Need Help Finding the right boat

[Nick Scott]

Hey everybody, i am new to the forum and I am in need of some advice. My Dad and i are going to upgrade from our 1990 tracker proV 17 to a newer model. We enjoy fishing for all species of fish, and i am just now getting into bass fishing. We would also like to use the boat for ski or tubing on the water, but it will primarily be a fishing boat. The models we are looking at include the NItro 189 Sport, Tracker Targa 18 and the Tracker Tournament V18 All fish. We use the boat in the rivers such as the Susquehanna and many nearby creeks that feed into the Chesapeake Bay. Unfortunatley, there are not many Lakes around my area so that is not really a concern.



One other main quiestion is what are the pros and cons to alluminnum welded hulls vs. fiberglass.



Any advice to what boat would suite our needs the best based on your experience would be greatly appreciated.



Thanks in advance

Nick

 

[Jeffrey Durham]

Welcome to this forum Nick. Alot of well knowledged folks here with alot of useful info. I have a Nitro 185 and simply love it.

 

[TOMMY RICH]

I think for river fishing aluminum would be the way to go especially if there's rocks.

They also just come out with a PT 190 with a 90" beam that has the Revolution Hull...

 

[Texas Transplant]

Welcome aboard. Many will answer your questions here.



I'm not a 'river' fisherman per se, so I don't think I can add much there. I did own a Targa several years ago and simply loved it. Nice big water ride, and it's 'draft' is small for it's size. I'm probably better off letting some of the others ring in here.



Tex

 

[GARY HICKS]

i dont know where you live but my buddy has a 2004 avalanch with a 115 opti max garage kept about 10 hrs on the motor he is moving to flordia and has to sale it we are in VA

 

[Bruce Freeman]

So you live in Hooterville? I live in Street, just North of Rocks State Park. You can go either way glass or tin. Conowingo Lake does not care what you fish from it can be tough. Depending on how far north you go up the Susquehanna would be the biggest the decideing factor for me. If you don't go north of Muddy Run on the lake, or Port Deposit below the damn like me, then glass would be my first choice.

Better in the bay and a smoother ride. Check out the swap and sell here there are several boats for sale, including my Champion.



Take Care

BF

 

[Nick Scott]

Thanks for all of the early replies...



Bruce, what exactly is conowingo lake, i have heard of muddy run and have been interested in fishing there but we have only launched at lapidum and fished below the damn.

 

[Bruce Freeman]

You never fished above the damn? Conowingo lake is what they call the Susquehanna river above the damn all the way past Peach Bottom power plant. If you want I we can hook up and go sometime or I can tell you how to get there. Fall is the best time of year to fish the lake, it has everything from deep water to shallow, docks, laydowns, ect

BF

 

[XMYTRUCK XMYTRUCK]

I got a good feeling that trackers 2006 lineup will be the exactly the same as fisher..




http://www.fisherboats.com/

 

[Bill McElroy]

Hey X,....edit your post and remove one of the.... http://

 

[TrepMan]

Don't know the area you are fishing up north, but you mention "many nearby creeks that feed into the Chesapeake Bay." would those be all fresh water or some brackish? If there is any salt/brackish water i'd look at the Coastal packages for the TV18 All Fish - Vinyl floors, Corrosion Resistant Wiring Harness and Sacrificial Zinc Anode.



I ran a PC 175 with a 40 merc for over 5 years and loved it! Just moved to a Nitro 700lx and its great too. I did like the aluminium for rivers and rocky areas, i'm a bit afraid to take my glass nitro too far up river incase I hit a rock.



Trep

 

[Frank Boncore]

If you are fishing the susky a jet boat is your best bet.

 

[Aaron Scott2]

Hello all. I am "My Dad" in Nick's post. I told Nick about this site. About all the great info available from some very kind and knowledgeable guys/ladies. Not only is this site full of information it is great reading too. From the boat ramp fight by the rude guy and the John Wayne type guy, who beat up the rude guy in front of his kids; The " Rusty" story about his bikini clad wife getting ticketed for no fishing license; Too all the friendships this site has developed. This is good stuff!



Oh, and Nick. Pretty good post. These guys can help us find the right boat.

 

[TrepMan]

Welcome Aaron and Nick!



Aaron - I had to read your opening line 5 times till I got it, i'm a little slow today. I read "I am "My Dad" in Nick's post." and I had to try to figure out how YOU could be Your dad in a post by Nick!!! LOL



See what sitting at the computer all day does to a guys brain!!



Trep

 

[Christopher Laurencio]

Aaron / Nick,



To try and answer some of your questions or to just offer advice, but I'm no expert by far, just really getting into the boating thing myself in the last few years.



If the rivers you are talking about are really shallow, I would probably stick with Alum, and also the Mod V Alum, not the standard deep V. Someone mentioned a Jet Boat, but another alternative would be one of those Merc O/B with the Jet Lower End, versus the standard prop, I have seen quite a few of them in my area in NJ for fishing the DE up by me.



The Pros & Cons of Glass Vs. Tin



GlassBoat



Faster

More Stable

Heavier, so more stable in current & wind

will get ugly if scratched or banged up in river, (probably more expensive to repair)

need more water to float, slightly

better for fishing Tourneys





Tin



less expensive

lighter to tow and launch and recover

probably not powerful enough to ski but maybe tube

gets dented from impact vs. gouges and holes

however dents in the pad or hull will most likely hinder performance





not sure waht else



I purchased a brand new PT 185 last year and sold it within 12 months, nothing wrong with the boat at all, just realized that a glass boat will be better for Tourney fishing, comfort, and rough water. IMHO



All boats will have issues of some sort, none are perfect.



