Tracker Boats

[Tiger Stripes]

I’ve seen the 6,000 pages of Tracker topics on here. 
 

Give me the story, what do y’all think of your Trackers? What year? Quality, how have they held up? How they running? 
 

Strongly considering placing an order on a Pro 170 with 40 jet. 

[J Francho]

Why a jet? You plan on running shallow?

[Tiger Stripes]

Susquehanna river. 6 inches to 12 feet in 100 yards. 

[Woody B]

I bought my Classic XL (new) in December of last year.  I like it.  I beat the heck out of it, and haven't had any problems.  I've got 100 hours even on it right now.  I replaced the factory installed Hook2 sonar unit with an Elite 7 TI2.   I also replaced the edge trolling motor with a Terrova. 

 

 I looked hard at a Pro 170 and would have went with it but my wife said the black classic xl would look good behind my black truck.  I've added a 12 gallon gas tank, and extended the front deck for more storage.   A pro 170 has a longer deck, more storage and more fuel capacity than a Classic XL.  It also has versa track around the gunwale.  I believe a Pro 170 is basically the same size hull.  My Classic XL is a Cadillac compared to the other boats I've owned.   

 

I've beached it, it's been banged against docks in the wind ect, and I haven't had any problems.  A fiberglass boat would have needed some repairs.  

 

There is a recall on the trailer because some wheel bearings didn't get tightened correctly at the factory.  I found my wheel bearings slightly loose and made repairs months before the recall.   

[Chris Catignani]

I would talk to some owners of jet boats on the river and see what they say.

Personally...I would opt for something with shallow draft (flat bottom) and a little more hp on the motor (jets are 30%(est) less power than a prop).

[treble hook]

I have the Pro 170 with the 50 Mercury. I like it a lot. 

[Tiger Stripes]

Ive got a neighbor with a G3 90/60 jet we fish on. My 15 prop gets 21 mph, i understand the 40 jet wont get much better but at wide open where i know the rocks aren’t my wife already telling me slow it down. Dont need much more than that. 

[casts_by_fly]

My dad still has his 162 (165?) which is basically the classic now.  He bought it new but old stock about 15 years ago now when the glass bass boat got to be more than he needed.  He fishes a lot of standing timber and rock lakes and its still going strong.  He takes care of his stuff, so I'm not surprised.  He went with a 4-stroke Merc 20 HP for the PA restricted lakes, though every lakes he fishes now is either unlimited or trolling motor only.

[TOXIC]

Totally depends on how “serious” of a river fisherman you intend to be.  I’ve got a lot of friends who fish the upper Potomac, the Susky, the New River, the Juniatia and so on.  The casual guys have affordable boats that they have to be careful with.  The serious guys have thicker aluminum hulls from custom makers. The more serious guys have tunnel hulls  and big hp jets and some even have big boats made out of the same material as Yeti coolers.  They run the shallowest.  Just depends on how deep your pockets are. ?

[flatcreek]

Ott Defoe runs a Tracker tunnel hull boat and has done very well in it running way back in the rivers with it.it’s heavy duty style river rat ready!

[Happybeerbuzz]

I have a Tracker Heritage.  I love it.  However, there is a distinct possibility it is because it is the only boat I have ever owned.  Also, the only other boats I have fished out of have been Jon Boats.  

[Captain Phil]

I have owned just about every small boat brand made. Everything from Terry Bass boats to Rangers, Hydrosports, Skeeters, a custom built Storm and a Gambler.  I have also owned at least a dozen salt water skiffs and flats boats.  My aluminum boats included Trackers, Starcrafts, Lowes and a few with no name.  In the early days, say before the year 2000, Trackers were pretty cheap boats with lots of wood in the wrong places.  Their fiberglass boats were especially bad.  Stating this will probably get me in trouble, but it was widely known.   Since then, Trackers have come a long way in improving their quality.  I would have no problem buying a recently new one today.

 

Before I purchased my Ranger RT178, I seriously considered buying a similar Tracker.  I went to the Orlando Bass Pro Shop and was told I couldn't get one for three months and they couldn't guaranteed a delivery date.  The Ranger Dealer had my boat in stock, so I bought it.  The difference in price between a fully rigged out the door 17' Tracker and my Ranger was about $5,000.  The difference is in little things like hardware, finish, construction, electronics, and pride of ownership.  Is my Ranger worth $5,000 more?  I think it is and that's what matters.  There is no doubt the resale value of a Ranger is greater, so there's that to consider.  Is it worth $5,000 more at the ramp?   Those things don't concern me, so I can't say.  Do bass care?  I've caught bass out of a leaky wooden boat that I built in my garage, so I doubt they do.  I would have no issue with buying a new Tracker boat.  In my opinion, new Trackers are great bass boats for the money.

