2003 tracker pro angler

[BandB]

I curently own a tracker pro angler v16 with a 60hp mercury elpto 3 batterys dual finders, lots of lights, cd stereo w/ 2 speakers. my question is how much would you say its worth I am debating selling it but dont want to lose money on it. I figured you all could give me a good ball park and help me decide abou seling it. I love this boat but I am not going to have much time to use it this summer so I am torn with making the payments or just seling it and geting a new baot next year. Thanks

[jgeatz]

I would say, if you like the boat keep it or you will have to make a pretty good profit on it to offset the tax on the new boat. Just something to consider before you sell.

[NEANGLER]

Try looking at boattrader.com and copmpare your boats to others. Trackers do not hold their value very well and there tends to be ALOT of them for sale so it will take some time to find the right buyer. Might consider trading it instead if you are looking for a new boat.

[BandB]

thats the problem you do not see a lot for sale in mn. but thanks for the idea. As far as holding value I think that may be true for the older rivited hulls but welded ones are better from what I have seen. You dont see a lot of tracker boats in mn and there are a lot of models so its hard to compare. I would rank this boat up ther with any mn made boat. It handles like a dream and is fast for only having a 60hp I have gps it at 43 mph full fuel and just me in it that is very fast for this class boat.

[eyepatrol]

I'd have to agree with jgeatz. If you like the boat, keep it because yes, you'd have to make a decent profit to offset the taxes and you may end up with higher monthly payments. Plus, it's always nice having it, even if it's just sitting there, in case you do have the opportunity to go out. We sold our boat last year and are taking the year off to save for a new one. It was a necessary evil, but I'm really kicking myself now for selling it and agreeing with my wife to wait a year before buying another one (will have to remember not to agree to that next time). If you're going to get the same rig setup, or if you think at all you'll miss having it, then KEEP IT! If not, then I'd go and sell it.

My $.02

[sparkyaber]

I was looking at the sports section in today's Star and Tribune and on the back page there was an add for Tracker boats. It stated that Tracker's are the most popular alumminum boat on the market (in the nation). It was by a huge margin. Is this to be believed? I know that Lund's are popular here because they are made here- You grew up with one and bought one when you got older. That is the way it goes. You go anywhere else in the nation and they haven't even heard of lund. I just find this interesting after seeing the poll in the Open water forum.

[BarryG]

Trackers are the most popular in the nation because they are sold for way less than any other boat. They lose their value because they are a cheaply made boat! I do like the fact that they are now using welded hulls, that is also the only thing I don't like about a Lund is they use rivits! Quality of the Lund is WAY higher than Tracker IMO! For many cheaper is the only way they can get a boat!

[NEANGLER]

Cheaper boat and cheaper financing and putting the lowest HP rated outboard on the boat to make the price attractive. Many people could not get into a boat otherwise. BPS was running a deal for $99 for the first year payments a coouple of months back. If you go south of MN you will find oodles of Trackers for sale and if you talk to most of the owners selling they would not buy another one. What you guys have figured out in MN is that Lund,Alumacraft and Crestliner make far superior boats and last for years. Better to spend a little morein the long run to have a boat for the long haul.

[RK]

Hiya -

Couple things...

The keep/sell thing is a tough deal. Sort of have to look at your personal finances a little. Really though, a V-hull like that should be a fairly easy sell in MN compared to other states. I do understand about the brand recognition issue. For a lot of people a 'fishing boat' is a Lund. But there are tougher boats to sell than an aluminum V-hull Tracker. Try a glass Tuffy with a console...been there.

About Tracker:

A lot of Tracker bashing going on these days it seems, and frankly, no offense, but a lot of it is coming from people who really don't have much to base it on other than hearsay or what salesmen pushing other brands have told them.

I am currently in my 4th year of running Trackers. I own a Tracker Tundra 18 WT. I know quite a bit about the boats, and the company itself. So I have some thoughts to add.

