Re: First Post Help with Ranger Cherokee
Re: First Post Help with Ranger Cherokee
No. In front of me is Ranger Catalog # 787 which is their 1987 catalog one would assume. I also have a catalog #099. If it is a 1999 catalog, a lot of older 87 vintage engine show up in it like they do in the 787. In both they used wood in the deck covers, the deck, the transom, and the stringers. All of it was glass encased and since Forrest (Wood) started and owned the company, he did it right. I had a 1989 Ranger Fisherman. Superb boat and excellent craftsmanship.
In the lineup for the 787 catalog are no Cherokee boats. Only Commanche which was their top of the line model, and the Fisherman series for the Walleye crowd which is the model I bought. It's a bass boat padded hull with a walleye layout. In the 099 catalog is an additional model the Apache which is a lower cost version of the Commanche without some of the whistles and bells.
Currently they use all fiberglass/synthetic honeycomb for transoms, stringers, decks, and all that. I do not know when the changeover occurred nor was it across the board or gradual.
I do recollect seeing the Cherokee model somewhere but I can't help you with it. As I recall, like the Apache, it was a lower priced boat with fewer amenities for the guy that wanted a new boat and was dollar limited. An example is the Ranger ID stripes on the side. On the Commanche you could get it in 3 colors with multi colors for the hull and deck. On the Apache, you got one color stripe. They advertise that the Apache is functionally modeled from customer feedback and you get all the performance you get with the Commanche.
HTH,
Mark