 

 

[king fisher]

     I have ran Jet boats of different sizes, and hull designs professionally on rivers for over 30 years.  I prefer flat bottom jon boats for smaller rivers with tight turns.  I also prefer to steer the motor with a tiller handle on the motor over a steering system.  Tunnel hulls with steering wheels are fine for most rivers, but it is best to be able to slide the back end of the boat around tight corners if you intend to use the boat in the smallest water.  I'm not saying you can't run the most technical water with a tunnel, you can and I have, just saying flat bottom is better for small water with sharp turns.

      A flat bottom jon boat with the motor installed correctly will go in less than 3 inches of water.  The quick instant response of tiller operation will significantly help in maneuvering in very tight places.  Tunnel hulls turn similar to a prop, which can be a plus for control, but makes it harder to slide the boat for quick turns or if you have to do a emergency 180 when a another boat is met in tight place head on.  V hull, or semi V hulls can limit shallow water performance depending on the individual hull.  The stern must be flat, or tunneled in order to get the best shallow water performance.  If you have to drive through lots of weeds, a jet is not for you.  If you are not comfortable driving in shallow water on step than a jet is not for you.  Jets only go through shallow water while on plane.  At, sub plane speeds they need as much water as a prop.  Larger heavier boats with more power need more speed to plane, and require more boating skill to run in shallow water.  If you do not like buying gas, a jet is not for you.  All things being equal, a jet will go through much more fuel than a prop. 

      Some manufacturers currently rate the power of a jet at the pump, and others sill rate them at the motor.  You need plenty of power to get a jet on step quickly.  Unless you have to travel a long ways, overall speed once on step is usually not an issue.  You need deep water to get on plane and if you are in a tight place a low power motor will not get you on plane quickly before getting to the the shallow water.  If you reach the shallow water while still trying to get on plane, you will come to a quick stop and could damage your engine and or stern of the boat. Extra weight such as live wells, etc.. can also make getting on step a longer process.                                                                         If you are going to fish larger rivers, smaller rivers, without ridicules' tight turns, don't load you boat to heavy, and don't need the ultimate in shallow small water performance, the boat you are looking at with a 40 horse power rated at the pump would be fine.  It will safely get you to places you never dreamed of going with a prop.  If the motor isn't rated at the pump, than you will be severely under powered, with a 40 horse, and you might not be able to get on plane with much of a load.

        

[J Francho]

Wow, that's a ton wisdom dropped. Nice post!

[Captain Phil]

2 hours ago, king fisher said:

     I have ran Jet boats of different sizes, and hull designs professionally on rivers for over 30 years. 

 

Great information.  Sorry this is off the subject.  Talking about jet boats brings back a memory of a 17' jet drive ski boat I had with a 500 hp 460 Ford engine.  Scared the heck out of me....    ?

[gim]

3 hours ago, Captain Phil said:

Before I purchased my Ranger RT178, I seriously considered buying a similar Tracker.  I went to the Orlando Bass Pro Shop and was told I couldn't get one for three months and they couldn't guaranteed a delivery date.  The Ranger Dealer had my boat in stock, so I bought it.  The difference in price between a fully rigged out the door 17' Tracker and my Ranger was about $5,000.  The difference is in little things like hardware, finish, construction, electronics, and pride of ownership.  Is my Ranger worth $5,000 more?  I think it is and that's what matters.  There is no doubt the resale value of a Ranger is greater, so there's that to consider.  Is it worth $5,000 more at the ramp? 

This is me too.  I considered a Tracker but the lack of customizable options, the wood construction, and dealer/service location didn't appeal to me for $5 grand less.

 

The irony now is that Bass Pro Shops owns Ranger boats so its technically under the same umbrella.

[Tiger Stripes]

@king fisher i appreciate the response. Its obvious you know what you’re talking about. Currently run a 15hp tiller, prop, 14 ft jon. A 1984 game fisher to be exact. The river is not full of tight turns and spaces, rather wife open and shallow. Typically theres at least 6 feet of water, the problem i run into is the occasional rocks 6-8 inches under. I dont know where youre from so this may be a repeat you’ve heard or are aware of but, “the Susquehanna is a mile wide, a foot deep, and more rocks than water.” It doesn’t necessarily hold true in most spots, but it does have some merit. I fish equally as often on my neighbors boat- G3 90/60. Its much easier  than my tiller. I’m aware the G3 is a higher class boat than the tracker, it’s also out of my budget. The main reason in the tracker interest is, after much convincing, i got the wife out good friday for her first time on a boat or fishing. She loves it. She just hates the way we trip over each other in the jon. 

@TOXIC i would say casual. Every Saturday i cam from april-december and the occasional vacation day each month. 

[volzfan59]

@king fisher dropped some serious knowledge. The only thing that I would add is hull thickness. This is coming from a Tracker fan, but their hulls used to be made out of thinner aluminum. I used to work for BPS and knew the hull thickness but, I had to let that go to remember something else I guess. I know that some of the serious river boats are made from .125 thick aluminum. Some even have a coating added onto the hull. I'm assuming you could do that to a Tracker also.