Bey guys I have been a long time lurker here and love to hear your opinions. I am down to 2 boats both are comparably priced. Give me your opinions and which you would get Thanks

1986 Skeeter 15 1/2 ft, 75hp Mercury engine with trim, Motor Guid Trolling motor, Hummingbird depth finder, Boat looks and runs very good. Drive on trailor has new running boards and painted in last 2 yrs. Boat will run app 38mph with 2 persons. 2 live wells with areation pumps. This boat has been recarpeted and looks good

1987 17ft Bass tracker TX 17 This boat has a 45hp 2 stroke outboard motor. Not sure of the hours. It has TWO Depth/Fish Finders, Trolling Motor w/Foot Control, Live Well, And Seats 4. This boat has been taken very good care of. This boat is clean as a pen carpet looks great. Motor looks brand new inside and runs great.

I am just your ordinary weekend fisherman, no tourneys just a bank banger. Thanks

I'd go with the Skeeter, smoother ride, more stable, & more room  

glass rig

I guess I'm the odd man out.  I would go with the Bass Tracker.  It's aluminum, and will be much more forgiving if you hit a stump.  It's much lighter than a glass boat so will use less fuel and it be cheaper to tow.  In addition, many glass boats of that era used wood in the hull framing, so you may have unseen rot going on.  On the other hand, aluminum boats of that era used through-hull rivets to secure the bracing, so there is a strong possibility that you will have leaks.  This usually isn't a problem if you make sure your bilge pump is operational.

My first boat was a 1996 Pro 17'6" Basstracker with a 45hp Mercury, it was a great first boat and worked wonderfully. I have since graduated to an Xpress X18 with a 150 Merc but there is a pattern, they are both aluminum boats. The tidal rivers I fish can be very dangerous and would chew a glass rig to pieces so I stick to the dependability and durability of aluminum boats. So in conclusion, go with the tin boat it'll stand the test of time on the water better than any glass rig out there...

I would keep the most reliable of the two. There is much to be said about getting on the water as opposed to mechanic blues on the weekend.

both boats are old. If both boats have been well cared for I'd choose the glass rig over tin because of ride, comfort and storage.

Potential pitfalls for both.

Old Aluminum boats can and do leak.  Especially trackers. They can also have rot since parts of any tin boat have wood in them.

Old glass boats can have rot in the transom and stringer system.  Take a real close look at that before deciding.

Good luck.

Did we notice that the "glass rig" is a 15 footer???

..and it is before there was alot of storage in glass boats. It is an '86...so it will have the real short front deck...it was not until what?...early 90's that we started seeing full front decks and a good quantity of storage in bass boats...

I think he may actually have more fishing room in the 17 foot alum.

The TX 17 rides like a brick though. It is what I have...and if there is any big water near you and you want to be able to fish something other than inland lakes...go with the skeeter. The TX-17...while a good first boat...is not the boat for rough waters. That boat will jar your fillings loose in rough water.

I have a 1980 15.5' Skeeter SS-1 Fisherman bass boat and know that the boat was exactly the same in 1984.  I had to buildout the front deck to make storage and make it more useable.  Mine didn't have much storage and the boat hull has open cell foam in it.  The foam can get saturated with water and really weigh down the boat.  With the new deck on my boat and my fishing gear it runs 34 MPH.  It is a trihull and has a little bit of trouble getting on plane going into the wind.  I have a 1977 70HP Evinrude with a 13"x15" prop.  The back deck is tiny in my boat.  My partner's always complain about the space.

I don't have much experience with the Tracker but I would bet that it will go about 30 MPH.  The aluminum hull will hold up better than the glass boat.  It probably has a lot more storage space as well.  I would bet that it is more narrow and less stable than the skeeter.

If I had to pick between the two storage space would be the most important thing for me.

Here is a link to pictures of my boat and the 1984 version:

http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1173837565/0

Is this boat similar to the one you are looking at?