Ranger or tracker aluminum boat??

[AmericanMade]

I've been considering a tracker 17 or 18 foot center console aluminum Jon boat. Just got back from a boat show where they had a similar model but also a ranger rt178. The ranger was a few thousand more and felt like a nice boat.  The salesman kept bashing tracker saying they were absolute trash, etc. .  Any truth to this or was he just being a salesman? I'll admit the ranger was nice but just a tad more than I wanted to spend, but still affordable.  

 

 

 

[Ski213]

I can't speak to either. I've fished from trackers in the past but not ranger aluminum boats so I can't give you any useful information on a comparison. I'm not schooled on aluminum boats in general but you might also check out Lund and Crestliner or maybe even a Carolina skiff to see if they have something like you're looking for. 

As far as the salesman, if he spent the whole time bashing tracker rather than telling you what makes the ranger stand out, he's not much of a salesman.  Do your homework on all that you look at.  There are several folks on here who are very well versed on aluminum boats, hopefully one of them will chime in. 

 

[tbone1993]

That boat you posted ( 2015 TRACKER^® GRIZZLY^® 1860 MVX SC) is more of a work boat / duck hunting boat. Not much storage room or amenities. That ranger is a fishing boat through and through.  I would buy the ranger 10X over if it were only going to be used fishing.

[Bluebasser86]

If you get a Tracker, make sure you get a welded one. If you get a riveted Tracker, make sure you have a good bilge pump because I've never seen one that was more than a few years old that didn't leak. My last boat was very similar to the Grizzly style boat (Lowe Roughneck). While not a "fishing" boat, I caught a lot of fish out of it and got a lot of good use out of it. If you have the money though, the new Ranger aluminum boats are super nice. 

[AmericanMade]

Thanks for the replies.  After doing some more research I'm definitely going with the ranger.   I usually fish every weekend from about April to September and I'm planning on setting it up to troll for steelhead and Kokanee salmon too. I've never bought a new boat before. Is it similar to buying a car where I might be able to haggle off a couple thousand? Also is it normal to have to pay a freight and document fee? I know with cars you can usually get them to remove that but not sure how flexible boat dealers are. 

Thanks for the help!

[Bass newb]

Trackers have wood in the floors. This qualifies as crap to me.

[WRB]

Considering Johnny Morris now owns both companies I would imagine the Ranger aluminum bass boat will be discontinued. Trident also makes a good aluminum bass, however has same owner today.

You might want to contact Worn Man, sounds like he has a new Tracker that maybe available.

Tom

[flyfisher]

Any salesman who bashes another product to make his look better is not showing you anything other than lack of knowledge.  I personally have no experience with the ranger boats but do with the tracker and have had zero complaints.  I can imagine that many of the features on the ranger that people like will trickle down to the tracker lineup as the years go on as well.

 

[slonezp]

43 minutes ago, Bass newb said:

Trackers have wood in the floors. This qualifies as crap to me.

So does Lund. Does that qualify as crap to you?

[flyfisher]

4 minutes ago, slonezp said:

So does Lund. Does that qualify as crap to you?

of course it does...he said wood qualifies as crap.

[WRB]

You could also conact Catt, he has a All Weld and sure he researched thoroughly!

Tom

[slonezp]

1 minute ago, flyfisher said:

of course it does...he said wood qualifies as crap.

They've only been making boats with wood since the beginning of time

[flyfisher]

1 minute ago, slonezp said:

They've only been making boats with wood since the beginning of time

The Ark held up ok from what i have read....not sure if they still use gopher wood though 

 

[slonezp]

1 minute ago, flyfisher said:

The Ark held up ok from what i have read....not sure if they still use gopher wood though 

 

Those old wooden Chris Craft runabouts are fetching 6 figures at the auctions

[Junk Fisherman]

All things being equal, I get the Ranger.  The seats and console is top notch.  The Ranger tins I looked at were very nice overall.  I wouldn't put too much stock in what the dealer said about Trackers.  A lot of people are happy with their Trackers.  The 195 with the 150 4-stroke Merc is a very appealing package.  

[Bass newb]

1 hour ago, slonezp said:

So does Lund. Does that qualify as crap to you?

Boats shouldn't have wood covered in carpet, or inbetween fiberglass layers.

[gulfcaptain]

15 minutes ago, Bass newb said:

Boats shouldn't have wood covered in carpet, or inbetween fiberglass layers.

