Looking to buy my father a bass boat

[type2bowhunter]

I know absolutely nothing about boats... But my father recently retired to a lake town in the south and I'd like to buy him a bass boat. I've found a lot of Tracker Pro's for <20k. Have y'all got any recommendations on bass boats for under 20k? The one thing I know that he wants is a steering wheel to not have to sit at the back of the boat to operate the motor.

 

[Timplant]

I Just listened to a podcast with the guy who owns one of the biggest boat dealerships in the south, and he mentioned Bass tracker style boats are by FAR the most popular fishing boat currently. I have a 19ft lund renegade all done up with the fancist stuff, BUT a 17' tracker would get him a long ways and they can be had cheap. Try and find a place or used/ so you can upgrade to a motor with spot lock and a semi decent fish finder (7" or bigger) it will go a long ways, and for people who arn't that serious of fisherman, it will still help with navigations for safety reasons (better mapping)


my .02 from a local level tournament bass fisherman.

 

[robtattoo]

Couple of questions:

Where abouts in the south?
Is he purely a bass fisherman, or would he use it for duck hunting/accessing deer hunting?

 

[Wrench]

I have 5 kids and was just wondering if you needed any friends? If so, I can introduce you to my kids and perhaps when I retire I can take you fishing in my boat.

Thanks in advance.

 

[type2bowhunter]

Couple of questions:

Where abouts in the south?
Is he purely a bass fisherman, or would he use it for duck hunting/accessing deer hunting?

He's in Heber Springs, AR and he's only into fishing, not hunting.

 

[roadrunner]

How big is the lake and what kind of "white caps" can it generate?

Makes a difference on what boat you get.

 

[LaHunter]

If 20k is your upper limit, a used Bass Tracker is probably your best bet for a fishing boat. Shop around, take your time, and you can find some good deals. Tons of these boats of various models / sizes out there. I would think you could find a 18-19 ft boat with at least a 90 hp within your budget. You may even be able to find one with a 115 hp. There are some beautiful lakes in AR and some good fishing. Hope your Dad enjoys retirement and the Arkansas outdoors / fishing.

 

[Sea Rover]

NEVER buy a Bass Tracker you will regret it!

 

[type2bowhunter]

NEVER buy a Bass Tracker you will regret it!

Why?

 

[uglymud]

The only complaint I've heard from any aluminum bass boat is waterlogged foam. Store it under shelter and it's a non issue.

Sent from my SM-S908U using Tapatalk

 

[type2bowhunter]

The only complaint I've heard from any aluminum bass boat is waterlogged foam. Store it under shelter and it's a non issue.

Sent from my SM-S908U using Tapatalk

Good to know. My father is one of those guys that takes extremely good care of his toys, it would be garaged.

 

[Wreckener]

Greens is a big lake, and if you plan on going far from a ramp, you'll want the biggest boat you can afford to handle the wake from all the party boats. Trackers aren't bad boats, they aren't great either. They're made to be cheap, but will work just fine. I don't recommend buying one new, purely because you can find plenty of slightly used ones for a lot cheaper.

I prefer Crestliner over Tracker. The quality is about the same, but I like the layout a lot better in mine and it has a bigger deck. He's also not far from some trout rivers and small mouth waters. Trout boats are absurdly priced. If he's still physically fit and active you could get him a kayak and he would have a great time catching small mouth. I know not what you're looking for, but smallmouth on creeks and rivers is some of the best fishing for anybody to have fun

 

[summs]

bass pro used to have the tracker 17 with 40hp motor, foot control bow mount and a fish finder for $9,999. Im sure you can find one of them. The fish finder was $100 and the trolling motor was wire drive, and no spot lock. So that can get an upgrade. Perfect for 1 person and can easily do 2 or 3 (if not fat guys).

 

[yfarm]

Greers Ferry is a large reservoir, if you buy aluminum, buy a v hull rather than flat bottom. He is also close to some fine trout fishing on the the Buffalo and White rivers which would favor a flat for their style of drift fishing.

 

[UKwildcatfan]

I know absolutely nothing about boats... But my father recently retired to a lake town in the south and I'd like to buy him a bass boat. I've found a lot of Tracker Pro's for <20k. Have y'all got any recommendations on bass boats for under 20k? The one thing I know that he wants is a steering wheel to not have to sit at the back of the boat to operate the motor.

Trackers are cheaply made boats. If that's not a concern, you could pick up a used one pretty cheap. Trackers fall into the same category as Vortex scopes and Polaris SxSs. If you use em a lot, it's not if they'll have problems, but when they'll have problems. "Best selling" because of cost, not quality.

 

[Fatcamp]

20k is an awful lot of money for a boat. It better be dang nice for that kind of money.

I couldn't imagine spending that on Tracker.

 

[Wreckener]

Greers Ferry is a large reservoir, if you buy aluminum, buy a v hull rather than flat bottom. He is also close to some fine trout fishing on the the Buffalo and White rivers which would favor a flat for their style of drift fishing.

If you do want it to be usable on the Buffalo, motor size is restricted to 9.9.

 

[uglymud]

There are also a lot of aluminum boat makers other than tracker making nice bass boat style boats. Most have more V/deadrise than a jon boat, some even have a pad built in.

Sent from my SM-S908U using Tapatalk

 

[LostArra]

I thought it was required for Arkansas fishermen to own Ranger bass boats. Made in Flippin, Ark

 

[Macintosh]

Trackers are popular and most people love them. They also are not as sturdily built as many other boats (hence that price), so some people that really get on them have issues like cracked welds on transom and transom bracing. Also “bass boat people” are known for being especially hard on boats and engines. You’ll probably get a lot more boat for the money buying used, but if you do buy used make CERTAIN to have a good inspection done. Make sure to look for hull issues and make sure to have a good solid inspection done on the engine—full leakdown test rather than just compression, propshaft runout, check reeds if its a dfi 2-stroke, if it has a computer history check for overheat and other alarms, rpm record (did it spend all hours redlined, or did it spend most hours cruising at 3800rpms), maintenence records, etc. You DO NOT want to blow an engine or get a dog after having just bought it, outboards of any size are not cheap. When you buy a used boat you’re basically buying an engine with a boat attached…so engine is #1 priority, assuming it floats EVERYTHING else is secondary.

Also just depending on what type of boat you and he are used to fishing out of, a bass boat interior layout feels small for the size. Just for example, I think most 17’ walleye-type boats (deep v, shorter front deck, large open cockpit/floorwell, higher sides) feel about the same size as a 18.5-19’ bass boat, even when the hull dimensions are the same. I would encourage you to get the biggest boat you can within reason.

A lot of new boats you’ll spend a LOT on the latest accessories too. Power poles, an ultrex, 12” graphs with side imaging, forward facing sonar, etc. collectively you could just about equal the price of the boat buying new, so if any on this is stuff you want consider buying used and installing yourself.

Pay particular attention to the trailer too. Especially if your dad is going to use this alone and hes getting older, a good drive on trailer is gold. People overlook the trailer, but a crappy one can make it a lot harder for a weaker person to get the boat on and off by themselves especially dealing with wind or current at a ramp.