On Fri, 30 Jan 2004 07:58:51 -0500, Chris
wrote:

I'm new to the boating world and want to know ifsomebody could help me
out with some questions? In the future I will be buying a bass boat,
I'm looking at either getting a Tracker Pro Team 165 or a Tracker
Super Guide V-14 C. I will be fishing mostly small lakes and rivers in
Northeastern PA. What are the differences between the two style of
boats, in your opinion which is the better boat to go with, or is
there a better boat for around the same price? I would like to keep
the boat size 14' to 16'.

I don't want to get into an agrument about this boat or that boat so
please understand that the following is strictly my opinion based on
observations and a little personal experience.

Both are good boats, built to the standards used in the industry for
this type of hull and the material used. Form, fit and function is
acceptable for the money being spent. They are what they are -
inexpensive aluminum boats and will do what you ask as long as you
don't ask a lot out of them. The "modified" V vs the semi-vee on a
boat of this type if a mute question - for the type of waters you
describe, the only advantage one has over the other, and it will be
marginal at best, is how much water either will draw.

Dollar-for-dollar, Tracker is acceptable - in particular if it is a
first boat and you are willing to take a hit on trade-in value or
straight up sale value as opposed to something like a Lund, Starcraft
or one of the other "name" aluminum boats. Remember that you will not
regain a large chunk of your investment if you sell it two/three years
down the road. Ten years down the road is another matter.

Now, as to fishability - I'm a 6'3" 210 pound guy and these boatrs are
small - REAL SMALL - for a guy like me. I can't stretch out my legs
under the console and usually wind up sitting on the back or front
deck under way when I'm fishing with a friend who owns one of these.
I tend to notice little things and one was that the deck wood seems
under sized in terms of thickness. When using the bike up front, the
base will flex - not a positive for me. I also can't sit on the rear
chair for the same reason. (This is a 165 by the way). The boat is
also very tippy - in other words, two guys of average build on the
same side of the boat will give new meaning to how close one can go
without flipping over the boat.

I have an open Lund V series that I use for pond hopping and river
fishing (if I can't get my Ranger in) - no deck except for a small
storage area I built up front to store anchors, etc. Now, if you are
looking for value, you can't beat a Lund - you will pay, but it will
hold it's value over time. If I'm lying I'm dying, but I literally
beat the hell out of a 16 ft Lund (I called it my "rock" boat because
it managed to find rocks on a pretty regular basis), I dropped it off
it's trailer once and it had a slight bend along one gunnel from an
unfortunate incident with a piling on the Connecticut River. Never
leaked, was used regularly by myself and a couple of friends who would
borrow it. I sold it for 2/3s what I paid for it 8 years after I
bought it.

My new "rock" boat is a Lund for obvious reasons.

As for others in the same class, but perhaps a little bit better in
the "form, fit, function" category, you might want to look at
Polarkraft, Prince Craft and those new Aussie boats, Quintrex. I
crawled all over a Quintrex 190 Legend at the boat show last weekend
and that is one hell of a boat. Not terrible expensive either. They
make a boat similar to what you are looking for which I believe is a
little more expensive, but you are getting a lot more for your money.

Very impressed with Quintrex from a "looking at without actually
talking to somebody who owns one" standpoint.

So that.s about it I'd be glad to discuss this off list if you want -
I'm not connected with any marina, boat dealer or manufacturer, but I
have a great deal of curiosity and I'm not shy about asking people
about their boats when I see one I haven't looked at or seen before.

RYI: About 60% of the complaints about boats can be directly placed
at the door step of the dealer - lousy service, bull**** artists, that
sort of thing. Usually, folks like their boats - it's the dealer's
they hate. :)


Later,

Tom
S. Woodstock, CT
----------
The years will bring their Anodyne,
But I shall never quite forget,
The fish that I had counted mine
And lost before they reached the net.

Colin Ellis, "The Devot Angler" quoted
in A. R. Macdougall, Jr's "The Trout
Fisherman's Bedside Book" (1963)