Tracker 175TXW Question

[Jabbo]

my stratos 295 Pro Elite is 19.5 feet long and I can get wet in it if the water gets rough.
If you are talking about normal chop on the water, you should be okay. If you are talking about when Ky Lake
starts white capping.... Stay home or whatever side of the lake you are on...

[Dave Stewart]

If we are talking about when it is "rough" water here...I don't like to be out there in my 22 ft Ranger...why would anyone want to be out there in a 17.5 ft tin boat....now if you trailer from one creek to another and stay off the main lake, that is another thing..it should do o.k. If we are talking choppy water (which here means 2 footers) that boat will beat you up and get you wet on the main lake....you should have that Bass Pro salesman you out on Ky Lake in a 10-15 mile an hour south or north wind and prove to you it will keep you dry and give you a good ride...if you want to make him scream for his momma have him take you out with a 20 plus mhp north or south wind.

[hairball]

I don't know what a "smooth ride guarantee" is exactly or how anybody could even offer such a thing since smooth is a relative term. But I can "guarantee" you this much - what Dave Stewart just said is gospel. I had the pleasure of being on the LBL side of the lake one time when a huge storm came in. We were too busy fishing to notice that the storm front was just a couple minutes away from us. Before we could get everything put away and get our rain gear on, we had rain coming at us sideways from the south about 40 mph and 4 footers pounding us. Lightning was flashing all around us and we didn't know it at the time but there was a tornado that touched down somewhere around Cadiz as I recall. We were in a 16 foot glass boat and we only had to get straight across the lake to Hester's Spot in the Sun. We couldn't see where we were going and by the time we got on the other side of the lake, we were halfway to Jonathan Creek. When we finally got into the marina, we got yelled at because we were still up on plane. My buddy, the boat owner, said "dude, I'm just happy to be here". My sentiments exactly! You couldn't have pulled a greased piano wire out of a certain part of my anatomy for a couple of days. So you wanna fish in rough water on Kentucky Lake? Careful what you wish for.

[pointer]

One of the reasons I bought a new 19.5' was after being on KY Lake with it gusting to 30 in a Tracker PT 175. That said, I don't really want to be out there in much of anything when it's blowing like that. I grew up on Mobile Bay, and have experienced rough truly rough water from a small boat point of view. You don't want to get caught out there on either one in a small boat. That said, you have to make choices, relative to the conditions in about any boat.
Also, as far as the smooth ride, I think Tracker does make one of the nicer riding boats in that particular style. You're still going to get bounced around pretty good in anything much over a 1' chop. That's my experience anyway.

Mike

[slowride]

Well I seen this post and couldn't pass up giving my opinion due to the fact I have a Tracker 175 txw and fish Ky lake 7 days, last week of April every year now for the last 10 years. Ky lake is one of the roughest lakes in America the way it sets north and south, so when the wind is either north or south and strong it's unsafe on the main lake, any boat! It's kinda apples to oranges in comparison for "rough water". Other lakes are not as bad with the same given wind.
Secondly the Tracker pro team 175 is a solid boat for the money, probably the best bang for your buck you will get for a bass boat. I know some other aluminum boats now are in the market but they are much more expensive (ranger). I fish roughly 30 days a year in my tracker and catch a ton of bass! It's cheap to operate, however being aluminum and light it has it drawbacks. The smooth ride guarantee is a reflection of their hull. It is smooth with a modified v bottom, but it's also a sales pitch. You will get wet when the waters rough....period. I have a hydrofoil stabilizer on my engine and it helps too. I also use a drift sock I will throw out that slows me way down, works well. The boat handles good in normal water. If I were you and making a decision solely on ky lake I would not recommend this boat. It's very fishable and cost effective with prices of fuel, tackle, etc. Anyway hope this helps!

[slowride]

If we are talking about when it is "rough" water here...I don't like to be out there in my 22 ft Ranger...why would anyone want to be out there in a 17.5 ft tin boat....now if you trailer from one creek to another and stay off the main lake, that is another thing..it should do o.k. If we are talking choppy water (which here means 2 footers) that boat will beat you up and get you wet on the main lake....you should have that Bass Pro salesman you out on Ky Lake in a 10-15 mile an hour south or north wind a
nd prove to you it will keep you dry and give you a good ride...if you want to make him scream for his momma have him take you out with a 20 plus mhp north or south wind.

Hey Dave hope all is well, getting ready to fish Ky lake next week. Hopefully I will run into you out on the lake!

[Dave Stewart]

Hey Dave hope all is well, getting ready to fish Ky lake next week. Hopefully I will run into you out on the lake!

Give me a call and I will clue you in on what and where.......you need to call me before Monday though...something has come up that will keep me off the water next week after Monday which I will explain in my report this week.

Dave

[GeoFisher]

If we are talking about when it is "rough" water here...I don't like to be out there in my 22 ft Ranger...why would anyone want to be out there in a 17.5 ft tin boat....now if you trailer from one creek to another and stay off the main lake, that is another thing..it should do o.k. If we are talking choppy water (which here means 2 footers) that boat will beat you up and get you wet on the main lake....you should have that Bass Pro salesman you out on Ky Lake in a 10-15 mile an hour south or north wind and prove to you it will keep you dry and give you a good ride...if you want to make him scream for his momma have him take you out with a 20 plus mhp north or south wind.

I don't know how many times I have told someone I did something stupid in my tin boat.

As Dave stated, I regularly trailer ramp to ramp, and I rarely venture across the lake. The reason I fish LBL so much is that crossing and getting STUCK over on the other side is no joke. It has happened to me multiple times.....

Later,

Geo