tracker 170 or 175

[southern]

me and my son are new to the boat fishing,but we are ready to move up.we are looking at the tracker 170 and 175.the boats have pretty much the same features but the 175 is a little wider and longer.i keep thinkin the 170 is plenty of boat for us startin out,but dont want to look back and say a year from now wish we would have spent the extra 2000 dollars and got the bigger boat.all opinions are welcome and thanks ahead for the advice.

[BarryG]

Go with the bigger boat! You won't be dissappointed! :D

[Wannabe...]

Tough question to answer not knowing where or how you fish.

Generally speaking, size does matter. Especially when you're fishing 2 people. If you want to put 2 up front for spider rigging that little bit of extra room will mean a lot. Length will generally add storage space and a longer boat is generally better handling in rougher water to some degree.

Not bad mouthing Tracker, but you owe it to yourself to check out the other brands as well. Given your price range, you might even want to check out the Stratos 176XT. Glass will ride and handle better and be less "tippy" than the Tracker I'd bet.

You only get one shot at your first boat, so make it count.

Wannabe...

[loweboy]

Look at a lowe Stinger 175, better boat, cost less and wide, but go with 24 volt trolling motor.

[Chadku]

I bought my first boat 3 years ago and its a tracker pro crappie 175....I am dying to get a bigger boat and I fish alone alot of the time...2 people is the max and 3 is just too many. I have a 40hp...I would not go with the 25 that it comes with standard.

But really if it is just the 2 of you it depends on the type of water you fish. I fish some smaller lakes and it is perfect, but any of the bigger lakes is almost impossible to fish during the summer with pleasure boats. You will get wet in that boat so be ready for that. It is very tough to fish 2 in the front and I added some extra deck space for the back of mine, bc the crappie model did not have a full back deck.

I am not trying to say bad things about it, because it has been a good boat for me for 3 years, but I am ready for bigger and better. If you have the extra $$ get the bigger boat. There are some new fiberglass like the Stratos mentioned and even a Nitro I believe that is similar in price. Whatever you get good luck and let us know what you go with!

[crappiencali]

I would have to agree with all these guys, the bigger the better. I had a 17 boat for my first and I could barely fish out of it by myself. Since then I have upgraded to a 19'6" glass boat and that suites me a lot better and I have planty of room for me, my gear, my partner and his gear.

[Jeepster04]

Spend the extra now and get more than you need. I bought my first new boat back in 05 and it was the best thing until a year later. I wish I would have gotten a 18-19' aluminum boat instead of a 17'. It's just more comfortable with room to move and stretch. Look at Xpress and War Eagle crappie specific boats. Get the highest hp rating for the boat too. If you decide to sell down the road, you will not have to worry about resale value with the best of both worlds. Just my two cent$.

[Wannabe...]

BTW, if that 176/186XT peaks your interest:

08 186 XT w 90 Merc......dealer repo! 14K -- Bass Boats For Sale

C&O is a very good dealer as well.

Wannabe...

[Outlaw1&2]

I had a 175 with a 75 for 8 yrs and loved it,only reason I sold it was to go to a 190 with a 90.

[crappie cowboy]

I bought a new Tracker Pro crappie 17 1/5 ft., If I had it to do over I would not have bought it.
The off set hull rides great, but you can't get a reading on the dept. finder unless your going slow, because of all the air bubbles from the off set hull. It's not enought room up front for two people fishing side by side for crappie.
It's been a good boat, but wish I had bought a different brand boat.
Hope this helps you some.

crappie cowboy