Tracker Boats

I had an ’01 Tracker Targa V17.
I upgraded to a 115 HP Merc after 2 years. Only cost me about $2k for the upgrade.
Best deal I made. Now with that being said, I was really happy with that boat.
However i noticed a tick in the belly of the boat when i ran it on rough waters. Found out that one of the “rib welds” broke loose. Started taking on water but I believe a weld job took care of it. It served me well and handled some rough waters while i owned it. I have now upgraded to an old Ranger and won’t look back but have nothing negative to say about the Trackers.

If you’re seriously looking at a used Tracker, contact Tracker Support about the wood used in the transom. We have a 2001 Deep V 17 Ft. It has the Treated Plywood that corrodes the aluminum transom skin.

Do not buy a Tracker unless it’s 2014 or better, and make sure you transfer the warranty if you buy used. I bought a 2012 Tracker Targa in 2016 with 65 hours on it, and have put about 150 on it since. I use it maybe 10-12 times a summer, and just filled it with water on the trailer to find stress cracks all over the hull. The boat is essentially smoked, and prior to 2014 they only had a 5 year warranty. The boat was never abused, and well cared for and it’s now garbage. The video I have of the leaking is too big to share, but it’s frankly gross to watch.

Never buy a Tracker boat! Their bragged about warranty isn’t worth the paper it’s written on. It’s great unless you have a problem. My new 2019 Tracker 175 TXW leaked like a sieve since day one. The dealer and White River Marine had my boat for “7 MONTHS” and when I got it back it was no better than before. They actually suggested to the dealer that they fix it with “Flex Seal”. Next thing you know, they’ll make a whole boat out of it! Believe me, nobody cares. They just want problems to go away. I must repair it myself to make sure it is properly done! This hull should have been replaced immediately. A major manufacturing ” DEFECT ” should not be fixed with bubble gum and bailing wire.
I wonder if anyone in the Bass Pro Shops family gives a darn. Johnny Morris?

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I have a 08 Tracker Targa V175 the deeper model and so far it’s been a great boat, no hull issues and I have had it on big water, not crazy stuff but beat it up pretty good and other than some plastic cracks on the counsel it has been fine. Is there better boats, sure but for the price point I would not worry about it.

I have a 99 Nitro (made by Tracker) that looks and runs better than most bass boats that are 10 years newer. It’s all about how you maintain your boat.

Looks like the anti Tracker crowd all signed up for the site and just happened to make their first post today……

Huge difference between their Bass boats and deep V’s. Trackers are a hole nother story.

I have had 2 Tracker boats. Both were good craft. The Cadillac of boats, no, but no major problems and enjoyed a whole lot of hours boating and fishing in them.

Dutchboy wrote:

Huge difference between their <em class=”ido-tag-em”>Bass boats and deep V’s. Trackers are a hole nother story.

Go over to BBC forums and look up the issues people are having with the Vexus tin hulls. Isn’t just Tracker.

I considered a tracker 175txw in 2015 when I was looking at boats. It was easily the most affordable option of the 3 brands I was looking at. There were 2 reasons I ultimately decided against it: the lack of customizable options and the console layout. The console doesn’t have a spot for electronics anywhere. It’s mounted off the side. I didn’t care for that. The other reason was the location of the dealer/service, neither of which were very close to my current residence. I did like the price tag and the center rod locker, something that Ranger and Crestliner did not offer in this size aluminum bass boat.

