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Posts: 3
| Looking at buying a new boat and looking for some reviews/experiences with the deep V Tracker boats. |
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Location: Northern Illinois | I owned a 2005 tracker v185 targa w/t. I had alot of issues with it. First issue was I was fishing on leach lake after a few months of ownership and the windshield came completely loose on that trip causing the walk through not to close properly. 2nd issue over several years of ownership the hull developed hair line cracks along the stringers. Several cracks developed a total of 7 by the time I sold it. Over $2500 to fix had to remove the interior of the boat to properly fix it. Tracker did nothing to help either. 3rd issue the carpet in the boat was very cheap and thin, it began to loosen up and tear very easily I ended up selling the boat before I had to Recarpet. 4th I troll alot and the tracker boats are so light that any wind would blow you off track it felt like fishing in a tin can at times very hard boat control. In my own review I would never buy one again. Just google search the customer satisfaction reports not so good. |
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Posts: 9
| i bought one new in 2001, I haven't had any problems in that time. it has been a great boat. I would certainly buy another one. |
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Posts: 1209
| I think there fine for most people, but if your super hard core may want to spend a few more dollars |
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Posts: 3
| Thanks for the input. Was hoping what reviews I seen were not true but it seams the general consensus is to stay away. |
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Posts: 742
Location: Grand Rapids MN | I'll give you perspective as an owner, which I ran a 17' Targa for 10 years. The good is I was able to get into my first boat with good features for a lot less than other brands. Paid $9500 for a 4 year old boat with 50 hours on the motor. No it doesn't fish the same as a Ranger but fished well for what most avid fisherman will encounter. It didn't track in the wind as well as my Lund I have now, the bottom doesn't quite grip the same, but again you learn your boat. It ran a little bow high, somewhat typical for 20* deadrise hulls, but cut the waves well. Getting out of the hole was ok and once I bought my new boat there is a difference. Loading on the the trailer was super easy and liked it better than my current set up.
It was a good fishing boat but it isn't the same as a "name brand" boat. Back in the day there was a big seperation in price that got you in a decent new boat without sticker shock. Today they are getting priced closer to other models which I would lean towards. I treated myself to my 2nd boat in 2015 by getting a Lund Impact 1850XS w/ 150 Merc. Not sure how the new Trackers run but I'm really happy with my choice.
Edited by Targa01 3/31/2018 7:49 PM
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Posts: 1209
| Same rumors are said about nitro, and I have beat on the boat since day one and has done everything I have asked it to do, but I think that glass boats are a bit ahead of aluminum, seriously just check them out, they won't break but features to performance may be lacking for a hard core angler, dry boxes may not be dry, there may be better riding aluminum boats, standard options list is shorter but keeps the price down. Take a look, make your decision |
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Posts: 386
Location: SW Ohio | My friend has a '15 or '16 Targa 18 that he fishes out of just about every weekend. OH lakes, Cave Run, Green River, ST Clair, Erie, and more. May have as many trailering hours as motor hours. Worse problem he had was with the Merc trim unit. Some minor issues with loose screws and paint but that has been about it. It's big, roomy and handles rough water very well. Yeah, the wind will get it due to sitting so high but it is a non-issue for him. Boats from 10 years ago don't compare as well to some of the newer designs. If Tracker had come out with their updated version of the V-175 WT earlier I may have gone that route instead of getting my Lowe. |
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Posts: 32886
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | OH Musky - 4/2/2018 5:07 AM
My friend has a '15 or '16 Targa 18 that he fishes out of just about every weekend. OH lakes, Cave Run, Green River, ST Clair, Erie, and more. May have as many trailering hours as motor hours. Worse problem he had was with the Merc trim unit. Some minor issues with loose screws and paint but that has been about it. It's big, roomy and handles rough water very well. Yeah, the wind will get it due to sitting so high but it is a non-issue for him. Boats from 10 years ago don't compare as well to some of the newer designs. If Tracker had come out with their updated version of the V-175 WT earlier I may have gone that route instead of getting my Lowe.
This. The Trackers of today are not the same boat as those built over a decade ago. Check out the warranty, it's one of the best. The dealer network is big, so service isn't an issue, and it's a one point warranty, so all warranty work is handled through the dealer. That's where I'd take a hard look to make sure the dealer is one I want to work with through the life of the boat. Look for a CSI award winning dealer, too.
https://www.trackerboats.com/warranty/
The brand has won 6 consecutive CSI awards. These are based upon feedback from actual customers through the National Marine Manufacturers Association, and winning one is a big deal in the marine business for any manufacturer or dealer.
'RECOGNIZED FOR EXCELLENCE
IN CUSTOMER SATISFACTION
For the sixth consecutive year, TRACKER has been recognized with the Customer Satisfaction Index (CSI) Award from the National Marine Manufacturers Association® (NMMA) for Excellence in Customer Satisfaction for aluminum outboard boats. This prestigious honor reflects thousands of TRACKER boat owners returning surveys where they reported satisfaction ratings of 90 and higher on a 100-point scale.
The CSI Award is the leading measurement of customer satisfaction in the boating industry. It's a tribute to our skilled craftspeople and the thousands of people in our company and dealer network who provide support to our customers. And, it's confirmation that we continue to uphold the promise we made decades ago to deliver quality and value to our customers—a promise that has helped make us one of America's favorite boat brands.'
The parent company owns Ranger, Triton, Tracker, Tahoe, Ascend, Regency, and Mako.
I would certainly consider a new Tracker.
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