Ranger RT188 Boats For Sale

The Ranger RT188 is an 18-foot-8-inch aluminum bass boat built for anglers who want fiberglass-style fishability in a lighter, more fuel-efficient package. It carries a 115-horsepower Mercury on the transom, available across model years as a Mercury 115 four-stroke, a Mercury Pro XS, or an OptiMax Pro XS 115. Its beam runs roughly four inches wider than a comparable Tracker Pro Team 190, and that extra width shows up as two inches of usable space alongside each console for storing rods or a tripod. The standard RT188 is not the pad-hull version, and Ranger later introduced the RT188P, which addresses several quality-of-life items found on the base boat.

For shoppers asking about RT188 top speed, the realistic number with the 115 is about 45 mph loaded or unloaded, with close to 50 mph reachable only in ideal conditions. Running a 21-pitch Laser II prop, one boat touched 48.5 mph, while a 20-pitch double-cup prop returned a steady 46 mph fully loaded with two anglers and a heavy tackle load; another owner logged a one-time best of 46.7 mph. Fuel consumption is a strong point: the 115 sips fuel even at full throttle, and a boat fished three times a week on a five-mile lake needed refueling only three or four times across roughly twenty outings. The aluminum hull rides well in one-foot chop and stays manageable in the two-to-three-foot range when you back off the throttle.

The helm uses a fiberglass console with a metal steering wheel, backlit gauges for fuel, rpm, speed and trim, and a Lowrance Hook 5 mounted in the dash as standard. The console is solid enough to drill and mount larger electronics, and several owners upgrade to a Hook 7 or larger unit at the dash and a second graph at the bow. The boat includes an automatic bilge with a manual override switch, a manual fill switch for the livewell, and a remote plug with an in-out switch on the transom so you never have to fit the drain plug by hand.

The front casting deck measures about seven and a half feet, large enough for two anglers to fish comfortably, and a non-skid step plate covers the entire forward end to protect exposed aluminum. The center rod locker holds roughly 14 to 16 rods and uses a removable butt section plus a divider rail that keeps Plano-style boxes from sliding. Bow and stern compartments are deep and run nearly the full length of the gunwale, and each rear box is insulated for use as a cooler or storage. Common rigging includes an 80-pound Minn Kota Fortrex or a 70-pound 24-volt Minn Kota Maxxum trolling motor, an 8-foot Minn Kota Talon shallow-water anchor, and a 4-inch jack plate. The livewell is deep, lit on some boats, and divided so co-angler and keeper fish stay separated.

Two factors to weigh when buying. The forward storage boxes do not leak in rain, but in humid climates they hold enough moisture to dampen tackle and line; owners report this can be solved by adding vents. The console "windshield" is essentially trim and offers little protection from wind, rain or cold. Earlier boats shipped on a C-channel Ranger trailer with 13-inch wheels that some owners found prone to frame flex on rough roads, a design Ranger reinforced around 2018. The dual-console option is a worthwhile upgrade, and Ranger RT188 boats for sale tend to price several thousand dollars above an equivalent Tracker; new examples with the 115 started around $26,000, with one well-optioned boat going out the door near $28,000.