Thread: Opinion: Lowe or Tracker

I looked over the Pro Crappie and liked some things about it, and didn't like some things. There just isn't a perfect boat. I got a ProTeam 185 which has been a good multipurpose bass/crappie/whatever boat. Tracker is o.k. in my book.

Im not a tracker fan, although I dont have personal experience. I am just going on the input I have had from people who have owned them. I know they have improved as the years have gone by over the early years. Lowe is a good product. Have never hear a bad thing about them. If i wanted a pan fishing boat however Id go with this guy in the 17 foot version:

http://www.xpressboats.com/series/panfish/pan.html

I've never gone wrong with an Xpress.

Hey TJ, I have the 2002 17-1/2 tracker pro crappie with tracker 40 hp 2 stroke. It has been a very good boat, it rides very good in rough water,it's
heavy, trailers very good.
The thing I don't like most about it is, the front deck in not wide enough for
two people sitting side by side spider riging, which I got into after I got the boat. I've read in one the post that someone didn't like the smaller bait and live wells, shoot it's a crappie boat how big are the minnows they use, and I doubt that many fisherman fill there livewells very often.....hehe
The 40 hp 2 stroke will this boat about 30 to 31 mph, buy running wide open
will really suck up some fuel, I just run 1/2 throttle. What ever motor you get, do yourself a favor and get a 4 stroke and get the boat max-hp cause the 4 stroke is slow, BUT quiet and great on fuel.
As far as the wood in the tracker, it's marine wood and last a long long time,
I weight 315 lbs and I'm in the boat at least twice a week and have had not
one problem yet, knock on wood.
There's no one perfect boat, for the money I think I made a good choice.
Hope this helps you, I bought what I could afford.

spider rig man

I agree, there is no perfect boat. I have two and need at least two more fro some of the situations i would like to fish in.

It is so nice to have you guys to agree with. I wished my wife was as understanding as you all.
DP

I have a 2002 Tracker 175 with a Mercury 60 HP 4-Stroke. I added two more bases in the front of it so my daughter and I can spider-rig with it. Don't think I will ever own another 2- Stroke. As DP said, Tony at Bradford Marine is great to deal with.

Be sure you get the YAMAHA 50! Tracker I believe will be the better boat. I like my Lowe, but I think a tracker is made a little better.

One thing I forgot to mention. As I said before, both the Tracker Crappie Pro & the Lowe Stinger 175 are terrific boats, but I have seen this come up before on other threads, and even though the Tracker folks loved their boats & the Lowe folks loved theirs, I believe every single person I have read who had used both of them preferred the Lowe. I think that is significant. Of course there is an awful lot to be said for dealers who are easy to deal with and provide good service. Bottom line is I think I would go with the Lowe, but I don't think you would go wrong with either. My biggest question is that most of my crappie fishing is on oxbow lakes, and both of these boats are wide, and I wonder if I would have trouble getting between cypress trees or around snags, etc.

Originally Posted by blairarnold

One thing I forgot to mention. As I said before, both the Tracker Crappie Pro & the Lowe Stinger 175 are terrific boats, but I have seen this come up before on other threads, and even though the Tracker folks loved their boats & the Lowe folks loved theirs, I believe every single person I have read who had used both of them preferred the Lowe. I think that is significant. Of course there is an awful lot to be said for dealers who are easy to deal with and provide good service. Bottom line is I think I would go with the Lowe, but I don't think you would go wrong with either. My biggest question is that most of my crappie fishing is on oxbow lakes, and both of these boats are wide, and I wonder if I would have trouble getting between cypress trees or around snags, etc.

I have never fished the oxbow that you fish in but have fished Otter Lake and Dota Old River several times and I would not try to put my Tracker in either. I have a smaller stick steer for those lakes.