My Tracker Grizzly is out of commission, maybe for good.

[bassnleo]

Today I decided to pull my 2005 Tracker Grizzly out and get it ready. I bought the boat new in 2005.

I installed a thin aluminum floor in 2007. It just basically sat on the support ribs.

I removed the floor to find that EVERY rib had cracks. Some really bad ones, some just starting.

A fishing friend had the same issue with his 2004, his whole boat was replaced but it took the dealer months. Tracker tells me my boat is still under warranty and I have to go through the same dealer as he did, it's 70 miles from me .

I'm gonna be without a small lake boat for awhile I suspect and I'm really bummed.

Here's an example of what I discovered, I'll keep everyone filled in on how this ordeal goes.

[bassnleo]

Another

[SoFlaBassAddict]

Ouch, sorry to hear about that. That picture has a nasty crack in it. Could that have been caused from the cold weather you guys have had up north? Good thing you checked it all out before you went out on the water.  That could have made for one ugly situation.

[Fishes in trees]

Bummer

[K_Mac]

I may be naive, but I've never heard of such a thing. I will be curious to hear how they resolve this for you. Good luck.

[bassnleo]

I suspect the cracks occurred last year. While using the boat in summer/fall I would occasionally hear a loud cracking noise. I figured it was edges of the floor contacting the outer perimiter of the ribs, the floor was kind loose.

What I heard was the edges of the cracks rubbing against each other as the hull flexed as is evident from looking at the cracks and how they have worn.

Like I mentioned, I have a fishing friend that had the same thing happen to his 2004 Grizzly. His was actually worse than mine and his welds also cracked causing the boat to take on water. His whole boat was replaced.

My boat is stored inside, always has been, so the cold environment was not the cause.

I'm coming to the conclusion that there is no way that it could be fixed and not happen again. Even if the cracks were welded, they would crack again. Some design flaw had to make the ribs crack in the positions they did.

I did so much work on this boat......livewell, electronics, wiring, trolling motor, carpet, etc....

Hours and hours......all down the drain.

[SoFlaBassAddict]

I did so much work on this boat......livewell, electronics, wiring, trolling motor, carpet, etc....

Hours and hours......all down the drain.

That really stinks man.  I feel for you.  But on the bright side, you'll get to do it all over again and add in any other stuff that you thought about after the fact the first time.  You've got a great chance to make your rig better than it was before.  The downside is that you won't be on the water for a while.   

[Grey Wolf]

Don't you hate it when you buy a P.O.S. ?

[bassnleo]

Yep, wanna punch myself in the head over and over again. I guess when I bought the boat I thought I could trust the Tracker name. We'll see......

According to the dealer, I'm to call or e-mail them in a week. I e-mailed pics yesterday and they were sent off to Tracker by the dealer. I did call Tracker's customer relations, they tell me that the dealer should be able to turn this around quickly, but I'm not holding my breath based on my friends experience.

Part of me just wants to take it and get it welded but I know it won't last if I do that and I'll be stuck with the thing after the warranty expires.

[bassfisherjk]

That really stinks,Good Luck.

[Dogface]

bassenleo

I'm sorry to hear about your problems especially now that the season is getting started. I hope Tracker makes good quickly.

When I was looking for a boat similar to yours I looked at a few, War Eagle, G-3, and Xpress in addition to Tracker. What was so obvious was that the Tracker was not in a class to the other makes. The hull and deck materials were thinner and I did not think it had the structural integrity compared to the others.

I went with a 17" WE and am glad I did but I have no doubt I would have been happy with any of the better boats.

[surfer]

That sucks.  If tracker dosnt resolve the isue for you then I would beef up the rib with some additional aluminum chanel.  If you were to simply weld the cracks they woud most likley crack again.   

And there is always the "it still floats" aproach.  I have seen boats on the water with bigger problems than that.  Even with those rib cracks I think your boat has a lot of float left in it.

[=Matt 5.0=]

Bummer. The G3 tin boats are so much better. I'd weld it for you, but it's kind of a hike. 

[ArcticCat500]

Bummer. The G3 tin boats are so much better. I'd weld it for you, but it's kind of a hike.

=Matt 5.0= you're a tin welder, hmm. next time I see you slacking at the DD in E.G  I'm comming in.

[=Matt 5.0=]

Fixed LBH and Dirks boats last year. I'm semi retired. Now I just throw boxes at houses.

[slonezp]

If I'm not mistaken Trackers have welded hulls. When I bought my last boat I had looked at a used Tracker and parts of the hull appeared warped. I don't know if there is truth to this but the salesman said it was because a welded hull cannot flex and causes excessive stress compared to a rivited hull.   

[Dwight Hottle]

Sorry to hear about your problem. This is your second boat for smaller waters, right? Take pictures of all the cracks & hold their feet to the fire regarding the fix. If necessary get your insurance company involved. I hope tracker makes it right for you. There always space in my boat if you need it. 

[bilgerat]

They're called boats because all of the good four letter words were taken......

Seriously, I hope they make good on it for you.