Opinion on Tracker Boats?

[billbrum]

Hey guys

I am going to be getting a used boat in the spring. I have been saving my money and I wanted to hear your opinions on Tracker Boats.

Thanks

[Wayne P.]

I have one and like it for my purposes.  2009, PT 170 TX

[Long Mike]

Those who have them love them.  Those with glass boats sneer at them because they are ignorant.  I have a Tracker TV-18 and I love it.

[billbrum]

Thanks guys, this is what I wanted to hear.

[RoLo]

Those who have them love them. Those with glass boats sneer at them because they are ignorant. I have a Tracker TV-18 and I love it.

I'm with Mike.

I'm a repeat customer, and just took delivery this past Wednesday on my THIRD Bass Tracker.

The 'Revolution' hull in particular is a modified-V with a decent wave-cutting angle

at the bow, and some deadrise at the transom (kind of a hybrid hull design).

If you find a better all welded aluminum boat than Tracker, please shoot me a PM.

Go for it

Roger

[Casca]

i'd like to hear from Triton aluminum owners.

regards,

Casca

[Buckeye1955]

The older riveted Trackers seem to draw a lot of complaints and the dealer service hasn't always been there. Read the posts and judge for yourself. I have seveal buddies that have the Yamaha G3 boats and swear by them. Yamaha seems to really back them. Sylvan and Lund are good boats too. Bunch of them in my area.

[edit]removed other website name[/edit]

[5bass]

One of my buddies has a Tracker. It's a 99 or 00 with a 40 hp Mercury on it. I like it. It runs good, floats and I can fish off of it so it's a fine boat in my opinion. It gets the job done and then some.

[Fishbone]

I think Trackers are good boats. Last summer I bought a tin boat. It came down to a Tracker or G3. The G3 won out for better appointments, much more storage, a wider fore deck and unbelievable support by Yamaha.

I had a fuel tank problem that peeled some paint from the side. They replaced the whole boat without any hesitation.

[Jig Man]

I had a Tracker one time.  One of the best days of my life was then it didn't live at my house any more.  I will never have another one unless all the other boat companies go broke.

[Sam]

Let me tell you about Trackers.

I have a Pro Series 185, which is the new 190.

The motor is a Mercury 50 two-stroke.

I have upgraded the boat over the years and here are a few of the things I can remember doing:

Added a spare tire to the trailer.

Added a Lowrance WAAS system.

Added a Lowrance sonar system to the trolling motor.

Upgraded the trolling motor from 42 to 67 pounds and changed it over to a 24-volt system.

Added a second trolling battery.

Added a three bank, high quality, battery charger.

Changed some of the glass fuses with circuit breakers.

Trackers are "spartan" boats, meaning they are not over equipped with many expensive features.

I take her into places guys with glass boats cannot go, like the very back of creeks and into places with low water.

I have had her up to 35 MPH on a lake. Then again, I have been passed by a lot of other boats.

The front fishing platform is OK with enough room for one. The rear fishing platform is small but sufficient.

My well has been giving me problems so I am very concerned about it when I am on the water.

The instruction book is poor at best, if you get an instruction book. If you want more keys to the motor, you go to the motor manufacturer.

I asked for an electrical schematic and finally got one from Tracker.

Sometimes I go places the glass boats can't go and other times the faster boats beat me to the best fishing locations.

All in all, it has been a good boat, trailer and motor and I am glad I have her.

Low maintenance, too. I get her winterized each year which cost me $243 this year, including replacing my transducer that I broke off on the Chick River in some wood.

Yes,you will take the Tracker places you should not go and you can damage the transducer and/or trolling motor prop.

But that is the beauty of the Tracker. You can get to where the fish (and snakes in the trees) are located while the heavier glass boats cannot.

So my suggestion is to get that Tracker! 

[cart7t]

I heard Trackers were made by a Chinese division of Silstar.  They're only about 2% aluminum, 98% of the hull is made from ground up, recycled computer components. 