When you get closer to selection / purchasing, ask more questions, we could help with initial options such as TM upgrades, HP, options etc. 2 stroke vs. 4 stroke



Have you considered used? I beleive it will become a buyers market during the fall & winter



One more consideration is the tow vehicle it may limit your options.



CJL

 

[Christopher Laurencio]

Oh BTW - Welcome to he board

 

[Bruce Yeaton]

Nick and Aaron, welcome to the board. I'm not too far of a drive from you guys, take a look at my boat for sale in the swap and sell

 

[Bruce Freeman]

Welcome aboard Aaron, Like I told Nick I live close by, any questions just shout.



BF

 

[Texas Transplant]

Chris makes a very important point above, regarding boat selection.



Your tow vehicle is a very important consideration. Years ago when I bought my Targa, I figured my Ford Ranger (V6 with 5 speed stick) would do the trick. Within a month, I traded it in on a used Merc. Mountaineer SUV with a huge V8. It tows great.



However I went from a truck that was paid for and got very nice gas mileage, to a new car payment along with lower mileage. In today's world, that is a factor. And there would have been no way the Ranger would tow my current boat (Stratos 18' glass with 150hp rude) any distance at all or up a steep ramp.



Just something to consider.



Tex

 

[Aaron Scott2]

Bruce F - hooterville? LOL. Thanks for the info and we will pick your brain about the Conowingo.



Trep - I am a Georgia boy myself, grew up in the Dekalb Co area. You went from tin to glass(I followed your purchase from Rich), is there a big difference or just a preference?



Tex - You went from tin to glass also, why?



CJL - Your post pushes me toward the glass side. Tow veh not a problem, '98 durango w/tow package.



Tee - I will stay away from the rocks, too many other good places to fish.

 

[Bruce Freeman]

I have been calling Jarrettsville, Hooterville for about 30 years. It a referance back to 60's tv

Green Acres and Pettycoat Junction. Pick away, it's going to be prime time on the lake soon. Maybe even now, the water temp must be comeing down pretty fast with the cool nights we have been haveing. Depending on the weather I may even try and go this Sunday.



BF

 

[Christopher Laurencio]

Aaron, we call that the "Dark Side" around here, LOL.



Glass = Bass

 

[TrepMan]

Aaron -

You went from tin to glass(I followed your purchase from Rich), is there a big difference or just a preference?

For me it was a timing thing. I needed a dual console boat, as my 6 yearold (he will be tomorrow!) has become my fishing partner and i needed a 2nd console to protect him when we go striper fishing in the winter. I'm a huge Tracker fan, since my PC 175 was my first boat and was great, with great service. I looked for months for a PC 185 DC with a 90, or a TV18 DC, but could not find one in the price range or shape I wanted. Then Rich happened to decide to sell his boat and I had mentioned I liked it, and the deal went down. If Rich had not sold his boat, i'd probably still be looking for a Tin Dual Console used boat for my 40th B-day next year.



Difference are small and big. Biggest difference is performance and speed (assuming you compare a PT 175 to a 700lx) i'm getting mid 50's out of my Nitro, and a 175 with a 75 will push into the low-mid 40s'. There is a HUGE amount of storage in the Nitro, more then the PT 175 and more still then my PC 175 had. I've not had it long enough to realy compare ride, fishability and such yet. But it does eat a LOT more gas then my 40 merc!!



I was also limited by my minivan as a tow vehicle, so I needed to stay well within the 3500lb capacitiy and from learning from these guys idealy under 3000lbs due to total gross vehicle weight AND the limitations of Front Wheel Drive pulling out on a wet ramp.

 

[Christopher Laurencio]

Aaron, Check out the Swao & Sell, somebody is selling a 1996 Nitro Savage 884 for $4k



Sounds like a sweet deal to me

 

[Aaron Scott2]

CJL - I checked out that boat,and I would not rule out a used boat, but it would have to be the right deal, like Trep's deal with Rich. How is it on the dark side? The seller of that Nitro didn't appear to be a member here. You can tell alot about somenone on this board by reading their posts.



Oh, and Trep, 40 years old. Man, get ready for the reading glasses. Who gets the front of the boat when you go with your 6yr old?

 

[TrepMan]

Aaron - Yup 39 years YOUNG till next Sept 7th!! So far I still get the front of the boat if we're bassfishing as he isn't tall enough to run the T-motor yet!!! LOL But if we're crappie/bluegill fishing, he's up there before I can get my lanyard strap unclipped!!! LOL

 

[Christopher Laurencio]

Aaron,



Have you checked out Bass Boat Central.com, and BoatTrader Online? Both have boats for sale. the BBC is another great site for boating information.



" Q. How is it on the Dark Side",?



A. it's

 

[Frank Boncore]

I think I am ready to sell my PT 185 sport jet it's a great river boat and performs well on the flats. It's an 2003 with extended warranty until 03/08.

 

[C C]

Nick, I have owned both and love my glass boat but it no longer fits my needs and is for sale. This boat will more then fullfill your needs as it is one of the top Fish & Ski boats on the market and has the excellent manufacture backing.



Take a look, if you are interested I am sure we can work something on the distance.



Cass

http://www.nitroowners.com/shared/m...8608&REPLYCOUNT=11&LAST=9/12/2005_10:16:04_AM

 

[Aaron Scott2]

Cass, That is a nice boat. I will certainly take it into consideration. What was the cost new?