The registry
Ranger Registry: Models, Builds & Photos
Ranger Boats started in 1968 when Forrest and Nina Wood built their first six bass boats in Flippin, Arkansas, and the company has run fiberglass hulls out of that same town ever since. Ranger is widely credited with turning the bass boat from a modified johnboat into a purpose-built tournament rig, pushing features like foam flotation and aerated livewells into the mainstream. The brand survived a factory fire in 1971, passed through several corporate owners, and has been part of Bass Pro Shops' boat group (alongside Triton and Stratos) since late 2014. Production continues today in both fiberglass and aluminum lines.
Pick your model
Flippin, Arkansas, 1968
Forrest L. Wood was a fishing guide on the White River when he and his wife Nina built the first six Ranger boats in 1968. Demand from the young tournament bass scene grew fast, and Ranger became closely tied to competitive fishing early on, supplying tow and tournament boats for major bass circuits for decades. On May 4, 1971, a fire leveled the Flippin factory. Wood crawled back into the burning office for the order book, took dealer prepayments to fund the rebuild, and had a new plant running in about 40 days. That rebuilt plant anchored the company from then on. Forrest Wood stayed the public face of the brand long after selling it, and the FLW Tour carried his initials.
What set the hulls apart
Ranger built its reputation on construction details owners could point to: pumped-in foam flotation designed to keep a swamped hull level at the surface, heavy hand-laid fiberglass, upholstered interiors, and integrated aerated livewells, a system Ranger developed in 1974 when many rivals still treated livewells as add-ons. That flotation standard became a selling point the whole industry eventually followed.
Ownership changes
Wood sold the company to the Thompson Co. of Dallas in 1987, and Genmar Holdings bought it in 1991. After Genmar's 2009 bankruptcy, Platinum Equity picked up Ranger in January 2010 and ran it under Fishing Holdings LLC alongside Triton and Stratos. Bass Pro Shops bought that group in December 2014, and Ranger remains in production under Bass Pro's White River Marine Group. The marque is not defunct. An aluminum line, launched in 2013, runs alongside the fiberglass boats.
Model lines worth knowing
- Early boats (pre-2002 catch-all): everything from the original 1968 boats through the TR models of 1972, the letter-series 150A and 170A of 1974 and 175A of 1975, and the Comanche models that appeared in the 1980s. These carry the hand-laid glass and foam-flotation construction the brand was built on, and many are still on the water.
- 175C (circa 2000): an outboard model from Ranger's Sportfisherman series, listed for the 2000-2001 model years with a 150 horsepower rating. Despite the letter suffix, it is not one of the 1970s letter-series boats.
- 175VX (2004-2007): a 17-foot fiberglass bass boat, the higher-trim companion to the 175VS, and a popular size for anglers who wanted tournament construction without a 20-foot hull.
- 185VX (2003-2005): an 18-foot hull in the same family; the Tour Edition trim package is documented for 2005, sold as the 185VX Comanche Tour Edition.
- 168 Phantom (2004 on): a 16-foot, 9-inch saltwater flats skiff rated for a 60 horsepower maximum, built wood-free with fiberglass stringers and level flotation, and shallow enough to float two anglers in under a foot of water. Verify year and rating against the HIN and capacity plate.
Asked all the time
When did Ranger start building boats?
Ranger Boats was founded in 1968 by Forrest and Nina Wood in Flippin, Arkansas. The first six boats were built that year, and fiberglass production has stayed in Flippin ever since.
Is Ranger still in business?
Yes. Ranger is not defunct. After runs under the Thompson Co., Genmar, and Fishing Holdings, Ranger has been owned by Bass Pro Shops since December 2014 and builds current fiberglass and aluminum models under the White River Marine Group.
What separates the eras of Ranger boats?
Roughly: the Wood-era boats from 1968 to the 1987 sale, covering the TR and letter-series models of the 1970s and the first Comanche models of the 1980s; the Genmar years from 1991 through the 2009 bankruptcy, when the VS and VX 17- and 18-footers ran; Fishing Holdings ownership from 2010, which launched the aluminum line in 2013; and the Bass Pro era from December 2014 on. A 1971 factory fire marks the break between the very first boats and the rebuilt plant's production.
How do I identify the year and model of an older Ranger?
Use the hull identification number (HIN) on the starboard side of the transom; boats built from November 1972 on are required to have one. Hulls from November 1972 through July 1984 show the model year as an M followed by two digits at the end of the HIN, and boats from August 1984 on carry the model year in the last two characters. The capacity plate confirms rated horsepower and load. Pre-1972 Rangers may lack a HIN and need title paperwork or factory records to date.
Are parts still available for older Ranger boats?
Ranger's continuous production and stable Flippin factory mean parts support is better than for most orphan boat brands. Common wear items (livewell pumps, latches, hatches, trailer components) are standard marine hardware, and Ranger dealers can still source many brand-specific pieces. Era-correct upholstery and decals for 1970s-1980s boats usually come from the restoration aftermarket.
The wall
The most-documented Ranger vehicles in the registry, every photo by the owner.