Tracker. Boats

My son in law is looking for a bass boat for around 4K. He has cash, doesn't want to finance.

So he has been looking at Trackers.

I noticed there is a bunch of them on Craigslist.
Do they not hold up ?
Is it a macho thing that most guys want fiberglass

How come so many for sale ?

BTW, I did do a search on here, because I thought there was a thread about them, but couldn't find any.

the reason there is so many for sale is they have been building them for years an they have been the number 1 selling aluminum since they started building them.

I lot of people think that anything made by tracker marine is cheap and poorly made. I fished a tracker for many years before I bought a fiberglass boat and enjoyed them very much. They have a wood deck instead of aluminum, and that is probably the biggest knock against them. But again, I never had any problems with mine. JMO

Later...etex

Probably the number one selling boat out there in its class.Gonna be hard to find much at 4k but good luck.

Good Luck

I've fished a 16 ft. aluminum Bass Tracker/50 HP Mariner (Mercury) motor for the last 14 years. I bought it new for $10K. Nothing but good experience with it. Now, having said that, let me add this: I'm retired and can pick my days, and also don't fish tournaments, so wind is not normally an issue for me. Aluminum boats of this size don't do nearly as well as fiberglass boats on windy days (12 -15+ mph wind) - just too light. On the plus side, you can go some places that bigger boats can't. One other thing - Tracker boats started welding their boats instead of riveting them around(I think) year 2000 or so. I would be leery of an old riveted Tracker boat (leaking).

Just picked up a 2005 pro crappie 176
Going to have to redo the interior but it's gonna make a great river boat and fun fishing boat

Tomorrow I start pulling seats and carpet out

i rebuilt the interior on my 05 pro crappie 175 last year, i say its a rebuild because of it's modular design, upgraded flotation, floor boards and carpet, and a couple modifications, i like the lower floors in the pro crappie, it's been a good hull

I have a 2008 Tracker 175 with a 60hp. I upgraded the graph & trolling motor to help on windy days but no other upgrades. I've had no issues and enjoyed many good days out on the water. I just don't go when its too windy. Its been a good boat for me and its paid for!
There are some good deals on used Trackers if your patient.

Bought my 175 in 2003, had it 10 years with no problems. Sold it and bought the 190 and it has done me quite well. I have no complaints.

I had a 1989 Tracker TV17 for maybe 7 years. Sold it for my first Bass Cat in 1999 as I was fishing Rayburn and Toledo Bend and wanted a bigger boat. Mine was the riveted design but never had a lick of trouble (no leaks) with it. Just wanted a bigger boat for bigger water. There are times (like at the gas station) where I really miss that boat.

I have a 2012 txw175 with a 60hp merc. I sold a great Ranger 360v with a 150hp merc to buy it and i have zero regrets. I love aluminum and i love my Tracker. I put a 24 volt trolling motor on it, a recessed tray and 2 hds7 touch graphs. Im in love with it! I've had it all over kansas, missouri, oklahoma and texas. From as big as Ray Roberts to backing in to farm ponds. It does exactly what i want it to do.

Very economical and don't need a big truck to tow. I had a 1988 for 14 years then a 2002 for 14 years. Try to buy as much boat as you can practically afford. $4K might indicate a pretty depreciated boat. Very happy with the aluminum route.

Got a good look at it tonight as I started pulling carpet and seeing what all condition it's in

Neat layout for sure Just wished they gave ya a little more hose to move things around with

So far I'm impressed with it

The Dodge truck of boats. There are several on every used car lot, not because they are the number one selling truck, but because they suck.

Easy there......

Keep looking, I sold my 2003 175 in show room condition for $4500.

tracker may be the dodge truck of the boating industry but keep in mind they have been in the business a long time an mr morris has accumulated enough wealth to buy all the great bass boat builders he wants.

I have owned 3 Tracker boats through the years-from the mid 80s to the Tracker I presently own (a 2016 Pro 170). I keep the Tracker at home here in Carthage to use on smaller lakes around here. I have a 19 foot fiberglass boat I keep up at Lake Fork for fishing there and other big lakes (Falcon, Rayburn, Toledo).

I have been happy with all 3 of my Trackers. They hold their value pretty dang well when you go to sell them.
Just know going in that if you plan on fishing in windy weather, you will get your [censored] wet. Kinda goes with the territory.

I want that 19 ft the one that's really wide. Can't remember the model. Would be a great boat to fish in rivers.

Pro Team 195 TXW with 150 Merc.

I bought a 2006 PT 175 in August of 2005. Fished close to 100 tournaments out of that boat before putting her out to pasture. The comments about wind are spot on. A 900 pound tin can will get pushed around a bit on a windy day. I modified the 12v TM system by adding a second 12v battery in one of the insulated coolers behind the passenger seat...and connected them to a toggle switch. This allowed me to switch over to a fresh battery when needed during a windy tournament day. The comments about Trackers running shallow are true. I had several Top 10 finishes over the years only because I was able to get over some skinny water, and into productive back waters. The gas consumption with those rigs are extremely conservative. Doesn't take much fuel to push the boat...and doesn't take much truck fuel to pull it on the roads. I thoroughly enjoyed my 10 years with my Tracker, and hated to giver her up this past spring.

The only negative experience that I had with my Tracker was hull stress. Like all boats, Trackers have a stringer system, which is also made of aluminum. This stringer is angled to fit into the hull. If you look at diagrams of this system, there are several angle points where a 90 degree corner sits on the aluminum hull. Unfortunately, I wasn't aware of this fact when I had the Tracker on big water (Rayburn, T Bend) in 5-6 foot seas during tournaments. Over the years, I began to see stress cracks forming in my hull. Aluminum weld patches would hold up for a while, but needed to be reinforced several times.

My situation was not unique, as two other Tracker owners in my circuit also had the same issues. One sent his boat back to Tracker (who honored the hull warranty, and repaired the cracks), and the other decided to just sell his boat. There are many positive factors for running out of a Tracker...but navigating in heavy seas is not one of them.

Hope this helps

My 175 is going on its 16th year. It has been in the gulf of Mexico and many lakes in north Texas. It has fished in the McDonalds tournament @ Fork at least 10 times. I have caught huge catfish, redfish, bass, specks, sharks, sting rays, drum, crappie. I love my Tracker and may never give it up. I can nose into rocky banks and not worry about fiberglass damage. its simple practical and affordable. Best thing I have ever bought!

I have a 2017 Pro Team 195 TXW. I love it. Been on Lake Livingston in pretty heavy wind and it did fine.