Biggest thing I’d suggest before you start out the season is trailer maintenance, new tires, brakes and get yourself a spare hub kit or two. Good luck in the Opens!
Amen to that! I've been beaten many times by anglers in older boats and with less equipment. Its all about the knowledge in your head, the decisions you make, and your attitude that day! Tight lines back at you my friend!
Great Video on a Older Boat David. I have much respect for you showing what the average person that wants to just go fishing or competing in tournaments in this average Angler's real world. I'm just like you bro dealing with a 1999 Charger 395TF Foxfire. 1999 Yamaha VMAX 3.1 OX66, been bored out an completely gone through top to bottom w/ less than 30 hrs on it. Still needs some upgrades, graphs, power poles, hubs, hydraulic jack plate, batteries, but we are still in the game mixing it up as best we can. Knuckles my brother...
Making upgrades as you can afford them is the way to go without going massively in debt for us average anglers! Also part of the fun of building a boat package, finding deals on stuff is half the fun and really satisfying when you do pull the trigger on a purchase. This boat has constantly been in the role of upgrading when I can. Those OX66 motors are damn near bulletproof! Went to college to be a marine mechanic and worked for a dealership for a few years and only time we ever saw those motors was when they came in to be winterized for the winter. Always wanted one to rebuild and mod out with HydroTech parts but never found a boat for sale with one that I liked.
I’ve got an 01 520 and taking the rod tubes out is no easy task, I’m still trying to get all the foam cut out in the locker but once I get it I can put a lot more rods in it. You’ll need several different tools to get the foam out, a saws all is probably the first thing to use.
I've owned two ranger 520s. A 2003 model and a 2005 model. I've owned seven rangers including currently owning a 521C Comanche with a 250 pro XS. I can promise you, I still to this day. Loved the ride and the handling of a 520 VX hull. They were really well built boats. Took some of the breakfast water a bass boat could handle. Always got me back home.
Thats an oldie but goodie. That generation of Rangers were built very well. It needs some TLC but you certainly have a good base to work from. GL this season.
I would love to see you do well in this older boat. Would be a great story. I would suggest you do those trailer bearings every 2 years. When you have them fail on the highway, trust me , it sucks!
Thanks for the support! I've been very fortunate with the bearings thus far but definitely its time to change them out. Last time I had a bearing issue was on my previous Skeeter, smoked the bearings and messed up the spindle. Thankfully it was a tandem axle and I was able to get home but yeah I could see how much it would suck being a few hundred miles away from home and have it happen.
I bet there are a bunch of those 520s out there. Lots of guys won’t let them go. Good fishing platform and what I remember really good hole shot for a 20ftr.
You definitely don't see many of them come up for sale very often. 10-15 years ago in my area, just about everyone either had a 520 or 519 Ranger or the Skeeter ZX225 and ZX250. Just solid boats all around. I have no complaints after 9 years of owning this one with the exception of the rod tubes in the port rod locker even though I've tolerated them thus far. Just not a fan of rod tubes for the amount of rods I carry on a regular basis. Otherwise, its been a very good platform for me and doesn't leave me wanting much more. Holeshot with my current setup is really good, better than my old Skeeter ZX185 which was no slouch either.
old rangers are some of the best-built boats ever! look the trailer over really good though-- love the colors also! can upgrade to a 250hp also if over 20 foot
I totally agree with you, the older Rangers are some of the best looking and best built ever! The trailer I haven't had any issues yet with the exception of the brake calipers and brake lines needing replacing and an incident where a tire blew and damaged the fender and I had to have it fixed because Ranger no longer offers the fender for that year of trailer. I replaced the shackles and equalizers a year and a half ago so those should be fine.
Glad your enjoying them, I'm having a lot of fun making them and learning new ways trying to make each one better than the last. I have a lot of room for improvement though but its a fun learning process. Going to give it my all in Division 3 this year for everyone watching!
More power to ya man it's not the boat it's who's in the boat that matters I would have some spare parts for boat say just a few common things for enjine and I'd make sure my trailer was in great shape new tires new hubs bearings was in good shape and probably have some extra hubs just in case that's a lot of miles gonna be put on trailer and tires ..but give it hell buddy u dont know if u dont go 👍
I have the same exact boat, same year and color. I love mine. If you need to new live well lids let me know. I had Ranger Mike make me 2 and then I decided to replace my carpet with seadek and they have to make all new lids for it when they do it.
