Advice on buying a new deep v16 or v17 tracker

[doctor trout]

Hi,

I'm from Australia. At the moment our dollar is valued very favourably against your greenback and this is an ideal opportunity to by a US built boat. US boats arein my opinion, far superior to our Australian manufactured aluminium boats.

I'd like to buy a Tracker Pro Guide V16 WT as I believe it is very suitable to my needs as a fly fisher fishing on our large alpine lakes. I understand the V16s are very good in handling choppy conditions and are also a very stable platform to fly fish out of.

Before I make my purchase though I'd like to find out as much as possible about these craft. However, while Tracker website is okay I am surprised that I cannot ask the company directly for any information. (there isn't a dealer in Australia so I will need to eventually go to a US dealer). I've found this very frustrating to the extent that I am considering looking at other brand aluminium boats as I can't get any information on Trackers.

I don't want to hear a sales pitch right now; I just want some basic information in order to help me make my decision.

Can anyone please help me?

My queries are:

1. Can I order a Tracker without a fish finder fitted? I want to upgrade to a Lowrance HDS and will buy one from Australia so that the maps/software represent Australia.

2. Can I upgrade the electric Minn Kota as I'd like a 80lb thrust and Ipilot.

3. Can I order a custom centre (oops, I think you guys spell it center which makes more sense) storage area fitted into the floor as the previous model had?

4. Can I order a Tracker without the trailer. I might add that the factory trailers look fantastic but because our vehicle regulations (especially for imported trailers) require comprehensive modifications to all imported trailers it is much more prudent to buy a local one.

5. I noticed the 2011 V16s were initially advertised with a maximum horsepower of 90hp but have now reverted to 75hp. Does anyone know if they are rated at 90 or 75hp? I note that the V17 is rated to 135hp but this doesn't seem a much bigger boat (we don't have the high standard of jetties/ramps that you do - hence my thoughts that I should buy a v16). Can anyone please share their thoughts on a comparison between these two boats?


I'd be very grateful if anyone might be able to offer me some advice.

Kind regards

doctor trout

 

[alpha]

Re: Advice on buying a new deep v16 or v17 tracker

I was in the same shoe as you a few weeks back and asked the same general questions. Here were the responses I got back.

1. Can I order a Tracker without a fish finder fitted? I want to upgrade to a Lowrance HDS and will buy one from Australia so that the maps/software represent Australia.

No.

2. Can I upgrade the electric Minn Kota as I'd like a 80lb thrust and Ipilot.

No.

3. Can I order a custom centre (oops, I think you guys spell it center which makes more sense) storage area fitted into the floor as the previous model had?

No.

4. Can I order a Tracker without the trailer. I might add that the factory trailers look fantastic but because our vehicle regulations (especially for imported trailers) require comprehensive modifications to all imported trailers it is much more prudent to buy a local one.

No.

5. I noticed the 2011 V16s were initially advertised with a maximum horsepower of 90hp but have now reverted to 75hp. Does anyone know if they are rated at 90 or 75hp? I note that the V17 is rated to 135hp but this doesn't seem a much bigger boat (we don't have the high standard of jetties/ramps that you do - hence my thoughts that I should buy a v16). Can anyone please share their thoughts on a comparison between these two boats?

The v16 is rated for 75hp. The 75 and 90 weighs exactly the same, but the dealer will not sell it with a 90hp since that is outside the ratings. To get a 75, that will be a custom order since they all come with a 60hp motor by default.

I'd be very grateful if anyone might be able to offer me some advice.

After a lot of research, I ended up purchasing a 1625 Lund Rebel XL SS. With Lund, you can perform more customization since it is a custom built boat. And I was surprise to learn that after my customization, it was $300 less than the Tracker v16 because of the specials with the Lunds this month. It also rides better too. The dealer I purchased it from sells Lunds and Tracker and the difference with the same 60hp motor was huge.

Do your research. I tried looking for positive postings for Tracker and found tons of negatives. I tried looking for negative postings for Lund and found tons of positives. Whatever you choose, I wish you luck.