Okay, older boats have wood in the transoms to renforce them as so they solid.  Most bass boats have decks made of plywood (marine grade).  Very generalized statement and ill informed one as well.  The use of marine grade plywood in decks saves on costs as well.  And if I'm not mistaken, most boats use some sort of wood for stringers also  

[Bass newb]

17 minutes ago, gulfcaptain said:

Okay, older boats have wood in the transoms to renforce them as so they solid.  Most bass boats have decks made of plywood (marine grade).  Very generalized statement and ill informed one as well.  The use of marine grade plywood in decks saves on costs as well.  And if I'm not mistaken, most boats use some sort of wood for stringers also  

Wood doesn't belong in transoms or on decks covered in carpet. Nothing ill informed about that. It's poor and shoody construction that won't last.

[no39]

2 minutes ago, gulfcaptain said:

Okay, older boats have wood in the transoms to renforce them as so they solid.  Most bass boats have decks made of plywood (marine grade).  Very generalized statement and il informed one as well.  The use of marine grade plywood in decks saves on costs as well as well.  And if I'm not mistaken, most boats use some sort of wood for stringers as well.  

I worked for a year building sail boats. One thing i noticed was that all of the older boats with wood cores were always waterlogged.  Even the cores well above the waterline were rotten.  I'm not saying that all boats with wood cores are bad boats.  I would say that wooden core boats are at a higher risk of damage due to core contamination than modern core materials like high density closed cell foams.  Some manufacturers tend to use cheaper polyester resins which have a much higher water absorption than vinylester and epoxy resins.  Not only that, the polyester resins don't flex as well and eventually get micro cracks and let in more moisture.

TL:DR:

Wood is perfectly fine core material provided that the manufacturer didn't cheap out on the resin.  

[gulfcaptain]

So what kind of boat do you have if I may ask?

1 minute ago, Bass newb said:

Wood doesn't belong in transoms or on decks covered in carpet. Nothing ill informed about that. It's poor and shoody construction that won't last.

 

[no39]

1 minute ago, gulfcaptain said:

So what kind of boat do you have if I may ask?

No problem.  I have 14 v-hull mirrocraft and I converted to be a bit more bass friendly.  When I do upgrade it'll be an all composite boat. 

[gulfcaptain]

6 minutes ago, no39 said:

No problem.  I have 14 v-hull mirrocraft and I converted to be a bit more bass friendly.  When I do upgrade it'll be an all composite boat. 

Nice boat.  But as long as you take care of the boat properly, then it will last.  Wood isn't the problem, moisture is.  I've ran charterboats out here that are 40+ years old (glass and plywood) and as long as they are maintained they last a long time.  We all have our own opinions on what's right and wrong.  I've seen wood/glass boats last longer then Aluminum boats.  

[no39]

Just now, gulfcaptain said:

Nice boat.  But as long as you take care of the boat properly, then it will last.  Wood isn't the problem, moisture is.  I've ran charterboats out here that are 40+ years old (glass and plywood) and as long as they are maintained they last a long time.  We all have our own opinions on what's right and wrong.  I've seen wood/glass boats last longer then Aluminum boats.  

I agree.  My argument wasn't that wood was the problem but it's propensity the absorb moisture which is often made worse through inferior resins. I just didn't like the generalization about wood in boats either. 

[gulfcaptain]

1 minute ago, no39 said:

I agree.  My argument wasn't that wood was the problem but it's propensity the absorb moisture which is often made worse through inferior resins. I just didn't like the generalization about wood in boats either. 

But that's not how it came across....lol  This is a better statement though of why you feel that way.  When I bought mine I made them take the motor off the boat and put 3M's 4200 Marine Adhesive on the transom mounts as I feel sillycone is not the proper sealant for that and since it's going through  the transom, I want the best sealer I can (and still be able to remove the bolts when needed) to make sure I don't get any water leaking through.  

[slonezp]

Having wood in a boat if it is taken care of does not mean you are dealing with an inferior boat any more than just because something says composite means you are dealing with a superior boat. Fiberglass can become waterlogged and delaminate. Wood is stronger than fiberglass, less expensive to manufacture, it doesn't fatigue, it absorbs sound, easier and less expensive to customize and wood is eco-friendly. To make a blanket statement that wood is crap is ignorant.

Lund warrants the hull, wood floor and wood transom for the lifetime of the boat. Tracker warrants the hull, wood floor, and wood transom for the life of the boat. Ranger Aluminum warrants the hull for lifetime and the non wood floor and non wood transom for 5 years......