# Nitro Boats...horror stories?



## ugabowhunter

Ok...The beautiful truck and boat in my avatar no longer belong to me...i had to sell both of them 1.5 years ago.

Now, i am back in the bass boat market. I HATE Nitro boats, but I am not sure why because I have never rode in one. What exactly is it about Nitros that makes their resale value pathetic? I really only buy a boat based on the price, length, and motor warranty, but a Nitro has me scared.

What is sooo bad about a Nitro? I can fix anything wrong with a bass boat besides the motor. I only remove the cowl to check the oil reservoir and to see if there are any leaks from time-to-time.

Do Nitros ride edited for typing around the censor  fredw? Does the console fall apart? Do they catch fire while charging? Are they worse than a Pro Craft? Why, exactly, are they so cheap?


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## jackherber

Nitros have developed a viable use for an aeronautics process called stretch forming. That's where a solid sheet of aluminum is clamped on both ends and then stretched over a form (100s of tons of pressure). This allows aluminum to take on literally any shape. I witnessed this process at a huge plant in California at least 15 years ago. The Nitros were supposed to have the shape of a fiberglass boat but made from the much lighter aluminum. Now the curious thing is they don't advertise this technology. I haven't asked them at Bass Pro since I am happy with my Tracker.


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## mtr3333

Nitros were having some transom issues years ago. Google "nitro transom problems".


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## BowShooter

The new ones are great boats really come a long way i dont think you  will be dissapointed


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## z71mathewsman

KVD fishes out of one.


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## ErikD

The older ones had wood and were  not that nice.  With that said I really like a lot about the newer ones.  Really wide and stable great layouts and tons of storage.  My next boat will likely be a nitro.  I agree with you everyone says they suck blah blah blah.  I have never met anyone that even knew a guy that had a nitro with problems.


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## cnewman

My first bass boat was a 1999 Nitro 750 that I absolutely loved and my Dad still has. It was cheap, always ran, and was an absolute deal (i bought it in 2001).

If I was in the market, I'd consider another one.


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## Lanier Jim

I like smaller boats - around 18'.  I just feel I can control them better when trying to stay on a waypoint in wind or current.   Just my preference.   I've messed around at Bass Pro and looked at the Nitro Z7 and would take one in a minute!   A ton of room, nice layout, and all composite.   

Just my 2 cents - 

LJ


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## jbp84

keep searching craigslist there are some deals out there there is one in my drive way  most 98-00 model tritons can be had for 7k-9k. i guess if you can tell us what you looking to spend maybe there something in your budget. 
from what i heard the nitros was suppose to be procraft/astros


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## Spinnerbaits

their earlier models had some quality issues, but I'd say in the past 12 years they have really made some very nice boats. I will even go as far as saying their last 4 year models can compare to any other well known manufacturer.


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## o2bfishin

If I'm not mistaken, the "Savage" line of Nitro boats are where the horror stories started. I believe these were sold starting in the mid to late 90's. I'd steer clear of them.

I have a 1995 190 TF Nitro. I bought new it when I was 18 and worked at the old BPS on Shackleford Rd. I had a boat payment before I had a car payment lol. It has been a great boat. The best thing about it is how well it handles rough water, and the Merc 150 XRI that I've put no more than $500 bucks in almost 17 years. The worst thing is I've felt the accessory type stuff - latches, seals, etc. were cheap and wore out quickly.


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## nimrod

I talked to a rep at a boatshow about them a few years ago. He said during the late 90's early 00's time frame they had a plant manager that really didn't have a clue about boat manufacturing. The quality on them was terrible. The hull's were real wavy looking. You could pull the carpet up on a new one because the glue was bad etc. He said they have people at the plant now who know what they are doing and the quality has gone up. But as the saying goes shipping one bad product to a customer is the same as shipping a truck load. There reputation suffered.


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## EZ Spin

If everything works out we are going to be doing Nitro test drives next week April 14th and 15th at Lanier Islands. I have a Z8 with a 250 Opti Max that I will put against any boat that costs over $10,000 more. She runs smooth (I have a bad back and hip replacements so I would spend an extra $20,000 if an other boat rode better!). I use to have an 18 foot aluminum boat with a 150 and I road it for 10 years and it served me well but I wish I had bought this boat then because my back would not be as bad if I had. Email me at esaldrich@yahoo.com for more details on the test drives and hope to see you all there! Blessings, Eric Aldrich


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## brent613

I have 1999 882 18'2 boat i have owned since it was new have fished out of it numerous times for the money wouldnt trade it.Every boat has its little things that you have to do minor fixing on but for the money you cant beat it.


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## PASSBOY

Rode on my first Nitro last week, very impressed. 21' boat, 04 model I believe. Huge platforms, rode awesome across rough water. Awesome boat.


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## Larry Young Jr

When Nitro was built by Nitro in longveiw Tx. It was a great boat It was fast and handled rough water awesome. Only Thing  was you had to drive it. When bass pro bought it in the 90's they change somethings to help with the price. Some worked ok ,others were a mistake. If I was in the market for a bass rig I would look hard at them. 
Good luck
Larry


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## byrdman68

I've been the owner of a 2000 Nitro 911 CDC (center dual console) for almost a year and a half now. My dad owned a 2000 21' Ranger for years. I loved that boat. Although the fit and finish of the Nitro isn't quite at the same level as Ranger, the ride and handling in rough water is very good. I was also skeptical about the center dual console set-up, but after about 15 tournaments fished along with many other days on the water I've grown to like the layout. Plenty of storage, huge decks, and you can fight a fish all the way around the edge of the boat. For the money a Nitro is hard to beat in my opinion.


