I am looking at a new (new to me) 17 or 18 foot aluminum boat I am wondering what the pros and cons to the semi V and the deeper V looking at a bass tracker or Lowe what do you think?
Thanks
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I am looking at a new (new to me) 17 or 18 foot aluminum boat I am wondering what the pros and cons to the semi V and the deeper V looking at a bass tracker or Lowe what do you think?
Thanks
Just going by the things that I have read on other forums the main differences are.
A mod V puts you a little closer to the water and rides pretty good on rougher water but it will get you wet. (or at least the one I had would) It was an 92 Alumaweld 16 foot bass boat.
A deep V sets you up a little higher from the water and has a lower setting casting deck so it would make it a little harder to do some types of Bass fishing if you want. (pitching and flipping) I would think that it would ride better in rougher water than a mod V.
I have never been in a deep V tho so I could be totally wrong. Either one will be blown around pretty good in the wind.
I have also read a great deal of horror stories about Tracker marine when I was researching getting a new boat so make sure you do your homework about those.
Good luck on the search and enjoy looking at everything out there.
One other thought don't forget about G3 boats they have some really nice looking boats.
And there is a dealer in Shoals In. that is a heck of a nice guy.
I have been guiding for striper,crappie, and ducks for the last twenty five years along with commercial fishing in the inland water ways and creeks near the outer banks of NC.I personaly like a fiberglass boat better than aluminum boat. You can cut the water better with a deep V boat any day, if it is aluminum or fiberglass. However the fiberglass is heavier and will give you a lot smoother ride on a windy day especialy if you have to go across open water to get to your creeks. I have a friend that passed away last August and he has a 20 ft LOWE CC with 90 HP 4 stroke Johnson semi V,and I use it a lot during duck season or if the tide is very low. The boat is excellent on non windy days,but will knock all the fillings out of your teeth if you have any. My 17 ft stumpknocker which is a fiberglass boat and it is a wide boat with a semi V for the first 5 ft of the boat then it is very flat from there to the stern. It is very good on rough water and will cut rough water because of the wait of the boat. If you get aluminum boat IMO get one that is as wide as you can find. I promise you want regret it, and try to get one that is all weld.
Let me start by saying this is just my opinion, affected by some past injuries. I've had small boats until the boat I now own, a 17'8" bass boat. I've owned a 16 foot Lund, a basic boat with bench seats and no storage or interior. Had a 35hp Johnson tiller steer. It's built as a V hull, but the bottom has a flat area also.. The boat was built as good as they come, was 25 yrs old when I got it but didn't leak a drop. The down sides, light weight means a lot of activity when another boat went by, and being a V it rolled a bit too much for my liking and left the lower back sore at the end of the day. Good hull in rougher water and it got me home in relative comfort on several occasions.
I also owned a 16" Sea Nymph, v bow and flat bottom, and a stick steer set up. This boat also had a very basic interior that added almost no weight. Sitting in the front made you the first one to rough water, and 6 yrs later was the main reason I sold it. Stable at rest it was comfortable to fish out of if there wasn't a lot of boat traffic making wakes. Not nearly as smooth a ride as the Lund, but more stable at rest. I'm 6'2" and 260 and have bad knees and lower back, and when standing up in the boat, if I lost my balance both boats reacted pretty fast underneath me. Almost went swimming a couple of times. If I fished smaller waters I would have another stick boat because it's handy to do every thing from the seat you drive from and never have to get up.
The bass boat is heavier, harder to tow, and thirstier. It's at least 3 times more comfortable in rough water and at rest when I lose my balance. passing boat wakes aren't near the issue either. Had I known in my 20's what I now have learned in my 50's I would have had one of these type boats years ago. Sorry to be long winded, hope this helps.
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thanks for the input, I am leaning towards a Lowe boat they seem wider then most the trackers I had a 1989 Gemini 20 foot 200 HP bass boat.. loved it until I had to buy gas, I don't have a choice but to downsize.
