newer pt18 owners

[mike chip]

i am going to order a tv-18 and would like to ask a couple of questions about the pt 18 to help make my final descion. Is the ride dry. Do you ever get sprayed with water and if so how big of a wave does it have to be. How smooth is the ride? Can you go full throttle is a one foot chop? how about 2 ft?

thanks for taking the time to answer

mike

 

[Mark Hofman]

Mike:



I'm probably unique in that I've had seat time in both a TV-18 (2001) and a Pro-Team 185 (2004). I own the TV-18 and my father-in-law owns the Pro-Team 185.



Yes, the ride in the Pro-Team is fairly dry, and a lot more smooth than I expected it to be. Provided you're up on plane and in the upper 2/3 of the throttle range, you'll stay fairly dry. A lot has to do with what direction you're headed in and from where the wind is blowing.



You CAN get wet in either boat, buy my experience has been that you are more likely to stay drier in the TV-18 than you will in the Pro-Team, especially in rough chop (2 to 3 footers).



With the Pro-Team, you can go full throttle in a one-foot chop. The ride is excellent and you'll stay dry.



Getting into a two foot chop, you'll have to work the throttle a little. The ride starts to get a bit rough, especially if you catch a wave and go "airborne" a bit. The flatter bottom of the back half of the boat makes landings a bit harder, but not kidney-jarring hard.



In my opinion, a bigger reason to choose between a TV-18 and a PT-185 is STORAGE. The Pro-Team doesn't come close to being able to hold the amount of gear that the TV-18 will. The two middle front bins, and the two dry box storage areas in the rear deck of the TV-18 are cavernous compared to those you'll get on the Pro-Team.



I had my TV-18 out on Lake of the Ozarks in five foot ROLLERS. Granted I had to stay off plane in those conditions, but I would feel much safer with those kinds of conditions in the TV-18 than I would in the Pro-Team.



Just my $.02



MO

 

[mike chip]

Thanks mo,

That means the pt 18 is out of the running.

Now if i can just get a ride in an xpress x series boat i can place my order. I have never even seen an x series up my way but i would like to compare the two boats side by side. i was shocked that the 17 and 18 footer were wider than the tv-18, its more performance, but is it better?

mike

 

[Mark Hofman]

I don't want to appear like I'm talking you out of an XPress. They are good boats with exceptional performance.



Two points to look into:



1. What is the warranty offered on the XPress? If I remember right, its a 5-year warranty including a warranty on the welds. The warranty on the Tracker's welds is lifetime.



2. Is the benefit of an aluminum deck versus marine plywood REALLY a benefit? If you ever have to get under the deck to do repairs or custom modifications, you'll have to cut that aluminum deck and then re-weld it in place. To me, that's asking for trouble. It will also be easier to replace worn out carpeting on the Tracker, since you'll have the deck pieces to use as a pattern on the new carpet. In the long run, provided you can keep the deck dry during storage, I'd recommend a plywood deck.





The hull layout of an XPress is more similar to the ProTeam than to the Tournament V-18. Ride will be similar, too. The XPress's wider beam will give you a drier ride, but its still a modified-V hull.



If you want a boat to compare apples-to-apples with the Tournament V-18, that has a good reputation for quality and usability, spend some time researching the Crestliner CMV 1850 (link below).
http://www.crestliner.com/boat_info/boat_model.asp?BID=131

 

[Andrew Zuber]

Hey MO!

The Crestliner is a nice boat...One of the guys in our club fishes out of one...they have tons of open space! The only thing I don't like about them is that the front deck sits up off the water more than the TV-18...more like a 'regular' deep V boat...



az

 

[Mark Hofman]

Yeah...It's the same hull as their Fish Hawk series, but with more of a bass boat deck layout rather than a walleye boat deck. One thing about it that I <u>do</u> like is the center rod locker on the front deck.



But, as far as I know, the TV-18 and the CMV 1850 are the only two all-welded tin boats with both a true-V hull and a bass boat deck configuration.



I had to pass on the Crestliner for a couple of reasons: 1.) it wouldn't fit into the boat slips I use on an annual basis (too wide of a beam), and; 2.) you pay for everything separately: boat, motor, trailer, electronics, cover, spare tire and mount, yadda yadda yadda. Then, once the dealer adds up the master price, you have to haggle to get it down to the "real" purchase price. That's just nuts when you compare it to the TV-18 way. Still, they are a nice boat.

 

[mike chip]

well after finding a dealer of the other boats i wanted to compare with the tv-18. I have found out none of them compare. So this fall i will order a new tv-18 or allfish. i wish tracker hadn't raised the price for the 05's by 800 bucks.

mike