[done]

I started with a Tracker 14' jon, and upgraded to a 2009 Tracker Pro team 175 txw this summer with a 60 hp outboard.

For the money, I am not sure you can do better. It is light, moves fast on the water with the 60 (compared with my old jon anyway), easy to tow, easy to manage, has gotten a ton of fishing already.

[Long Mike]

I'm on my second Tracker.  The first one was an old 1989 Pro 17 with a 60 HP Johnson/Evinrude.  It was a riveted boat and it leaked like a sieve.  It was my first boat so naturally I loved it, but it was narrow and unstable with two big men moving around on it.  Plus it couldn't handle rough water.

My new/used TV-18 is like a breath of fresh air.  It is two feet wider and a foot longer than the old one.  It has a modified deep-V, all-welded hull that will handle rough water with ease.  It also has a 150 HP Mercury that will pull the boat along at 55 mph.

Want to hear more?  I have a Lowrance network installed that provides me with fuel level, water pressure, fuel consumption and battery voltage on the screens of my Lowrance LCX-28c and 522.  In addition, I have installed a burglar alarm on the boat.  Anyone who opens any hatch will set off the alarm.  Also, all compartments have LED lighting.  The LED's light up whenever a hatch is opened.

Last, but certainly not least, I just installed a Minn Kota Terrova 80 with the new IPilot system.  GPS control at its finest!

OK, I've spouted off enough.  Can you tell that I love my boat?   

[billbrum]

Ok, it looks like I am going to be getting a 2003 Pro 175; it has a 75 hp merc with low hours.  So will I be able to fish 2 people off of the front casting deck?

[Fishing Rhino]

Those who have them love them. Those with glass boats sneer at them because they are ignorant. I have a Tracker TV-18 and I love it.

Let those with the glass boats sneer.  There is nothing wrong with a glass boat, but I'm going with aluminum, most likely a Tracker.

For me, a boat is nothing more than a platform to get you to the fish.  Whether is sparkles like a gem, or is a plain Jane does not matter to the fish.

Here's what matters, in the order of significance.

1. The man in or on the boat.

2. Electronics, provided you know how to use them.  (See number 1)

3. The baits that the fish want.  (Again see number 1)

4. Dependable gear to deliver the baits.

5. A platform to get you to the fish.  (unless you are a shore fisherman)

The top priority for being on the water should be safety equipment.  My list is for the equipment that is directly involved in catching fish.

My reason for not choosing a fiberglass bass boat.  I'm not the type who will be diligent enough to put in the time necessary to keep a boat spiffy.

For me, it's take it home.  Let it dry.  Vaccuum the carpet.

They really belong in the hands of a meticulous individual.  That lets me out.

If you're not going to keep it looking like a jewel, why spend that kind of money.

[Olebiker]

I am still fishing out of a 1984 Bass Tracker Tournament TX. I replaced the original 50 hp Mercury with a new one in 2008.

I upgraded the trolling motor to a 55# Maxxum digital.

I upgraded the electronics to a Humminbird 788CI networked with a 778C.

I installed a Dual Pro onboard battery charger.

I added a livewell timer.

I love my old boat.

[burleytog]

Ok, it looks like I am going to be getting a 2003 Pro 175; it has a 75 hp merc with low hours. So will I be able to fish 2 people off of the front casting deck?

Depends on the size of the people and the type of fishing.

[done]

I would not on mine. Would never fit me and my 6 rigs on the deck with me f I had another person.

Curiously, why would they not use the aft deck? Is this just a personal preference or you got more folks coming.

[TrackerG]

I am on my second Tracker. The only reason i got rid of first one was the little 40 hp Merc. just wasnt enough motor for me. I now have a 99 Pro deep V-17 with a 2003 Optimax 115. It'll do about 35 to 40 on a calm lake. plenty fast enough....

It works perfect for 2 people. 3 is okay. If we're trolling I put one person up front, 2 of in back and run a planer board on my side to keep lines apart. If you wanna see the setup check out pics in my thread.  Trackers are fine by me..

