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I was sent a kind note from Bass-Tracker..


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11 hours ago, volzfan59 said:

Things must have changed since I worked at BPS, we'd let people order boats with whatever they wanted on them. 

This was back in 2015. Pre-dates the BPS acquisition of Ranger.

 

Cant comment on what kind of customizable options they have now. I have no reason to be boat shopping other than in my dreams or at the Boat Show in January.

 

Another item that also turned me off was that they were still using wood to make their boats. Plus the dealer/service center was about 45 mins away compared to the other 2 dealers in my consideration that were about half as far.

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33 minutes ago, gimruis said:

This was back in 2015. Pre-dates the BPS acquisition of Ranger.

 

Cant comment on what kind of customizable options they have now. I have no reason to be boat shopping other than in my dreams or at the Boat Show in January.

 

Another item that also turned me off was that they were still using wood to make their boats. Plus the dealer/service center was about 45 mins away compared to the other 2 dealers in my consideration that were about half as far.

Interesting, must be a store to store thing. I was working at BPS in 2015.

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FWIW BPS offered trolling motor and electronics upgrades when I bought my boat.  At that time I'm simply didn't know what I wanted.  I needed time on the water to decide.  I didn't ask about the prices.   I suspect they were high compared to what the changes I made myself cost.  They're there to make a profit, and they have to pay the technicians who do the work.  I didn't have to pay myself.  

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2 hours ago, Susky River Rat said:

You would probably just have just been paying for the electronics itself. 

You can actually save a fair amount of money buy electronics, bow mounts, etc yourself.  The dealer will usually install them for you, sometimes at no charge.

 

When I bought my boat in 2015, I already had graphs and a minn kota maxxum brand new, in the box for them.  Their basic factory options were trash and I knew that ahead of time so I brought my own items to the dealer and they installed them at no charge.

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@gimruis on my new boat I didn’t get any factor installed options either.  I am very spoiled to deal with a great family owned dealership. There mindset is  be fair pricing and great customer service. This area has a lot of competition boat sales wise believe it or not. 

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The only real negative I have heard about Trackers is that due to the way the bow access is designed that it can be hard to do a DIY electronics install and an upgraded trolling motor install. There are a bunch of articles and videos on those issues.

 

For an aluminum boat, I've heard good things about Lowe and they allow for more customization at the point of purchase.

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The last Aluminum boat I owned was a 19' bass style made by Fisher Boat Company out of Wayne Indiana. If anything, it was "overbuilt". I never had a bit of trouble with it, other than some mouse damage to the wiring. For an aluminum boat, it was pretty heavy, but the workmanship on it was first rate. I got it used when it was 6 years old, and I had it for another 10 years after that. It never leaked a drop of water. If there is a dealer in your area, you may want to check them out. I have not looked at their prices or models in the past few years, so I don't know how competitive they are.

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I have a 2021 version of the boat advertised.  I actually bought it in 2020, just before the price increased $4-5K.  It's a package-deal; so, they won't switch out the fish-finder or trolling motor.  Of course, you can buy a separate trolling motor or fish-finder and have the dealer install it. I bought mine from BPS and they gave me a discount card that was good for 10% off purchases up to 2 years after the boat purchase date, which helped buy some upgrades.  Also, when I bought mine, BPS waived the shipping fee if you picked it up at their store in Springfield, MO.  I'm from the area originally and my Mom still lives outside of Branson, MO; so, it wasn't a big deal for me to drive the 12+ hours each way from SW GA to save an extra $1,000. I primarily fish Lake Eufaula and Lake Seminole here in SW GA and the boat works great for me.  Admittedly, it's a smaller boat so it's impacted by wind easily.  But, I graduated to it from a kayak and was used to dealing with wind in a kayak. I just plan my fishing areas based on the weather.  I also stay away from the main-lake body if it's windy or if there's a bunch of boat traffic.  Storage may be an issue for some and it's not a tournament boat since it only has a 9-gallon live-well.  I put a 7-lb bass in there while I was getting ready to take pictures of it and I couldn't imagine trying to put 2-4 more fish in there with it for a tournament.  The 50hp motor moves the boat just fine with me and my family in it (wife + 2 boys ages 3 & 1) and we cruise between 33-35 MPH. The 6-gallon fuel tank is limiting but manageable and easily upgradeable, if one wanted.  I probably can go about 40-miles with one tank of gas, so I haven't upgraded the tank.  Again, I just pick an area of the lake I want to fish and generally stay in that area.  My one complaint is that it lacks a rod locker but rod-storage is okay as I usually keep 10-12 rods in the boat, with the longest being 7'6".  I've thought about upgrading but I can't really justify spending more just to have a little bit more room.  

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  • 1 month later...

I run a 2007 Triton VT 17 with a 50HP. I upgraded the electronics to a Garmin 93 UHD on the console and a Garmin Echomap 73sv on the bow. I took off the 46lb 12V Motorguide Trolling Motor and upgraded it to the Motorguide Tour Pro with Pinpoint 82lb 24V. Added a second 12v battery. I fish local tournaments out of that boat. It fits easily in my garage, it's easy to pull, easy on gas, I can beach it near rock without worrying about hurting it and it will drift in as shallow of water as the trolling motor can go. Two people can fish from it comfortably. It's not a speed demon I can run 32mph by myself in calm water and roughly 29-30mph with a partner. Most importantly I bought the boat outright so I own it and it's sentimental to me because it's my first bass boat. I've thought many times about trading it but I just cannot justify going into debt and taking on a monthly payment when there isn't really need to. The next thing I want to do is add Livescope Plus. In order to do so I will need to add a new unit on the front bow which I don't really want to drop 3K right now but may some day. 

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On 11/21/2023 at 11:14 AM, keagbassr said:

14k for a 16 'inch' 😉 bassboat seems a little steep,but hey its your money😁image.png.16d12b3151c40dd0aa519ccb6c4f3dc2.png

Man I want that office chair in my boat... 

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