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  1. #1
    Member krr6581's Avatar
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    Trackers Taking On Water

    I cannot believe all of the people I'm reading about that is having issues with their brand new Tracker boats taking on water. I probably wouldn't have noticed until a friend of mine bought a new PRO TEAM™ 195 TXW Tournament Edition which leaked like crazy. Everytime he put the boat in the water he would have 5 to 10 gallons of water pour out everytime he removed his plug. He has taken his boat back to the dealership numerous times and in the six months he's owned the boat it has been at the dealers for 4 1/2 months. They finally gave him a new boat and put his motor, TM and his electronics on the new boat and it leaked like a sieve too. Right now Tracker is sending him a brand new 2020 boat and motor which will arrive sometime later this week. It remains to be seen if this boat leaks as well. As my friends says when you spend $33,000 on a new boat you don't expect it to leak especially as bad as the first two boats did. During this time I started paying attention to other owners of Tracker boats and was amazed at the number of owners who are having the same problem. There is no excuse for this kind of issue especially in a brand new boat. At this point it makes me wonder what Trackers engineers are being paid for as they obviously cannot design a boat that doesn't leak.

    Eat, Sleep, Hunt & Fish

    2010 Tracker Tournament V18 18' 3"
    Mercury 115 Optimax, Mercury Spitfire X7 Prop 19P
    Minn Kota 70b Thrust Maxxum
    6 inch CMC Pro Hi-Jacker
    Lowrance Elite 7 TI (Bow)
    Lowrance HDS7 GEN 3 Touch (Console)
    Smartcraft Merc Monitor (Basic)

  2. Member
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    Aug 2012
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    Winnipeg Manitoba Canada
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    #2
    I have a 2012 Targa V18 Combo I bought the boat new, from day one every time I pulled the plug I got a few gallons or so of water, I was not happy. My dealer was basically useless Claiming that all boats take on a little water, I was not happy with that answer so I got in touch with Tracker customer service and they were even less helpful. I took it upon myself to find and fix the issue, I checked all thru
    hull fittings and to my disbelief 3 were barely tightened up, this alone cut the water by about a third. What I found next really pissed me off, they did not seal the bottom 2 bolts that mount the engine to the transom, I pulled those out and sealed them up the way they should have been done at the factory and problem solved.

  3. Member
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    #3
    When mine took on water it ended up being the livewell plumbing.
    2004 Tracker Avalanche with 150 Mercury XR6

  4. Member Bill Reynolds's Avatar
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    Aug 2013
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    #4
    Quote Originally Posted by krr6581 View Post
    I cannot believe all of the people I'm reading about that is having issues with their brand new Tracker boats taking on water. I probably wouldn't have noticed until a friend of mine bought a new PRO TEAM™ 195 TXW Tournament Edition which leaked like crazy. Everytime he put the boat in the water he would have 5 to 10 gallons of water pour out everytime he removed his plug. He has taken his boat back to the dealership numerous times and in the six months he's owned the boat it has been at the dealers for 4 1/2 months. They finally gave him a new boat and put his motor, TM and his electronics on the new boat and it leaked like a sieve too. Right now Tracker is sending him a brand new 2020 boat and motor which will arrive sometime later this week. It remains to be seen if this boat leaks as well. As my friends says when you spend $33,000 on a new boat you don't expect it to leak especially as bad as the first two boats did. During this time I started paying attention to other owners of Tracker boats and was amazed at the number of owners who are having the same problem. There is no excuse for this kind of issue especially in a brand new boat. At this point it makes me wonder what Trackers engineers are being paid for as they obviously cannot design a boat that doesn't leak.
    I can’t comment on where the leak was on the first two boats, and I know this is frustrating, but it seems that both the dealer and Tracker have stepped up to the plate in trying to rectify the problem.
    Good Luck - Hope the third time is the charm.

    I try to drive as if my 16 year old Grandson is following me
    Speak as if he is listening and act as if he is watching

  5. Member TritonTRXV8's Avatar
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    #5
    Unless i missed something. Which thread has all these leaking boats in it?
    Roy
    2020 Triton 18 Trx
    Mercury 200 Pro XS V8
    Bravo FS 24P Prop
    Atlas 6” jp
    Dual Humminbird Helix 10 MEGA SI
    Minnkota Ultrex.

  6. Banned
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    #6
    Mine stays bone dry.

  7. Member
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    Lancaster, Ohio
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    #7
    Have owned two and no issues.

  8. Member RANGER487's Avatar
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    Sep 2004
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    Cortland, OH
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    #8
    I had an older model tracker that was my first boat and at first was ok but over time it started leaking bad it would be very hard for me to spend big money on an aluminum boat. I know there are some great ones on the markey guess just gun shy from previous experiences

  9. Member
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    Jun 2019
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    Silverlake, WA
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    #9
    I have new 2019 195 and have had zero issues with water. I'm not all that happy with some sloppy fit and trim issues from the factory, but boat has been as expected otherwise to date.

  10. Member
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    Alabama
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    #10
    With the 195 TXW there has been one primary issue related to "leakage". It is dependent on how the boat is fished and also how it is operated. The bilge outlet at the top left corner of the transom can get below the waterline depending on the weight in the boat and especially when someone is standing closer to that corner fishing. It will also happen when coming off plane without bumping the throttle as the boat settles in. Water runs down the hose and out of the pump into the hull. T&H Marine makes a 3/4" inline scupper that solves the problem and warranty covers it. We have installed them and no further issues. We have seen one boat with a loose fitting drain in the splashwell that let water in, but it wasn't to the amounts the bilge issue can have. Not all owners have had the problem based on the way they use the boat. There can be a water issue with the 175 models depending on how they are operated. If they are run at 1/2 to 3/4 throttle water will run over the rub rail along the rear of the back deck. Behind the rub rail in the back are openings where the hull is held during powder coating. Water can force it's way through there if the boat is not on fully on plane. The 60 HP boats are the ones we see with the issue. If the spaces are filled with silicone or 5200 the boats are dry. Again, this can be covered by warranty.

