Elkins45 Posted January 17 Share Posted January 17 I’m fishing from a really good deep V but I’m getting the urge for a true bass boat as well. I’m not finding any great deals on used boats at the moment and I see you can get the basic Tracker with a 50 HP for somewhere around $17K after all the fees, etc. I was pricing an equivalent G3 and their list price for a bare bones 16ft boat with a 50 is approaching $30K. What’s the go-to deal for a 16-17 foot bass boat if not the Tracker? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elkins45 Posted January 17 Author Share Posted January 17 I did find this, which might be OK if I could live with a 40. https://louisville.craigslist.org/bod/d/adolphus-new-2023-crestliner-1600-storm/7707712910.html 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
airshot Posted January 17 Share Posted January 17 If shopping new, gonna be hard to beat the Tracker deals !! No one else buys in such quanity as to get the better prices. As far as used go....patience....I spent well over three months of hard shopping, checking every advertisement many times each day. When the boat I wanted came along, drove 200 miles with cash in hand. Nice, well cared for boats go fast !! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GRiver Posted January 17 Share Posted January 17 Patience, patience, patience…. @airshot is right for used boats. I looked for a long time, had actually kinda quit looking for a while. Then my nephew calls me and his next door neighbor has one for $800.00, needed work ( well a lot of work)but I didn’t mind. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susky River Rat Posted January 17 Share Posted January 17 10 hours ago, Elkins45 said: I see you can get the basic Tracker with a 50 HP for somewhere around $17K after all the fees, etc. I was pricing an equivalent G3 and their list price for a bare bones 16ft boat with a 50 is approaching $30K. What is basic vs bare bones? I loved my tracker. Great boat for the money. My g3 I feel is built better Yamaha outboards are more expensive to start with than a merc. the short answer is yes to your answer. Other boats may do things better or look better. The tracker will do everything good with slightly less quality. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Functional Posted January 17 Share Posted January 17 I bout my 2013 tracker 175 new and have been fishing from it ever since. Hasnt skipped a beat. Just about every year I consider trading "up" but its hard to justify when it does everything I want it to. You might also look into Crestliner though. While I love my tracker the Classic XL (im assuming based on price) you are looking into lacks a bit of deck space and I personally would likely step off of it on accident. The crestliner storm series gives you a full deck for about the same price. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super User gimruis Posted January 17 Super User Share Posted January 17 I think a Bass Tracker is about the cheapest entry level boat out there. I looked at them, Ranger, and Crestliner when I was looking for mod Vs back in 2015. The Bass Tracker was about $4,000 less than the other two in the same size boat/motor. The two reasons I decided against it was 1) the dealer was 20 miles further away, and 2) the lack of customizable options compared to the other two. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Global Moderator TnRiver46 Posted January 17 Global Moderator Share Posted January 17 The amount of mid-late 1980s bass trackers you see around here is staggering. They must have made something right, they are usually parked in a yard for a few years at some point and still run great 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaubsNU1 Posted January 17 Share Posted January 17 I'm a big believe in "buy once, cry once..." Many years ago, first time home owner, I needed a yard tractor...went as inexpensive as I could with a Craftsman riding mower. It worked, did the job...but after three years, was basically falling apart. Co-worker suggested a John Deere...No way I could afford that. He convinced me to look at some used JD's...wow, huge difference. Yes, it was more $$ up front...but they are built to last. No regrets. Great until we moved to city...sold it for top dollar, it held value well. Years later wife and I moved back to acreage...and I didn't make the Craftsman mistake again...found a gently used John Deere x750 with 79 hours on the clock. It was not cheap, but it's been a BEAST mowing grass and moving snow. I have 288 hours now...the Yanmar diesel routinely runs 3,500-4,000 hours...it will likely out-live me(!) Find a boat you like. Spend some extra $$ if you need. You will not regret it. (note, it took me two months to find my Lund Adventure). 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
