5 Ready-to-Go Fiberglass Bass Boats
Any number of 21-foot fiberglass bass boats can look perfect under showroom lights. The real test starts after you add 40 to 50 gallons of fuel, a 36-volt trolling motor, four batteries, shallow-water anchors, oversized displays, tackle, and a livewell full of water. That load exposes differences in lift, steering effort, deck stability, and range.
Experienced anglers should look past “tournament ready.” Hull weight, clean electronics power, pump access, livewell redundancy, and the amount of factory rigging included in the price tell you far more. These five fiberglass bass boats solve those problems in noticeably different ways.
Ranger Z520
Base price: $79,595
The current Ranger Z520 should not be confused with the more expensive Z520R. It still uses Ranger’s Interloc construction, a foam-filled fiberglass stringer system, pultruded fiberglass transom, integrated engine setback, and a 10-inch manual plate. Its 54-gallon tank is the largest here, although a full load adds well over 300 pounds. The recirculating, aerated livewell holds 31 gallons.
The subtler advantage is electrical. Ranger installs a dedicated 6-gauge bow-to-stern electronics harness with a 30-amp breaker and a separate 6-gauge trolling motor harness with a 60-amp breaker. This definitely matters when forward-facing sonar, network modules and multiple displays share the system. Three-tier port and two-tier starboard rod storage, center tackle management, and powered rod-box ventilation round out a layout aimed at long tournament days.
This is not the 300 hp choice among fiberglass bass boats. Rather, it represents the range-minded 250 platform for anglers who prefer a controlled setup.
Specifications:
- LOA: 20 feet, 11 inches
- Beam: 8 feet
- Weight: ~1,850 pounds
- Fuel capacity: 54 gallons
- Maximum horsepower: 250
Skeeter FXE21 Apex
Base price: $112,195
The FXE Apex is not an FXR21 with different graphics and a few rearranged compartments. Skeeter gave it a new, symmetrical running surface developed with CAD-CAM design and CNC manufacturing. The bottom incorporates a redesigned pad, 17 degrees of deadrise, a sponson-relief system and what Skeeter calls a planing sponson. That sponson is intended to redirect water downward and lift the stern during acceleration. On a 2,275-pound hull carrying 48 gallons of fuel, multiple batteries, twin shallow-water anchors, and a full tournament load, stern lift is more relevant than an unloaded top-speed claim.
Skeeter’s recent deck redesign may be just as important to anglers who spend more time fishing than running. The FXE uses a full-fiberglass front deck with molded rain lips and oversized drains. Its day box includes a line spooler and a separate cabinet for sonar modules and network hardware, keeping those components out of the primary tackle compartments.
The center section combines divided storage, a stop, a seat, and a 46-quart cooler. An enlarged bilge opening and a raised battery shelf should make pump, charger, and battery service less aggravating once the boat is fully rigged.
The Apex package is also heavily integrated from the factory. Standard equipment includes the Yamaha VF250LB outboard, a 115-pound-thrust Minn Kota Ultrex Quest trolling motor, 12-inch Humminbird Xplore units at the bow and console, twin 8-foot Raptor shallow-water anchors, a 12-inch Atlas hydraulic jack plate, Hot Foot throttle, and a SkeeterBuilt tandem trailer. That partly explains the price and the hull weight.
The FXE21 Apex is not the choice for an angler chasing the lightest possible 21-footer or a 300 hp rating. Its appeal is a new running surface wrapped around a complete, relatively heavy tournament package that is designed to work as one system.
Specifications:
- LOA: 21 feet, 5 inches
- Beam: 8 feet, 1 inch
- Weight: ~2,275 pounds
- Fuel capacity: 48 gallons
- Maximum horsepower: 250
Triton 21 XrT
Base price: $76,995
Yes, it features the narrowest beam on our list, but Triton widened the 21 XrT’s deck by 7 inches, enlarged the port rod box, and made room for twin 12-inch displays at the console. More importantly, it’s rated for 300 hp. Buyers can choose a lighter, less expensive 250 setup or the added acceleration of a 300.
A published test with a Mercury 250 Pro XS recorded more than 71 mph and a time to 30 mph of 7.6 seconds. That shows that the larger engine is not required for competitive performance. The tournament hardware is just as relevant: a 44.5-gallon livewell system with two 800-gph aerator pumps, two recirculation pumps, and two pumpout pumps. Triton also lists 352 quarts of front storage and 168 quarts in the rear boxes.
The tradeoff is range discipline. A 47-gallon tank is substantial, but if you run a 300 hard on a boat with full wells, anchors, and tackle, you will burn through that cushion quickly.
Specifications:
- LOA: 21 feet
- Beam: 7 feet, 11 inches
- Weight: ~2,050 pounds
- Fuel capacity: 47 gallons
- Maximum horsepower: 300
Caymas XS 21
Base price: $85,575
Let’s call the Caymas XS 21 the most maintenance-conscious design in this set. Its deck and cockpit use padded marine flooring instead of carpet, and the storage lids are finished fiberglass. Mud, spilled scent, and rainwater are easier to address, with less fabric around hatch edges to retain moisture. Owners should inspect pad adhesion and surface condition just as carefully as carpet seams.
The hull uses a 17-inch running pad and carries a 300 hp rating. Its front deck measures 7 feet, 9 inches and 6 feet, 7 inches at the widest point. Two independent insulated livewells hold 44 gallons and use six 800 gph pumps—two each for aeration, recirculation, and pumpout—plus a high-speed pickup designed to replenish water while running.
Caymas also provides a 10-gauge clean-power electronics harness, a 6-gauge trolling-motor harness and access doors in the finished bilge. An integrated trolling-motor wedge is intended to keep the deployed shaft and sonar view aligned.
Those are meaningful details for anglers who service their own pumps or re-rig electronics frequently.
Specifications:
- LOA: 21 feet, 4 inches
- Beam: 8 feet
- Weight: ~2,100 pounds
- Fuel capacity: 50 gallons
- Maximum horsepower: 300
Falcon F215
Base price: $80,235
With a front deck that measures roughly 94 inches by 83 inches, the Falcon F215 is the widest of the fiberglass bass boats here. Its rear deck measures about 51 inches by 85 inches. That space matters when two anglers work the bow, rods are staged on both sides, and forward-facing sonar occupies prime real estate. Falcon pairs the broad platform with a relatively moderate 1,975-pound dry weight and a 250 hp ceiling.
Its rigging is straightforward. You get composite stringers and transom, hydraulic steering, and an adjustable jack plate. There is trim at the helm and panels capable of flush-mounting 13-inch electronics and Humminbird Xplore 9 units. Falcon includes a 112-pound-thrust Ultrex trolling motor, and a four-bank charger. Exterior-access rod lockers simplify loading, while tri-fold rear lids provide access to batteries and pumps. Two 1,100-gph automatic bilge pumps add redundancy.
The F215 is not chasing the horsepower title. It’s for the angler who wants a broad working platform, conventional service access, and fewer layers between the driver and the boat’s basic systems.
Specifications:
- LOA: 21 feet, 5 inches
- Beam: 8 feet, 3 inches
- Weight: ~1,975 pounds
- Fuel capacity: 50 gallons
- Maximum horsepower: 250
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David Schlake
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