First time boater needs info in Bass Tracker 170tx

[firebird1999us]

I've been doing a little bit of research and have come across a few nearly new Bass Tracker 170tx's with the 50hp Mercury 4-stroke in them...I would be using it in a small, private lake called lake Arrowhead in north Georgia just to be out on the lake and for fishing on the weekends...

I'm trying to stay away from Fiberglass boats because of the maintenece involved and the fact that there are some shallow spots on the lake that can be kind of unforgiving

Anybody have any input or own this model?

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: First time boater needs info in Bass Tracker 170tx

nice boat, tracker did have some problems with welds cracking a couple of years ago. corners of the transom.

 

[BWR1953]

Re: First time boater needs info in Bass Tracker 170tx

In 1985 I bought a brand new Bass Tracker Tournament TX-17 and kept it for almost 8 years without any issues. My only regret was that it had the 50hp Mercury, but was rated for 75hp... I should have gone for the larger motor. There were MANY times where I was longing for more speed. Over the years I met a few guys with the same boat but larger motors and the difference was remarkable.

It was a great little boat.

-BWR

 

[Rowroy]

Re: First time boater needs info in Bass Tracker 170tx

My father had one and it was truly a "fisherman's boat". What I mean by that is that they're: somewhat inexpensive, very forgiving in the water, have the ammenties of larger bass boats, and are just an all-around work horse.

 

[Starcraftguy1]

Re: First time boater needs info in Bass Tracker 170tx

Yes,it is a very nice boat for 2 people.Add a third and your mph will drop in half with that 50.I am in the same predicament with my bass tracker right now.It is a v-17 with a 40 Merc.So,I just go with 2 guys and our crap,At least then I can at least go 28 mph,lol.

 

[firebird1999us]

Re: First time boater needs info in Bass Tracker 170tx

Thanks for the input guys

 

[phil6127]

Re: First time boater needs info in Bass Tracker 170tx

I own a 2006, and preferred a 2-stroke, which Merc was not producing when I bought my boat, so I got it with a leftover 2005 (US made) 4 stroke Merc. Overall I love the boat, and do not regret getting it.

PROS: good ride, even though very light. (much better, for instance, than the older 165 models the preceded the 170. 170 has more of a V, and is wider. ) I've been in some pretty rough water on Lake Barkley in KY, but it handled it fine. Easy to tow - no problems towing with front drive minivan, and my full size 6cyl Chevy truck pulls it like there is no boat behind me. Fuel economy very good compared to my buddies with big fiberglass boats. I assume 4 stroke economy is better. Center rod storage very nice for boat this size. I added a nice fishfinder on the front, and it was pre-wired to make that easy.

CONS: workmanship was a little weak, in the interior fit and finish, but nothing major. Did not come with onboard charger, and it was a little tight installing one, but I was able to do that. Fishfinder on console very low end. livewell doesn't have pump out, and aeration is only done through adding fresh water - no recirculate option. (could be added if that was important, though) Fishfinder that comes standard is very basic. Speed is adequate for me, but don't expect more than spec - I get top end of 32-34 mph - exactly what specs said. Gas tank too big, in my opinion.... i would have rather had a little extra storage space back in back, because it takes a long time to go through a full 18 gallons of fuel

RECOMMENDATIONS: Stay away from a 25 hp. I think this would be underpowered. If you bassfish, I recommend that you buy a factory matching "butt seat" for the front - of course, that is a preference thing, and there is nothing wrong with aftermarket ones, but I think the matching seat available from dealer really looks nice and 'complete'.

If you have other questions, I'd be happy to answer.
P Price - Indiana

 

[phil6127]

Re: First time boater needs info in Bass Tracker 170tx

For what it is worth, with my 2-stroke 50, I don't lose much speed at all with 3rd person in the boat. maybe 3 mph, 4 tops. seems like it gets on plane nicely, and not affected much by the weight. With full livewell, and 3 people, it DOES take longer to get up on plane....

 

[firebird1999us]

Re: First time boater needs info in Bass Tracker 170tx

Thanks for the write-up Phil!

I did read that it doesn't come with a charger...since I'm kind of new to this what do you need a charger for and where/which one did you install?

 

[saumon]

Re: First time boater needs info in Bass Tracker 170tx

Charger is to "refill" the electric trolling motor battery. An onboard charger stay in the boat and you simply connect it when you came home. It do the same purpose as a regular battery charger but you don't have to take it in and out.

The starter battery is recharged by the main engine alternator.

 

[coltdog]

Re: First time boater needs info in Bass Tracker 170tx

Tracker boats, for the money, are real hard to beat. I bought a new Tournament V18 in 2004 with a 90 2-stroke Merc. It was a great fishing boat for inland lakes and even Lake Erie on selected days. I did not have one issue with the boat other than the running lights not working 100% of the time, although the dealer corrected this issue in just a few minutes.

I was very surprised with the smooth ride in this boat. I felt very comfortable in the boat, even in some 3-4 footers on a couple of Lake Erie trips.

Not sure what your budget is.... but I would highly recommend the Tournament V18. The 90HP is a good match for this boat as well. Boat would run 45-46 mph with equipment loaded down. Easy to tow, easy to trailer, and the V bottom was great in chop.

