Tracker vs Alumacraft/Crestliner/Lund

[Ice_Fishin07]

Well I guess to pick one boat out it would be the Lund Impact. Comparing length it was a 16.5' while the tracker was 17', the lunds hull was thinner than the tracker. It came with two seats, not three, it did not come with a trolling motor, the horsepower was a 60 hp not 90 hp, and the boat was more, a couple of grand more. I guess it did'nt really compare.

This whole boat buying thing has my head spinning. I wanted a Lund or an Alumnacraft but after comparing prices, i just don't know.

Covey, I can relate to you. This boat thing has my head spinning for few weeks now. But, after listening to people here and few people I know, I think Tracker is out of picture for me.

Right now, I am looking at 17' Crestliner SuperHawk with 115 HP yamaha 4-stroke. I like the setup. I might buy this here in a week or so.

[MikeEiden]

To be honest unless you spend some time on the water in a number of different boats you wouldn't really notice some of these details mentioned. It really comes down to what you expect out of your boat. And being a new boat owner you might never know the difference. Like EsoxMag, he thinks Targa's are fine fishing boats but there is some things that could be improved upon; whereas may not have the same complaints. Definitly listen to what people say and sometimes you'll see a trend (such as power, rod lockers, seating, etc) and if that is an item that may be concerning down the road then go a different route.

I just looked up the new Targa and I see Tracker has improved their packages some. Before you got a 52-55lb 12V cable steer MG TM. Now I see they offer 70lb 24V PD. And that Lowrance Mark-5x for a basic locator isn't really all that bad. The Hummingbird that came in my 2001 has pixels similar to Super Mario Bros and a screen size of an I-phone. Anyways, for a fishing ready package 18' (19'1") boat for around $20K new isn't to bad. Again, I've fished in a number of other boats and there are some nice rigs that offer more stability and possibly better built but it has never been a landslide. And once I see the price tag the boat envy stops cold!

If you can wait till summer maybe you can test drive some rigs or meet up with others and fish out of their boats. If anything take along a group of friends that own boats and have them pick out stuff they like and dislike. You may not have notice these items on your own. Then weigh your options that are most important and get the big dollar items you want/need up front. Like Greg has said a few times. Don't do what I did and say it will be good enough.

Btw, the head spins stop when you're running across the lake in your new rig!

[Esox_Magnum]

Kudos to Tracker for finaly upgrading the base packadge on their boats. Like I say the one we have I like, would I buy one, probley not. Decent ride, pretty dry and I have been in it in some nasty nasty water and never felt unsafe. I went from alum to a glass and never going back. I'll take my older glass over a new alum anyday.

I owne an Alumacraft prior to my Skeeter and also a good boat and a tough one, never owned a Lund, I put them up with a Ranger, yes nice but IMO way over priced.

[gregg52]

lund vs ranger

tin vs glass

no brainer in my eyes...lol

Hey Mike E i hope you dont think I 'm slaming you

It was just a mistake

And i think you got mislead by a salesmen there and that could happen to any body

i've been lucky i did question the 150 on mine being big enuff to push a 20ft boat and asked more than once believe me

and it not overly fast..44 trimed out on glass flat water

but i'm just fine with that i'll take the power coming out any day

i fish winnie mostly and on the big lake dont run wide open alot any way

anybody ever looking to go for a ride in a glass boat to compare

let me know i'll give you ride any time

on winnie or around brainerd perhaps even mille lacs

[Triple_D]

I have a Lund Pro Sport, 90 hp, love it.

Sounds like what you are looking for. Check one out.

[BoxMN]

Not trying to push any one brand here. But for quality you need to look at the hatch handles, the seat upolstery, the brand of livewell pumps or bilge pumps. For example are they cartridge pumps or whole units? Trust me, the cartridge pumps will save you over a hundred bucks and lots of frustration if u keep a boat more than about six years ( that is if u use it). Loom at the seat bases, the sturdiness of the steering wheel ( the one on our original boat was stanard in industry at the time and even a bit nicer but it had a plastic feel - and yep it broke after about 9 years). Ask what kind of plywood they use in floors. If u can get vinyl floors with snap in carpet. Floor will last longer and u will most likely trash the carpet eventually what ever brand that is best option u can buy. Worth every dollar.

Hey CR, i am at cabin , next year i want to plan ahead so i can fish with you. Still sorry i missed hookin up with you guys. Going to snowmobile all day tomorrow and crappie fish tomorrow night

[Ufatz]

Hey Ice....the Crestliner with the 115 Yamaha is about as good as it gets!Have owned literally dozens of boats of all sizes and that package is a lot of boat for the money. And the engine is just unbeatable.

If you can do it I would not hesitate......IF you think it fits your needs.

[gregg52]

one thing i'll say bout crestliner is their seats are very very good

i had my old ones for 20 yrs and i used my boat alot

the were wore no doubt but still very useable for the most part they didnt come apart in the seams or anything like that

it was put together well i did replace the floor after bout 15 yrs

but just the center piece where the pedistals sat but i was fishing tourenments the first 4-5 yrs and beat that boat pretty bad in big winds probably took a fews off that floor

i dont know where they make crestliner now

[JohnMickish]

Crestliner is now made at the Lund plant.

[gregg52]

really

in new york mills ??

[JohnMickish]

I don't know if they build all of the models there but last year there was a press release that they where moving the process up the road to their sister plant.

[CRFan1]

Not trying to push any one brand here. But for quality you need to look at the hatch handles, the seat upolstery, the brand of livewell pumps or bilge pumps. For example are they cartridge pumps or whole units? Trust me, the cartridge pumps will save you over a hundred bucks and lots of frustration if u keep a boat more than about six years ( that is if u use it). Loom at the seat bases, the sturdiness of the steering wheel ( the one on our original boat was stanard in industry at the time and even a bit nicer but it had a plastic feel - and yep it broke after about 9 years). Ask what kind of plywood they use in floors. If u can get vinyl floors with snap in carpet. Floor will last longer and u will most likely trash the carpet eventually what ever brand that is best option u can buy. Worth every dollar.

Hey CR, i am at cabin , next year i want to plan ahead so i can fish with you. Still sorry i missed hookin up with you guys. Going to snowmobile all day tomorrow and crappie fish tomorrow night

Hey BoxMN,

Absolutely! Gonna be up there on June 4th I hope I get my boat back by MArch, lolol......had some weird bumps on the transom that were paint related and my dealer sent it back to ALumacraft to get repaired after the season was over. Hopefully, we can get together and wet a line for sure!

[kjgmh]

I own a Crestliner (2005 1750 FH) and was recently looking at Tracker (2011 Pro Guide V175SC), here was some of the things I noticed/found.

Warranty - Crestliner 3 years on everything, longer on hull.

Tracker 1 year on components, longer on hull

Hull - Crestliner .090 sides/bottom .125 transom

Tracker .10 for all

Wood - Crestliner does not use treated wood(at least my 2005 does not)

Tracker uses treated wood

Transom - Crestliner is wood with aluminum

Tracker is all aluminum

Wiring - Crestliner wiring under the dash is a mess

Tracker wiring is very neat and tidy

Fit and Finish - I would say they are pretty close, not a big fan of the

unpainted bottom on the Tracker though

Trailers - Crestliner I had lots of options when I bought

Tracker only choice is thier bunk trailer

Price - I can buy the new Tracker for about what I paid for my Crestliner in 2005, which I think is a pretty good deal. Still debating on what to do...