Ranger Boat’s 1760 Angler is taking dead aim at aluminum fishing boats which have dominated the multi-specie fishing market for generations.

It is hard to match the riding comfort of a fiberglass boat when heading out on a large lake for walleye, trout or northern pike. The four contoured, foldable seats are a good example of where that comfort starts on the Ranger 1760 Angler. But the hull shape of the 1760 is probably the most important aspect of the 1760 that cushions the angler’s body and backbone. The bottom is a modified-V, sharper at the bow to cut through the chop to reduce pounding.



There are 4 comfortable seats in the 1760 Angler. The front two swivel and slide fore and aft. The two in the rear are stationary.

Power Rating

We have not tested this boat so we don’t know how fast she will go. Nevertheless, remember she was designed for multi-species fishing, not for record speed runs which would require a shallow deadrise and possibly a keel pad. Those boats can be brutal in a chop with a long fetch.

The Ranger 1760 Angler is rated for form 90-hp to 150-hp. Our guess is that she will have a WOT approaching 50 mph with a 150-hp Evinrude.



The Lowrance fishfinder at the right is standard equipment. Hydraulic steering is also standard.

Fishy Features

What does a multi-species angler need besides good luck? A five gallon bait well, a 21 gallon recirculating aerated live well with automatic timers, a trolling motor (Minn Kota 55 with 48” leg), two lockable rod cabinets, a large locker for tackle boxes, a casting platform and a good-sized internal cooler with foam insulation. The Ranger 1760 Anger has it all.

Ranger Construction

We have toured a lot of boat factories and so we can say with assurance that the Ranger factory is one of the most impressive. Ranger Boats has what is probably the best, most modern, and well-organized factory in the world for building bass boats and other small fishing boats. Virtually everything that should be done to build the boat right, is done, in our opinion. In fact, in some cases we think some Ranger boats are over-built.



This is the largest of two lockable compartments for rods.

Pultrusion By Any Other Name

One of the things that makes Rangers strong are their liberal use of pultrusions. A pultrusion is a laminate of special resin and unidirectional fiberglass that is cured under intense heat and pressure. At the end of the pultrusion-making machine a long laminate comes out 10” (21 cm) wide and 1/3rd of an inch (7 mm) thick.

These laminates have the strength of steel without the weight. The sheets of pultrusion laminate are cut with diamond-surfaced saws into the sizes needed in the boat. Ranger not only makes the transom of the 1760 from a pultrusion, but it also puts strips of these laminated sheets here and there around the boat, wherever any area needs added strength or stiffening. To our knowledge Ranger is the only boat builder in the U.S. that has its own pultrusion machine.

Pick Your Outboard

We like it when consumers have a choice of engine and when buying a Ranger you can have virtually any brand outboard you want. The 1760 is rated for from 90-hp to 150-hp single outboard and Ranger will rig the boat for the brand desired. No matter what brand you buy, Ranger will fit a stainless steel prop to the motor to ensure that you get peak performance. Hydraulic steering will also be installed as standard.



(A) marks the insulated ice chest with liner and drain into the bilge. (B) is the 21 gallon live well. (C) is the 5 gallon bait well. (D) is the cranking battery and the battery charger is also in this compartment.

On The Road

A trailer comes with the package and Ranger will see to it that the trailer and its fenders are color coordinated for your boat. The trailer has aluminum wheels, a spare tire, a swing-away jack and tongue, plus other features. The gross weight of the boat and trailer is 3,725 lbs. (1,693 kgs.). The trailer is 98” wide.



ABYC standards call for a re-boarding ladder that can be reached by a person in the water on all powerboats as a man overboard safety feature. We like the way this one folds down from the plastic retaining clips.

The Warranty

As important as the gear and features in the boat are, possibly even more important is something that you don’t even see -- the boat’s warranty. Ranger has what it calls the “Best Built, Best Backed Limited Warranty.”

Essentially, Ranger’s warranty is for the lifetime of the primary owner on the hull deck and stringers (not including the gelcoat). It is transferrable to the second owner up to 10 years from the initial purchase. Items of installed equipment have a three-year warranty and the gelcoat has a one year warranty. There are some exclusions.

To read the Ranger Boats warranty in its entirety…

A boat builder’s warranty is no better than the integrity of top management and the company that owns the business. In this case, Ranger’s management has been stable and in place virtually as long as the company has been in business.

Ranger Boats is owned by Platinum Equity which is a large multi-industrial conglomerate that has a good reputation.