Other Angler Owners Speak Out

We met "Boogieman at the Hull Truth Forum
Below is the content of his experiences with his Angler Boat:

I have posted on this issue a few times, but will offer my first hand
experiences again.
I had bought a brand new 2900 in 2002 and just sold it this year. I have
owned numerous boats and care for them all the same way. The boat stayed on
a trailer with a full cover from tip of boat to the back of the engines.
After every use, no matter whether we went offshore or just cruising in the
river, the boat was washed from top to bottom and engines always flushed. I
always do all the recommended services, but that is more for the engines.

Complaints
1. The vinyl for the seats, cockpit bolsters, etc. seemed cheap and stained
very easily. If the hose would rub it while washing the boat it would leave
a mark I could not remove, not matter what vinyl cleaner was used.
2. Within the first 6 months a huge spider crack developed on the floor
just behind the storage boxes in the bow of the boat on both sides. It
never got any bigger than the original size, about 8-10" long and 1/8" wide
maybe a bit bigger. The crack was large enough for small things to fall in
a get caught. The dealer said it was not a structural issue, so it was not
covered under warranty if I wanted it repaired. That dealer no longer sells
Anglers.
3. 90% of all the screws holding the bolsters to side of the boat lost all
of the backings and had to be replaced. The screws holding the center
console to the boat were not sealed in and backed out every trip until I
replaced them and sealed them in. Also, all the screws inside the console
had to be tightened every two or three trips.
4. The deck would stain very easily, rust - stainless steel was not used
for all screws, etc. Dirt would grind in easy. One tournament we fished the
dock we were at pulled straight well water that obviously had a bit of iron
in it and my boat had a nice orange tint to the hull for about a month.
5. The macerators would never work for more than 1 or 2 trips and then
would short out. All connections for items in and around the bilge corroded
almost instantly. Also, hose clamps that come on the boat all had to be
replaced. One of the first few trips, after catching bait and starting to
run out I notice the boat being a bit sluggish. Slow down to check things
out, the bait well hose has come off and is now filling the boat with
water. Only one hose clamp was used and it obviously was not tightened.
6. The seat we sat on while driving broke in the first year. 2' chop, just
my wife and me coming back from offshore and the plywood snapped in half.
My wife is 5'2" and weighs 110 and I am 6'4" and weigh 197, so that should
not have been a problem.
7. Unfortunately, the factory was never much help. The boat came with a
main fuel tank 250 gallons, extra tank of 50 gallons. The dealer could not
tell me which tank was port to fill and which is starboard. I called the
factory and they could not tell me either. Obviously, I found out on the
first fill up, just seemed strange. Also, ordered bow cushions when I
bought the boat, took 8 months to get them from the factory.
8. Almost all wiring connections were corroded and had to be changed within
a year.
9. The boat had a constant slow leak. You could look into the bilge of the
boat and always see slow running water coming from the starboard side when
sitting at the dock or at a slow troll. The dealer could never solve the
problem and after 8 months for bow cushions there was no way I was sending
it back to the factory. I installed a high water alarm for a bit of piece
of mind.
10. Anything over a 2' chop the boat pounded like crazy and was wet. But
what do expect from a 19 degree dead rise.
11. I had a colored hull. As mentioned before, washed after every use and
waxed every spring. People would comment when washing the boat how the
water would bead up on it, so it was well taken care of. By year two it had
streaks and looked like an incredibly cheap paint job. So if you buy an
Angler, I would recommend a white hull.
12. I guess because of the quality of materials, when I sold the boat, it
looked like either I did not care for the boat or it was about 10 years
old. It just did not look good after getting used, no matter how much I
maintained everything and cleaned it constantly.
13. When I sold it, after three years, I barely got a third of what I paid
for the boat. I sold it outright, not a trade in. So resale is horrible. If
want an Angler buy used and get a heck of a deal.

Good Points
1. It had lots of room and was not crowded.
2. It never sunk and always brought me home. We did get caught in one nasty
squall in the Keys where the seas went from 1' to 6-8' in about 10 minutes.
We where about 4-5 miles from the dock and instantly the seas grew, wind
blew and lighting and rain like crazy, you could not see 10 yards in front
of the boat, but we made it home safe.

Owning an Angler taught me a few good lessons and I wish I had done more
research before buying the boat. For the money spent on a new Angler, I
feel I could have definitely got a higher tier boat, maybe a year or two
old for the same money. If you are a fixer upper and like doing lots of
work yourself, you might be happy, but if you have to take the boat to the
dealer for every little thing, I do not suggest an Angler. These are just
my opinions, but they are all first hand.