Viperlikes/dislikes

Love the ride of this boat. It is a great rough water boat. Only dislike is I will be selling her because I just got a Cobra 216 Coosa and can hardly wait to go pick it up.
Karl - NE 1999 Viper Cobra 190D w/200 Merc EFI 1/1/13

Fantastic looking boat. Just bought it and from what I'm reading here, I picked the right boat.
When I bought it, I was not aware that they no longer make the Viper. New to bass boats so have a lot to learn. Now I have to find some water here in Calif. Ramps are way out of the water at most lakes near by.
Rastyboy - CA 1997 Viper Cobra 201 w/225 Merc EFI 9/29/08

Fantastic ride, great finish and attention to detail. Solid boat with enough weight and deep V to drive through waves, yet perform well at top end. I have 1999 Merc 200 EFI with 6" Slidemaster jackplate. Getting 64-65 with tournament load and 68-69 with just me and half tank of gas.
Best fish and ski on market due to FULL ROD STORAGE compartments on bow.
Only Ranger has a F&S model that also offers all of the rod storage. Would buy the Viper again overall. Unfortunately, just sold this one to look at buying a straight bass boat, (190 or 201). Wife and other friends aren't going out like we expected.
Dislikes: Due to being fish and ski model, driver sits closer to bow than normal. This makes the fishing deck smaller. Front deck needs to be wider on the fish and ski. Would like to see the rear fishing platform higher closer to the cap. (But I'm never back there anyway.)
Red Scissors - GA 1999 Viper Coral 20'2" F&S w/200 Merc EFI 9/14/02

I have had the boat for almost a year and it had never been right the way the first owner set it up. He had installed a 5.5" CMC manual jackplate on a 5.5" CMC hydraulic plate, and to make a long story short it was a handful to hold in the water. Talked to Greg Wood and Charles Luna about the problems and they told me to bring it to them. Finally got there last week and they suggested changing jackplate to single 10" and purging air in steering lines. Boat went from almost impossible to drive at 65 mph to hands free at 86 mph!!! Am I happy I drove 1500 miles. You'd better believe it. These people went above and beyond my expectations in dealing fairly and honestly with me and keep in mind I'm the 2nd owner of a 3 year old boat. If anyone is thinking of buying a top quality bass boat or ski boat I can't recommend Viper any more strongly. Ask yourself if your current boat company would be interested in your problems after 3 years and treat you like their livelihood depended on your being a repeat customer. I know where my next boat is going to be built! Special thanks to Greg Wood, Kara Luna and the guys in the assembly area. I know I got on your nerves asking questions, but I was a kid in a candy store.
Dislikes: Wasn't able to stay and fish!
300Cobra - GA 1998 Cobra 201D w/300 Mariner 10/22/01

Likes: Well let's see....the entire boat almost. The front deck with half extension is huge.
The rod organizer is a great plus. The fit and finish is up there with the best of them. It drives like a Vette (very fast and smooth). The custom color and interior is a great benefit too. I like the layout of the driver's side dash, wish there was a little more room to mount bigger fish finders.
Dislikes: I wish the control panel was illuminated. The back deck is a little on the small side, I don't mind but my partner that stands 6'4" could use more room. The rope cleats are mounted on the outside of the cap, wish they were to the inside.
Hitman - CA 2001 Cobra 201DC w/225 Optimax 9/10/01

Likes: This was a demo boat for part of '00, I bought it as "new" in Mar '01. Absolutely love the boat. I came from a Stratos 201XLDC with a great ride, and this has an awesome ride also.
Fit, finish, storage is great. Rear rod lockers are a little small, but there is plenty of storage room up front. Styling is classy, but not overboard (no pun). Mine is Black Heat (top cap) with
Diamond Dust sides and Red accents. Looks great with Merc Opti (pic's on owners page).
I also installed the larger windshields, and changed out the MG for a MK Maxxum 74 (pics
taken before these changes).
Dislikes: Boy not this is getting picky, but I wish the lighted "Cobra" emblems on the trailer was a more uniform light. They are spotty, like the "Co" and "ra" are darker than the "b".
I think a reflector or a frosted bult might fix this. I'll work on it.
Another dislike (another picky one), I wish the ignition key was on the right. I have a feeling I'm going to break it off someday.
Greg Heinz - MO 2000 Cobra 201D w/225 Optimax 7/26/01

The boat is great handling and has a smooth ride. I like the storage and the deck layout.
With the 300 ProMax if flies. I don't like the rear compartment; it is too small.
John - OK 1999 Cobra 201D w/300 ProMax 2/15/01

Likes: Fit and finish is excellent. Great rough water ride for its size with great turning ability. Rides and fishes a lot bigger than it really is (18'8", 93 inch beam). Lots of front deck space and a ton of storage. Really like the setup of passenger rod ramp. Very stable fishing platform with no listing. Love the cooler built into the floor, freeing up more reat storage. The Sloan blacklight option is great if you night fish much and hate stepping on/tripping over wires. It tows easy. Best of all, with its size, it fits easily into my garage without using the removable/swingaway tongue. With a single axle trailer, it is easy to maneuver by hand.
Dislikes: The battery compartment is a very tight fit, making it tough to perform battery maintenance. Also, the fuel gauge is useless due to the shape of the fuel tanks.
DC - OH 2000 Cobra 190 w/200 Merc EFI 12/31/00

Great boat, I have owned two and these are the best handling boats I have ever driven. Boat runs 73.4 on the radar gun and the fuel economy is unreal and with gas prices today that is a blessing. Everyone that has seen the boat and has fished out of the boat is really impressed with the boat overall, as I am.
Donnie B - VA 2000 Cobra 201D w/225 Merc Optimax 12/16/00