I understand what your saying about the gas. I have been very fourcinate to be able to put a 50 hp ETEC on the 17 ft and a 225 ETEC on my 25 ft Parker which is a 1988 hull. It is built like a tank and very heavy but will take water very well. I have been getting around 51/2 to 61/2 gallons GPM at top speed and 10-,10-1/2 mpg while trolling. and no oil change no service until you hit the 300 hr mark. Great motors.
Check out the Tracker Tournament V-18. I think they stopped making them recently but there should still be some dealers that have new ones. I was looking at one at Bass Pro the other day, its a deep V but compared to the Pro Guide V's it has a 17 degree deadrise and 22 inch transom versus 20 degree and 25 inch on the Pro Guides. Looked like it would sit lower in the water, be easier to land fish in, and catch less wind than other deep V's.
I agree with Skeetbum's comments about tin boats, well said. I have an 04 Tracker PT175 w/ a 60merc. IT is a GOOD boat, you'll see lots of people on this forum and othesr knocking tracker boats, for several reasons, some may/may not be valid. My tracker has served me very well. I don't take fishing very seriously (not like some members here), I go for the fun of going and having something to do other than sit in the house doing nothing. My boat is easy to launch and load solo, easy on gas, dependable, has given me viturally ZERO problems, does not leak, the floor has not rotted out (numerous comments about the flooring will rot out on tracker boats) my boat has been stored inside from day one when i bought it new, but other tin boats have wood flooring as well. My boat does rock from other boat wakes, but rides pretty good in rough water (I do stay dry but it does slap the wakes and waves). I bought the PT175 because it was a package boat, ready to go fishing, and it is, all you need is stop for gas and load your gear, then go fishing. Other manufacturers have package boats as well, I have not fished from any other makes so I'm not knocking them. Look at all the versions that may fit your style of fishing and budget. I would suggest you get as wide of a boat as possible as this increases the overall comfort and pleasure you will get, and get a motor that is as close to the max HP rating for the boat as possible, this will make the boat perform well when running up/down the water. I do wish my boat was wider to reduce the rocking motion I get, as I also get a sore lower back from the rocking motion like skeetbum mentioned. I believe tracker offers a pretty warranty on the wood flooring in the new boats but I don't think it is transferable to 2nd owners and beyond. If you have a place to store out of the weather no problems, if you don't, then buy a good cover for it to keep the flooring as dry as possible, that's just common sense. Other makes may or may not have wood flooring but I am not sure. Talk to the dealers and web sites to get a good handle on the components used to make their boats. GL
Rember that Lowe Stingers have no wood in them to rot. If you store your boat outside this is the one to get. Will be as good as new twenty years from now and thet are wide. I have had several types of boats-both alumiun and fiberglass and have the wood floors rot out on all of them.
I believe boat selection is about like the message title above. Everyone has their favorite. Hopefully I won't be too long winded but here is my experience from many years on the water, tournament and pleasure fishing.
I've owned several boats and here is the way I would rank them as my favorites to fish from (with quality of build a major consideration):
1. Lund 1725 Explorer SS
2. Crestliner 1650 Fishhawk
3. Alumnacraft 145 tiller (similar to the current Fisherman)
4. Champion 18' 3" with flipping decks
5. Skeeter 19" bass boat
6. Tracker 17' (no longer made, but similar to V hull bass boat)
I've also tournament bass fished from many other popular brands (Ranger, Bass Cat, Triton). Almost all were excellent boats. When I quit bass tournaments I became more interested in multi species boats (and began to have much more fun fishing). Crappie is my favorite species but I fish for others as well. I fish alone primarily and one of my absolute favorites for that was the Alumnacraft. I have had large bass boats fall in behind me in large lake rough water so they didn't take a beating. The little boat just cut right through. Obviously, that small a boat is not as good for more than one person. The Crestliner was an excellent boat but I bought it instead of a Lund and always compared it in my mind to the Lund. It was unfair to the Crestliner, as it is a great boat. The Crestliner was welded and the Lund riveted. I could tell no difference in quality. The Tracker was the one I kept the shortest time. It was an excellent layout but the hull just didn't perform well (rough riding and plowed). A friend also had a Tracker mod V and he complained about the quality constantly as he couldn't keep it out of the shop (and he was a manager at BPS). In all fairness, I know several other people that have had Trackers and really like them. I think it's just like most other things - you can get a good one or a bad one.