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## sinclair1

z71mathewsman said:


> KVD fishes out of one.



 Good one, but only until a better offer comes along.


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## sogafishin

Ive had my 97 Nitro Savage 884 for 7 years.Ive put many miles on it and pushed it hard.Solid boat.


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## bassboy1

jackherber said:


> Nitros have developed a viable use for an aeronautics process called stretch forming. That's where a solid sheet of aluminum is clamped on both ends and then stretched over a form (100s of tons of pressure). This allows aluminum to take on literally any shape. I witnessed this process at a huge plant in California at least 15 years ago. The Nitros were supposed to have the shape of a fiberglass boat but made from the much lighter aluminum. *Now the curious thing is they don't advertise this technology.* I haven't asked them at Bass Pro since I am happy with my Tracker.



Not so curious, as they don't use that technology, at least not now.  

To the best of my knowledge, the only boat in the Nitro-Tracker et al family that uses that technology is the Tracker Avalanche, which hasn't been made in a few years.  I don't recall any production Nitros of that design (though there could be a few), so that, coupled with the demise of the Tracker Avalanche, leads me to believe that method didn't work out so well for them. 

These days, the Nitro boats are the same fiberglass that everyone else uses.


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## bassboy1

sinclair1 said:


> Good one, but only until a better offer comes along.




Aw come on, you've heard him on TV.   "...Now, I could have any boat that I want, and I _still_ choose Nitro."


I mean, it's on the TV, it must be true, right?


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## DuckHuntin101

There resale values are absolutely horrible


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## gamuddawg151

I got a '98 savage 912 . Rides great, plenty of storage ,and large decks . Great boat and I have been in other higher priced boats I haven't really noticed that big a difference between them. The new z series is the platform right now IMHO.


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## fburris

LOL. Looks like a Triton in your avatar. You will be taking a step up in the Nitro. LOL. That will get you guys going.


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## 8pointduck

.......................Nitro a step up from Triton...........now that's funny


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## bassboy1

> .......................Nitro a step up from Triton...........now that's funny



Hey, Bucca's doing it - it's the storm that's gonna sweep Allatoona now....


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## Triton Mike

I was with Triton for 14 years since 1998  (almost the beginning when they started up in 97).  I was in the boat market for a newer boat and did a good bit of research.  I wanted a late model boat and a motor with some decent warranty and I wanted a bigger boat than my Tr-20.  I started off wanting a late model Tr-20/21.  I didn't want to afford the prices of a 2010-2011 Triton but honestly that goes for all boats IMHO..  I settled on a 2011 z9 with a 250hp.  I have some complaints/quirks on things on the nitro layout wise just like I have with Triton.  But overall and in the 2 months I have had the boat it's been great.  Will it hold up??  I have no idea but so far so good.  Do I know about the horror stories with Nitro. Yes.  Am I worried?  not yet LOL.  But I am very happy with the boat.  I bought this boat used with 50 hrs on the motor..  If you do the platform measurements the z9 and z8 they are the biggest boats out there in their respective category which was one of the main selling points to me.  I can fish 4 people out of it somewhat comfortably due to the overall size of the boat.  

Ride comparsion between Triton vs Nitro??  I couldn't tell you we don't rarely get any big waves on Toona for me to tell you one way or the other.  If your on Allatoona any and want to take a ride let me know.


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## dturnersr

ugabowhunter said:


> Ok...The beautiful truck and boat in my avatar no longer belong to me...i had to sell both of them 1.5 years ago.
> 
> Now, i am back in the bass boat market. I HATE Nitro boats, but I am not sure why because I have never rode in one. What exactly is it about Nitros that makes their resale value pathetic? I really only buy a boat based on the price, length, and motor warranty, but a Nitro has me scared.
> 
> What is sooo bad about a Nitro? I can fix anything wrong with a bass boat besides the motor. I only remove the cowl to check the oil reservoir and to see if there are any leaks from time-to-time.
> 
> Do Nitros ride edited for typing around the censor  fredw? Does the console fall apart? Do they catch fire while charging? Are they worse than a Pro Craft? Why, exactly, are they so cheap?




For the best advice tell us what price range you are looking to buy and size of boat.  Like many have said here Nitro's have come a long way in the past several years stepping up in quality.  I recently sold my boat for a newer-bigger- in warranty boat.  I seriously considered buying a Z9; the best deals are on a slightly used boat.  The Z8's are a very nice boat for the price range.  One word of advice be ready to bounce on any deal that you find-chances are if you don't someone else will have already pulled the trigger.


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## jackherber

bassboy1 said:


> Not so curious, as they don't use that technology, at least not now.
> 
> To the best of my knowledge, the only boat in the Nitro-Tracker et al family that uses that technology is the Tracker Avalanche, which hasn't been made in a few years.  I don't recall any production Nitros of that design (though there could be a few), so that, coupled with the demise of the Tracker Avalanche, leads me to believe that method didn't work out so well for them.
> 
> These days, the Nitro boats are the same fiberglass that everyone else uses.



   Yeah, it was pretty new to the boating industry when I saw it. Pretty expensive too. It seemed like a heck of an idea though. Nice smooth curves like glass and no welds/seams. Also it took one heck of sheet of aluminum to make a one piece hull. This was no 4' X 8' sheet.


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