BY BOB AND GINNY RIEGE

When winter grips the land and the only open water that you see has a constant plume of steam rising from it you know it is time to look for a new boat. At Sportshows everyone crowds around the newest and latest models all shined up to attract the buyers. American may have a love affair with the automobile, but in the Upper Midwest we have a love affair with our boats.

What should you look for in a new boat? What color should it be? What features and what necessities do you need in a new boat? I wonder what they will give me for my old Queen Mary? Countless questions come from the customers and all of them are important questions.

The most important thing that boat buyers should be asking themselves is what am I going to use this boat for? If you are going to use it to fish for crappies you probably don’t need the latest coastal racing boat. You should probably look for something that is aluminum, flat bottomed and has a small enough horsepower motor that will get you to and from you favorite backwater areas.

Does your family like to water ski? If so you might have to purchase a boat that serves as a multi purpose boat. A runabout that you can fish and ski out of is probably the best bet.

Also look to see if the company that your are purchasing the boat from has been around for a long time. You want a boat that has a good quality name behind it and you want something that will hold its value.

Along with that you also want a good quality outboard motor. In most circumstances when you buy you have a choice of outboards.

Of all of these factors to consider we would like to tell you that there is a company that has been around for over forty years and it is Ranger Boat Company. What sets Ranger uniquely apart from other boat builders is the understanding and use of technology.

What makes Ranger a leader in the boat industry? According to a Ranger spokesman; “Ranger has a history that parallels the launch of an entire industry, Ranger has been called ‘a way of life’ and ‘legendary brand’ continually obsessed with reflecting the wants and needs of anglers. From a humble start of only 6 boats that first year, Ranger has grown into an internationally known household name. It’s the boat of choice for NASCAR, Chevy Trucks, Cabela’s, the Wal-Mart FLW Tour and countless other tournament trails and leading organizations around the world. Listening closely to others and sharing a strong ‘family’ connection with owners, Ranger is noted for its exceptional quality, performance, innovation and customer service. It’s a philosophy forever ingrained into the very fabric of those who’ve come to call Ranger ‘home’ and with literally thousands of years of combined tenure, these skilled craftsmen daily shape and polish the dreams that others pass from generation to generation as honored members of the family.”

The research and engineering specialists have practically reinvented the process of boat design. They apply the principles of aerodynamics, physics and 3-dimensional computer imaging to the design and construction of all our boats. The result: the ultimate in performance vehicle on the water.

But most prospective anglers don’t think about the trailer that is underneath the boat they are about to buy. You know that angler who gets the best deal on his fishing rig and then says, “Give me the cheapest trailer to get to the water.” Well a day on the water begins and ends on a boat trailer. How the day goes depends on the trip there and the launch. How the day went depends on loading and the drive back home. When you purchase a Ranger boat you also purchase the Ranger trailer that matches not only fit and finish, but also the entire structure of the particular model.

Finally, don’t skimp on the motor for your boat. We use outboard motors and you need to know a few things before you purchase one. Stay with the name brands. We prefer Mercury motors and one reason we prefer them over all is that they are leaders in the industry. Plus, we have run other brands and for service and dependability we can’t match the quality of Mercury.

Our motor of choice is an OptiMax Pro XS. “Mercury engineers leveraged the Mercury Racing heritage to develop this family of high-performance Direct Injected outboards. The result is an outboard family that blows away the competition when it comes to power, durability, performance and fuel efficiency. Nothing on the water today is faster or more proven than the OptiMax Pro XS.”

When you are looking for a boat this winter look for a boat company that has a good reputation and has models that meet your needs. These companies are great examples of what you should set your standards on. Hope to see you on the water in that new boat this spring.