Ranger or tracker aluminum boat??

[slonezp]

Almost forgot. Wood is easier and cheaper to repair

[sprint61]

Either brand will last you a lifetime. Around here you see more trackers then anything, most 20 years old with 5 people crappie fishing out of them lol.

[AmericanMade]

A question about two very specific aluminum boats turns into an argument about wood. Gotta love the Internet 

[RangerDanger]

You can compare a Tracker and a Ranger aluminum all you want the Ranger will win every time.  The big difference is how they are built and how they come equipped.  Ranger is foamed with aluminum deck and set up ready to fish.  The price of the tracker looks attractive until you figure out what needs to be upgraded. If you compare the trailer you'll even find differences in the quality.  I have an RT178 and if you'd like to know more pm me.

[Bass newb]

On 2/8/2016 at 6:28 PM, gulfcaptain said:

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

 

Ranger. No wood anywhere.

[gim]

A little bit of wood isn't gonna ruin a boat.  The Tracker 175 has been the best selling aluminum bass boat in this country for a LONG time, and it didn't get there by any coincidence.  It will have a lower price tag than the Ranger but with less options.  I looked at both of these along with a Crestliner VT17 when I was in the buying process last month.  The nice part of the Tracker Pro Team 175 TXW is that they have a nice center rod locker, and a new feature they have is an accessory mount gunnel system.  So there are some items that one boat may have that another will not.  In the end I went with the Ranger RT178 myself because there are just more customizable options available and the service dealer is closer to my house than the others.

[thomas15]

If your foam core is waterlogged then you need to replace the foam. Water weighs 8.3 pounds per gallon. 50 gallons in the foam adds 415 pounds weight to the boat which is like adding two adult passengers to your fishing trip. If there is wood in the transom or the stringers then the water in the foam will rot that wood. If there isn't any wood then you still need to replace the foam because waterlogged foam will not dry out even if you have it out of the weather and in a barn for 10 years.

So if the foam is waterlogged and is coming out you have a lot of work ahead of you. More work if there is wood in the stringers/transom.  Either way it's still a lot of work.

[Bass newb]

12 hours ago, thomas15 said:

If your foam core is waterlogged then you need to replace the foam. Water weighs 8.3 pounds per gallon. 50 gallons in the foam adds 415 pounds weight to the boat which is like adding two adult passengers to your fishing trip. If there is wood in the transom or the stringers then the water in the foam will rot that wood. If there isn't any wood then you still need to replace the foam because waterlogged foam will not dry out even if you have it out of the weather and in a barn for 10 years.

So if the foam is waterlogged and is coming out you have a lot of work ahead of you. More work if there is wood in the stringers/transom.  Either way it's still a lot of work.

Closed cell foam won't take on water or "water log".

[flyfisher]

closed cell foam can absolutely take on water over time just not as easily or as quickly as open cell foam.

[Bass newb]

8 hours ago, flyfisher said:

closed cell foam can absolutely take on water over time just not as easily or as quickly as open cell foam.

That wouldn't be closed cell then. That would be sun deteriorated or heat deteriorated and then be open cell.

 

[flyfisher]

15 hours ago, Bass newb said:

That wouldn't be closed cell then. That would be sun deteriorated or heat deteriorated and then be open cell.

 

Semantics....but bottom line is closed cell foam can deteriorate and or get worn to the point that it takes on water and all "closed" cell foam can take on water in a certain situations. To be called closed cell foam it has to meet a certain level of water absorption and that level is not zero but it is considerably less than open cell foam.

[Bass newb]

3 hours ago, flyfisher said:

Semantics....but bottom line is closed cell foam can deteriorate and or get worn to the point that it takes on water and all "closed" cell foam can take on water in a certain situations. To be called closed cell foam it has to meet a certain level of water absorption and that level is not zero but it is considerably less than open cell foam.

And not only is it considerably less than open cell foam, as if that has any bearing on the conversation at all, which it doesn't, it has magnitudes less water absorbtion than any wood product. In wood, the cell itself will take, or absorb the water. In the case of foam, the interstitial spaces between the cells can hold slight amounts of water (by weight comparison).

@gimruis 

Yes a little wood can ruin a boat. In the case of the tracker, it is in the floor itself. This will enivitably rot out and the floor area where this is located will need replacement.  This happened to my sea ray bowrider that had wood not only in the floor, but in the transom as well. I personally was appalled to find this, as it seemed like poor building practice to use wood in a boat in this manor. The transom was soft and severly compromised, it needed replacement, as it also let water leak into the bilge. The floor was weak where standing, walking, and general boating activities took place, not to mention the seats pedestals were bolted to this rotted wood also, and they could no longer support the weight of a human being.

All of this happened to a boat that had wood in it, under carpet, and between fiberglass in the transom. Had there been foam there instead, or laminate fiberglass, or plastic, the boat would not have been "junk". So it is not without experience that I strongly advise against buying any boat that has wood in the deck, underneath carpet, pressure treated or not. The op asked "ranger or tracker?", and my response is "Ranger". 

[Tim Kelly]

An observation on a difference between Tracker and Ranger aluminium boats that might be worth considering is that the Tracker revolution hull almost certainly runs a bit smoother on choppy water, but at idle speeds it's bow sits very high and it is not as easy to control, especially in a cross wind. The ranger hull  sits flatter in the water and is easy to control at low speeds and it probably more stable as a fishing platform. I would choose a ranger if the price difference were affordable.

[Puggz]

On 2016-02-07 at 0:49 PM, AmericanMade said:

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!

Good decision.  Sorry I didn't see your post earlier but there's no comparison between the 2 model.  Actually, I surprised that there's only a few $k difference in price.

The ranger will perform better, will have a better layout, will last longer, and have wayyyy better resale.

Any a way better trailer!

[Brent Christian]

On 2/7/2016 at 6:56 PM, Bass newb said:

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

buy a ranger lol now wood at all