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To those who have bought Tracker Boats question for you...

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    #31
    Originally posted by RiverRat1 View Post
    I have a 2005 also and I absolutely beat it up. I even get comments on how bad I treat it but never have any real issues.

    So what year did Tracker go bad? I was debating getting a new one.
    Once the bean counters decided to change the aluminum alloy to a thinner more brittle material .090 thickness is when they started to develop hull cracks from the inside out. Look at a new one and you can already see the creases on the outside where the formers touch the hull from the inside. In rough water this is where the hulls crack. The alloy used is too brittle and has no give to it. It is lighter and cheaper and welds easier. Trackers made today don't like being bumped around in the stumps and the first place that will fail is the bow seam that is glued in place instead of welded. Here's one I repaired. The welding has to be done from the inside which means tearing out the floor and foam to get to it. A good welder I ain't. Looks like a dirt dobber did the job but it held. This was a 2001 model.
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      #32
      Didn't know Tracker was that bad. Might check into monarch, sea ark or the lowes aluminum boats.

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        #33
        Originally posted by muzzlebrake View Post
        Once the bean counters decided to change the aluminum alloy to a thinner more brittle material .090 thickness is when they started to develop hull cracks from the inside out. Look at a new one and you can already see the creases on the outside where the formers touch the hull from the inside. In rough water this is where the hulls crack. The alloy used is too brittle and has no give to it. It is lighter and cheaper and welds easier. Trackers made today don't like being bumped around in the stumps and the first place that will fail is the bow seam that is glued in place instead of welded. Here's one I repaired. The welding has to be done from the inside which means tearing out the floor and foam to get to it. A good welder I ain't. Looks like a dirt dobber did the job but it held. This was a 2001 model.
        The 165-180 were notorious for that. Especially the 170 and 175. It most often happens right were the keel meets the waterline. One of the fixes I did after welding the crack up was fab a piece of extruded "hat" material (rib material). And run the brace down to the keel and weld in place to the hull. Then weld the top to the beam. That would help keep the material at the keel from flexing in and out so much. Sometimes I'd have to fab a piece with an ark that is the same as the inside of the keel. Then rivet each side of the hat material. Then weld a vertical brace in two or four locations to the top of the hat material. It just depended where the crack was.

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          #34
          I bought a new Tracker Sportsman 2072 last year and use it to guide bowfishing trips out of. So far so good and no complaints.

          To answer your original question. The boat price is pretty much set in stone. The accessories are negotionable. I had them throw in a bank charger, extra battery for a 36vlt trolling motor, and wire it all in for my troller, no extra charge.

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            #35
            Brandon, you have been in mine. 1992 Pro 16. I have been on Granger when the wind came up and rode the waves, scraped a few rocks, hit a stump or two in Inks, and some logs/underwater trees on the Pedernales River, and never had a leak.. It's a Tracker and love it, but with changes to the hull materials I can't vouch for todays models. BTW..It still has some of your pond mud on it..LOL

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              #36
              Originally posted by Oleman View Post
              Brandon, you have been in mine. 1992 Pro 16. I have been on Granger when the wind came up and rode the waves, scraped a few rocks, hit a stump or two in Inks, and some logs/underwater trees on the Pedernales River, and never had a leak.. It's a Tracker and love it, but with changes to the hull materials I can't vouch for todays models. BTW..It still has some of your pond mud on it..LOL
              I believe they changed from 5086 to 5052 and went from .125 down to .090 and .100 thickness. 5052 is more resistant to corrosion.

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                #37
                One thing this boat will be used primarily in our 15 acre lake and maybe a handful of times out of the year in the river. The big motor will only be used to load the boat and when on the river. Trolling motor will be used vast majority of people he time. I doubt this rig would ever see any kind of big water

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                  #38
                  I have had my Tracker since 2001 and except for normal maintanance, never, ever had a problem with it. Either I have been lucky or their quality has slipped. A Tracker would be my first choice again. In fact, Because of bad knees slowing me down from stepping up and down on decks, if I ever gave up my Tracker, it would only be to use as trade in for a Tracker Pontoon.

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                    #39
                    Originally posted by fox1 View Post
                    Shoot I have a tracker I bought new in 2007 and have had no problem with it at all, I have bounced that boat off of every stump on Toledo bend and it still doesn't have a crack anywhere on it
                    X2. I had a tracker for years and bounced all over Toledo bend. Eventually, I upgraded to a more stable fiberglass boat. The tracker served my family well for years building memories.

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                      #40
                      To those who have bought Tracker Boats question for you...

                      Originally posted by BrandonA View Post
                      Im taking all this in, but that being said that , I often want wonder a lot about expectations vs realistic performance.


                      Do your research. I did last year and went with an aluminum Ranger.


                      Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

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                        #41
                        I bought a new 1860 MVX-CC in 2013. I really like the boat as it works good for river fishing and lake fishing if you use common sense. I have a removable down rigger set up for it and also have removable rod holders. I take care of it but it has a few battle scars and such.
                        Last edited by Radar; 04-21-2017, 08:46 PM.

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                          #42
                          Buy an Xpress aluminum boat and be done with it

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                            #43
                            Lowe, Xpress or Sea Ark are waaaaay better boats and about the same money or just a little more... That's why I like my GoDevil so much. .125 ga aluminum throughout the entire boat and built like a tank....

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                              #44
                              I came close to buying one once but never did. After reading all these post about troubles I'm sure glad I bought a Champion.

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                                #45
                                Originally posted by Hawkpuppy 1 View Post
                                Lowe, Xpress or Sea Ark are waaaaay better boats and about the same money or just a little more... That's why I like my GoDevil so much. .125 ga aluminum throughout the entire boat and built like a tank....
                                I looked at the Sea Ark and would say they are the top aluminum boat out there. G3 is nice too. When I was looking, Cabelas was where I stopped first and their salesman said the hulls had been splitting on some Lowe models and Lowe would replace the hull for free.
                                I think the OP is wanting a utility boat for rivers or a 15 acre lake so price may be a factor as well.

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