I fish Monday and Tuesday nighters out of a 36 year old 15ft Ebbtide DynaTrak with basic electronics and a Mariner 40. I usually end up in the top 5 fishing by myself. The latest and greatest stuff is cool and probably useful to a degree but not always necessary. I outfish plenty of guys that have tens of thousands maybe even hundreds of thousands dollars more invested in the sport than I do.
I have a 98 Ranger. The locker doors are a BIG PROBLEM on the older ones. Mine cracked and degraded the same way. It doesn't matter the year of the boat to compete, as long as everything is solid and in good order. Only thing is rough water. Old fiberglass gets brittle and the shock might shatter it. Good luck. Show those new boat owners what old school can do
I'm going to give it my all in Division 3 for everyone that is watching!I do wish the manufactures that did fiberglass lids had a better foresight back in the day and made the lids out of aluminum but it is what it is. My solution has worked fine for now with a slight increase in weight and needed to put in a stronger gas shock to hold the lid up but eventually I plan on upgrading all the lids to aluminum. I plan on keeping her as long as the transom holds up or something major happens that forces me into a different boat.
LOL, I'm sure NASA has more advanced stuff than I got! Probably would have done a cleaner wiring installation for the equipment than I did as well but every time I added a new piece of equipment it was always in the middle of the season so it was just lets wire it up quick and get back out on the water ASAP. I really should be ashamed of it because I did work for a boat dealership at one point installing graphs and motors but I also had all day to do it right, not a few hours after work which I rather be out on the water than making my installs on my personal boat neat. But THAT is going to change starting this weekend!
Division 3 covers Lake St. Clair in Michigan which is a 12 hour drive for me, than we go to Leech Lake in upper central Minnesota and is 2 hours from where I live, and then we finish up on the Mississippi River Pools 7,8, and 9 out of La Crosse Wisconsin which is a 4 hour drive for me. Its the first time that I can remember that B.A.S.S. had a Opens schedule that actually made sense logistically for a lot of guys in the upper midwest to enter and have a shot at claiming a spot in the Classic.
If anyone has gone the seadek/similar brand material on their deck lids, I was curious what you did for the edges of the deck lids to make them look decent? Did you paint them, use some type of vinyl wrap, or some type of gasket material? Any help would be appreciated to help make my decision.
Audio level on the "background" music is WAY off. It's not even close to being "background", and makes this a painful video to watch. Gave up at only 15 seconds. Need to pay closer attention to that during editing.
I Very MUCH APPRECIATE the feedback. The background music only last for the first 1 minute and 20 secs than again at the very end. When I was editing the video the music volume was much lower but I noticed after it was uploaded to TH-cam the volume was changed. Not quite sure what happened in that regard, still learning the editing game and was the first time I played around with music in a video. Will make sure in future videos that its not as distracting or as loud or will maybe incorporate music only in an intro video or when I'm not talking.
@DavidBromenshenkelFishing sorry the reason I ask is because it does look just like mine, and I have never put two limits in there. Do you think 2 limits will fit and be good
It doesn't come down to new old or electronics. It comes down to attitude you either believe you can or you make excuses for why you can't catch fish. You wasted your money on those power poles, seriously not needed.
I beg to differ on the money spent on the Power Poles, use them all the time around my part of the country especially while fishing docks and trees or working a bedding fish or just fishing for sunfish with the kids. For me, they are worth it but as I did say in the video towards the end its not the boat, the electronics or anything else that catches the fish, its your skills with the rod and reel and the decisions you make with the knowledge that is in your head that determine how the day goes.
![ฮักเทื่อสุดท้าย - บอย ศิริชัย [OFFICIAL MV]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/-1PoPoQ-B-k/mqdefault.jpg)
Biggest thing I’d suggest before you start out the season is trailer maintenance, new tires, brakes and get yourself a spare hub kit or two. Good luck in the Opens!
Age of the boat does not matter its what you are comfortable in and can afford. Good luck and happy see you chase your dreams. Tight lines.
Amen to that! I've been beaten many times by anglers in older boats and with less equipment. Its all about the knowledge in your head, the decisions you make, and your attitude that day! Tight lines back at you my friend!
@DavidBromenshenkelFishing
You need be fully focused and comfortable to compete in the opens alot of good sticks in there you just need consistency.
Great Video on a Older Boat David. I have much respect for you showing what the average person that wants to just go fishing or competing in tournaments in this average Angler's real world. I'm just like you bro dealing with a 1999 Charger 395TF Foxfire. 1999 Yamaha VMAX 3.1 OX66, been bored out an completely gone through top to bottom w/ less than 30 hrs on it. Still needs some upgrades, graphs, power poles, hubs, hydraulic jack plate, batteries, but we are still in the game mixing it up as best we can. Knuckles my brother...
