Z7 (factory vs upgrades)

[Phillip Stiefel]

I will be purchasing a new z7 or a new 190TX within the next few weeks. I currently own a 2002 pro185/90HP, but blew my motor last week. Before that I had a 1996 Tracker 165. I am very familiar with Tracker's aluminum products (good and bad)and have learned what items to upgrade for better performance and fishability.



The water I fish is better suited for aluminum, but I've done that 17 years and now want to experience more room and more speed. I still may choose aluminum if the cost of the Z7 moves beyond my budget comfort limit



My question is, what upgrades do Z7 owners believe are an absolute MUST? By "MUST", I mean safety, boat protection, and ability to fish long days weekends without charging. Getting speeds into the 60's would be nice, but I'm not concerned about jack plates and etc to find higher speeds.



1. Trailer Brakes. At 3000 lbs the z7 is obviously much heavier than the tracker. Tow vehicle is a V8 Durango. Should I purchase the brake upgrade? Without it is the boat difficult to stop?



2. Hydraulic Steering. What's the steering like without it? I'll be fishing a lot of river with extremely sharp turns. Is there a compromise in safety without it?



3. 70 lb thrust trolling motor. Can the stock motor handle and maneuver the boat well in all day or two day situations without charge? What about it's performance in strong current.



4. Motor: It's only $500, but what's the cost/benefit of the 150 vs the 150 ProXS? Is it anything other than 2-3 mph?



5. Boat Cover: The boat will be garage kept, but like a cover for transporting or lodging/camping. Sure, the Nitro cover would be nice, but has anyone saved $400 and bought a cover from another manufacturer?



Are they any other "MUSTS" that I'm missing? The electronics and other bling can come later if needed. Thanks in advance for any assistance.

 

[Wayne P.]

I'll just comment on one part of your post: "and ability to fish long days weekends without charging."



That is the one thing that will destroy you battery/s quicker than anything. Batteries should be recharged as close to immediately after each use as possible and not depleted to below what is considered 50% discharged or 12.2V.

 

[Baja 252]

1. Trailer Brakes. How much do you trailer? A lot, then I would say yes. Not that your Durango can't stop it, but in a panic stop it will make a huge difference. To me it's a safety thing and worth the $$.



2. Hydraulic Steering. easier to turn and wheel stays where you put it. Money well spent, you will more than likely regret it if you don't get it. You could add it later, but much easier to do it at the time of purchase.



3. 70 lb thrust trolling motor. I upgraded to an #82 on my Z7, but I would have been fine with out it. I fish lakes only, no current. I also have a Trollbridge and Combiner 100 which charges my TM batts with the engine after the engine batt is fully charged. I hardly ever charge my TM batteries, one of the best additions I made.



4. Motor: If you really don't care about top speed, I'd save the $500 and put it towards something else.



5. Boat Cover: I bought the Nitro cover. Great cover, works great for trailering, very tight doesn't move at all. For trailering you need a good cover, most universals wont hold up at all to trailering.

 

[Jim B]

my .02

The brakes are a must. They are a big safety feature that in my opinion should be standard on these trailers. If your going to skimp on anything here is not the place to do it.



Hydraulic vs. cables is debatable. Hydraulic is smooth and slightly easier to steer but its not a must. A NFB cable setup is nice as well and will serve you fine, actually steering it should be a non issue( i ran an 882 w a 150 with cables for years, never once did i have an issue steering it and i ran wide open more than not). As far as safety goes, thats debatable too. I have my opinions but i will keep them to myself as its not the popular one... Id be curious to see what Bob B, has to say on this subject...... Im going to go out on a limb and say given his racing background id bet he has the same opinion i do...



That said i have hydraulic on my Z7, its nice but if i was to do it over again i'm not sure i would spend the money. Personally i don't think its $700 nicer.



If it was my boat i would upgrade to a Minnkota Maxxum or Fortrex 80# or a Motorguide tour edition 82# trolling motor. Given your want for all day performance both of these will do much better than a 5 speed motor, the digital controllers make a big difference for battery life over a fishing day. My personal preference would be the Minnkota because they are superior in weeds.



I personally would get the XS over the regular motor just for the carbon fiber reeds. The extra power and performance is a bonus.