As you can see, my preference runs to the aluminum v hulls. I also married a brunette.
I agree with jimp - I have a Tracker proteam 175 as well. Love it.
I have had a 20' Skeeter Bass boat which is about as good as they come, but also had a Mod V G3 which I sold and bought my 17' Lund Crappie Edition Explorer model and I wouldn't trade it for anything other than maybe a bigger Lund. There are just a lot of reasons I lioke it so much and the design is a big part of that. With the gas tank being in the middle of the boat in the floor it helps weight distribution a lot and right in front of that is the TM batteries with great access to them. A 17' Lund has a lot of width and room to move around where the G3 was 17' 6" was not near as stable and didn't take rough water near as well.
I can't say much about the ones your looking at because I have never had either of them. Just look at what guides in Alaska use, they are all Lunds and there are reasons for that. If you want great speed and rough water good boat then you may want to look at a high end Bass boat that is at least 20'. Mt Skeeter was a great boat, but my bass fishing days all the time are done as I just can;'t stand on that front deck all day any longer. A Lund Explorer type doesen't feel like an aluminum boat like most do.
Basically you will get what you pay for and the Lund is not going to be a low priced boat, but they deserve their rep! I have two huge live wells and plenty of storage everything is laied out great and I put a 115 4-stroke motor on it and your speed empty is about 46 and loaded is about 44 which is enough for me. My Skeeter ran over 70 MPH, but I don't really need that now even though I did still like it a lot.
I have also had some what I will refer to as regular aluminum boats too and some pretty good, but in rough water they will beat the heck out of you too. Check out the way Lunds are built, when I did I was comparing my Lund to a G3 and the G3 at the same size boat was 300 pounds heavier and I determined they just double plate the entire boat where Lund double plated it where it's needed. So My way of looking at that was the Lund will float a bit higher or not need as much waster to float it. Also should be a bit faster and you never loose the view over your bow in a Lund when coming out of the hole.
Have also had a lot more boats in my life, but don't see anything that would make them a good comparison so didn't talk about them.
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x2Quote:
Originally Posted by Tracker123
My first boat was a Tracker 165. It was a very good boat - just a little small for what I wanted. My current boat is an Excel 1860 Crappie and I love it. A good buddy of mine has a Lowe Stinger 175 that is really nice. I think if I had to choose between Lowe and Tracker I would pick the Lowe. That being said - you really just have to look at what you want/need in a boat. Do your homework and you'll be happy. I wouldn't rule out the smaller aluminum boat manufacturers. I looked at every one I think. There are some really good ones that aren't as well known...
I should have said this in my earlier post. If you're looking to buy a boat that you have never spent time in, you need to find out if it fits you, and the way you fish. I climb into the boat and go thru a fishing trip in my mind. This doesn't take just a few minutes either, 15 or 20 is a minimum in my mind. As you sit there, you will be surprised what comes to mind, and what you notice that does or doesn't work for you. Best to leave the wife home, they get kinda antsy after a few minutes. I walked away from 2 boats that I really liked after doing this, too much wasted space and other considerations. Just my opinion, but it worked for me and saved me some grief and money by not buying a boat that didn't fit. After you do it once in the boat, you can stand alongside and pick up things like I'm talking about.
I'm brand new to this forum but, wanted to add my 2 cents. I have a 16' Lund Mr Pike model with a 75hp Merc 2 stroke and I love it. I live on a 35,000 acre lake in E Tx and it can get pretty rough. Had a 16' Charger bass boat prior to the Lund and got to where I stayed in the house if the wind got up at all, it scared me to death. The Lund is a deep V aluminum riveted boat and contrary to the above comment about buying a welded al boat, I totally disagree. Welds will break and rivets will not. I know a lot of owners and not a one that has ever had a leak.
