Tricked Out and Ready to Hit the Fishing Grounds

By Captain Bob Smith

Test Captain

Boat testing season got under full swing recently with Skeeter Boats coming out of the blocks with their 2005 lineup in Tyler, Texas. We dove right in to test their new edition of the flagship ZX225, a high performing, fast attack, fishing rig. On test day we ran in high winds, crossed some pretty mixed chop, and felt like we were part of the surface of the water. Even so, the ZX225 delivered a solid ride and hull noise was well dampened.

Abundant Fishing Features

On the bow, there is a starboard locker with a line spooler on the lid. The navigation lights and a retractable fish net are all locked into storage so they don’t roll around or get tossed off the boat. The locker is large and has gas assisted lid and locks. Over on the port side is a large rod organizer for keeping your favorite rigs ready for action. In the peak is a Minnkota Max 74 trolling motor, the connections, and trim switch. When needed a fish chair or bike seat can be placed in the center of the casting deck.

In the center is a handy tackle management system with twelve Plano 3700 boxes and dividers to keep the rest upright when you pull the one you want out. Stepping on towards the cockpit there’s a small in-floor cooler for your sandwiches and beverages. Your buddy gets a console to keep the cold breezes at bay and there is a deep glove box for keeping your fishing license and phones dry. A running rod ramp and the stow-away plug for the charger are on the port side next to the buddy seat, and under this seat is another cooler. The center bench seat bottom pivots forward to make a step, and also has a grab handle for a more secure feeling in rough water.

Full Instrumentation

The helm is definitely next generation with a Digital Cockpit Command Center having soft touch controls for all the typical electronics on board. The steering is tilt hydraulic assist and in the center of the dash is a Lowrance LCF 1440 Flasher, all standard. Livewell controls are on the starboard wall next to the helm seat with another dry glove box next to the seat itself. Under this seat you also get more carpeted storage for any extra gear you’ve brought aboard.

The aft casting deck has a port and starboard livewell in the center and you can add the optional Oxymax Tournament Livewell system to this package. Under the stern hatch there is great access to all the batteries, a dual Pro Charger system and the oil reservoir. This boat has dual fuel tanks with a total fuel capacity of 50 gallons. The stretched sponsons, X-Cess Aluminum Knee Brace assembly and no Splashwell Design deliver a smooth, dry ride with great control.

Specs

The ZX225 measures 20’2” length overall and is 26’6” on the trailer. She has a beam width of 7'10”, 8'4” trailer width. She weighs in at 1,680 lbs. and has a fuel capacity of 50 gallons. Our boat was equipped with a 225-hp Yamaha HPDI with a 15 1/8 x 25 propeller holding a gear ratio of 1.75:1.

Power and Performance

We tested the ZX225 on Lake Tyler, located a few hours outside of Dallas, TX on a cold day with two people on board. On test day we found the 225 cruised best around 4500 rpm traveling 49.1 mph. At best cruise, she burns about 10.8 gph, which gave us a full tank range of about 206 miles. At top end we achieved a thrilling speed of 71.2 mph running 6000 rpm. Keep in mind there were two men on board with a full tank of fuel, and trolling batteries in place. The ZX 225 was quick too, with a hole shot of only 2.6 seconds and a 0-30 speed of 6.4 seconds.

This rig ran like it was glued to the water and turned with ease, even at upper range speeds. If high performance fishing in a rig that looks like a million dollars, drives like a dream and has the fishability to bring home the trophy is what you crave, then Skeeter has something they definitely want you to see.

• Top speed for the Skeeter ZX225 (2005) is 71.2 mph (114.6 kph), burning 20.9 gallons per hour (gph) or 79.11 liters per hour (lph).


• Best cruise for the Skeeter ZX225 (2005) is 49.1 mph (79 kph), and the boat gets 4.57 miles per gallon (mpg) or 1.94 kilometers per liter (kpl), giving the boat a cruising range of 206 miles (331.52 kilometers).


• Tested power is 1 x 225-hp Yamaha HPDI.


• Time to plane for the Skeeter ZX225 (2005) is 2.6 sec. seconds.


• Time from 0 to 30 of the Skeeter ZX225 (2005) is 6.4 sec. seconds.