I don’t know what kind of larger lakes we're talking about here but I’d take my Vexus to any lake in Texas.

I bought a 2001 Tracker V-18 tournament back in July. it's 18' rated for 150 HP and is not the deep V like are popular in northern boats (Tracker Guide series or Targa series), but deeper than the modified V of most Trackers. We are building our house, have a newborn and Covid has hit my work hard, so it's all I could afford, but we are having a lot of fun with it. It handles rough water a lot better than I thought, as long as you are not running perpendicular to them.. The hull cuts them nicely, but it's fairly light. I've had it in lots of lakes so far and the roughest was Whitney one evening going from the dam area to the ramp near Katy bridge after the winds got up to 20 or so it did good. We mostly ran with the wind then at a 45 degree angle. What i've read is it'll keep you dry, unlike the modified V of most Trackers. I have yet to get wet in it from the ride.

It does move around more in the wind than a glass boat, and its really noticeable when putting in on the trailer. before i got used to it if there was a good breeze loading the boat i had to turn around and try again. But on that note, it's super easy to get loaded. you can get it close and just effortlessly winch it into place.

What made me pull the trigger was this video. I'll be doing some of this stuff this winter.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OjIetaxzCag&feature=youtu.be

If I were to buy Aluminum I would go with a custom boat builder in Louisiana. You can have them build exactly what you want with the layout that you want. I say Louisiana, because I’m familiar with a number of builders there. About 25 years ago my brother in law had a 19’ hull built and powered by a Yamaha 115. I believe he gave around $14k for it brand new. We used and abused that boat for 10 years and he sold it for $13,500.

A custom built Aluminum hull will last a lifetime. We've taken 21’ footers In the gulf many times to catch trout and snapper. I’ve never felt unsafe in one, and the ride can be nearly as comfortable as a glass boat.

I bought a 185 Tracker in 1999 and just retired it this spring. Loved that boat. I probably duck hunted with it as much as I fished out of it. Had to redo the carpet and seats but everything else is still good after 20 years. It's now my son's. Replaced it with a 22' Xpress Bay boat. Light, easy to haul. Just spent 3 days running around the marsh below N.O. and it handled great in as little as 1 foot of water. I use it primarily on Texoma with no problems. Yes, it does get blown but with an upgraded trolling motor that problem is resolved.

I think it's a matter of taste and pocket book.

Exactly, better fit and finish than the Avids. Loved my XP18SS I bought it in 2012, but sold it and upgraded to a larger fiberglass bay boat this year.

I’ve enjoyed my Xpress H56, X21 DC, and my current X19. Best of all I bought all of them for a great deal and made money when I sold the first two after fishing each of them for 3-5 years. Really hard to say that with boats so I’m happy.

Bought a brand new lowe favorite edition over the summer and have loved fishing out of it. Brand new boat with 8 years of warranty and everything you could want on a boat for half the price of a new fiberglass.

I've decided I'm going to go glass. I found a very nice used boat I'm going to look at and test drive this weekend. I'll post pics if I decide to buy.

Thanks everyone for the info and advice. It was greatly appreciated.

good choice glass boats ride an sit the water better they also track better with out blowing around as much as a aluminum boat when on the trolling motor.

As the owner of a 1997 Bass Tracker 175 repowered with a 2020 merc 4stroke, I can honestly say it was a great decision. I take the aluminum to the heart and will put that boat in/through/over anything. I love it and love that kind of fishing when the time calls for it. The only downside is my hull leaks, assuming from the rivets or one of the money trees I have driven it over... Lol. One day it will be fully welded and reinforced on the bottom with struts to make it take stumps and logs better.