Tracker boat quality?

[Jig Man]

1 minute ago, Craig P said:

Are you certain your Tracker dealer doesn’t sell Rangers?  I thought Ranger was bought by Johnny Morris.  My local Tracker Dealer is also a Ranger, Mako and Nitro dealer and I thought they were all under the Morris umbrella. 

They don’t all carry the same things.  100 miles north of here there is a major Nitro dealer.  He also sells Ranger and Triton but I’ve never seen a tin boat there.

[OnthePotomac]

16 hours ago, 12poundbass said:

Check out the G3 boats too if you have a dealer near by. I have a G3 Eagle and I’ve been pretty happy with it after two seasons. They’re on par with the Lowe. 

Agree.  My G3 Pro175 with a Yammie 60 2 banger is 20 years old this month and aside for having to replace the trailer (river salt) I have had a trouble free rig.  I don't even use gas additives, just top off the tank for winter storage and the Yammie, now with 350 hours on it, starts right up 16 weeks later in the spring.  The rig has been stored outside, double covered, at the state park the whole time.  I would easily give it a 10/10 in appearance, inside and out.  I love when someone at the launch site asks me if it is a new boat.

[Goldstar225]

Between my two brothers and I we've owned 6 trackers.  We have had no problems or complaints with any of them. My previous boat was an 1987 TX17 that I sold when it was 30 years old and bought my 2018 PT190.  The TX17 was still serving me well and went to its happy new owner, I just wanted a new boat as my retirement gift to myself.

 

So far as I know the front deck is still wood.  Doesn't concern me at all, I didn't have to repair the wood on the deck of the 87 until it was 27 years old and the only "bad" area was the first 6" in the bow.  If you leave it exposed to the elements outside it will go faster but so will the seats, carpet etc.....

 

As far as how its equipped, yep it comes with base model trolling motors and fish finders.  They're sufficient to get you on the water and fish, no more or less.  I upgraded mine before I took my first fishing trip.  As far as outboards you have a choice of Mercury or Mercury.  My 190 came with the 115 Pro XS 4S.  In the 175 you can upgrade from the stock 60 to the 75 for $1500.00 and gain 5-7 MPH and a better hole shot.  

 

After three years with my PT190 I have zero regrets and love the boat.  I would buy it again in a heartbeat.

 

[NavyVet1204]

4 hours ago, Craig P said:

Are you certain your Tracker dealer doesn’t sell Rangers?  I thought Ranger was bought by Johnny Morris.  My local Tracker Dealer is also a Ranger, Mako and Nitro dealer and I thought they were all under the Morris umbrella. 

Could very well be. I wasn’t aware that ranger was under the same umbrella.

[Jig Man]

John L Morris has bought many competitors and discontinued a lot of them.  Bass Cat, Skeeter and Phoenix are about all of the major glass companies that White River Marine Group does not have.

[Shimano_1]

Don't seem to be a ton of people sharing negative experiences.  Seems like mostly positive.  Id own a tracker in a heartbeat. Actually think it's pretty sweet that they offer what they do for the money. I personally would likely upgrade most things on any new rig myself so I'd order one bare bones with the motor I wanted. Then buy ur stuff yourself. If the dealer was that close and was a reputable dealer I'd have my answer 

[Captain Phil]

Years ago, Tracker boats got a reputation for poor quality.  I didn't own an aluminum boat back then, so I can't say from personal experience if it was deserved.  I did fish in a few early Nitro fiberglass bass boats and they weren't the best.  Since then, Tracker has consistently improved their boats to a point where I would consider owning one of their bass boats.  

 

Ten years ago, I sold my fiberglass Skeeter and started looking for an aluminum bass boat.  I looked at Trackers, Skeeters, Rangers, G3s and Lowe aluminum boats.  I planned to use my boat in both fresh and salt water.  I settled on a new Lowe 16' Roughneck with a side console.  I was used to going fast, so I powered it with a Merc 60 four stroke.  I did not want a boat with racing stripes, carpet, chrome or anything that did not have a specific fishing purpose.  Silly as it sounds today, I paid $12,000 for that boat, outboard motor, Motor Guide trolling motor and trailer. I chose the Lowe because the aluminum components were thicker and beefier than most of the other boats I looked at.  I fished out of that boat for eight years and it was tough as nails.  Would the other boats have held up that well?  I can't say.  All I can say is my Lowe did what I wanted it to do.

