Wondering about a particular boat with a 50 HP motor . I've never owned one but getting close to retirement and was thinking about a bass boat for just me and the wife . Bass Tracker has this one : https://www.trackerboats.com/boat/?boat=4883 at what seems a decent price because that would be about max I could afford . This boat is loaded with everything we'd need except life jackets . How do you think this boat would handle on the average lake but not bigger than Lake Fork ?? Since I've never owned a boat I know nothing about boats other than the fact that Bill Dance has one of these he uses regularly on his shows and looks perfect for two fishermen . I'm definitely not looking for a speed boat so it would be only for fishing , no tournament use and never for lakes like Buchanan Lake which is too big for comfort for me and the wife and we don't need a big boat . So just out of curiosity what opinion can you give about this boat and does anyone here own one and can share their experience and how they like it ?? Thanks for all input !!

I bought the 175 with the 50 hp new in 2001, kept it for ten years and upgraded to the190. I didn't have one problem with it and the guy that has it now hasn't had any issues with it. I ran it hard as I do club fish and put a massive amount of hours on it. It will get where you need to go and get in places big boats won't or can't go. Perfect fishing boat for two people, I think you'll like it.

Ron,
Before I went and bought a boat that I had never seen (The ad says pre-order) and before I bought a boat at all I would look at several and not get "tunnel vision" on one boat.

My wife and I were about to pull the plug on a Tracker Pro Team 175 TXW with a 75 hp on it and were looking right at 20K.

We found the Ranger RT188 that we have now that was about 2 years old and in excellent condition for a couple grand more.

It is a longer, wider, and has a 115 hp SHO Yamaha on it.

I mention longer and wider because that means it is more stable and I am in my 50's now so I am not as agile as I was years ago and at 6' 7" the extra stability keeps me in the boat and not overboard.

Take a look around at different dealers and see what else is available for near the same money.

Lowe makes a very nice looking Skorpion 16 that has more deck on it than the Tracker does which might keep you from turning around and stepping off the deck when you don't want to.

Back to the Ranger we bought I can tell you this that it was my wife that said "Yeah the Ranger is the one I would prefer" so make sure your wife is happy with what you get.

What about maintenance up keep . Like trailer bearings , tires or other problems with a boat like batteries or other problems ?? Do those happen often ?

I grease my bearings before each trip, overkill maybe but my 2001 (sold 2011) is still running same bearings. Tires, keep them aired up and keep your batteries plugged in 24/7 providing you have a charger that will go into a maintenance mode when they reach a full charge. Maintenance and upkeep on a Tracker is nothing. I've had very good luck with mine and very happy with it. The guys in our bass club have some high dollar boats. They spend a lot $$$$ to keep them up and some of their repairs are unbelievable. There are some nice used boats out there but how were they treated? My current boat (Pro Team 190) will be my last one and the way I take of it, I won't need another one. Check out BBCBoards and go to the Tracker forum if you have anymore questions. Lots of info there as well.

I had a Bass Tracker for a few years and loved it; til I moved back to Texas where the wind blew it around like a rag doll! Waves and wind made it tilt bad enough that I couldn�t stand and had to sit and hold on. Only one windshield and everyone got wet on windy days. I did put a higher trolling motor on it that helped. I finally had enough and got a Champion and it�s given me peace of mind because it�s so stable. Bass Trackers are good boats, but I wouldn�t recommend buying new! They are so well built and typically don�t change from year to year that you could get a 10 yr old Tracker and save enough to outfit it with better electronics if you wanted. If you decide on a Tracker, id suggest a 4 stroke engine! Good luck

Thanks a lot everyone for all your inputs , all well received ! I know about that wind , I live in West Texas where 15-25mph is getting to just be a normal day and sand is another norm . When I get ready to buy I will check out used first and see what I can find . When I retire in a couple years hoping to move more closer to East Texas and close to a good lake . I lived in Winnsboro for 8 yrs and still got family there so i'm familiar with all local lakes except I never been on Lake of the Pines . I've been to Inks Lake a few times and really like it there but not sure that's where I want to plant final roots so will just have to do searching between now and retirement . Thanks again for all input ! If anyone wants to add please do !

You should not grease your bearings each time. Unless you have a bad seal and are losing grease. Constantly putting grease in them will blow the seal out.

Check out Bass Tracker Classic or Bass Tracker Heritage Owners groups on Facebook. You will find a lot of useful information there.

Thanks ^^^^^^^^^ !!!!

Two things.

1. They have that Bass Tracker �Classic� sitting in Garland Bass Pro right now...go look at it.

2. If you or your wife have any balance issues, then I would suggest against a small aluminum boat...if anything, look at getting a fishing pontoon boat.

My wife is disabled and she has some occasional balance issues. We bought a 2005 Tracker Crappie Pro 175 last August. I truly loved the boat, for myself, but they are not the most stable platforms for fishing out of. We have already sold it and gotten a 18� Tracker Bass Buggy.

The Tracker Crappie Pro 175 is not the only Aluminum boat (with casting desks) that we have owned...we have also had a 16� LOWE bass boat with casting decks, and it was the same...not super stable platforms on the water.

The one good thing about the two that I have owned, they trailered WAY better than any pontoon or fiberglass boat I have had.

Hope that helps.