Went to BPS today

[Greg J.]

The wife and I drove down to the Nashville BPS to kill some time today (100 mile trip one way ) . Finally picked-up some rod sleeves to keep the tangle out of the small rod locker on out PT175, and got some more bobbers. They have a new PT190 there, and if I could trade right now I'd do it. Lots more deck/storage space, and the seats are styled (more comfortable) than what's in the PT175. Plus, there's more leg room under the console for my long legs. I liked the PT190...however my wife liked the Avalanche better.

 

[TOMMY RICH]

Couple of things against the 190....

Only rated for a 135HP

Even though it's a 90" beam...the bottom is just a little over 60"

If I had a 19 footer, it'll at least be rated for a 150 too:unsure:

 

[Greg J.]

Concur with ya there TEE. They had a Merc 40hp four-stroke hanging on the display boat.

 

[William H. (Bill) Barham]

Doesn't Tracker and Nitro have a habit of underpowering their boats? I guess I asked that right. When I look in the catalogs at the boats, the motors on them are too little with the option of upgrading to a larger motor that's still too little. Why do they do that?



Bill

 

[TOMMY RICH]

I'm tellin' ya...Tracker would be a whole lot better if they'd get with the program and look to the future...

Another issue...they STILL have wood in the decks:huh: Get with the program Tracker!

Seriously dissappointed in the 190...I'll stick with the SS Tracker

 

[TrepMan]

Guys, I agree if its a 19ft boat it should AT LEAST be rated for a 150 if not a 175! I wonder if the problem is the transoms? I know a few years ago Tracker went to 100% aluminium transoms but wonder if its the weight of the new 4 strokes, DFI and Verados???



Hey but you gotta admit they have now come standard with all welded and no wood in transom, so its getting better!!

 

[TOMMY RICH]

Trep...Xpress smartened up and did away with wood YEARS ago.

And regardless of articles like in the BWB article comparing an Avalanche to an Express is like comparing a Monte Carlo to a Suped up Drag Car:huh:

All the top aluminum rigs are rated for up to 200 ponies

 

[Larry Harp]

Tee, I agree that you have some valid points but just stop and consider one thing.....cost. How much more does an Express, G-3, or Trition sell for? Tracker's marketing strategy is to be placed at the bottom of the price ladder. Some corners have to be cut....wood is cheaper than aluminum. Simple as that.



Harpo

 

[TOMMY RICH]

Not much at all...less than you think. I can get an Express 19 with a 150 for 19K...the 190 is 19K with a 135 Opti.

Wood may be cheaper but, aluminum will never rot.

And as far as cutting corners...well we all know about that

And here we go again comparing a Tracker(modV's) to an Xpress or Triton....not in the same arena. G3's are not even close to those two....weld issues and handling problems have been giving them headaches for awhile. G3's design was stolen from Skeeter when they took over the aluminum side.

 

[Michael S]

I have to agree with TEE, and since I own an express I am a little biased.....but once you add the options needed to get a tracker to perform like an Xpress which is not possible in most cases you have just spent the same amount if not more money to get it up to par. I love how tracker always has the lowest price on the market but when you read the fine print you see the boat has the smallest motor on it and hardly any options.



And when it comes to xpress and big motors there 21ft model can handle a 300HP motor. Tracker does make a good boat but they still have a little ways to go.

 

[TrepMan]

I think its also a choice on market, Xpress and G3 are aluminium boat makers so they do not have the Nitro brand to compete with w/in the company.



And then the question is in my mind as Jimbob said "tracker always has the lowest price on the market " which is a marketing strategy, and it works. Now the question is should they have a mid-upper market other then the Avalanche model (hopefuly more to come in that space for larger/faster boats)?? Or decide that for the traditional welded aluminum markets let Xpress, G3, Triton and others battle it out in that market??



Just my thoughts at this point.



I'll add that for my last boat in 2000, I got exactly what I wanted and much more then I paid for in value. I liked the product so much I bought a Nitro as my next boat. OK I bought the specific Nitro because it was from someone I knew and trusted...BUT I also have been primarily looking only at Nitro/Tracker boats due to the folks on this site, and the excellent service and quality I recieved from Tracker.