Main thing I like about the Lund is how deep you sit in it and how stable it is in rough water. Obviously, I'm not talking about 3' white caps but, normal boat wakes and standing on the gunnals it is rock solid. I'm 68 years old and feel very secure in this wide stable boat.
Okie Bob
I like my Alu.165cs alot , 75hp yam.4, fits me and rides great, safe for my gran. baby too
I would go with the Lowe. Mines a 1710 model. Got it when the kids were little. They could get up and walk around and I didn't have any worries about them fall overboard. It will easy handle 4-5 foot waves. Sure the wind does move it but I'll take the safety of being a big high sided boat anytime. Leave it outside in the winter ( 50 miles from lake Erie) and never have had a loose rivet or any rot. Floors and transom are solid. Bought it new in 88.
I had the same predicament when I bought my first boat last summer. I ended up with a Lowe Fishing Machine 175 which is the deep vee with a 90 hp mercury. I came to this decision because I knew I would be taking my boat out all year long, even in the dead of winter. The deep v is a much dryer ride and this is key when its below freezing out. It does catch alot of wind but just get a good trolling motor and you can get used to controlling it. Also get a bigger anchor than you think you need. I ended up going with lowe for two reasons. The first and main reason is that Lowes are double walled hulls and Trackers are singles. I knew with it being my first boat I would be running into stumps, docks, ect. and didnt want any risk of puncture. The second is i have heard horror storys about trackers maintenance/customer service. Everyone i talked to said it always took longer than anticipated any time they had their tracker in for service. One other thing I just thought of was the deep vs have a deeper, more open area which allows for more people to ride/move around the boat. Right now i wouldnt trade my lowe for anything short of a Lund Explorer Crappie edition but thats twice as expensive as what I got. Whatever you get make sure u are getting what you really want and allows you to do everything you want in your boat. Good luck and enjoy the new boat when you get it.
I'm in the aluminum boat business, and as you can tell, you've opened a real can of worms. Everybody likes THEIR boat or they wouldn't have bought it!!! And there are ton of nice boats out there.
You have more than two choices when it comes to aluminum boat hulls. The mod-v boats will beat you to death in rough water (Lowe, Tracker, G3, Xpress HD's, SeaArk, WarEagle, and ALL mod v's, brand doesn't matter) try one in 3 foot swells and headed into a wind blowing 40.
Deep v boats are much better in those conditions, and you can fish them in a foot of water if you want. The performance isn't quite like a bass boat, you're way deep in the boat, and they seem a bit bulky, but I fish out of one quite often in bigger water and they do perform nicely. (I used to sell the Alumacraft boats).
The other alternative is a boat with a 15-18 degree RAKE, and a Pad Ride type hull. Like all of the fiberglass bass boats. The Xpress H and X series boats have the Hyper Lift Hulls like this and they are aluminum. These boats give you bass boat performance, better fuel economy, and NO wood.( I know you hear everybody defending their tracker, and they do make a pretty boat). The hulls on the Xpress don't have ribs, they have aluminum stringers like a fiberglass boat has stringers. On an aluminum boat the metal on the hull WILL cup, and when it does, the ribbed boats will lose some of their performance because the ribs cause a ridge that traps the water flow from front to rear, where the stringers will still let the water flow and maintain their performance. The hulls are welded to the stringers and the sub floors are welded on top of the stringers, then Xpress Foam injects everything in between for a SOLID 4" hull system, and the hulls are Pad Ride which means that they lift you up on TOP of the water with not much boat IN the water just like a Fiberglass boat. It makes them more performance oriented, and they don't have the problem of porpoising like a lot of the aluminum boats. ( bouncing up and down in the bow). Xpress makes several Multi species boats like the H-18PFC, ( finest pro style crappie, multi species boat out there period. Has a 67" bottom and a 94" beam and a pad tide hull with a 17 degree rake. And it's rated for a 150, but runs great with a 115), and they have a new 17 footer just like it for 2012 rated for a 115. The 18 footer is the Widest boat out there in it's length class. Call me at 870-635-0202 and I can tell you more, or go to the C.C sponsor classifieds for my info.
