Aluminum Bass Boats

[mattplapp]

yes, www.plapps.com and [email protected].

Matt

[mattplapp]

A lot of people are happy with their Tracker Boats, but the research shows that most tracker customers on those particular model boats are usually new boaters. And once they realize they enjoy fishing and boating they move up to something they find fits their style better and that includes a more premium product with more options and better ammenities. Again I'm not saying Tracker is a bad boat, but it's not close to the quality of a G3 or Triton. Plus you have to consider that up until 2004 Tracker was the only nationally advertised boat in that price range. Since then a lot of aluminum boat manufacturers have started to see the light and make a less expensive boat with great quality that competes on a price level with Tracker. By doing that companies like G3 are making a lot less profit on the smaller boats with hopes of getting those customers into higher profit and more expensive G3's in the future.

Matt

[Topwater2004]

Matt,

I don't consider a boat that is $16,000 to be just a little more money than a boat that is $11,000. 5 grand is a lot to me, percentage wise more than 30%.

It reminds me of 20 years ago when I contacted a realtor to put me in a house. I said I could afford $60 grand house. The realtors time and time again kept wanting to put me into a $90 grand house.

My point is, if a guy wants to spend only $11 grand, I think Lowe is a fine boat or I would not have bought it. Sure if I wanted to spend $16 grand, I could have got a nicer boat. I didn't need any more than what I got.

If I got what I wanted instead of what I needed, I would have bought a $40 grand Ranger, then got divorced, then sold the boat to pay the divorce lawyer and save all the gas money.

[mattplapp]

I'm not sure what boat prices your getting but the 2006 Tracker Pro Team 175 TX with a 60hp is $13,995 PLUS $800-1,200 for dealer prep, freight and rigging. That puts the boat he was talking about in the $16,000 range. The exact price range as a Triton or G3 that size. You talk about price issues, watch how companies market boats with a 9.9 for $9,999, that's wrong especially when everyone that buys that boat gets at least a 50. Heck the Tracker Pro Team 190 TX which is the replacement for the 185 Pro Team of 2005 is $15,295 plus another $800-$1,200 prep freight and rigging. That puts you up there as well. Again, I'm not on here trying to sell him a boat, I don't even know where he lives. But he asked for an honest opinion and being that I'm easily the most knowelable on this board when it comes to the manufacturing, pricing and quality of boats, I thought I'd give him my opinion.

So there's no need to compare me to a sleezy real estate agent or getting a divorce. If you want to see the prices I quoted go to www.trackerboats.com and look at the boats, there is an option at the top of the screen and that page gives you the prices for engine upgrades. Call any tracker dealer and you'll find my freight, prep and rigging to be really close.

Matt

[Topwater2004]

[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON Dec-08-05 AT 07:27AM (EST)[/font][p][font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON Dec-08-05 AT 07:13*AM (EST)[/font]

Matt,

Well for one thing, I tried to buy a G3 at the Indy boat show and the dealer right when we were talking about price told me he wanted a $500 deposit before he was going to give me the final price. I couldn't believe it! National Boat Mart was the dealer. Nice boat, bad dealer.

I was pricing the new Lowe Stinger 170W with a 50hp Mercury at $11,000 . This boat is 8.5 inch wider than their previous model and well rigged out...
http://www.loweboats.com/fishboats/stinger/170.html

That is one hell of a boat, just because you don't sell it does not mean a thing.

Check that boat out, and then let me know what you can put a guy into for $11,000 ?

[muskyman87]

I think the main thing is that if you go with an aluminum boat that does have a wider beam, versus the Trackers with a much narrower beam, you'll be a happy camper if you want a great alternative to glass boats. G3 is what I'm familiar with, but I know there are a lot of other brands with them now as it seems to be the latest trend in going to wider boats that offer greater stability. Either way, no going back to a glass boat for me.

Just my two pennies!

[Moose1am]

Been riding in fishing boats since I was 8 years old. 54 years old now and have ridden in the narrow and the wide aluminum fishing boats. The wider the boat is the more stable it will be.

My friend has a Crestliner that is about 20ft long and very wide at the beam. I have been in his boat a few times and fished Patoka Lake with it. Both of us could easily stand on the front deck and fish side by side. I never noticed any stablity problems at all. Boat platform was solid as a rock.

It depends on what type of fishing you do. Do you bass fish and stand up at the front of the boat using a foot controlled trolling motor at the bow? Or do you sit down at the front of the boat and use a remote control trolling motor.

Each person has to eventually decide for themself what is best for their fishing needs.

All I really know is that wider is more stable all other things being equal.


Regards,

Moose1am

[mattplapp]

Topwater, The original post was only about Tracker and that's all I was comparing it too. I don't know much about Lowe, except that they compete price and quality wise with Tracker. I don't know the different models because I'm not aware of a dealer who sells them that I compete with. The quality could also have changed in the past 2 years since they were purchased from Genmar by Brunswick which also owns Triton and Mercury.

Matt

[mattplapp]

Ironically that's a brand I forgot about and we once were a dealer. Crestliner makes a good boat as well. We stopped selling them for differences in opinion with the factory not because of the quality. They traditionally produce a very good product.

Matt

[slider]

remember that crestliner built the aluminum cherokee for ranger. i have a cherokee 117 with a 70hp. it will run approx 42 mph and is stingy on gas. ran it three days on patoka and only used 10 gals of gas. fished rough water not a problem used a drift sock to slow us down.just not enough storage, rod lockers won't hold a 7 foot rod. won three club tournaments against bigger and faster boats in the cherokee. sorry ranger doesn't offer aluminum boats any longer. my first boat was a tracker deep v-17 with a 40 hp. both are good boats just depends on how you want to spend.

[lov2fish]

[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON Dec-08-05 AT 08:56PM (EST)[/font][p]Being a riverat and having owned a couple different aluminum boats, your comparing apples to oranges by saying a Lowe or a Tracker is as good as a G-3. I have a Lowe now as my river boat. I have had a tracker, who hasn't when they first start fishing? And I have been in a G-3. To be quite honest, there is no comparison in quality and stability. If your going to buy an aluminum boat it is worth the trip to see Matt and buy a G-3 if your set on going aluminum, he will more than treat ya fair.


Now if you want to know if aluminum is more stable than glass? Not a chance. Fishing out of my stratos and fishing out of my lowe is like going from a Volkeswagon to an extended cab truck. If you set it up right though and use it on our local rivers, you will thank yourself a hundred times over. This is my unbiased opinion, I am not on Matt's staff nor does he pay me, but do yourself a favor if you buy an aluminum boat and give him a chance to earn your business, he will earn it.


Ray Rigby

[GeoFisher]

Wasn't the Cherokee built by NovaCraft or Nova? Specs for 18 Nova and 18 Cherokee were EXACT.....Width, Length, capicity, fuel capacity, same storage wells, etc.....

Later......

Geo