 

[Bruce Yeaton]

I agree with Tee, Tracker needs to step it up and look at what other companies are doing. I looked at the PT190 the other day and was not impressed at all. For a 19' boat and only to have a 135hp max... come on. This boat is a stretched out version of the PT185, that's all. My TV18 has more deck space and a little more room regardless of the dimensions.



I've stayed with Tracker strictly because my dealer is awsome, plain and simple. There aren't too many "other" manufacturers around my area, so I'm sorta stuck between a rock and a hard place when it comes to boats. I'm looking hard at my next new boat being an Xpress if I go the aluminum route.

 

[Edward Lea.]

300 Hp!!!!!!!!!. Jeezzzz there should be a limit to what most people are allowed to drive on the lake. Are they really putting 300 HP's out on bass boats? We have mostly small lakes around here so I never thought about boats with anything in that arena. If they are I think they should have special License's to operate them. Face it there's a lot of folks out there that shouldn't be put infront of that kind of power.



BTW our BPS is set to open here in Iowa next month. I see the boats are arriving in the parking lots now. They are all still wrapped so you can't see what they are yet.

 

[BJ Laster]

When your average joe fisherman goes into a dealership to buy an alluminum boat is he really looking for performance?



Everyone knows that if you want a boat that will perform you have to go to glass.



Cant beat the alluminum trackers though for "performance alluminum"....just my opinion.

 

[Greg J.]

The least Tracker could do is to have a little better (more thrust) trolling motor on their "PT" line of boats as a standard package item. The stock 43# just doesn't cut it, imo, when you've got a steady breeze/wind blowing.

 

[TrepMan]

Waterwings, have you had problems with your PT 175 and the power of the Motorguide? I had a 40lb on my PC 175 and with the exception of heavy current up river, I had no problem with mine for 5 years. I've got a 50lb on my Nitro and it seems more then enough.



Maybe cause our lakes are damed up rivers, they are not as wide so we get except on the one part of the main lake if it blows just the right way.



Trep

 

[Greg J.]

Trep,



Only problem is when the wind is clipping pretty good.

 

[Michael S]

BJ I can promise you if you get an Xpress in the 18-21ft range with there high proformance hull you will get both the toughness of Alum, and the speed of glass. 70-75 mph is not uncommon with xpress rigs when rigged properly.

 

[Bruce Yeaton]

BJ, you're right that the average joe may not be looking for performance. But unlike Ranger, Triton, etc..., Tracker looses their customers for the lack there of. I would like to see them come out with a "performance" line of aluminum that reflects what their glass boats have to offer, entry level to flagship.

 

[BJ Laster]

JimBob...not trying to bash Xpress or any other brand of alluminum boat..but I just would not feel safe in a Tin boat giong down the lake over 60 mph...



I fished with Edwin Ever's a few weeks ago out of his PT185 with 115 merc...plenty of performance/speed in a tin boat (his ran 55ish WOT). If you want anymore go to a glass boat.



Plus..in rough water...i wouldnt be caught dead in an alluminum boat that would run at those speeds...



Tracker's Hull is awesome handling, and awesome riding in rough water. Xpress, Triton, etc. dont come close.



BJ

 

[Michael S]

BJ



Its clear you have never riden in an xpress in rough water....I can promise you an x-18 will handle rough water and keep you as dry as your 18ft Nitro. And when you start getting into the x-19 thru x-21 line those rigs are night and day compared to anything tracker makes. Xpress makes a hell of a rough water boat. To think that tracker has the best rough water boat on the market is just plain wrong.

 

[BJ Laster]

Thats just my personal opinion. I'm not trying to bash the boats. I personally dont like them. Just my opinion...

 

[Michael S]

Like I said until you have riden in the boat you can not say one way or the other, yes you can say you don't like xpress that is your opinion and your right , but you can't compare it to Tracker based on quality and ride when you have not riden in an xpress is what I am saying.