed). I was also getting a little tired of the gritted teeth ride into the wind so the windshield was a plus.

Here is what I found:

1. Because of the back seat in a F/S boat, I felt that the 18' and 19' boats were a little cramped for me. The 20' length added just enough to make things work right. The extra length gives a longer rear fishing platform and longer rod storage up front.

2. At first I thought that going to from a tiller boat to a front troll boat would hinder trolling. I have found that not to be the case at all. The front trolling position is very workable and I have found overall maneurvability and boat control to be better than with the tiller.

3. As mentioned above, my boat is built on a bass boat hull, with the F/S cap on top. The ride is mich the same as a bass boat, just with a little more weight. My hull has a single step pad and will ride beautifully at speed (mid 60's with just me), and at lower speeds it drives like a car. When I first got it, it had significant chine walk, and I found that the motor was mounted with the prop shaft over 5" below the pad. I raised the motor to tune performance and now it is running at 3 1/4" and the chine walk has dissapeared.

4. The multi-purpose flexibility has been great. The rear seat pops out and a ski pole drops in for pulling the kids in the tube, and the seating is comfortable and roomy. I even have a bimini top that snaps on for the sunny days. It covers the interior seating and leaves the front/reat fishing platforms open.

Overall, I am very happy with making the choice to switch to this type of boat. Here is a picture:

[NCLaker]

hydro, sweet looking setup. I can't seem to find their website, do they have one?

[Deitz Dittrich]

NCL- Do a google Search for COBRA boats.. Coral and Cobra are made by the same company..

[NCLaker]

Deitz, googled Cobra and all I found was Cobra performance boats - appears to be completely different boats. Also tried Viper boats, and also appear to be different manufacturer than the Coral.

All I found was a local retailer that sells them (didn't show a lot of detail). Let me know if I'm missing something.