Just bought a like new 2017Tracker pro 175 txw. Super nice. 60 hp 4 stroke. Great little boat. Please, what prop can I try so we can plane faster. SO slow to accelerate it is almost dangerous. Will not get out of the hole. At least 20 to 30 seconds to get the bow down and about 20 mph. The stock prop is on and wide open is 30 mph at only 5000 rpm. I know a different prop should get us out of the hole and moving. If we loose top speed , don’t care but would like to get to 5500 to 6000 rpm like the book says. Thanks so much, bob

Robert Fox wrote:

Just bought a like new 2017Tracker pro 175 txw. Super nice. 60 hp 4 stroke. Great little boat. Please, what prop can I try so we can plane faster. SO slow to accelerate it is almost dangerous. Will not get out of the hole. At least 20 to 30 seconds to get the bow down and about 20 mph. The stock prop is on and wide open is 30 mph at only 5000 rpm. I know a different prop should get us out of the hole and moving. If we loose top speed , don’t care but would like to get to 5500 to 6000 rpm like the book says. Thanks so much, bob

Bob,
After 4 years, lord only knows what prop might be on your OB. Try to find a part number somewhere, so we can go from there. Do you know if it has the standard or CT (Command Thrust) gearcase?

HRG

Hug, The # stamped on the prop is 816706a45. There is a sticker on the motor lower unit that says 12×22 . It is directly above the engine trim tab. Thanks, bob

HRG, standard gear case

HRG, 816706a45 merc says it is a 10.38 x 14 pitch

That part number is for a 10.4″ x 14P prop. Is the prop in good shape? That seems like a shallow enough pitch to me. If the prop is dinged up, that could be your issue. If it’s in good shape, you’re going to need a lower pitch to gain some RPMs.

Robert Fox wrote:

HRG, 816706a45 merc says it is a 10.38 x 14 pitch

My experience with a hull of that weight and a 60 4S would have me to look in the direction of Mercurys’ 4-blade SpitFire, probably a 12″ pitch.

# 48-8M8026625 https://www.boatpropellerwarehouse.com/product/28771/spitfire-10-6-x-12-mercury-rh-propeller-48-8m8026625

HRG

HRG, thanks

I purchased a 19′ Tracker Targa WT Tournament with a 200 Merc on the back in April of 2021. Overall the boat is decent for the money, but the people who assembled the boat took very little pride in their work. Many small issues with the boat that accumulated to me not being very satisfied with it. Under the dash wiring looked like a bowl of spaghetti, missing screws, multiplex buss mounted where you couldn’t plug all the cables in, 3 bay charger mounted where you couldn’t see it. Dealer never activated what type of battery it was charging so they first time I tried charging the batteries they never charged. They didn’t connect the starting battery to the charger, wires were just hanging there. Windshield didn’t line up. Front live well didn’t fill, had to bring it back so they could rotate the pump properly. Front storage doors don’t have strong enough magnet to keep them shut. Brought it back once to have it fixed, still isn’t right. Screws fell out that hold the seat to the pedestal base. No washers or lock washers, just a screw head on a oversized slot. Cracked GPS puck from overnighted screw, radio antenna not ran properly, just coiled up with a twist tie – no reception. Several other things too.

I fixed most of these and other issues myself because of time and I don’t think they would have fixed them to my expectations. Tried to contact Tracker several times and they said to contact Cabela’s where I bought the boat. I told the service manager there I wanted some answers from Tracker and he said he would try. I asked him 3 times and still no answer.

Its too bad they don’t take pride or care when assembling the boats, and even worse that they will not address the issues or discuss them with me. Last one I would ever buy. Scary to think Ranger comes out of the same factory as Tracker. I’m guessing there are more disappointed Ranger customers these days as well.

Rangers are not made in the same factory as trackers. Well fiberglass rangers are not made in the same factory. Are the aluminum Rangers made in the same factory as the trackers? Tin Rangers have never had a great reputation right from the start from what I ready about them. I know a couple people that have glass rangers made since the new ownership took over and they haven’t had any complaints, but that doesn’t mean the quality isn’t edging downward. I hope that isn’t the case. I have been really happy with my two rangers I have had and have.

