Re: Anyone know about Kenner boats? & Scout boats?
I'm just finishing up my first season with a 2004 Scout Dorado 175 dual console with a 90 Yamaha hanging off it. I'm loving the boat design for its no nonsense, hose er down, self-bailing interior; wood-free stringers, floors and transom; high quality fittings, supportive seats, heavy duty vinyl upholstry, and tons o storage.
As I've posted before the hull shape is a little unusual, designed to trap air under the hull for a smooth ride and increased efficiency while providing a stable fishing platform for walking around. Scout calls it Air Assist or some such and the theory's great on glassy water or in bigger rollers but a one foot chop coming at you on the quarters can rattle your teeth a bit. Personally, I don't think there's much substitute for good ol deep v for ride quality but that can make for a boat much heavier than I wanted.
The engine's great -- seems quiet and powerful to me but then it's my first four stroke. The e-tec guy's will be quick to tell you it's heavy and short on torque. (There's a rather alarming Evinrude video on Youtube showing an e-tec dragging a Yamaha backwards until it swamped and flipped over. Murderers!)
Go take one for a spin in various conditions and see what you think. I'm quite happy with it so far. Used ones within our budget weren't too common in my parts so I made a two thousand mile round trip to get this one. But them I'm crazy...
