Nitro Bay, Good Boat?

[Mr. Breeze]

Anyone have a Nitro Bay? Thinking about looking at a 18'.

[Redfishr]

Anyone have a Nitro Bay? Thinking about looking at a 18'.Go with the Kenner in that style. imo

[Fishdaze]

Go with the Kenner in that style. imo
I would go with the Kenner also, just because I've fished out of them before. I'm just wondering if having Tracker Marine buy them out has had any affect on the quality of the new Kenners.

[Redfishr]

I would go with the Kenner also, just because I've fished out of them before. I'm just wondering if having Tracker Marine buy them out has had any affect on the quality of the new Kenners.I owned a Kenner 21, two boats ago, and was very happy with it.
Didnt know they were bouyght out.

[captbennie]

Although made on a kenner hull the console is not in the same location(futher forward) creating a rougher ride.
Capt. Bennie

[Fishdaze]

I owned a Kenner 21, two boats ago, and was very happy with it.
Didnt know they were bouyght out.
Bill and Gary Kenner are now building boats under K2 Marine, with the brand BlackJack. They have a website that's under construction at the moment, and I've seen a small picture of their new boat advertised in TX Fish & Game. I was wondering if they had one at the boat show.

[judweiser]

K2 had two boats on display, SWEET!

[Reel Bender]

Bartlett Marine in Lake Jackson has on for sale ( K2 Blackjack that is). Nice Boat!
I run a 21 ft kenner 1990 model (back before they sold out), the Boat is still in great shape 15 years later. The K2 should give many years of trouble free enjoyment.

[jchief]

I would buy the Kenner over the Nitro. I am fixing to buy a Blackjack next week if I can get my dealer to get right on the price. I have talked to a couple of people that say the quality in the Kenner has fell off a little since Bass pro bought it.

[Reel Bender]

What kinda price are you getting quoted on the Blackjack?

[Fishdaze]

Bartlett Marine in Lake Jackson has on for sale ( K2 Blackjack that is). Nice Boat!
I run a 21 ft kenner 1990 model (back before they sold out), the Boat is still in great shape 15 years later. The K2 should give many years of trouble free enjoyment.
One of my best friends has a '94 model 21' Kenner that's still going strong. Even the carpet in it still looks like new, and this boat has gotten a lot of use over the years. He's got a Johnson 130 on it and never had any problems with it either. He has taken real good care of the whole rig over the years.

[jchief]

Reel Bender, you have a pm.

[Sick Leave]

I saw the K2 Blackjack at Witt Marine in Baytown in June 2004. It was an awesome boat. The attention to minute details that "Kenner" builds into those boats is obviously from a fisherman's point of view. Bass Pro Shop owns both the old Kenner mold and Bass Tracker, as well as Nitro. I was extremely impressed with the Blackjack. But seeing as how they only build a very few per year, it may be hard to come across one easily.

One might need a "keen" eye before buying a Keener from BPS. They are looking more for mass consumption rather that angler gratification. And by the way, they don't like suggestions you might have that would improve any design changes. I tried and was told that they knew what they were doing and have been doing it that way for years.

[Copzilla]

I don't think there's anything wrong with a Nitro, never really heard any bad stories about them, I think people just tend to gravitate to the tried-and-true products like Kenner. And Kenner is a fine boat, no doubt.

Nitro's got 'em on price, for sure, and the hull design and quality seems very similar. I'd crawl all over it and make sure your hull stress points like transom and the forward storage compartments have been glassed down real tight, cuz I've had a boat start splitting at those points and had to do about $2000 worth of hull repair because of it. The cheaper boat manufacturers may try and save money on production, so make sure they've built your particular boat right. But that may have more to do with that one boat work done by that one guy that one day... If they build it for you specifically, ask them to throw a few extra layers of glass at the stress points, and offer to pay a little extra for it, and that'll turn it into a battletank.

And Nitro likes to underpower their boats. If you buy an 18 footer, that little 50 horse might get you on plane once in a while. You need at least a 90 HP. If you get a 21 footer, you need at least 150 HP. Trust me on this, the worst thing you can do is underpower your boat. If you do, your holeshot will suffer, your mileage will suffer as you have to run wide open and your engine strains, and you will get there slower. Buy as much engine as you can absolutely afford.

[Reel Bender]

jchief check your pm

[Mr. Breeze]

I see the new 18" Kenner is the same price as the Nitro 18". Both $9,995 now w/ 50 Merc. but with the new owner both are probably the same boat now. Everytime I see a good used one with a Yamaha it sells almost immediately. Do not see many with Yamaha's. Thanks for the K2 BlackJack info. I will check them out.

[Mr. Breeze]

also, Capt. Kirks' Marine in the Woodlands is where I saw the new Kenner price of $9,995. Is he affiliated with BPS?

[Fishdaze]

also, Capt. Kirks' Marine in the Woodlands is where I saw the new Kenner price of $9,995. Is he affiliated with BPS?
I don't believe he is affiliated with BPS. I'm pretty sure that all these Kenner distributors are carry overs from the original owners of Kenner Boats. I have heard that once the BPS gets built in San Antonio, that BPS will be the sole distributor for Kenner in that area, and will pull the line from the regional distributors there. Only time will tell.