airshot Posted January 17 Share Posted January 17 1 hour ago, gimruis said: I think a Bass Tracker is about the cheapest entry level boat out there. I looked at them, Ranger, and Crestliner when I was looking for mod Vs back in 2015. The Bass Tracker was about $4,000 less than the other two in the same size boat/motor. The two reasons I decided against it was 1) the dealer was 20 miles further away, and 2) the lack of customizable options compared to the other two. When the neighbor bought his Tracker, he bought it without electronics or trolling motor, just boat, motor of choice and trailer. With the money saved he added all his own stuff the way he wanted it. 4 minutes ago, DaubsNU1 said: I'm a big believe in "buy once, cry once..." Many years ago, first time home owner, I needed a yard tractor...went as inexpensive as I could with a Craftsman riding mower. It worked, did the job...but after three years, was basically falling apart. Co-worker suggested a John Deere...No way I could afford that. He convinced me to look at some used JD's...wow, huge difference. Yes, it was more $$ up front...but they are built to last. No regrets. Great until we moved to city...sold it for top dollar, it held value well. Years later wife and I moved back to acreage...and I didn't make the Craftsman mistake again...found a gently used John Deere x750 with 79 hours on the clock. It was not cheap, but it's been a BEAST mowing grass and moving snow. I have 288 hours now...the Yanmar diesel routinely runs 3,500-4,000 hours...it will likely out-live me(!) Find a boat you like. Spend some extra $$ if you need. You will not regret it. (note, it took me two months to find my Lund Adventure). While I agree with your buy once/ cry once thoughts, sometimes it depends on how the object is used. We moved out into the country and I bought a Craftsman yard tractor, a cheap model. Lasted well over 10 years mowing and plowing snow, was still in great shape when I sold it. It was just to slow to mow three acers! I went zero turn to cut mow time in half !! JD makes different quality mowers, some are made by others and painted green, so be carefull what your buying... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super User gimruis Posted January 17 Super User Share Posted January 17 1 hour ago, airshot said: When the neighbor bought his Tracker, he bought it without electronics or trolling motor, just boat, motor of choice and trailer. With the money saved he added all his own stuff the way he wanted it. I actually did that too with my Ranger. You can save a lot of money if you buy those items separately on your own and just have the dealer install them. Bass Tracker wouldn't do that. They were very strict on customizable options. But this was back in 2015 too. It could be different now, and it may also vary from one dealer to the next. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susky River Rat Posted January 17 Share Posted January 17 Here’s another thing I would look at. How much are to realistically going to use this boat in the next 5 years? Are you serious about tournament fishing? Where do you want to fish? Many things to consider as much as the price. A tracker may serve you amazing. I fish completely different now than when I bought my tracker and why i wanted a different boat. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super User Koz Posted January 17 Super User Share Posted January 17 Before you pull the trigger, take a look at Lowe boats. They have a good entry level boat that is more customizable than a Tracker. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaubsNU1 Posted January 18 Share Posted January 18 7 hours ago, airshot said: While I agree with your buy once/ cry once thoughts, sometimes it depends on how the object is used. We moved out into the country and I bought a Craftsman yard tractor, a cheap model. Lasted well over 10 years mowing and plowing snow, was still in great shape when I sold it. It was just to slow to mow three acers! I went zero turn to cut mow time in half !! JD makes different quality mowers, some are made by others and painted green, so be carefull what your buying... @airshot, agree, it does depend on what you are buying. You did much better with Craftsman than I did...and I did not move snow. When we moved to town in 2005, I was trying to sell my JD 445 for around $5k...neighbor scoffed at me, saying he could buy three box-store riding mowers for that price. I held firm and got good $$ for the 445. Over the next five years the neighbor did go through three box-store riding mowers. Asked the seller to throw in his 60" zero-turn with the deal on acreage...but seller declined. I'm glad they did...Really like the JD x750. Diesel, power steering, hydraulic deck lift...picked up the 54" snow blower used...moves snow like a champ. No where near as fast as a zero-turn, but the cut is nice, and I'm in no hurry. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
@reelChris Posted January 18 Share Posted January 18 The lower end Trackers sell for the prices they do because they are the bare minimum to be fishable. Their fish finders are very basic, trolling motors are just powerful enough to move the boat in the wind, decks are wood instead of aluminum, the carpet is light weight and wears out quickly, compartments are held closed by friction and are not water tight, and the wiring under the console is a confusing rat's nest. Build quality is highly variable as well. If you are comfortable with all of that, then consider the Pro 170 over the Classic. The 170 has much better rod storage, a significantly larger front deck and a much more usable live well. The real-world difference in price is minimal, but those three differences make fishing much much easier. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dogface Posted January 18 Share Posted January 18 On 1/16/2024 at 9:59 PM, Elkins45 said: I did find this, which might be OK if I could live with a 40. https://louisville.craigslist.org/bod/d/adolphus-new-2023-crestliner-1600-storm/7707712910.html Just an FYI I do not if the Mercs are similar but the difference between the 40 HP Suzuki and the 50 Suzuki is the computer. I was going to upgrade my computer but the cost was not cheap and I was told I might gain a couple of miles per hour so I passed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Functional Posted January 18 Share Posted January 18 13 hours ago, Dogface said: Just an FYI I do not if the Mercs are similar but the difference between the 40 HP Suzuki and the 50 Suzuki is the computer. I was going to upgrade my computer but the cost was not cheap and I was told I might gain a couple of miles per hour so I passed. I think the Merc 75 and 115 is similar. The 75 just needs a tune if I remember right. If you can boost the 60 with something similar please someone fill me in! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
