Allen Der

i think you're pushing it too close. the drive train may be able to handle it, but I'd worry about your brakes and suspension. tow rating is only one number you need to consider. Gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) and Gross combined vehicle weight rating (GCVWR) should be looked at as well

if you're still looking, this guy has a good deal

I'm a bit biased but I say get the Lund for these reasons: its newer, it has a bulletproof suzuki 4-stroke, newer and better trolling motor, you're fishing small lakes, and I think you said your SUV can only tow around 1500lbs. Just make sure the transom and decks are solid

Ryobi made fishing reels???

you need to go to a good dealer get actual quotes. Tracker doesnt haggle on price but every other brand does and you'll likely find that once you start messing around with the Tracker "package" boats, their price advantage starts to disappear. Go find a Lund or Alumacraft dealer and get some "real" numbers, not some MSRP off a boat builder website

is anyone using their other plastics besides the swimbaits? their stick bait and finesse worms look interesting

Haha, I dont think I know anyone that was fishing Long on Sunday, but maybe he recognized my name from here. My real name isn't Allen Der either. Say Allen Der 3 times fast and you'll figure out the joke.

the aft flip up seats are about a $400 option that can be added to almost any lund model with a console. I have them on my Rebel 1650. Alumacraft and crestliner also have that as an option for their boats. I know Alumacraft has a aft deck extention option without the flip up seats for the Classic 165 CS

why limit yourself to a mediocre tracker? you're from Minnesota, home of 3 great boat brands, Alumacraft, Lund and Crestliner

I use trilene and sufix siege. personally I dont think either one stretches very much

I havent used one personally. I have some fenwick silverhawk rods from cabelas that I like alot. if they are still on sale for $60, you might want to consider those too. the new pro max are like $65 on Amazon

you have a Ride so your seat is adjustable forward and backward. when i had a ride, I'd usually slide my seat all the way forward if i was going to be paddling any distance or wanted more power to paddle upstream. slide it back if you have waves crashing over the bow as you will raise the bow with your weight further back. I also used a 240cm paddle, but I think a 250cm paddle is probably ideal for the Ride as long as you arent really short. a paddle blade with more surface area is ideal as well

I've heard some things on another site about Ranger aluminum quality and service that makes Tracker sound great. Have you looked at Alumacraft yet?

the new pescador pro's look really nice, although the price is higher than the regular and close to tarpon range

boat or kayak? I have both and want to try Long this year.

hybrid kayak FTW

no they dont sell Lund but they do have Alumacraft, Lowe, Ranger and Stratos

yes for $95. it says it right on their website. that pretty much takes away much of the price advantage of Ascend over quality brands like Wilderness Systems and Native that are sold by ACK with free shipping.

Keep in mind that there is no penalty for paying off a loan early or making more than the minimum payments

get a helix 9 or bigger without DI or SI and network it with your SI unit. you can run it all off the same transducer and share the SI and DI between units. you could always hook up the 2D sonar through a transducer built into or attached to your bow mount if you want to see what is directly below the bow of the boat.

looks like the same site just with a flat skin. like going from windows xp to windows 8

order a yak from ACK instead.

+1 for St Croix ML. I use both a Rage 6'9 ML XF and an Eyecon 7'0 ML F

I agree, but I'd suggest maybe bringing a buddy with just to be safe. You can get recreational loans from a local credit union for under 5% interest and up to 15 years, assuming you have decent credit. My minimum payment is $110 a month on $15k

these owners are taking their boats somewhere to fish. If they really want to sell their boats, they'll meet you at a lake for a test drive, if not you probably dont want that boat. Personally, if I was in your situation and you definitely dont want to go the utility boat route, you should be buying new and financing a boat. Interest rates are low and terms are long. you'll spend less money in the long run on something like a new Alumacraft Escape 165 with a 25hp 4-stroke motor. I bought a similar boat a few years ago for about $10k new. better than throwing away $3k up front on a motor that's going to be unreliable and a bunch of other things that are going to break down and cost you money.