Great Lakes Bass Fishing Forum

Anyone running one?  Reviews on its performance and prop suggestions would be interesting to read
Thx

I really liked the Z21 but the anglers I know who have the Z500 series claim they believe they are a superior hull. If you've ever run any 500 series hull and like it then you will like the Z521.

Some anglers wanted a little more speed and/or a slightly shorter boat on the theory they could run troughs on the Great Lakes easier so they were going for the Z520 hull. I liked the extra length to run over the tops of waves with a little more size to them when the troughs weren't really that great for running (Lake St. Clair on a busy weekend). When I was fishing the Great Lakes a lot, there wasn't so many chances to worry about running all out anyway, and now I would prefer more comfort over a tiny bit more speed considering gas prices and that I don't fish tournaments.

I have a Yamaha so someone else may be able to offer prop suggestions but some of that depends on where you will most likely be driving the rig most often and what is most important to you as far as speed versus handling?

Thanks.....

Ive got a 521C with a 250 pro XS on order this very moment. Ill let you know how it works.

Quote from: fishhound on November 15, 2013, 12:49:28 PM
Ive got a 521C with a 250 pro XS on order this very moment. Ill let you know how it works.

I am extremely jealous aaaand need a new job. Congrats!!! Look forward to hear how she runs.

Dave

Looks like I 'helped' my good friend decide on a Z521c with a 250 also. I would have gone for the Yamaha but he is going Mercury same as fishhound. He'll be breaking it in next spring. A truck driver going too fast helped him 'break in' his last Ranger 522 that he thought he'd grow old in. (I really, really wish people would slow down just a little ...just a little - it would save lives, vehicles and a few bass boats.)

The NEW Z521c is actually a bigger (5 or 7 inches longer than last year), sharper boat. Huge front deck. Big back deck. Lots of storage. Flexible electronics. Those soft seats I wish my boat had. New hull with very wide beam (wider than the Z522). It looks faster sitting on the show room floor. To me, it is always the fishability, which Ranger's excel at, and of course, the longevity since some of us do keep our bass boats for a long, long time.

My friend loved his 522 and was really thinking about getting another one but the NEW Z521c looks as big and it looks hotter! So he's pulling the trigger. I'll have to teach him how to drive it, of course... ::)

With the new engines, I think prop selection has been simplified. Very few are going with 4-blade props anymore. Even when I got my Yamaha HPDI 225 back in October 2003 Yamaha told me they had designed their new 3-blade prop specifically for the increased torque and it has worked out fine for me for the mix of a little speed now and then all the way to being in waves on the Great Lakes I wish I wasn't in.

There are probably some anglers on here who are still going to be real particular about props maybe even for new motors but I'm not sure you'll gain much.

I was a little surprised to see they're putting 10" jack plates on the big hull with a built-in setback. Appears there are several reasons for that including clearance for hoses and things from the motor into the hull with the new hull shape, beam and angles. They're putting hydraulic jack plates on many of them but you can be fine with a manual plate if you don't have many reasons to be changing the height a lot (lots of shallow water - raise it up - or running often in real rough water - drop it down).