[billbrum]

Well, in a strange turn of events I ended up with a Lowe 180 WZ with a 115 Evinrude.  I found it on a website and went to look at it and closed the deal on it. It is a little rough around the edges but everything on the boat was solid. Plus, the electronics on the boat were outstanding, a brand new Lowrance HDS10, among other things.

The boat has a huge front and rear castng deck and I am very impressed with it. I couldn't pass up the deal.

[stratos 375]

well you asked for it, I think they are junk. It's a tin boat no matter how you slice it. I fit squarely into the category of "those who sneer 'cause the're ig'nernt." and make no bones about it.

wait , it gets better: there are obvious reasons that most serious bass fishermen fish from glass boats. I'm a little biased, I've owned a glass boat since I was in my early 20's, now I'm AARP. There aren't many places that a tin boat can go where I can't follow. Just looking at the bottom of my boat would make that evident. There's probably 2 lbs. of marine-tex stuck in cracks, gouges and holes. I can hop logs with it like a kid on a mountain bike.

I probably won't make a lot of friends here, especially guys in tin boats.

there's only one type of boat I despise more than a "tracker"type of boat. I call 'em pike boats. We've all seen them. Aluminum "Lunds" with high sides, downriggers and the huge 5' net hangin off the back that the've only used in their dreams. Usually seen stirring up my fish. Oh yeah, the guy behind the wheel has his license hangin off his hat. That completes the picture.

Hey, some night when there's nothing going on, ask me to tell you my opinion of bank fishermen.

[Long Mike]

Stratos the problem with people like you is that you are afraid to say what you really feel.   ;D  BS aside, all opinions are welcome.  AND welcome to Bass Resource!

[stratos 375]

Hey Long Mike, thank you for the welcome! I probably come off as a tool sometimes, but I'll tell you exactly what I think.  Somewhere along the line I'll have some good info to pass along, I've been Bass fishing like a maniac since 1965

[Fishing Rhino]

well you asked for it, I think they are junk. It's a tin boat no matter how you slice it. I fit squarely into the category of "those who sneer 'cause the're ig'nernt." and make no bones about it.

wait , it gets better: there are obvious reasons that most serious bass fishermen fish from glass boats. I'm a little biased, I've owned a glass boat since I was in my early 20's, now I'm AARP. There aren't many places that a tin boat can go where I can't follow. Just looking at the bottom of my boat would make that evident. There's probably 2 lbs. of marine-tex stuck in cracks, gouges and holes. I can hop logs with it like a kid on a mountain bike.

I probably won't make a lot of friends here, especially guys in tin boats.

there's only one type of boat I despise more than a "tracker"type of boat. I call 'em pike boats. We've all seen them. Aluminum "Lunds" with high sides, downriggers and the huge 5' net hangin off the back that the've only used in their dreams. Usually seen stirring up my fish. Oh yeah, the guy behind the wheel has his license hangin off his hat. That completes the picture.

Hey, some night when there's nothing going on, ask me to tell you my opinion of bank fishermen.

LOL. I'm one of those guys with his license hanging from his hat.

Harkens back to the days when the law required you to have your license prominently displayed.

To facilitate that you got a "waterproof" plastic holder red, with a clear front and a pin to affix it to your clothing.

I must not be a serious bass fisherman because I have been fishing from a canoe the past two years. And horror of horrors, to make matters worse, I'm going to be getting one of those tin cans before the summer.

Funny thing is, the times I've chatted with guys who have the big fiberglass rigs at the ramp after a days fishing, somehow or other, I've outfished them for the same period of time we've been on the water. And, I've less time on that particular body of water than they.

When I was a commercial lobsterman, most of the guys had better boats than I did, yet I managed to catch more lobsters.

One who was a good friend of mine commented that I did pretty good with that old Novi boat.

I said to him, "Milton, it's the man in the boat that counts, not the boat the man is in." His response, "OUCH!"

My philosphy is that a boat is nothing more than a platform to get you to where the fish are.

Fiberglass boats are nicer than aluminum, but, they neither make one a better fisherman, nor a better man.