ok i finally sold my trans am and now im gonna be buying a bass boat. im gonna go with a bass tracker because i have fished on them and like them plus they seem to be the most available and affordable. probably gonna go with something between 1990 and 2000. my biggest choice is boat size and motor. do i look for a boat with a 25hp or a 40hp and my biggest choice do i go with the 165/170 TX or the 175TX. i know theres a slight difference in size, length and width but will the little bit be noticeable on the water. we have smaller lakes out biggest being like 3000 acres most of the ones i fish will be between 150 and 800 but a couple upwards of 1500. ive been seeing alot of the 170s for sale one inpiticular for sale a 1997 w/25hp merc for 4k really clean and low hours. it seems like it would be good for me but i just cant help but think ill buy the 165/170 and then wish i had gone the little bit bigger in the 175. now im fishin in a 12' john so anything will be a yaht to me but what do it do.

Ryan

I have own all three 14 foot flat bottom ,16 foot bass tracker & now I own a fiberglass . The smaller waters you will be fishing the boats you are talking about is what you need . I will tell you this if later you start fishing big water & need to run a long way when it is rough you what fiberglass unless it is a v hull aluimum . I have been fishing for 35 years + so I been in boats in some bad wind . Not anymore I learn that it is better to pick the good weather days . Leave all the excitment to the young bucks . Dipnet

I would definatly go for the biggest boat you can get. Trust me, you will always need more room. Under deck storage is the best, look for that, it helps keep the deck clear of trouble.  I have every type of tackle I would ever need on my boat and woulod never know it. Fishing even a small lake or pond is alot more comfortable in a bigger boat than being cramped in a smaller one. Same goes for the motor, get the most hp you can. Just because you can go 50-60 mph does'nt mean you have to, but when that storm rolls in and you need to get to the ramp quick you will be glad you had that extra HP.

Rob

is anyone familiar with the 165/170 versions and the 175 versoins to tell me if it makes a diffrence or not. id like the 40hp if i can get it even tho most lakes in nj are 9.9hp restricted but ill get a kicker for those days. basically im lookin for someone who can say for sure either dont worry about it they are the same deal or go for the 175 because the room is way better on it.

My partner had a 175 with a 50hp on it, he sold it last year and bought a 185 inboard jet. We fished out of it in many tournys. Lots of room in that boat. The 165 is narrower and shorter, plus it sucks on rough water. Check the specs on them. The 40 hp should give you about 30-32 mph.

Rob

A few months or so ago I picked up a 87 Bass tracker tx-17 with a rebuilt 87 Mercury Classic 50 (45hp). The boat actually measures 16'4" with a 6ft beam. After re-propping the boat I'm getting 28-29mph with two guys and gear and 30mph(gps) with just me and my gear. Max recommended hp on this boat is 80hp.

The 165 is about 4 inches shorter than mine with the same beam width. I believe the difference in length is in the rear of the boat. The rear deck looks to be about 4 inches shorter than mine. Otherwise it's the same boat. I would imaging this boat would be a little bit faster than mine due to the lighter weight.  

The 175 is a newer boat, it measures 17'10" and the beam is 1-2ft wider. The hull is also a pad type hull like a glass boat so it will have more performance potential. These boats are longer, wider, more stable, have more storage and will hold a larger engine. Unfortunately since these boats are newer you're going to spend quite a bit more money on them.

While the 175 may be over a foot longer than mine, they have more decking so space in the center space of the boat is about the same. The rear deck looks to be about the same length but is wider. The front deck is quite a bit larger than mine.

Now having said all that, I've found the deck space on mine to be more than adequate. The boat is very stable for an aluminum boat, but it does tend to get blown around a bit in the wind. You're going to have to deal with this with virtually all aluminum boats because they are light. I fish a 1000+ acre lake, the Cape Fear river and the intracoastal waterway in this boat. It does well in the chop, but I wouldn't think about taking it out in really rough weather.

My advice to you is to get what you can afford. If you can afford the 175 by all means get it. It's really a toss up between the 17 and 165, If i had my choice I'd go with the 17. I would also look for one with the largest engine you can get. These boats aren't speed demons and don't respond well to the same tricks the high performance glass hulls do. The only real way to get a noticable amount of mph gain is to go with a bigger outboard.      

The 175 is a different hull than the other 2. It has better performance.

I would go with the biggest boat and motor you can afford and get. Unless you plan on fishing a lake that is HP limited.

My father-inlaw bought a 175 last year. He would have liked to get a 50HP or a 75Hp on it, but the lake that he lives by ( 10 minutes away from) and the one he will fish the most has a 20HP limit. So he got a 25HP ( we put 20 stickers on it) with 2 guys (both over 225lbs) and gear it runs right around 22mph on gps. But if you not going to be using a limited lake go for the biggest motor you can get. Like some else said, just because you have it, doesn't mean you  will use it all the time, but when you need to its nice to have the power to run

I have a 1996 Tracker Pro 17 with a Mercury Tracker 40 (a little underrated I think) and I've had it up to 38mph with 3 people, a full tank, and lots of tackle. With just me in it it'll cruise pretty good around 45. Also, this boat had a large front and back deck which make it easy to fish out of, my only complaint is it doesn't have enough storage space. But like dizzy said, go for the biggest and fastest boat you can get you'll be very pleased if you do.

ok ive just realized the difference now, i see the 165 and the tx17 are the older models and the tx170 and tx175 are the newer models. i also see the diffrence in hull shape, the older tx17 looks more like a big john boat. so what  is the advantages of the newer models and in what year did they change each model over to the new hull style?