First off: I love my Tundra. It's the best boat I've ever owned. Period. And I've owned several lunds and a couple glass boat brands besides (including the ‘big ones’). My Trackers have been bulletproof, and I use my equipment pretty hard, on big water, in all conditions. The guy who bought one of my old ones has run it all over Big and Little Bays de Noc 100 days a year without a problem. So I have issues with the 'all trackers are cheap junk' mentality. I'll put my Tundra up against any aluminum boat in its class. And if you want to do a performance test on a rough day on Mille Lacs, NOTHING in aluminum in the same class can touch it for ride quality, and I'd put it up against almost any glass boat besides. Don't believe me, ask some of the guys that fish the PWT. In rough water, nothing can catch a Tundra. The hull is remarkable.

Someone asked if Tracker really is the biggest aluminum boat mfg. They are. They built close to 50,000 hulls last year. That’s far more than Lund or C-liner combined. Keep in mind though Tracker has a huge market in the southern US that Lund and C-liner don’t have. Go to Texas, and nobody knows what a Lund is. There are THOUSANDS of PT 175 bassboats running around down south. They’re a nationwide brand, and they have a massive market share.

They’re also getting more popular up here. Last year, the Pro Guide V-16 was the #1 selling aluminum boat in Minnesota. Those are NMMA industry numbers, not Tracker’s.

Here’s the thing with Tracker. As a company they have nationally set factory pricing. So a Pro Guide in MN is the same $ as one anywhere else in the country. They only way they do that and sell boats is price them where they are going to sell. They do that and make money through volume sales. It’s basic economics. You can make a thousand dollars by making $10 off 100 people, or $1 off a thousand. Tracker’s shtick is offering value for the dollar with a water-ready package. There are a lot of factors that allow them to do that. They are Mercury Marine’s largest customer. So they get a pretty good deal on their pre-rig motors. Same with Lowrance and TM companies. They build their own trailers. Frankly the trailers they make are pretty awesome. They’re painted galvanized, bunked trailers, and swing-away tongues are standard on a lot of their models. When you see ‘boat show’ specials, from other brands, skimping on trailers is pretty common.

They also DON’T do some of the things other companies do. In terms of the details, a Lund will probably have more to offer. Trackers in terms of interior finishing – the French pastry kinds of stuff – are fairly plain Jane. To me, for what I want in a boat and how I fish, that's a positive. I'd rather have large open storage compartments than integral tackle storage systems that make assumptions about what I want to put where. Mfgs like Lund or Ranger do many of the little things incredibly well. They make some awesome boats. But I can't find a Lund with an interior I like in terms of layout and storage...it's all a trade-off, and to me fishability (for how *I* want to fish mind you) trumps other considerations.

In terms of construction quality in other respects though, they have some of the local brands beat. Heavier aluminum on the hulls, better transoms, etc. The factory rigging (Tm wiring, electrical, etc), according to the best boat rigger I know (he rigs 200+ boats a year with his custom rigging business), is better than a lot of other manufacturers out there.

As a company, Tracker’s really changed in the last 5-6 years. They’re finally starting to understand the Northern market, including the kinds of conditions our boats get used in up here. They’re getting an identity up here as something other than a boat you buy out of a catalog. Their quality has gotten a lot better. I wouldn’t have bought one 8 years ago. They did used to be just plain cheap boats. Some of their riveted hulls were horrible. Go take a look at an ’06 Targa though. They’ll compare pretty well with anything on the market.

I guess I could ramble on and tell you may more than anyone really wants to know, but the point is – Tracker has more to offer than pricing. They’re a pretty solid boat. If guys want to tell horror stories about their bad experience with a Tracker, I can tell you about my last Lund too…

Just some thoughts…

Cheers,

Rob Kimm

[blakjack23]

I'm with RK. I own a '98 Tracker PT185 bass boat. Although he mentioned that he would not buy an older Tracker...I think I got the best boat for the money. Sure I would rather have one of the new ones without rivets so that I didn't have to worry about it, but I have yet to have a single issue with my boat. I paid $6200 (off hsolist in TN) and I got an almost new boat with only 12hrs on the 90HP Merc. Like RK mentioned, they have very well built trailers. My boat also has dual consoles, livewell, two large rod boxes, 4 storage boxes, is 18.5 feet long and rides very smooth with the Revolution hull. And she will do 45mph. What other boat can you get all that for even close to that price? To me Lunds and Rangers are kinda like Harleys......sure they are better then their comparisons, and I wouldn't mind owning one, but you are paying alot for the name when something else alot cheaper will be almost as good. I'm sure I will take some heat for that now.....