I just couldn't see spending so much more for the added weight/stability of a glass boat. Nevertheless, what you get in a Tracker for the money is very hard to beat. I have had a couple of close calls myself due to sudden movements in the back, or just when stopped in very windy water. I grant the fact that I may be a bit shakier on my feet than I once was, but I find it almost impossible to fish while standing with my right foot on the trolling motor control. The guy before is right - if there is a grown adult fishing in the back, his sudden moves from place to place have a noticible effect on you on the bow deck. But I can say the only thing I have against the aluminum boat is the relative lack of stability when stopped or operating the trolling motor. So I might have opted for a fiberglass boat if I had a secure future. The physical rewards have been amazing BTW. Felt the overpowering need to buy my first boat and restart fishing. Handles the waves very well, and gives me everything I need or really could use, especially in my circumstances. I have never owned a glass boat but purchased a Tracker 05, PT175 with 50hp. If I were doing it over I would buy the boat again. Just take it to the carwash and power it out about once a month for a month it will look good. It attracts dirt and stains, and if you are fussy, you will spend a good deal of time cleaning the carpet before you realize that there is no way to get ahead of the game. It ride straight on the water, holds the throttle well, and after about a year of small and annoying repairs, it straighten up and doesn't give you any more trouble. It trailers nicely and I often forget it is behind me. So a couple of years ago I took them off entirely and haven't had any trouble since. Twice I had them re-welded before I noticed that a lot of trailers don't even have bunks. Once I replaced the original motor and re-routed some of the tubing, the trouble was gone. The spot welds give from standing on them, but you can screw in some thick angle aluminum and cure that at minimal expense. The braces on the underside of the hatches, for instance, don't hold. The boats are a little weak on reliability coming out of the factory, but the cures are not expensive. You never get the bone-jarring ride that you get in a true jon. With the modified V hull used by Tracker since about '01, it takes rough water without any trouble. Top speed is 40 to 42 mph, depending on the weight and wind. I go out every week, weather permitting, and I probably fill up about every 4th or 5th outing. The gas mileage is terrible, I think, until I talk to other guys with larger motors. She floats in 6-8 inches of water with the big motor running, so I can't complain about that, especially when you a year with a lot of spring rain or one like 2005 where Monroe is 5 feet down. It seats two very comfortably and will seat three without much effort on anyone's part. It was narrow, so I was always at the mercy of waves, wakes, winds and wiggling. I used to have a 16' aluminum with a 25 hp boat. I don't think I've ever been on a fiberglass boat, so I can't be much help there. I mostly use it for white bass, stripers, wipers, walleye, crappie and perch. I have an '02 Tracker Pro 185 with a 75 hp Mercury outboard.
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