Ed Wilbert wrote:

I purchased a 19′ Tracker Targa WT Tournament with a 200 Merc on the back in April of 2021. Overall the boat is decent for the money, but the people who assembled the boat took very little pride in their work. Many small issues with the boat that accumulated to me not being very satisfied with it. Under the dash wiring looked like a bowl of spaghetti, missing screws, multiplex buss mounted where you couldn’t plug all the cables in, 3 bay charger mounted where you couldn’t see it. Dealer never activated what type of battery it was charging so they first time I tried charging the batteries they never charged. They didn’t connect the starting battery to the charger, wires were just hanging there. Windshield didn’t line up. Front live well didn’t fill, had to bring it back so they could rotate the pump properly. Front storage doors don’t have strong enough magnet to keep them shut. Brought it back once to have it fixed, still isn’t right. Screws fell out that hold the seat to the pedestal base. No washers or lock washers, just a screw head on a oversized slot. Cracked GPS puck from overnighted screw, radio antenna not ran properly, just coiled up with a twist tie – no reception. Several other things too.

I fixed most of these and other issues myself because of time and I don’t think they would have fixed them to my expectations. Tried to contact Tracker several times and they said to contact Cabela’s where I bought the boat. I told the service manager there I wanted some answers from Tracker and he said he would try. I asked him 3 times and still no answer.

Its too bad they don’t take pride or care when assembling the boats, and even worse that they will not address the issues or discuss them with me. Last one I would ever buy. Scary to think Ranger comes out of the same factory as Tracker. I’m guessing there are more disappointed Ranger customers these days as well.

I purchased a new 2016 Tracker Marine PRO 175 TF. I have own it for 6 years with no issues other that starter battery replacement. Today after sitting in my garage for just less than a year, I rolled it out to start it up and confirm it’s readiness for the fishing season. During this testing I discovered the following:
1. Motor tilt would not move upward by pushing tilt up button. However, when pushing the tilt down button it would tilt up…..
2. When I turned the key to start the motor nothing happened.
3. When I turned the key to start the motor the fuel gauge went way beyond full even though the gas tank is a little less than half full.
3. When I turned the key to start the motor the Tachometer did not move.
4. The horn, aerators and navigation lights did work.
5. A Check of Battery voltage showed both batteries to be at about 13 volts. Batteries were kept on charge (trickle charge) while in garage.
Anybody ever experienced this type of behavior with a Tracker Marine electrical system?

It sure sounds like a battery issue. Try a load test or try to jump start with a different battery to make sure one cell isn’t bad. I had a battery that would show fully charged volt wise but was still faulty.

I would also recommend not “dry starting” an outboard unless you have muffs or the outboard is actually in the water. The engine is water cooled.

Does anybody remember those Tracker boats years ago that had aluminum hulls that were like fiberglass? No rivets and the hull contours were like fiberglass? They offered a bass boat and walleye boat versions.

I think they were the tundra 21′ models. My former brother in-law was looking for a boat and a 20′ or 21′ was for sale with a 250 merc that was priced way below the lunds and others he was looking at. It looked like a nice enough boat. I said to him we should ask someone in the know about them. The guy we talked to was a manager at the dealer I bought a few boats from and he said stay away from the 20′ tundra. They had issues with the top and bottom breaking apart in big water waves. I trust his opinion, so he moved on looking at other boats. I never researched what he said, but he had no reason to lie to me. Anyone else hear the same thing?

Sylvanboat wrote:

Does anybody remember those Tracker boats years ago that had aluminum hulls that were like fiberglass? No rivets and the hull contours were like fiberglass? They offered a bass boat and walleye boat versions.

Problem has been resolved. When replacing the starter battery, the cables were hooked up backwards (positive cable to negative terminal and negative cable to positive terminal). Upon switching cable to correct battery terminals the tilt now functions correctly, the motor now starts & runs (with water muff attached), the gas gauge works and the tack goes to zero when he key is switched on. There were no fuses blown.

Sylvanboat wrote:

Does anybody remember those Tracker boats years ago that had aluminum hulls that were like fiberglass? No rivets and the hull contours were like fiberglass? They offered a bass boat and walleye boat versions.

Yeah my buddy has one, 18′ and serves it’s purpose. When he got it we had a long discussion about whether it’s tin or glass lol.