Bass Fishing Forum - Westernbass.com

So about two months ago I purchased a Bass Tracker 2009 pro team 175 txw , 17ft aluminum bass boat. And as seems to be the rule there where several problems with the boat.

First the cables for the speedometer either were not connected or had issues- they fixed that. they also talked me through a self repair on the livewell...the livewell wasnt filling becasue of air in the line.

and the vinyl racing strip was torn..........they said they would fix , but havent.

One of the tire's sidewall is seperating, they said they would replace but still haven't.

The trailers front wheel needed to be greased, they did that.

Next I ran the boat up against a wall and torn a rubber rail guard and ordered a replacement, but haven't recieved it yet.

So, while I like the boat and my new electronics I do have some issues still to be resolved.

Also on general design of the boat, I find fault in two features:

1. Carpet inside the rod lockers is a bad idea, it snags on the hooks and gets torn up...so I now have car floor mats to hold off the hooks.

2. the rod locker also has three individual tubes for rods in addition to another larger general area for rods.....only baitcasters fit in these tubes as spinning rods have a larger rod guides....and the whole compartement is cramped as the openning doesnt allow the rods to be put in horizonal, but instead must be angled in. Also as I now find out/ or realise is that since these three tubes run up to the bow, you have to remove them to put in a recessed foot pedal.

3. While the carpet looks great, but it is easily torn and you can tell it was poorly installed..the glue isnt sticking great.

I bought the 60 hp and thats adequate for me...I get to about 37 mph..maybe a tad more.

I like the boat, but I tend to focus on the negatives up front.

I will hound the BPS guys till I get my fixes.

over the years. And one thing I know for sure is that they stand behind their product. Each one leaked but they made good and replaced the entire hull. All new boats have minor bugs. Most of them surface after the first few weeks of ownership. The dealer should take care of you right from the get-go. Best bet is to give them a laundry list of items that need to be fixed. Hopefully they'll have parts in stock and get the job done when you bring it in.

I'm not up to speed on the new tracker configurations, but most glass botes have carpet in the rod lockers and/or storage areas. Minor snags will happen, but should be too difficult in removing hooks since they should be using "snagless" carpet.

You're not alone... even in the shiney glass boats rods still need to be inserted on an angle (or slightly bent) to get into the port and starboard locker.

Yeah, thanks for the response.

So far they have been getting things done, but I'm not happy with the time frame but they havn't been argueing with me.

The carpet is very thick, plushy stuff....loves zra spooks and pulls the carpet off the bottom...crappy glue too.

Do you think I should get rid of the three clyinder rod holder in favor of the recessed foot pedal?

Just put rod socks on your rods to help with tangling and prevent damage and go without the tubes. Even if you get the carpet to finally stick, it will wear out quickly where you stand and fish and where your inconsiderate partner puts his foot on the locker lid when running. Be careful standing on the lids also. The braces will come loose pretty easy. I had a 99 185 for a while and it leaked like a seive. The welded hull must be nice. Their great boats but you deal with alot of stuff falling off or breaking. All that said, I didn't have much trouble selling it.

Who have you been working with @ BPS??? Are you working with the service department??

I would call them in the morning, they will get it all handled for you.

Did you buy from Rancho or Manteca?

Try calling Dave French, Service Mgr of the Manteca store 209-825-5171

I have an '04 Tracker 185 I bought from Angler's Marine new and so far I have had no issues with it knock on wood. Also has the 60 hp Merc 4 cycle which has performed flawlessly. It has the same negatives as any aluminum hull such as poor performance in rough water and the stability isnt the greatest but the light weight and price trade off is why I got it in the first place. I do wish I had upgraded to better electronics but didnt know enough about them at that time to know better. All in all, Im pretty happy with it so far.

bigbass111 wrote:Who have you been working with @ BPS??? Are you working with the service department??

I would call them in the morning, they will get it all handled for you.

Did you buy from Rancho or Manteca?

Manteca.....so far they were handling it, but they ordered the tire, trim, and other stuff....and 2 months latter ..no word.

I have had 3 nitros and i do like them if i have a problem i go right to tracker bps buys the boats from them they are seperate , so try and go to the source, sounds like you have very minor issues there is not a bass boat out there from100 to 80g that the hooks dont get in the carpet there are always room for imporvment . have fun enjoy dont swet the small stuff after all you hit the dock lol