Yup they are a bit more than I wanted to spend but when I looked at 17 foot boats by Lund, Alumacraft, Tracker, Crestliner, Polarcraft, and Smoker/ Starcraft equipped with what I wanted the price of the Ranger was reasonable. Most of what comes standard on the Ranger Aluminum is an add on option on the other brands. Even the outboard that comes standard on the Ranger was an extra charge on all of the others. At my age it will most likely be my last fishing boat. Today was a big rain event with some building winds. The 8 mile run back to the ramp into the wind was a white knuckle ride in my small Lund. Having a big beam deep V hull with good power would have made that return trip much easier.