Watch out for one more thing. There is one company out there that says they have a 15 degree HULL, but really they have a 15 degree RAKE and NO pad ride.
I do sell the EXCEL boats as well and they are built just like the Xpress, as far as the stringers and hull go, but don't have the Pad Ride hull. They do have what they call an acceleration hull with a V shaped Chine. It isn't a Mod- V nor is it a Pad. Its in between, but won't beat you up in rough water. They make a 1860 open floor plan Crappie boat with side console that is a great boat. I used one for my demo last year and it handled 3-4 ft rollers on Bull Shoals without any trouble. I would call it a multi species as well. I was walleye fishing in it. :-). All boats with dual livewells and three across seating in the front are considered multi species boats to most people.
I'm certainly Not trying to criticize ANY other brand of boat out there, Every manufacturer makes some great models for the money, and if I offended anyone, I do apologize.
Sorry for the book. Just call me if your interested.
I have a tracker pro angler V-16 (deep V) with 50 hp 4 stroke. It is a good vessel and has treated me well. I went with this boat b/c I got a heck of a deal and I could take my lil one out without fearing she would fall out of the boat whle walking around. She is bigger now so not as much of an issue. The boat sets up well for all my applications. It is on the smaller side and is only good for fishing one person up front and one person in the back (mama dont like to go anyways). It takes wake well and it keeps you dry. Really easy on the pocket in the water and in tow. No plans of getting rid of her anytime soon.
One other thing to consider is if you have litttle ones that will be on the water with you the deeper the boat inside the safer for them.
Thanks again this is really good information... one question do the deeper V boats ride lower in the water then the modified V boats?
My Lowe does. My 14' semi v is tippy as all get out if you fish from the front while the modified v is stable.
I had an older 16' Lund deep v tiller with a 50hp Merc on it before someone hit it on the highway last year. In a hurry I thought I would try something new and went with a Javelin bass boat with a 115 and hate it. The ride is smoother on plane but I like sitting "inside" the boat when I'm trolling. I also almost troll exclusively and fish for more than one species of fish and the open floorplan of the "walleye-style" hulls just seem to fish better in my opinion. I've always been partial to a tiller because I spend m0re than 90% of my time fishing and not driving 60 down the lake so I'm not a big fan of the console boats. The wider deep v hulls ~90" that I've been looking at lately are rock solid stable but there is considerable difference in construction quality between brands when you start to pick them apart for the price. I'm looking at the Alumacraft Navigator currently and it is leading the pack thus far.
To my previous point I can tell you that on my Crestliner 175 Fishhawk I can literally walk around on the edge of the boat and it barely moves sideways and I'm well over 200lbs. The wider the better.Quote:
Originally Posted by kwerdal
I looked and looked at boats all Spring from mods to deep v's, rode in several and haggeled over a few with folks. Since my boat is going to be a multi-use boat and I have small kids that like to go and a lot of buddies that like to go I went with a wide deep v. Even on the 4th of July weekend with the pleasure boaters out on the lake making it rough on the little boats I did not even put too many droplets on the windshileld. Worked fine fishing standing timber with a long pole and I did not baby it by any means getting into the junk. instead of riding up on a stump it kind of slides around them. it does catch more wind when on the TM but that is the price I pay for having a family friendly boat. The ride is so smooth I don't know if I'll ever be able to run across the lake in anything else.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...r/IMG_0159.jpg
I recently went from a flat bottom skiff to a 2011 Tracker Super Guide V16. Night and Day difference. It's a nice boat, not the most fancy or expensive but it rides well and with the 40hp 4 stroke it's easy on the wallet. Everyone I've taken out rants and raves about the ride. Alot of people frown on Tracker boats but so far so good with mine. This is the first Deep V Boat I've ever had and I think I'll probably never have anything else. I fish mostly two people but it's not a problem to fish two out the back using the trolling bar and me up front working the Tbar system. I only run about 27mph with 3 people but I'm not into speed anymore. My old 21' Champion Bass Boat broke me of that. Doh
If you are old like me you should get the widest deep v you can. And maybe we won't fall overboard. lol.
