tips for potential new boat owner

[Bruce424]

i was pondering the idea... of getting a boat. particularly a side console aluminum. been looking at the trackers. one of the classics xl or a 16ft sc grizzly this is only inception right now because of temporarily being out of work cuz corona virus. i would like to see if anybody has any tips on buying a new boat. 

[schplurg]

Big price difference between the two I see. Are you buying new or used? I probably won't be much help to you other than bumping the thread, but I'm sure at least one person here has an opinion  

[Bruce424]

1 hour ago, schplurg said:

Big price difference between the two I see. Are you buying new or used? I probably won't be much help to you other than bumping the thread, but I'm sure at least one person here has an opinion  

probly new. i just want to get one and go fishing. not have to worry about sprucing it up alot before hand.  been leaning toward the tracker pro 160 with a 20hp

[jbuchanan]

Bruce424

Out of the three boats you mentioned, myself personally would lean toward the Classic XL. Price wise it is mid pack when you look at the standard package with the motors they offer before paying extra for upgrading. If you were to go apple to apples on motor size the XL would be cheaper out of the three. I would strongly suggest get the largest motor the boat can handle. If you are light on motor any extra gear or people you add in boat will dramatically effect its performance on smaller boats. I think the 40hp and 50hp motors are very similar and most might recommend the 40hp anyways because i believe it is a much more common motor. A couple other major factors to consider with the XL over the others is the overall width, beam width and length difference than the other two. The XL is wider and longer which in turn will make for a much more comfortable outing on the lake and allows for more gear weight. The wider the boat the more stable it will be when you are standing up fishing. Smaller al boats can get pushed around easily in the lightest amount of wind and a narrow boat makes it even harder to keep balance when fighting getting blown around. Another positive is the thickness of aluminum (hull material) over the Pro 160. You will bang the boat on rocks and timber at some point of time and you will want as thick of hull material as possible. I do like the Grizzly's as well due to ruggedness. Myself I prefer no carpet because fishing in rain or getting deck wet is going to happen and wet carpet doesn't smell great in garage esp over time as boat get used more and more. Not to mention no carpet makes cleaning a breeze. If you are on a specific budget the Grizzly might not be for you unless you can find a used one. The reason i state that is you will have to equip it with trolling motor, fish finder and etc. Though it is nice to do it yourself because you get what you want. The XL is also coming with a break away tongue to make storage in almost any standard garage work.

 

I would strongly suggest visiting a local Bass Pro and crawl around on each of these model of boats. Everyone is different and fits different people's needs/wants. If you look around on used market you can sometimes find great deals on these size/types of boats. Sometimes they are tough to find because they are in general to rest of boating world more economic to afford and people tend not to unload them as quickly. 

 

I personally have had a 16' jon boat with kitted 9.9hp (due to local lake restrictions) was a great boat for smaller local lakes and now have a 16' john boat with 60hp 4s and love it.

 

Feel free to hit me up with any additional questions and I will be more than happy to help. Good luck and stay safe out there.

I also assume you have read and been following this forum topic?

This thread is awesome and these guys have come up with some ingenuous affordable upgrades and tricks to trick out these johnnies. I love following this thread.