 

Last year, I purchased a used ten year old Tracker pontoon boat with a 40 Merc four stroke. All my fishing is done within two miles of my marina and I'm in no hurry.   As you would expect, it had a few scratches and dents.  The seats held up fairly well and the motor runs perfect.  The boat itself is solid.  I fish out of it every chance I get.  Sitting next to me in the marina are pontoon boats that I know cost $30K or more.  My boat is slower, but none of the other boats does anything else that my boat can't do.  This is the first Tracker boat I have ever owned.  I would buy another one.

 

As others have stated, the motor size and addons have a major influence on the out the door price you will pay for a boat.  Some boats with cheap price tags are under powered or the trolling motors and/or electronics are inadequate.  What I want in a boat may not be what you want.  Take your time and find the boat that fits you and your budget.

[TOXIC]

As with any other purchase, you need to figure out what “quality” means.  I don’t run tin but off the top of my head if I were looking, I would want to know things like the thickness of the hull, the gauge and quality of the wiring, the thickness of the carpet, construction materials differences, thickness of vinyl on the seats, etc.  Motor size both outboard and troller have no impact on quality, that is price point.  Start comparing the items I listed and you’ll see where price goes according to better quality.  

[gim]

Another item to keep in mind is resale value if you intend to sell it in the future. Right now pretty much any brand of used boat has an inflated resale value but in normal times, not so much.

[813basstard]

On 2/15/2021 at 10:36 AM, BBuck said:

Is it a jon boat or one of the newer H17's? I first saw Xpress boats at the last classic and instantly fell in love with them.

2014 H17

Yamaha 115 is a 2006 

[E-rude dude]

Tracker sells a lot of boats. Some will be headaches. Most are not and guys love them.
The only things to consider is;

They still use wooden decks. So it must be stored under cover(carport or garage).

They tend to use lower end components like carpet. Not a slam it just keeps the costs down. 
Big box store service is not always the best if needed.

 

[skunked_again]

On 2/14/2021 at 5:45 PM, NavyVet1204 said:

However, I was recently told that if Walmart made a bass boat it would be the tracker brand because of quality. 

 

Not true at all. I've had 3 Trackers as well as an older Nitro. The only issue I has was the boat builder (employee for manufacturer) did not glue in the water pick-up inlets and they leaked. Then the mechanic at BPS destroyed the floor fixing that under warranty. My brother bought a Lowe from Cabelas and had to return the boat because he had to bilge non-stop. Their mechanic couldn't fix the issue. My V-16 is tough. Has a 90hp Merc 4 stroke. Pushes the boat great. I fish the Bass Bash on LOZ in that boat if that tells you anything.

[Dwight Hottle]

To help you with your decision take a look at the resale value between the two brands. How much is a two year old tracker selling for versus the 2 year old Lowe. People always complained about the price of a new Lund but came to realize they hold their value on resale. 

[Bolar]

On 2/14/2021 at 5:45 PM, NavyVet1204 said:

Looking to buy my first bass boat and tracker is the closest dealer to me. I’ve been eyeballing them on their website a lot lately and they have very attractive price points compared to other competition. 
 

However, I was recently told that if Walmart made a bass boat it would be the tracker brand because of quality. I of course don’t know that to be true, but was wondering if some tracker owners here could speak on their satisfaction? If I don’t go the tracker route then I will most likely be setting in a Lowe aluminum bass boat this summer. 

 

Which Tracker are you looking at?  I have a Tracker Heritage (now called the Classic) and love it.  Its the bottom of the line bass boat Tracker made, but that's fine with me.  I looked the boat over thoroughly before I bought it, and knew what I was getting.  Its not as refined as a lot of boats out there, but it doesn't leak and gets the job done for me. 

 

Look for some videos of the Tracker plant.  You can get an idea of how they are put together.  Let us know what you decide, Tracker or Lowe.