Mike L and other Pro Crappie Owners, 2003 boat

[TrepMan]

Looked the 2003 Pro Crappie at the store 2 weeks ago and after having mine out this weekend I see some pro/cons with the new boat/design. Just a few thoughts, and I know I don't design'em so I don't get my say:



2003 Pro Crappie 175

Pros:

- All Welded

- Wider Gunwales

- Extended storage in the front deck, instead of the insert that holds 3 - 370 boxes, they now have extened the storage much further under the front seat post.

- Larger bilge area storage

- COOL new fiberglass console (same as PT175), seat colors.

- Standard Swiveleze (bass boat type) pin seat mounts. Leave nothing to trip on if you take the seats out.

- Deeper front storage cubbie (on either side forward of the front seat).



Cons

- BIG ONE - Honey they SHRUNK the livewell! What was a good sized livewell in front of the console is now a glorified baitwell! It's the same size/shape as the front baitwell with a very small extened section to connect it to the hull. My 3.5lb striper just fit (at 20inches) into my front livewell in my 2000 boat, no way it would fit in the 2003. Oh and they moved the console forward for more leg room but now the "free" color doesn't fit between the front livewell and the baitwell.

- They moved the passenger seat forward about 8 inches or so. Heard it helps holeshot/planing from a balance perspective. It just looks strange.

- They moved the Oar storage to be on top of the area behind rod-locker. Bad idea, too easy to knock it loose or drop overboard.



All in all still a great boat! Thing's I'd like to see (feel free to add your own thoughts) are:

- Combine the Front livewell and baitwell and mount infront of the console. That frees up the front deck and if you were to take out the baitbuckect (like the Panfish 165) youd have an even bigger livewell!.

- Standard Rod Strap on top of the rod-locker. I added mine as a throw in when I bought my boat, but comes in REAL handy!

- Figure a way to make the passenger seat swivel so if you have a tuber your passenger can watch/spot sitting next to you (as opposed to sitting in the lower rear seat).

- Offer the removable trolling motor mount as an option, this would make it easier to take off if you want to use it as a cruiser - I know, it's a fishing boat, but this is MY wishlist!!

- Figure out how to get more storage! they did a good job on the 2003 re-design, just go further! Why not an in-floor rod-locker (since you don't have the large front deck of a standard bass boat).



I know, everything costs $$, and some of my ideas would cost to much. But that's the fun of dreaming!!!

 

[Mike L.]

Trep...Thanks for the update!...Must be nice having a BPS nearby....!.......Mike

 

[TrepMan]

and the Boat show is this weekend !!!!

 

[Mike L.]

I'm sure you'll be going!......All the outdoorsmans shows get started here this week also. I'm going to the Garden State Outdoorsmans Show in Edison NJ on Thursday and late next weekto the Philadelphia Outdoorsmans show in Ft Washington PA. The Shows are good places to check out some new gear, but you have to go on weekdays to avoid the huge weekend crowds. Looking forward to them!

 

[Mike Levesque]

Trep, thanks for the info about the Pro Crappie 2003, I looked a looong time at the 2002 model Pro Crappie, and it was between that and the 2002 Pro Deep V 16, which I ended up getting.( The Deep V) The Pro Crappie's one nice rig, and you make some excellent points. A note about the boat show season, the Chicago show was this past weekend, and of course I checked out all the tin makers. I am not knocking any other manufacturers here, but when you guys all go, take a good look at the hulls, Only Tracker and Lund even looked "smooth". Almost every other tinboat maker's hulls looked like "washboards", with countless ripples and waves in them when you caught them at the right view angle, looking from front to back. Wonder if they always look that way or if it was a "normal" thing? Never noticed THAT before?! Tracker's display area was nice, but wayyyy in the back corner of the place, while Lund's area was practically the first thing you see when you walk in, how do they determine things like that? Luck of the draw? I'd think it would be a primo spot to have, the first one you walk by when you walk in, and last one you pass on the way out, just wonderin'..... egMike

 

[TOMMY RICH]

I've seen a few of those different little changes they have made on some of the other models too and have wondered why they did some...like that color combo with mostly red(in the seats also)....last years mostly black with white and grey looked a whole lot better. If it is the Silver Anniversary for Tracker...why not Silver and Black or whatever. O.K.....I'm thru being nit picky.

TEE

 

[TrepMan]

Mike L. - Agree on going on weekdays, can't this year BUT i've found that Sunday morning first thing (11am open) is the next best thing, NO one there!!.



egMike - I'll look at the other brands hulls more closely this weekend, though we don't get much other Aluminium (an occational Triton) down hear unfortunetly, mostly Glass.



TEE - See, now if Tracker R&D would just call us up and ask, we'd be HAPPY to tell them how to improve the boats! Of course we want the price lowered and a free boat for us, but heck wouldn't everyone! LOL

 

[TOMMY RICH]

Ya know Trep you might not be that far off. I've been a tool & die-maker all my life and have worked here at Wright Patt since 89' and have had tons of R&D work here until I got RIF'd back in 95' and now work behind a desk doing accounting ever since. I know there is a few things that does need looked at(some ARE safety issues).For one...have you ever noticed that there is NO WAY that I can put my plug in from the inside of my boat. They welded the bracket for the livewell pump directly over top the bilge (which is directly in the center). You cannot get your hand around all those SHARP aluminum edges to get it in. Now that's NOT good design! If I loose my plug....I'm hurtin'!

TEE

 

[bob wateski]

I have fished tour. for 15 yrs. and also own a 94 Skeeter

bass boat. I bought my 4th tracker last year in Jan. and ended up with a headache that no one should have. I had a

total of 16 different problems with the boat. Granted, most of them were minor, but should never have been on a brand new boat. The main problem with the boat is that it has a hook in the hull that will not let the boat come up on plane. When I went to my dealer about this problem, they had me leave the boat and took it out for a test ride.

After this, they checked the bottom and found the hook at the back of the boat. Tracker said they wanted the boat back to evaluate the problem. Aug. 19, 2002 boat dropped off at dealer, boat returned first part of Dec. I got ahold of a work report that said it had a broken stringer and that they could not get the hook all the way out. The

stringer was replaced and the boat returned to the dealer

with the hook still in the hull. I will not sign for the boat from the dealer because the boat has not been fixed.

I have letters from Tracker that state the boat will be repaired or replaced. Now, when I contacted Sandy at Tracker all she would say was "caused by impact". The hook is from beam to beam and not bow to stern. If any one

out there has had problems with their tracker, no matter when, E-mail me so I can give as much information as possible to my attorney. I am demanding either a new boat or all of my money back. I also am a Viet Nam vet and not

afraid of a fight with tracker and I will do what ever it takes to win. If I have to I will contact every local T.V.

and newspaper I can and attend every boat show possible and

tell people not to buy a tracker product.

If you have had a nightmare with Tracker, let me know at

[email protected] or [email protected]

I will get it at either one. I think if we can show the way Tracker treats their customers, we can get the state and federal general attornies to start an investigation into the consumer fraud that exists when they will not honor their warranty.

 

[Marke Cicero]

Hey Bob,



Good luck with your crusade against Tracker.



Now, why don't you tell us about how much you liked your previous Trackers? You've owned enough of them. You must have liked something since you kept going back. Right??



I'm sure it's frustrating to you that things aren't going your way but to dig up 2 year old threads just looking for problems is a little extreme. While you're at it, see if you can get a class action suit for the transfer case and front differential that I had to put in my 1991 GMC Truck. Oh never mind, that was because I went from 4 hi to 4 low at 45MPH.



Marke