airshot Posted January 18 Share Posted January 18 14 hours ago, DaubsNU1 said: @airshot, agree, it does depend on what you are buying. You did much better with Craftsman than I did...and I did not move snow. When we moved to town in 2005, I was trying to sell my JD 445 for around $5k...neighbor scoffed at me, saying he could buy three box-store riding mowers for that price. I held firm and got good $$ for the 445. Over the next five years the neighbor did go through three box-store riding mowers. Asked the seller to throw in his 60" zero-turn with the deal on acreage...but seller declined. I'm glad they did...Really like the JD x750. Diesel, power steering, hydraulic deck lift...picked up the 54" snow blower used...moves snow like a champ. No where near as fast as a zero-turn, but the cut is nice, and I'm in no hurry. Those tractor mounted snoblowers are awesome !! Fellow down the road can throw snow clean over his garage with his !! Just beware as JD has a company makeing box store junk and putting the JD name on them, there are a bunch being sold in my area, go to an actual JD dealer !! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T.J. Posted January 18 Share Posted January 18 5 hours ago, Functional said: I think the Merc 75 and 115 is similar. The 75 just needs a tune if I remember right. If you can boost the 60 with something similar please someone fill me in! 40/50/60 are the same motor and the 75/90/115 are the same. Different ECU and cam shafts I believe. No upgrading the 60 to more horse power. There were companies that would flash the computers but Mercury shut them all down. Only option is to replace the ecu with one for the higher hp motor and remove the restrictor plate. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woody B Posted January 18 Share Posted January 18 I like my Tracker (Classic XL). I sold my other boat 30 years ago. It was basically a fiberglass jon boat with a 25 hp tiller steer engine. My Classic XL is an aircraft carrier compared to it. I didn't know anything about modern boats. I also wanted a boat, and wanted to start back fishing (after 30 years). I didn't know how much I'd actually fish. I would have went with the Pro 170, but I sent Mrs B pictures of the Classic XL and the Pro 170. She said the black Classic would look good behind my black pickup. I love my Classic XL. I've made changes and added stuff. I fish multiple times most weeks. I've had the boat since December 2022. I currently have a little over 300 hours on the motor. I have no intentions of getting another boat. With that said, had I known when I was buying it what I know now I'd have bought a boat that was a little wider like a Pro 175, or maybe a Crestliner. Added: At the time I bought it I didn't know what I wanted for electronics or trolling motors. The original sonar unit that came on it is on my Grandson's "pond boat". The original 45 pound thrust Edge trolling motor is on a friends 1995 Tracker who's original trolling motor quit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaubsNU1 Posted January 19 Share Posted January 19 6 hours ago, airshot said: Those tractor mounted snoblowers are awesome !! Fellow down the road can throw snow clean over his garage with his !! Just beware as JD has a company makeing box store junk and putting the JD name on them, there are a bunch being sold in my area, go to an actual JD dealer !! Yep, love the 54" snow blower. And yes, JD makes some box-store junk. Thankfully mine is not one of those. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super User gimruis Posted January 19 Super User Share Posted January 19 21 hours ago, @reelChris said: decks are wood instead of aluminum You can’t be serious with this. I thought wood was a thing of the past with modern boats. There is no reason to use an inferior material that rots anymore. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susky River Rat Posted January 19 Share Posted January 19 @gimruis he is serious Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super User gimruis Posted January 19 Super User Share Posted January 19 39 minutes ago, Susky River Rat said: @gimruis he is serious 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Born 2 fish Posted January 19 Share Posted January 19 On 1/16/2024 at 8:38 PM, Elkins45 said: I’m fishing from a really good deep V but I’m getting the urge for a true bass boat as well. I’m not finding any great deals on used boats at the moment and I see you can get the basic Tracker with a 50 HP for somewhere around $17K after all the fees, etc. I was pricing an equivalent G3 and their list price for a bare bones 16ft boat with a 50 is approaching $30K. What’s the go-to deal for a 16-17 foot bass boat if not the Tracker? A aluminum tracker is not a true bass boat to be honest with you. I’d just keep fishing out of your nice deep v before buying a new tracker. But that’s just my opinion 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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