BuckeyeRon30

in short a direct answer is this, the COMMANCHE is the top of the line equipment package. when we got our Ranger we went COMMANCHE and got the various upgrades such as power steering, trailer upgrade interior upgrade etc. the sport series are no longer made. basically sport was "bare bones" which was still well equipped.

I would just look for a nice clean used 16 or 17 ft. alum. Lowe, Sea Nymph G3 are a few that come to mind. With boats if you are willing to be patient you can always find a nice clean boat that wasnt used near as much as the owner had intended.

have you gone to the dealer and actually sat in and tried out the decks? do this and if possible take a test ride and whatever feels best is best for you.

i ran across some on e-bay a few weeks ago.

abel, if you call boatboys, ask for Dave, he is not only a salesman but the owner and he will not let a deal slip away.

take it from me, I bought an aluminum last year, because the wife didnt want me to spend 20K, so I spent 11K, and now next year I will have to sell or trade in, a loss of course and then spend 20K for what I wanted in the first place. I love my aluminum boat but when the wind blows it is miserable.

usernam is right on. I did forget to mention the stability, the G3 is truly impressive. My dad has a Ranger and hadnt been in an aluminum boat in 15 years and was really impressed with the G3. way ahead of the aluminum boats he had back in the day. (had a tracker first then a fisher)

I gave 11000 for mine with a Guest on-board charger added and a bow mount depth-finder. my dealer boatboys in newark ohio has clearance 175's going real cheap. about 10,500 with a 60hp and 11000 with a 70hp. check them out a boatboys.com

yes, I did last summer here is what I found: the G3 was cheaper, better built and more to my liking. I inspected the welds on the Tracker and they looked sloppy, the G3 welds were very uniform and professional looking. The big thing for me was front deck space and storage. the G3 has a huge front deck and two huge storage boxes and a center rod storage that holds up to 7ft. rods. I also liked the overall look of the G3 better. I know alot of this is opinion, except for the price and deck, storage statement but I wanted to answer honestly. I do not want to offend any Tracker guys, I am sure they are great boats but this was my experience.

I fish an 18 acre private lake that sounds very similair, the homeowners assoc. wont let me put in any brush or laydowns so I am stuck as is. I fish the shallows at the dam end with alot of success. but the best spot is out in the middle over a submerged weed bed. without electronics I would have never found this type of structure but that is where I have caught most of my fish. also remember any slight change in depth even though it is mostly flat will hold fish.

that is pretty accurate, how he explained it during the seminar is this. "how excited would you get if you dreamed for 15 years about catching a big bass in a big tournament and then while out fishing on a boat it finally happens. YEOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW! that is why he said he yells, genuine excitement. the guy is great for the sport, he is well spoken educated and extremely personable. I dont thing there was a person in the room that was not impressed.

I had the opportunity to talk with IKE at bassmaster university in cleveland last week. I will tell you this he was the most down to earth pro at the seminar. I spent 20mins talking with him during a break and he took the time to look me square in the eye, listen to what I was saying and just talk like a fishing buddy. I was really impressed by him. And his seminar was one of the best I have ever seen, you could tell he actually put some time and thought into in unlike some other guys that just stood and talked about very little.

and a even more stupid less is trim up in your driveway, especially if you have to go uphill from your garage to the street. dont ask how I learned this lesson. I trim down to put boat in garage, pulled out to wash and #LHFOISDHOI what was that? skeg dug into soft driveway. lucky no damage.

I bought my first boat last year, and learned alot. the best thing I can tell you is do everything real slow and deliberate. do not get nervous, even if denny brauer is waiting on you to clear the ramp, take your time. load and unload real nice and easy until you get the feel.