Making upgrades as you can afford them is the way to go without going massively in debt for us average anglers! Also part of the fun of building a boat package, finding deals on stuff is half the fun and really satisfying when you do pull the trigger on a purchase. This boat has constantly been in the role of upgrading when I can. Those OX66 motors are damn near bulletproof! Went to college to be a marine mechanic and worked for a dealership for a few years and only time we ever saw those motors was when they came in to be winterized for the winter. Always wanted one to rebuild and mod out with HydroTech parts but never found a boat for sale with one that I liked.
I’ve got an 01 520 and taking the rod tubes out is no easy task, I’m still trying to get all the foam cut out in the locker but once I get it I can put a lot more rods in it. You’ll need several different tools to get the foam out, a saws all is probably the first thing to use.
Good luck.
I"m looking forward to it, July can't come fast enough to kick off Division 3.
I've owned two ranger 520s. A 2003 model and a 2005 model. I've owned seven rangers including currently owning a 521C Comanche with a 250 pro XS.
I can promise you, I still to this day. Loved the ride and the handling of a 520 VX hull. They were really well built boats. Took some of the breakfast water a bass boat could handle. Always got me back home.
Thats an oldie but goodie. That generation of Rangers were built very well. It needs some TLC but you certainly have a good base to work from. GL this season.
I would love to see you do well in this older boat. Would be a great story. I would suggest you do those trailer bearings every 2 years. When you have them fail on the highway, trust me , it sucks!
Thanks for the support! I've been very fortunate with the bearings thus far but definitely its time to change them out. Last time I had a bearing issue was on my previous Skeeter, smoked the bearings and messed up the spindle. Thankfully it was a tandem axle and I was able to get home but yeah I could see how much it would suck being a few hundred miles away from home and have it happen.
I bet there are a bunch of those 520s out there. Lots of guys won’t let them go. Good fishing platform and what I remember really good hole shot for a 20ftr.
You definitely don't see many of them come up for sale very often. 10-15 years ago in my area, just about everyone either had a 520 or 519 Ranger or the Skeeter ZX225 and ZX250. Just solid boats all around. I have no complaints after 9 years of owning this one with the exception of the rod tubes in the port rod locker even though I've tolerated them thus far. Just not a fan of rod tubes for the amount of rods I carry on a regular basis. Otherwise, its been a very good platform for me and doesn't leave me wanting much more. Holeshot with my current setup is really good, better than my old Skeeter ZX185 which was no slouch either.
Wow, good luck, definitely an uphill battle.
Go kick ass dude! Absolutely love this, got my support from SD! Hoping to do the same thing on the Walleye side!
old rangers are some of the best-built boats ever! look the trailer over really good though-- love the colors also! can upgrade to a 250hp also if over 20 foot
I totally agree with you, the older Rangers are some of the best looking and best built ever! The trailer I haven't had any issues yet with the exception of the brake calipers and brake lines needing replacing and an incident where a tire blew and damaged the fender and I had to have it fixed because Ranger no longer offers the fender for that year of trailer. I replaced the shackles and equalizers a year and a half ago so those should be fine.
I'm enjoying your videos. Keep up the good work and good luck this year in the opens.
Glad your enjoying them, I'm having a lot of fun making them and learning new ways trying to make each one better than the last. I have a lot of room for improvement though but its a fun learning process. Going to give it my all in Division 3 this year for everyone watching!
More power to ya man it's not the boat it's who's in the boat that matters I would have some spare parts for boat say just a few common things for enjine and I'd make sure my trailer was in great shape new tires new hubs bearings was in good shape and probably have some extra hubs just in case that's a lot of miles gonna be put on trailer and tires ..but give it hell buddy u dont know if u dont go 👍
Maybe in a future video tell us what you don't like about the trolling motor pedal location and what location and recess plate brand you would prefer.
Nice rig but remember boats don't catch fish you do.
Pretty sure I mentioned that in the video but I whole heartedly agree with you, same goes for electronics.
I have the same exact boat, same year and color. I love mine. If you need to new live well lids let me know. I had Ranger Mike make me 2 and then I decided to replace my carpet with seadek and they have to make all new lids for it when they do it.