 

[firebird1999us]

Re: First time boater needs info in Bass Tracker 170tx

Tracker boats, for the money, are real hard to beat. I bought a new Tournament V18 in 2004 with a 90 2-stroke Merc. It was a great fishing boat for inland lakes and even Lake Erie on selected days. I did not have one issue with the boat other than the running lights not working 100% of the time, although the dealer corrected this issue in just a few minutes.

I was very surprised with the smooth ride in this boat. I felt very comfortable in the boat, even in some 3-4 footers on a couple of Lake Erie trips.

Not sure what your budget is.... but I would highly recommend the Tournament V18. The 90HP is a good match for this boat as well. Boat would run 45-46 mph with equipment loaded down. Easy to tow, easy to trailer, and the V bottom was great in chop.

That is a bit outside my budget...but of greater importance that's not something that would fit in my garage

 

[coltdog]

Re: First time boater needs info in Bass Tracker 170tx

The Tournament V18 had a swing away tongue and took up less space than a lot of 16 footers. A buddy of mine just bought a used 05 Tournament V18 in great shape with a 115 Merc 2-stroke for $11,000. The deals are out there, just look hard.

Good luck - either way you go I think you'll be happy with a Tracker, especially for the money.

 

[mphy98]

Re: First time boater needs info in Bass Tracker 170tx

Have one, good small lake boat for the money, you will get wet if it gets wavy out there, no real problems, don't have the bad welds that some have talked about. just a good fishing platform for a smaller lake. Do not take out on large lakes.

 

[firebird1999us]

Re: First time boater needs info in Bass Tracker 170tx

The Tournament V18 had a swing away tongue and took up less space than a lot of 16 footers. A buddy of mine just bought a used 05 Tournament V18 in great shape with a 115 Merc 2-stroke for $11,000. The deals are out there, just look hard.

Good luck - either way you go I think you'll be happy with a Tracker, especially for the money.

How long is it with the swing away pulled to the side?

 

[coltdog]

Re: First time boater needs info in Bass Tracker 170tx

I'm not sure the boats total length.... you may be able to find this info. on Tracker's website. Just pull up the model and go to specifications. I had a standard garage when I bought the boat (24ft) deep. I would get the boat in the garage, turn it slightly (bow) and with the swing away tongue, the boat would fit no problem.

I guess you'll have to decide if more room while fishing on the lake is more important to you, or a little more room in your garage while you're not using the boat is more important to you. A foot makes a lot of difference in a boat on a lake with equipment, etc. It doesn't make a whole lot of difference in a garage.

Does the 170tx have the swing away tongue? If not, the Tournament V18 may take up less room than the 170tx.

 

[coltdog]

Re: First time boater needs info in Bass Tracker 170tx

I live within a couple of hours of Lake Erie. The key to smaller boats on big lakes is common sense. I've fished hundreds and hundreds of hours around the islands on Lake Erie and the Tournament V18 did just fine. Of course, I always had a marine radio and up to date info. in regard to the weather. I would not have considered leaving to fish in 4 footers, but I've fished a lot of 1-3 footers out of the Tournament V18. The folks who get in trouble at Erie are most generally the ones not taking their time, taking each wave at a time, and using common sense. Overloaded boats, underpowered boats, and too big of a hurry will get you in trouble on Lake Erie.

 

[firebird1999us]

Re: First time boater needs info in Bass Tracker 170tx

I've got a 19ft insulated garage...and I need something that I can pull in! I could store it at my parents house if larger -- but per there website it would be to big for my garage by about 6 inches even with the swing away. But I'm not 100% sure of how they're getting thier measurements? Is that with the swing away extended and the motor pushed to the side? Anyways, I even found a few used ones for pretty cheap. And I'd take a V18 hands down if the right one presented itsel

But you have to keep in mind I'm on a lake that's maybe 550 acres and that there are maybe 4" waves at most (on a really, really windy day) and about 10-15 pontoon boats on the most crowded of holidays...I'm not going near any of the more popular/crowded lakes in my area. That's way to much crap going on for me

The point of a smaller boat for me is that I'm just going to be taking it out on the lake that I live about 100ft...once I get the hang of this I'll probably start looking at Cigarette boats.

 

[KCook]

Re: First time boater needs info in Bass Tracker 170tx

My 17 had a 60hp 2-stroke. With just 2 of us on board I felt it was about all the hull could handle. Fun little buggy, slow down for wakes!!!

Kelly

 

[Sourmash]

Re: First time boater needs info in Bass Tracker 170tx

Bought a new 170tx with the 40hp 4-stroke just about this time last year so my teenage son and I could get on the water instead of being stuck on the banks. We took it out about 20 times before winter and were real pleased with it. It's better suited for smaller lakes with less chop but we did take it to a 10,000 acre in the state about a half dozen times with no problems. Most of the lakes in our state have hp restrictions (if you can use an outboard at all) and there's only about a half dozen or so where you can use anything over a 20hp, so mostly we just use the trolling motor in smaller nearby lakes. Downsides: the fish finder is very low end, the batteries are a bear to get out if you need to check the water or winterize, and the bilge pump is damn near impossible to get to if you want to install a float switch or need to replace it.
If I had it do over, would I have bought it? Oh yeah!