First few trips in new tracker....

[McLoki]

My wife and I had an older Northwoods 1675 (16' deep v, 75" beam) tiller steer boat we used for years. We had not used it for awhile and sold it to my brother in law. We have regretted selling it ever since and been on the hunt for a new boat. (Mainly for my wife and I to fish from - typically bluegill\crappie - but also has to be very stable for our 2 kids to be in (aged 10-12 both autistic - sit still is just not really an option for them))

After much looking around - we ended up with a new ProGuide V-175 Combo. (liked the fact that it had jumpseats in the back for the kids to ride in.) We also had added to the combo - spare tire for the trailer, on board charger for the trolling motor battery, electric anchor winch and a 9.9 bigfoot kicker motor (our favorite lake has a 10hp limit) and it came with a 90hp optimax motor.

Anyway - got a really good deal and purchased from a local dealer (as opposed to the more typical (and closer) bass pro). Example of the service we got, we are about an hour away from the dealer (Bass pro is only about 15min away from our house) and we had an issue with the boat taking on some water. (probably when running the live wells) I called the place we purchased it from, he drove to our house, picked up the boat and took it back to work on it. When complete - he will deliver the boat back to us. I thought it was great service and an indicator for why this particular shop has been in business for 35 years.

We have been super happy with the boat (had it out about 4 times so far in the 5 days we have owned it) It is very stable. With the kids moving around A LOT on the boat - it is not tippy at all. Plenty of room for everyone and very comfortable. We only have about an hour and 1/2 on the 90 but it runs great and the boat holds on plane down to about 19-20 MPH. Optimal speed seems around 22-23. (about 3,200-3,400 RPM) Top speed seems to be about 35mph at 5,200 RPM - but to be honest, I don't see myself hitting those speeds often. The typical cruising speed is fine for me.

Anyway - just wanted to let you know - its a great boat so far and I look forward to many years with it. (We do not plan on skiing or tubing behind it for a number of years, but it is nice to know it is an option as the kids get older)

Michael

 

[McLoki]

Re: First few trips in new tracker....

we had an issue with the boat taking on some water. (probably when running the live wells)

Just heard back from the dealer. I listed a short number of issues for him to fix since he was here to look at the boat anyway....

anchor/running lites not working - Fuze?
boat taking on water - livewell issue?
front livewell (19gal) holding less water than rear livewell (11gal) - stand pipe to short?
Rod boxes in floor to short (supposed to hold 7' poles, in fact, pipes are all about 5.5' long)
Also having him add the electric anchor for us. (that is not an issue, just some additional work we are having him do while it is in there)

Anyway,

Found out the taking on water (and front livewell issue) are both user issues. Front livewell is supposed to have a plug, rear livewell is supposed to have a stand pipe. They were reversed when I picked up the boat and I did not know\realise it. The front livewell is not supposed to have a stand pipe, just a plug. The rear livewell is supposed to have the stand pipe, not a plug. (so as it filled up, it overflowed into the boat - that is where the water was coming from) - both issues would be considered user error.

The light issue was a fuze. He said tracker put in 5 amp fuzes and he felt this was to low (he checked the other fuzes for the livewells and bilge as well and found them to be 5 amp also). He is swapping them all to 10amp fuzes and has checked to ensure everything is working correctly now. (it is)

The floor rod boxes he is checking on still and electric anchor is going to quote me on tomorrow.

Anyway - I know many people will call these few issues a big failing with tracker, but there is the possibility of issues with any purchase made where manufacturing is involved. What matters is how they are dealt with and if you feel they are not dealt with well, it may be as much (if not more) the place you bought it from that is to blame rather than the manufacturer. The issues I have had have all been very minor and dealt with swiftly from the dealer I purchased from. I am certainly a happy camper at this point.

(FYI - this dealer also deals in lowe, war eagle, suncruiser and Ranger - so I had other options than tracker, but found Tracker to be the best fit for my family and budget. With what I know now- I would purchase it again in a heart beat)

 

[Georgesalmon]

Re: First few trips in new tracker....

Glad its all working out for you. Never bought a new car without something I needed fixed or fiddled with.