I am going to post this question over in the Concept section as well. Any knowledge would be appreciated.

I have read that Concept doesn't use wood in it's construction. But what year did this start? With a Concept are there any areas of concern (construction wise)? If previous years used wood, were there concerns of rot? Since these are outboard boats, there is limited thru hull parts, therefore I would assume the risk of transom rot (if wood) would be minimal???

Are there any years that had more issues than others?

thehulltruth.com is a good place to talk C.C.
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Don't usually get into conversations about what boat is better than another. I went from a 42 Fountain to a 32 Renegade CC and can't be happier. Boat is doing what I want it to do and have no complaints. No boat is perfect and when buying used it is at best a CRAP SHOOT.

I would put my Renegade's quality up against any other boat at the comparable price range. Is it a Nortech or Deep Impact NO, but at 2 to 3 hundred thousand dollars cheaper, and the way boats depreciate to me it is a good buy.

I'll send some pics of the boat, the "cabin" is very small, smaller than a 302, I dont think you'll be sleeping in it, pretty much a place to store stuff and get out of the rain. I tow mine with our 2010 Yukon and it does fine, I dont know if I would haul it 5-6 hrs but I live 2-3 miles to the ramp, I upgraded the shocks and that was a huge improvement, I think anything heavier would be too much for a Tahoe/Yukon. The 30 weighs about 5000 lbs with motors.

Nice Renegade Road Hog!

I think they are all wood free, my transom is about 3" thick, the only areas of concern mine has is around the bottom of my speaker cutouts, the speakers were not gasketed and the cutout was not sealed so water just sits there, no real structural issue, just something I noticed.

never really checked mileage but I came from a 28 PQ Silencer w/ 502 and my motors defintely use less fuel than the 502, especially when idling around, the Optis are very efficient.

Go over to Boatfreaks and ask MarylandMark. He has extensive experience with Concept center consoles.

Only the pre-2002 is bad. BRP fixed the problems when they took over. And even before then it was only the 150 and 175 that were blowing up, however BRP tossed all the old OMC parts because of inconsistent tolerances, but the damage to the Ficht reputation had been done. One advantage of this is that you can buy the 2003-2004 Ficht cheap.

That Renegade is beautiful! I do like that brand. Thanx for all the info guys, keep it coming.

I own a 1999 302 which I bought new. Great boat and have had no troubles with the 225 optis. The only thing to watch out for with the Scarab is soft spots in cockpit floors.