What do you all think of a 2002 18" 48" grizzly tracker, too narrow and unstable?

I'm looking for a Jon Boat to build into a platform bass boat that my son and I would fish off of.

He is 230lbs  and basically a bull in a china shop and I'm 200lbs.

 

I've read a few people saying to stay away from this era grizzly boat as the welds are inferior and the aluminum is thinner than industry standards, any truth to this.

Meant to type 18'(foot) 48"(inches)

Interesting your looking at this.. just came across same boat / year  on Craigslist but pretty sure it’s a scam. I’ve been looking forever myself. Interested in the replies to follow 

Yeah I'm sure we're seeing the same listing, It does seem too low of a price for what it is, maybe your right some sort of scam.

still interested in anyones thoughts on this narrow of a boat for it's length 

The NADA guide says the 2002 1848 weighs 405 pounds. It also says it's rated for a 9.9.

 

www.nadaguides.com/Boats/2002/Tracker-Marine

 

My 2014 1648 Grizzly weighs 495. Or it did when it was a bare hull. It's rated for a 25.

 

The 2021 1648 weighs 638 and is rated for a 40. Now I know why the price has gone through the roof.

"NO HAGGLE NO HASSLE National Price  $4,095."

 

So I’ll take that as they were inferior back then and I should probably keep looking. 

any thoughts on stability once you get into the longer boats, how does your 16’ handle. 
 

thanks for all the info as well, a large help. 

11 hours ago, Bassin Bruce said:

Yeah I'm sure we're seeing the same listing, It does seem too low of a price for what it is, maybe your right some sort of scam.

still interested in anyones thoughts on this narrow of a boat for it's length 

I received a email from the seller.. most definitely a scam. 

Did he want you to deposit a mere $10,000 dollars in a African bank and he’d repay with $100,000. Plus a bass boat. 

1 hour ago, TcRoc said:

I received a email from the seller.. most definitely a scam. 

Were they working overseas or on the other side of the country taking care of a sick mother? 

Lol, Selling for deceased family member.  Ebay would transport it, should I continue with the sob story? 

My 1648 is steady as a rock. Of course I've added glued down carpet, 3 x 67-pound batteries, a Maxxum 70, an Endura Max 55 if I'm not using the 9.9 Merc, 2 chairs, and usually 2 of us at 210 pounds each. It's also slow as a rock, even with 6.5 pitch Merc prop instead of the standard 8.5. I can still get it up to 12 or 13 mph on a good day. Might make 14 if I have my 104-pound wife and the 24-pound dog. It's okay though, the restricted reservoirs aren't that big and mostly we fish electric.

 

The sturdiest part of the boat is the $100 piece of aluminum I bought and cut to size with a grinder.   

 

 

The boat in the background is my buddy's 30-year-old 1648 Polar Kraft. I took my new boat to his garage and started working on it. Didn't even put it in the water once.

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Thank you very much for posting your experience with the 48" wide boats. I'm going to say it probably won't be a major concern then going off of what you have found.

Thank you very much for posting your experience with the 48" wide boats. I'm going to say it probably won't be a major concern then going off of what you have found.

And for reference we're now fishing out of a 1986  Coleman scanoe, it's one of those flat bottom square back canoes. And as long as my little buddy up front doesn't move around too quickly we're surprisingly okay with the stability of that, I really just want more casting room.

Decked out and fished out of a 1448 jon. Plenty stable, of course not as good as a bigger boat but did the job well. 

On 12/21/2020 at 6:38 PM, Bassin Bruce said:

the aluminum is thinner than industry

 

There are no industry standards 

 

On 12/22/2020 at 3:48 AM, Bassin Bruce said:

any thoughts on stability

 

Bottom width, the wider the bottom width the more stable.

The the only aluminum boat (not counting my canoe) other than just basic flat jons and most unstable boat I've ever owned was a 1986 model year Fisher 15' with a front deck and pedestal seat on front and 40hp Johnson for $1,200.  Thought the motor was locked up but ended up being the lower unit and fixed that for just a few bucks.  Bought it cheap and sold it cheaper just about as quick.  Fished out of it one time and sold it. 

If you were sitting in the front pedestal seat, there was no way you were going to sit up straight.  You were going to be leaning to one side or the other and to lean over the side to lip a fish, took some nerve. 

Sold it for $900 after it sat in my yard a few months just to get rid of it.  The guy that bought it had also done some stuff for me was the reason I let him have it so cheap.

JohnBT 

From the pics, you did a nice job, there is one thing that might come back to bite you after long term use.  Where you use door hinges, I would have use a heavy piano hinge that spreads the stress out over the whole length when you stand on it.  I do see you put bracing under the lid where the hinges are so that might help make it live a long happy life.  Again, though, very nice job you did there.

Of course I was wondering, how to you drive it, with your feet?  Do you have some kind of extension to go on the tiller or do have to take the pedestal seat down or reach around it every time you move.

Just pulling your chain.

If it was me, I would add a second pedestal base offset for which ever hand I used to keep from having to stay corkscrewed around to steer it, unless you just throw it out of the way and sit on the deck.  My old backbone don't like that.  I put the sliding seat rails in my jons so I can move them offset to steer.

"Where you use door hinges, I would have use a heavy piano hinge that spreads the stress out over the whole length when you stand on it."

 

Thanks, but the hinges are mostly to keep it from flying off at interstate speeds. And to keep it from hitting the motor clamps when closing. After cutting the sheet to size we added the length of 2" x 2" and then took the scraps and added two shorts pieces to the seat side. After walking on it and having both of us stand on it, we added the last two angled scraps on the ends for the heck of it and then installed the hinges.

 

The unsupported part of the sheet is only 39.5" by 11.5". I had to go measure that just now. 

 

That was spring of 2014 and I haven't had to so much as tighten a screw or nut on it since.

 

At the beginning we thought about ordering a piano hinge, but I decided to go wait in line at the local branch of BMG Metals and order partial sheet of 1/8" 6061-T6 and a piece of angle aluminum. After ordering and paying I had to drive to their warehouse near the airport to have it cut. 

 

And steering the boat from the stern has never been a problem. Turn the seat a little to the side and drop your arm back and twist away. I never fish with the rear motor on so it's just not a problem. Most of the time the 9.9 stays in the garage. The transom trolling motor is mostly for backing out of jams, off logs and stumps, and getting away from the bank after retrieving a lure. And unloading and loading the boat of course.