  11. Gray
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    Aug 2015
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    Jacksonville, Florida
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    #11
    I have a 2017 195 TWX TE and have no problems with leakage. Water does get in the bilge because the outflow outlet can sit underwater at times. I have 3 AGM heavy batteries plus 2 talon so it's weighted down. Plus, backwash can fill it up. Every time I leave a spot I turn on the bilge pump to see if any water coming out. I also installed an automatic pump but it never turns on. It does work because I filled the back with water to check. I'd be surprised if you have hull leakage. When I first got the boat I never turned the bilge on and would have a massive amount of water at the end of the day.
    2017 Tracker 195 TXW Tournament Edition
    Mercury 150 4 Stroke
    Fortrex 80
    Minn Kota 10' Talon x2
    Lowrance HDS 12 Live
    Lowrance HDS 9 Live

  12. Member
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    #12
    When I first had my boat I consistently had water in the bilge at the end of the day. 4-5 gallons. Took it back to the dealer and they determined that their tech had not sealed the transducer mounting screws when they prepped the boat. Since then I've had water in the bilge after about 20% of my trips, the other 80% it's dry as a bone. I don't think it's backwash but I can't totally eliminate it. It's slightly annoying but I never have more than 1 1/2 - 2 gallons at the end of the day. Maybe one day I'll figure it out.
    2018 Tracker Pro Team 190 TX
    115 Mercury Pro XS 4S

  13. Banned
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    #13
    Quote Originally Posted by Goldstar225 View Post
    When I first had my boat I consistently had water in the bilge at the end of the day. 4-5 gallons. Took it back to the dealer and they determined that their tech had not sealed the transducer mounting screws when they prepped the boat. Since then I've had water in the bilge after about 20% of my trips, the other 80% it's dry as a bone. I don't think it's backwash but I can't totally eliminate it. It's slightly annoying but I never have more than 1 1/2 - 2 gallons at the end of the day. Maybe one day I'll figure it out.
    Most of that could probably be traced back to livewell/bilge plumbing. It's hose clamps, on rubber hose, on plastic fittings.

  14. Member krr6581's Avatar
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    #14
    Quote Originally Posted by TritonTRXV8 View Post
    Unless i missed something. Which thread has all these leaking boats in it?
    I was seeing all of the complaints on the FB Tracker page mostly. The issue is really serious in my friends case. In his original boat the dealer had so much silicon used that there were blobs of it everywhere and it still leaked like a sieve. Boat owners should be able to buy a boat without issues like this.

    Eat, Sleep, Hunt & Fish

    2010 Tracker Tournament V18 18' 3"
    Mercury 115 Optimax, Mercury Spitfire X7 Prop 19P
    Minn Kota 70b Thrust Maxxum
    6 inch CMC Pro Hi-Jacker
    Lowrance Elite 7 TI (Bow)
    Lowrance HDS7 GEN 3 Touch (Console)
    Smartcraft Merc Monitor (Basic)

  15. Member TritonTRXV8's Avatar
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    #15
    Oh gotcha i dont have facebook so im out of the loop there lol. Yea thats not good leaks are a bear to find and they leak teat the hulls at the factory if i remember correctly so it has to be something in the rigging or fittings somewhere i would assume. I was fortunate that mine never did after all those years amazingly.
    Roy
    2020 Triton 18 Trx
    Mercury 200 Pro XS V8
    Bravo FS 24P Prop
    Atlas 6” jp
    Dual Humminbird Helix 10 MEGA SI
    Minnkota Ultrex.

  16. Member ChanceG's Avatar
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    Little Rock, AR
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    #16
    Mine has always been completely dry
    Always Ready!

  17. Member
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    Apr 2014
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    Elkton, MD
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    7
    #17
    I know this is a really old thread, but check your live well hoses; both drain and supply. They are notorious for leaking if the clamps haven't been correctly tightened or have worked loose.

  18. Member justsomeguy's Avatar
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    Mar 2014
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    #18
    Only been our once and no issues but y'all arent instilling much confidence. Now when installing the new trolling motor I did relieve the boat of some excess weight in the form of carpet scraps some jack ass just left in the bottom of the hull.
    1995 Viper 201D
    1995 Johnson Venom 200
    Gas mileage is for sissies

  19. Member TritonTRXV8's Avatar
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    #19
    Some guys gripe about that but never ever had water come in the bilge outlet in 11 years with my old boat. Always had my dad on the back deck and the opti and jack plate. Wasnt light in the stern by any means.
    Roy
    2020 Triton 18 Trx
    Mercury 200 Pro XS V8
    Bravo FS 24P Prop
    Atlas 6” jp
    Dual Humminbird Helix 10 MEGA SI
    Minnkota Ultrex.

  20. fish8503@yahoo.com GOTTA BIG SACK's Avatar
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    #20
    Cannot believe they could not find the leaks on the first two boats. There’s one guy on here that had sand in his tank and all kind of problems with his Triton and they are tearing the boat apart to fix but they will give two new boats over a leak?
    2021 Skeeter ZX150
    2020 Sea Doo GTI se 170

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