bass boat

[mike33667]

Hey everyone, was looking for some helpful insight. looking at two different bass boats, ones aluminum and one fiberglass. fishing will be on smaller lakes with the occasional trip to bigger bodies of water but nothing huge. will be fishing some smaller tournaments but nothing crazy, half of them are on electric only lakes. not looking to set any speed records out there just cruise from spot to spot.

 

1.) 2003 Tracker 185 90hp merc, 67 thrust trolling motor HDS7 and HDS5 fish finders

2.) 1996 ranger R70 90hp Johnson 70 thrust trolling motor 2 HDS5 fish finders

 

both rigs I would imagine will handle similar, the tracker I was able to drive out and look at and it was nice, could tell it was well taken care of. the ranger would be a couple hour drive for me, dealer says it went through inspection and was solid/ran well.

 

attached is links to both, what would you choose and why

http://www.townemarine.com/pre_owned_detail.asp?veh=4893877

http://www.conradbrothers.com/pre_owned_detail.asp?veh=4894288

 

[Scarborough817]

personally i would think the tracker is better it's a newer boat, has almost the same thrust trolling motor, has newer fish finders (not like that's a determining factor) plus it has a gloomis sticker that should be good for like 10 more hp

[Scott F]

If it were me, I'd take the Ranger every time. Better build quality, better ride. If you ever wanted to sell it, It would sell quicker and hold it's value better. The age difference at this point only matters if the condition difference is great.

[mike33667]

thanks, I keep going back and forth on these two....that's why I posted.

 

I think I would be happy with either boat, the tracker has distance from me and size in its favor. But the ranger has the fact its a ranger and fiberglass on its side. 6 hours to go check out the ranger so I want to make sure that its the one I would go with if everything checks out.

 

keep the thoughts coming!

[PECo]

I think that older aluminum hulls hold up better than older fiberglass hulls, but I'd choose the better motor between the two. Ask the sellers whether they've had the motor serviced and the compression tested. You don't want the aggravation of dealing with a balky motor.

[WIGuide]

I have a 1997 Sport R70 with an Evinrude 130. Although I haven't fished out of a PT185 my friend has an 05 PT175. Looking at the Ranger, the boat is a 95, but the motor is newer than the boat, I believe it's a 2001. The boat has an optional 1/2 deck extension which makes a huge difference in how that boat fishes. When I purchased mine, it didn't have one and after adding it, it makes the boat feel way bigger, not to mention it makes a great place for your fishing partner to put his/her stuff that's out of the way. Overall, even though it's a slightly smaller boat, the Ranger has more storage, especially in the back deck area.  The Ranger is narrower than the Tracker by 2 inches, but it's also slightly shorter too so stability should be about equal. Rod storage might be an issue in the Ranger as the rod locker will only hold a rod up to about 7'3" without modifications. For some that might be an issue, for me, it's not in the least. I'm unsure about the rod storage on the PT185, but if it was like my friends 175, modifications needed to be made as the cut out that goes under the front deck was very small and did not allow for nearly the number of rods to be stored as it looked like it should. One note about the Ranger is that it has two livewells. The rear is divided and big enough for tournament use, so the front really isn't needed. I use mine as a cooler as it's well insulated. 

 

Ranger Pros: better shape, bigger motor, more storage, better ride, accommodations for the passenger (rod ramp, storage), fishes larger than it's size.

Ranger Cons: Older, not max hp for hull

 

Tracker Pros: Larger boat, newer

Tracker Cons: Not max hp for hull, no passenger accommodations, looks like it sat out, possible rod locker issues, condition.

 

If it were me, I have no doubt which one I'd buy. I'd take the Ranger all day every day, but that's just my opinion. Yours may differ.

[WRB]

Both boats will need new trolling motors, onboard 3 bank battery charger, 2 new trolling motor batteries, 1 new cranking battery. 

The tracker looks like it was stored outside, well used,  the Ranger inside or garaged and well maintained. Trailers on both may need new tires, go by age over 5 years they need to by changed.

Rangers hold their resale value, Trackers don't. 

If the ranger OB has fewer hours, under 300 go with it, if the price is right, it's a better fishing plateform and better resale. You can find several more Trackers to look at!

Tom

[Avalonjohn44]

On 6/5/2017 at 2:02 PM, Scarborough817 said:

... plus it has a gloomis sticker that should be good for like 10 more hp

 

[mike33667]

Thanks for the replys so the plot thickened and my heart is laying somewhere I can't find....

 

i have a bayliner I purchased new last year and owed more then it was worth blah blah blah figured I'd get a cheaper bass boat and keep the bayliner for a few years. Then searching the web found a great 2010 skeeter 190zx at a local marina that had also reviews. This boat was loaded to the gills with extras at a decent price sent my info over and I couldn't believe they made me a good offer as a trade in. Went last weekend to check the boat out it was sweet put some money down blah blah blah and they said it would be ready this Friday (tomorrow). Also told me it was a consignment boat for a guy who upgraded. Didn't think much of the fact..... I get a email At noon saying it went through service and everything was working perfect I can come pick it up tomorrow. Get Friday off so I can pick the boat up and try her out, figured I better since I signed up for a tournament on Saturday. 

 

Well 445 roles around and I am one happy dude....until the marina calls....some how the owner decided he didn't like the marinas terms as far as commission for whatever reason and pulled the boat. 

 

Marina called me me and I feel like the salesman might have been more upset then I was. This place had been amazing to deal with very friendly answered everything I had to ask immediately and then a kick in the groin that they can't get me the boat. 

 

Of of course they are giving me my bayliner and deposit back but man this ones going to leave a mark for a long time. They have some real nice Lowe stingers I'm considering getting since it would take care of my big problem (owning a bowrider when I want a bass boat) and I have approved finance through them but I am afraid I'm just settling at this point. 2 weeks ago I'd trade the bayliner on a tracker 175 in a heartbeat but after sitting in that skeeter and daydreaming about the bass I'd be catching out of it going to be a tough pill to swallowing walking away with a aluminum bass boat with 1/3 the engine. 

 

 

Another local marina has the same skeeter 190zx a year newer 2011 decked with 2 hds7s and humming bird 8somethings for the same price but have been emailing and calling for 2 weeks trying to find out if they are willing to take a trade in on the bayliner for what I have to put down. 

 

Sucks totally sucks just just wanted to rant somewhere so sorry this is long winded. Has anyone here been in my shoes? How did you recover?