I found something on the new trailer that came with the Nitro Z7.

All of the wiring passes through holes drilled in the framework and washers that are welded to the frame. Not a single one of these places had rubber grommets or any other type of protection to prevent the chaffing of the insulation where the wires pass through these metal components.

Guaranteed that over time, left as they are, shorts will be the result, and, you will be looking at rewiring the trailer.

Save yourself some grief and get some rubber grommets to prevent the wires from chaffing. If you cannot find the grommets, get a length of heavy rubber tubing, such a fuel line. Cut three or four inch sections, split them and place aroung the wires with the midpoint of the protector placed at the hole in the steel frame. A few wraps of electrical tape to hold the hose in place and you are good to go.

Also, inspect all plugs. On my new trailer, they were dry, and a thin film of corrosion had already formed. Use dielectric grease liberally on the contacts. It will seal out moisture. Should you need to separate the plugs, you will have no problem. Grease these plugs at least once a year. More often for the plugs that are submerged on a regular basis.

One more thing. The ground for my trailer is on the tongue, beneath it, and of all things, on the bottom side of a plate where it is exposed to road debris and who knows what else. It is clamped with a small bolt. To protect this vital part of the electrical system, it should be mounted on the topside of the plate, which is easily accessible. I will move that ground to the protected area.

It really galls me that to save a few cents or a couple of bucks, that corners like this would be cut. I'd rather pay five or ten bucks more for a trailer, than to have to rewire it down the road. The more miles the trailer is towed, the sooner it will become a problem.

Trust me, BPS has already gotten an earful.

My Ranger trailer uses tubes throughout the trailer for the wires to run through.  this protects the wires completely.  Also, all the lights are in sealed housings, which are great until a bulb finally dies.  Then you have to replace the whole unit, which is hardwired in.  So it's a minor pain to replace. Oh well, small price to pay.

Wow it really is expensive owning a boat.

Boat, is a four letter word.

B.O.A.T. - Break Out Another Thousand

Therein lies my problems with Tracker Marine and why I probably won't own another.  Absolutely zero documentation.

And good luck finding anyone at a dealer who can tell you much about your boat/trailer.

I've resolved the wiring issue on my own.  5/8" heater hose worked perfectly.  Took a three inch length and sliced it lengthwise to receive the wires passing through the holes.

Then rolled it tightly around the wires.  Made for a snug fit when worked into the trailer holes, and the washers.  No way the wires will chaff at those places now.

Moved the ground wire to the top of the plate, where it is now protected, or shielded from road debris.

It is fortunate that I have had decades of experience with boat that operate under much harsher environments than bass fishing, and have learned that protecting the conductors of electricity and vital fluids is of the utmost importance, as well as how to isolate various components from shock can make a huge difference in their durability.

None of them require exotic or expensive materials.  Most can be obtained at your local automotive or hardware store.  Only a few can be found exclusively at marine supply shops.

I am still developing a punch list of things to correct.  Won't cost more than twenty bucks and a couple of hours time.  What is aggravating is that it should be necessary at all.

Therein lies my problems with Tracker Marine and why I probably won't own another. Absolutely zero documentation.

And good luck finding anyone at a dealer who can tell you much about your boat/trailer.

My local BPS guys were VERY helpful on this front. I got a lot of great info out of them. Maybe they are the exception to the rule, but I was very pleased with the sale and the hour long walk through of the boat, trailer, maintenance, etc. Dude knew his stuff, no doubt.

Therein lies my problems with Tracker Marine and why I probably won't own another. Absolutely zero documentation.

And good luck finding anyone at a dealer who can tell you much about your boat/trailer.

My local BPS guys were VERY helpful on this front. I got a lot of great info out of them. Maybe they are the exception to the rule, but I was very pleased with the sale and the hour long walk through of the boat, trailer, maintenance, etc. Dude knew his stuff, no doubt.

I suggest that you check the wiring that goes to the tail lights.  See if the wires pass through holes in the frame with nothing to protect them from chaffing, and then shorting out your wiring.

Maybe your trailer has rubber grommets or some other form of protection at those places.  Mine did not.

My walk through was fine, but it did not include a thorough examination of the package. 

Therein lies my problems with Tracker Marine and why I probably won't own another. Absolutely zero documentation.

And good luck finding anyone at a dealer who can tell you much about your boat/trailer.

Yeah, I bought my PT190TX used from a dealer that resells boats he buys at auctions.  It was in immaculate condition for a 3 year old boat but the only owner's manual he had was for the trolling motor. 

I figured that wasn't a big deal in the internet age so I got online.  I found that I could get the Mercury manual no problem, just had to cough up $20 for them to send it to me.  I couldn't find anything about the boat manual online so I picked up the phone and called Tracker.  They told me something to the effect of "Oh, there really isn't a manual.  It just has the warranty information in it."  I was like, "OK then.  Scratch that idea." 

Bottomline, I'm happy with the boat for the most part but I have to agree with Burleytog, how can you not have an owner's manual for a vehicle?

The owner's manual for a Tracker is almost entirely useless. 

And don't ever try to find a wiring diagram for a Tracker boat.  God forbid they actually labeled their fuse panels.

Trailer problems are not unique to Nitro/Tracker.  My brand new 2009 had a ton of quality issues that I had to address.

You would think that the dealer would check over the trailer and solve these problems before they sell the boat.

One more example of corporate stupidity from the bean counters regarding this trailer.

It has a fold away tongue.  The retaining clip that prevents the pin from sliding out is connected to the pin handle with a thin steel cable.  Why do they use a plain steel cable which is already rusty rather than one made of stainless steel.

We are talking about eight inches of cable.  Wouldn't cost them a dollar more to use stainless rather than something that rusts.

Disgusting.

The owner's manual for a Tracker is almost entirely useless.

And don't ever try to find a wiring diagram for a Tracker boat. God forbid they actually labeled their fuse panels.

I emailed Trackermarine asking for info on my 99 Pro deep V-17. They sent original brochure, (not really a manual, but good info) and diagrams for accessory harness, trolling harness, instrument harness, and stereo wiring harness. They also gave me the weight for the trailer used for that model.

The Z7 is coming in what $2000-3000 less than similarly rigged competitors? At least.

So 20 bucks and some elbow grease sounds like a good deal to me.

The Z7 is coming in what $2000-3000 less than similarly rigged competitors? At least.

So 20 bucks and some elbow grease sounds like a good deal to me.

That's not the problem.

The average guy is not going to give the wires going through the frame a second thought. Til, one of those wires shorts out the lights, and he struggles to find out why he's blowing fuses.

Of course, by then, the entire trailer should be re-wired. At what cost?

Not to mention this gem from the

Tracker page on the BPS web site.

[bBuild the best boat possible for the best price possible.

No compromises, no excuses and no shortcuts. That's the TRACKER® way.

So much for truth in advertising.  They did compromise.  They did take shortcuts.  They did not make excuses when I complained about the compromises and shortcuts.