I have a 1996 Tracker Pro 17 with a Mercury Tracker 40 (a little underrated I think) and I've had it up to 38mph with 3 people, a full tank, and lots of tackle. With just me in it it'll cruise pretty good around 45. Also, this boat had a large front and back deck which make it easy to fish out of, my only complaint is it doesn't have enough storage space. But like dizzy said, go for the biggest and fastest boat you can get you'll be very pleased if you do.

I'm willing to bet you are using the speedometer for those mph figures. Put a gps on that boat and you'll find out it's nowhere near that fast.

NJfishinGuy

From what I've seen the difference between the older and newer 17 footer is the newer one is a bit wider and is welded. Otherwise they are the nearly the same hull design, a mod-v. The newer 17ft boat doesn't have the padded hull like the new 175, from what I've seen the 175 and up have the pad type hull.

I have no idea what year they started the changes. The really early boats, like 83 and older were more like a Jon boat with a blunt bow. Mine is like the newer ones with a pointed bow.

what is a padded type hull? , im lookin at a 1997 pro team 17 is that a older 175 or the 170

heres a pic

This is a 2001 pro 175 with the padded type hull, notice where the drain plugs are.

This is a 17 footer with the standard hull.

The pad type hull has less boat in the water while on plane for less drag.

The only way to know for sure is to look at it.

so basically it just a deeper hull

In my opionion get the biggest of everything you can afford.  Longest boat, with the most storage, with the widest beam, and the largest engine.  You will thank yourself in the long run.  I have 17' Bass Tracker Tourment V-17.  It was the biggest I could afford at the time, now I wish it was bigger, if nothing else I wish it had a bigger engine.  I fish lakes that range from 300 acers - 10,000 and have been on bigger.  There have been times where getting off the lake was imparative, and my little 45hp engine just dosen't get it done.  Don't get me wrong, it's a great boat, I really love it, but it's also my first boat and I have learned some things.  One of those things is bigger can be better and with boats, it most definately is better.  

no. Its not just a deeper hull.

the pad will lift the boat at speed, making it a better performing boat. the less boat in the water the faster you go with less power.

it also makes it more stable.

If you have a 17  with a flat hull, and a 175 with a pad hull running the same power the pad hull will be faster.

all of the big glass Bass Boats use a pad style hull. a

I have a 1996 Tracker Pro 17 with a Mercury Tracker 40 (a little underrated I think) and I've had it up to 38mph with 3 people, a full tank, and lots of tackle. With just me in it it'll cruise pretty good around 45. Also, this boat had a large front and back deck which make it easy to fish out of, my only complaint is it doesn't have enough storage space. But like dizzy said, go for the biggest and fastest boat you can get you'll be very pleased if you do.

I'm willing to bet you are using the speedometer for those mph figures. Put a gps on that boat and you'll find out it's nowhere near that fast.

You're right.  3 people, full tank of gas and tackle with a 40hp doing 38mph. Sorry, no way.

38MPH???...... that's with current and a good tail wind... also the TM was on to

As much as I enjoy lurking I thought I would throw my 2 cents in. I just bought a 92 bass tracker Pro 17 with a 25 hp in September. This is the first boat I have owned and here are some of my observations so far....

The Pro 17 is narrow. Three people each with a tackle box and a couple rods fills up fast. Definately look at your storage options and needs

If you are on a big lake with some chop bring your raingear you will be wet.

Besides the boat motor be aware of the lb thrust of the trolling motor especially if you plan on hitting some bigger lakes.

If you are buying used dont overlook the condition of the trailer. Doesn't matter how nice your boat is if you cant get it to the lake

Generally you get what you pay for. The deeper your pockets the higher your expectations should be.

All this aside the boat has been an absolute blast coming from a person who only fished from a canoe. Bass Trackers are a great starter boat. Very basic and tough. A good value for the money.

Hope this helps

it did help thanks, i have a feeling im gonna check out a few boats and test them to see for myself but i think i wanna go for the 175 with a 40 at least. maybe i can convince my buddy to sell his lol

and dont forget that a smaller motor running full throttle will burn more gas than a bigger motor not having to go full throttle

I went with the Pro 17 mainly because it was an awesome deal and the boat had only been used 3 times since it was bought brand new. The narrow construction is actually a good thing to me because I mainly fish river systems that have strong tidal flows and the smaller the boat the less drag it creates in the current so the boat isn't constantly getting turned around by the current. And as for the speed, I'm just goin by wut the boats speedo says, which probably isn't right but oh well.  

I have a 1996 Tracker Pro 17 with a Mercury Tracker 40 (a little underrated I think) and I've had it up to 38mph with 3 people, a full tank, and lots of tackle. With just me in it it'll cruise pretty good around 45. Also, this boat had a large front and back deck which make it easy to fish out of, my only complaint is it doesn't have enough storage space. But like dizzy said, go for the biggest and fastest boat you can get you'll be very pleased if you do.

WHAT HAVE U BEEN SMOKING? 45mph with a 40hp motor on a 17' boat NO WAY!!!!! I run a 17' Tracker Targa Deep V with a 90hp motor and stainless prop and only get 42-44mph with myself, a full load and the livewell full.

;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

If you read my post above you will see that I am only going by what the boat's speedometer says, I do not have a gps so I don't know what the actual speed is. So I have to go by what the speedometer says.

NJFish, get the biggest, widest boat you can get.  If you take that boat to Hopatcong or the Delaware your going to get SOAKED.  I have a 18' deep V.  The rolling waves from boat traffic at Hopatcong and the Delaware had water splashing into my boat on a few occasions.  I couldnt imagine being out there with a 16' semi V.  Every inch of space is valued on a boat that size.  GO BIG.

does the 1998 Bass Tracker tournament v17 have an internal fuel tank ?