As far as the cover goes, i'm sure the Nitro one would be fine for your use. $400 is a pretty decent price for a custom fit trailerable cover. A good cover for trailering will fit the boat like a glove, a generic cover will flop around and beat up your gelcoat over time.(keep in mind you can negotiate on things like the cover as they can be done separate from the boat deal)



I didn't buy the Nitro one for mine, my dealer threw in a custom cover made by tumacs. I have since upgraded to an Aurora canvas custom cover. I store outside and for me a much better quality cover was in order over the Nitro cover or the one i had. Mine is also custom fit for the boat but its made of a very heavy sunbrella fabric and its built to a different quality standard. A cover like this one is up over $800.



Two thing i consider musts that you don't have on your list is a hot foot and steering wheel trim control. Both of those two things are a big safety upgrade because you can keep both hands on the wheel. After having them on my 882 i would never be without them again on a bass boat.



I would also look into a charge on the run setup like a stealth or the Minnkota 2DC(after the fact, not with the boat unless you can work out a deal). I own a Minnkota 2DC and it works really good for me. On big lakes or rivers where i run the outboard a lot its really helped keep the batteries up. I have had two day tournaments where my batteries were almost 100% after day one because i ran enough to keep them topped.

 

[THOMMO59]

Brakes.......Absolutely

Hydraulic....Absolutely, I went with cable, now I'm going to replace it with Hydraulic

TM Up grade...Absolutely

Pro XS.......Absolutley, stronger gearbox, stiffer mounts, more top speed, better resale, plus looks cool



Options , dual console, depends on how much you care about your partner or how much room you want.

Sounder upgrades also reccommended.



You'll have a great rig, oh and definitely get good quality tires, the Trail America's a re an accident waiting to happen and disgraceful quality.

 

[Phillip Price]

I bought a 2011 Z7 without the optional brakes, take it from me it didn't take long for

me to drag it back and have brakes added, it's a heavy boat.

 

[Mike Wagner]

I bought a 2012 Z7 and upgraded to hydraulic steering and trailer brakes. In my opinion, both of those are very important.



For the trolling motor, I got the standard 70 LB thrust, and have been very happy. It has more than enough power, unless you are fishing in very rough water or strong current all the time.



You might also consider upgrading to the 3 bank battery charger. I know the starter is charged by the alternator when the motor is running, but I like the peace of mind of knowing that all 3 of my batteries are fully charged every time I leave for the ramp.



Mike W

 

[Derek Chance]

Brakes - YES

Hydraulic Steering - YES

TM - I went with 82lb motor guide and am VERY happy. Have you ever heard anyone complain that they need less trolling motor power? Saves your batteries too.

Cover - Iboats.com (and there are others) has custom fit patterns for a cover for about $300. I got mine from iboats, it is custom fit and works great. I am like you and garage my boat and only need it for poor weather traveling or hotel overnights.

Motor - If I had a choice, I may choose an 4 stroke 150 just because it seems that is where the future of motors may be heading, but this one is a coin toss.

Another MUST is the Spare tire kit.



One thing you should also consider, is resale when you decide to sell at some point. Many options if added will make selling easier. things that may not necessarily be needed, but nice. Like hot foot, blinker trim,(both safety options as well), Jackplate (the better setup the boat is, the better and more efficient it will run), charge on the run setup, removeable console, remote oil fill, keel guard.



Good luck and congrats.

 

[Phillip Stiefel]

Thanks to everyone for the responses. They are extremely helpful. My dealer stated that he would not be comfortable selling me the boat without the brakes or hydraulic steering.



I agree, the spare tire kit is a must I overlooked. Adding the wheel trim and hot foot makes sense to keep both hands on the wheel. For $220, those two additions are worth it. I'll probably go with keelguard too, since many of my access points are rock banks with no courtesy dock.



I still have some thinking to do about the motor. Depending how the numbers work out, I may add the console, 75lb trolling motor upgrade, and cover.



Wish I had the money to put $3000 worth of electronics in it. That will have to come later.



Thanks again!

 

[Derek Chance]

If you are handy, you can install the electronics yourself and save money. that is what I did.

 

[Scott Hammer TOXIC]

KeelShield is also a self install unless you are getting a Hamby's heavy duty which has to be glassed on. If you email me I can get you a discount on the KeelShield. They are not hard to install. I don't know what the dealer charges.

 

[Phillip Stiefel]

I just noticed Nitro's site is updated for the 2013 models. Hydraulic steering is now standard. Apparently Nitro decided that was a "must" option. The base rate went up $1000. That feature accounts for $695.



@TOXIC: The keelgaurd install by Nitro is $315.

 

[Scott Hammer TOXIC]

You can put a KeelShield on for a lot less than that. I don't like taking money from one of my sponsors (Bass Pro) but that is a lot of $$ for a do-it-yourself item.