Good Luck To You
I fish Monday and Tuesday nighters out of a 36 year old 15ft Ebbtide DynaTrak with basic electronics and a Mariner 40. I usually end up in the top 5 fishing by myself. The latest and greatest stuff is cool and probably useful to a degree but not always necessary. I outfish plenty of guys that have tens of thousands maybe even hundreds of thousands dollars more invested in the sport than I do.
Got a 93 Champion 190!! It’s underpowered but I found out the fishing can read 150Hp on the Cowl!!!
Best wishes! Where is your home base? I'm a mn guy and a few of my acquaintances are doing the Northern swing.
I have a 98 Ranger. The locker doors are a BIG PROBLEM on the older ones. Mine cracked and degraded the same way. It doesn't matter the year of the boat to compete, as long as everything is solid and in good order. Only thing is rough water. Old fiberglass gets brittle and the shock might shatter it. Good luck. Show those new boat owners what old school can do
I'm going to give it my all in Division 3 for everyone that is watching!I do wish the manufactures that did fiberglass lids had a better foresight back in the day and made the lids out of aluminum but it is what it is. My solution has worked fine for now with a slight increase in weight and needed to put in a stronger gas shock to hold the lid up but eventually I plan on upgrading all the lids to aluminum. I plan on keeping her as long as the transom holds up or something major happens that forces me into a different boat.
That boat looks more than adequate. I qualified for the 2005 Classic with a 1993 361V.
Those 361v's were awesome boats, still are actually. I still see a few of them running around quite often.
NASA couldn't have done it much nicer. Good luck!!!!!!
LOL, I'm sure NASA has more advanced stuff than I got! Probably would have done a cleaner wiring installation for the equipment than I did as well but every time I added a new piece of equipment it was always in the middle of the season so it was just lets wire it up quick and get back out on the water ASAP. I really should be ashamed of it because I did work for a boat dealership at one point installing graphs and motors but I also had all day to do it right, not a few hours after work which I rather be out on the water than making my installs on my personal boat neat. But THAT is going to change starting this weekend!
Really like the videos what area does division 3 cover I’m wanting to try the opens real interested in seeing your progression
Division 3 covers Lake St. Clair in Michigan which is a 12 hour drive for me, than we go to Leech Lake in upper central Minnesota and is 2 hours from where I live, and then we finish up on the Mississippi River Pools 7,8, and 9 out of La Crosse Wisconsin which is a 4 hour drive for me. Its the first time that I can remember that B.A.S.S. had a Opens schedule that actually made sense logistically for a lot of guys in the upper midwest to enter and have a shot at claiming a spot in the Classic.
Thank you David
What charges the starting battery since the noco is only 4 bnaks
If anyone has gone the seadek/similar brand material on their deck lids, I was curious what you did for the edges of the deck lids to make them look decent? Did you paint them, use some type of vinyl wrap, or some type of gasket material? Any help would be appreciated to help make my decision.
Audio level on the "background" music is WAY off. It's not even close to being "background", and makes this a painful video to watch. Gave up at only 15 seconds. Need to pay closer attention to that during editing.
I liked your previous videos and tried to watch this one but got tough to follow along with the background music.
I Very MUCH APPRECIATE the feedback. The background music only last for the first 1 minute and 20 secs than again at the very end. When I was editing the video the music volume was much lower but I noticed after it was uploaded to TH-cam the volume was changed. Not quite sure what happened in that regard, still learning the editing game and was the first time I played around with music in a video. Will make sure in future videos that its not as distracting or as loud or will maybe incorporate music only in an intro video or when I'm not talking.
How big is the livewell?
It has a single 25 gallon livewell with a divider in the middle.
@DavidBromenshenkelFishing sorry the reason I ask is because it does look just like mine, and I have never put two limits in there. Do you think 2 limits will fit and be good
It doesn't come down to new old or electronics. It comes down to attitude you either believe you can or you make excuses for why you can't catch fish. You wasted your money on those power poles, seriously not needed.
I beg to differ on the money spent on the Power Poles, use them all the time around my part of the country especially while fishing docks and trees or working a bedding fish or just fishing for sunfish with the kids. For me, they are worth it but as I did say in the video towards the end its not the boat, the electronics or anything else that catches the fish, its your skills with the rod and reel and the decisions you make with the knowledge that is in your head that determine how the day goes.
@@DavidBromenshenkelFishing you fish shallow water or Florida waste of money for me and a maintenance headache
Turn the music off on the intro when your speaking!
new boats are junk, ill keep my 94 ranger and carbed two stroke
lose the crappy music
Good Luck this year man.
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