Mine is a 17' Smokercraft w/75 Merc. 40mph tops. The motor is a little small for this heavy boat. But we are not in a hurry to get there unless a storm comes up.
My wife and I can fish 6,8 hours comfortably. But we only fish for crappie and gills. Perfect for us. But we're old. lol
Good Luck on what ever you decide. Just have fun.
Get the Xpress H-18PFC. Pad Ride Hull, smooth Ride in rough water, No Wood, Foam Injected Longitudinal Stringers, and lifetime warranty. They also make Pad Ride Deep V models. Bass boat performance and Deep V too.
Them are niiiice... I looked at those real hard before going with the excel. If I was spending a lot of time on big water but still wanted aluminum - Xpress would be hard to beat in a mod vee. Pricey though.Quote:
Originally Posted by BigRiverMarine
My budget is limited to a used boat around a $5000 or so limit.
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Howdy, I'm going to revive an old thread. I am new here, so I'll do a quick intro. 53 years old, originally from Kansas but live in Texas now, been fishing and hunting all my life except I've kind of slacked off the last few years.
All I've ever had are small boats, and prefer to fish in small waters.
But we are about to move to Hot Springs, Arkansas and I am going to get a real boat and do some fishing. I like to troll, crappie fish, and drift for walleyes, not necessarily in that order. I like to bass fish too, but am not going to get caught up in that rat race.
I am very interested in the Tracker Super Guide 16, for several reasons.
* It's enough boat for my wife and I, and that's how this boat will be used at least 90% of the time.
* It's small and light enough to tow behind my 4 cylinder Tacoma pickup.
* I prefer the Deep V design to the "bass boat" design
* With a 40hp 4 stroke this one should be very easy on gas
I've been reading everything I can find online about this boat, which isn't much. I've also looked into a comparable Alumacraft, the Fisherman 160 CS, but the Tracker Super Guide has it beat for features.
* Trolling motor, depth finder, and folding trailer are extra on the Alumacraft
* No gauges at all on the Alumacraft
* side by side seating in the Tracker
Also, the Alumacraft I looked at had dings and dents all over it, just from sitting in the lot. So I checked the hull thickness, .070 versus .100 for the Tracker. I fail to see the "higher quality" of the Alumacraft vs this Tracker.
What am I missing? I am an aircraft quality inspector and haven't seen anything about the 2 Tracker SG's that I've seen that makes me think they are sub par.
I prefer a low semi-v because it catches less wind and is easier to control in the wind. My style of fishing is verticle jigging holding over it with trolling motor. I love my 1987 16' x 48'' semi-v low sided Aluma-weld so much I refuse to update.
I've got a couple of reasons to prefer a Deep V.
I have a bad back, and the pounding of a flat bottom boat just kills me. I need as smooth a ride as possible.
I like to troll, and the layout of a deep V works better for me.
My last boat was a 16 foot Predator tunnel hull skiff. Fantastic little boat, but it beat me to death out in the lake. Even so, I wish I still had it.
The only thing I didn't care for in the Super Guide was the narrow beam. It seemed very unstable when shifting weight around from side to side on the water. My buddy has a 2012 that we sometimes fish for eyes out of but I'd rather stick to my old Starcraft for its stability when moving around in the boat. If you're only fishing small bodies of water it would be fine but I much prefer the newer generation of wide deep v's for their excellent stability in most water conditions. Just my take on that particular model.
Thanks, That's the one concern I have about the Super Guide is the stability.
I'm going to have to get out in one somehow.
Going to look at a 16 ft Lund tomorrow.
and?????Quote:
Originally Posted by warhawk