For several years, I had the Ranger Cherokee listed below and had different fancy glass glitter boats at the same time. I caught more fish and bigger fish with the Cherokee than any of them. I still have the aluminum Cherokee and it is about 25 years old now......can't say that about any of the other boats.
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The bitterness of poor quality is remembered
long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten - Benjamin Franklin
2013 RANGER RT188 - YAMAHA F115 - ULTREX - LOWRANCE GRAPHS
LOCK-N-HAUL Transom Saver, ALL ABOARD Emergency Ladder
1996 RANGER CHEROKEE - 40 YAMAHA
So let me ask you this.....most of the tin boats are getting to be fully painted right? Its not a bare aluminum tin can anymore like the boats of years ago. So how does it take any less time to wipe down the entire hull of an alumimum boat vs a glass boat? Unless you dont care that the boat looks like shit and has a scum line all over it the. I guess it doesnt matter either way then right? It takes me the same amount of time to hook the boat to the truck get my fishing gear ready drive to the lake launch the boat use it its all the same and i wiped the Tracker down just as much so spent the same time cleaning up to. Both were and are kept spotless with the same effort so which one am i using wrong then? Poor arguement IMO.
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.
I think tin boat owners are more likely to fish smaller waters than are glass boat owners and if you live in Danville, PA it’s a drive to a decent sized lake (Harvey or Wally). I’m not considering the Susqy since that is not exactly glass friendly even with the fabric dam. If you’re not a river rat Danville isn’t exactly a fisherman’s paradise. Truly a shame because otherwise it’s a beautiful area.
2016 Ranger RT188, Yamaha 115 sho, dual console, 80# Ultrex, hotfoot, networked HB Solix 10 & Helix 9, Mega 360. Powertech NRS3 18p, Atlas 4" jack plate.
What is all the stink about. It’s just two guys posting there opinion. I found it quite amusing.
I give my black Tracker a good cleaning about twice a year and wipe it down a few times in-between deep cleanings. It gets wiped down more when the pollen is falling. While I take pride in keeping my boat in tip top shape mechanically looking "good enough" cosmetically is fine with me. Yeah it's going to hurt the resale value but my boat is a battleship that gets me to the fish not a show piece. Guess what I'm trying to say is I don't feel nearly as guilty about not wiping my aluminum boat down often as I did the glass rigs I had for my first two boats. I'm sure a lot of people feel the same way about their tin rigs and why as much as I'd like to have another glass rig one day I probably won't unless I have a garage to keep it in. It's hard to justify constantly cleaning a little bit of dirt off a boat that really doesn't hurt it much when it lives under a carport. It still looks nice even under a little bit of dust. No telling how many inches of mud would be in a shop vac if I were to scrub the carpet with vinegar then suck the sludge up.
2023 Xpress H18 with 115 SHO
8" Bob's Action Jack
Garmin Echomap 12, 10, 9, and LVS34 networked with Netgear Switch
Ultrex
Trick Steps
Ramp N Clamp
Pulled by a 2016 single cab HEMI Ram
I think you are missing my point whether its glass or tin if you dont keep them wiped down it shows and looks like you dont. I dont get the mentality because its glass you have to wipe it more. If you dont care then you dont care. Alot of you guys seem to warrant youre having a tin because of the upkeep difference and that it simply not true. I dont have to put in any more effort into the new boat that i didnt on the old one period. Im a very detailed oriented person anyway i wipe my lawn equipment down too its just how my family is. If you want a tin boat that is great and good for you but to say having a glass boat is more work. Totally false.
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.
XPRESS H 18 SS, YAMAHA 115
Tracker Panfish 16
Bonafide EX123 Kayak
Didnt waste my time watching after all the comments I read but seems to me they didnt mention companies like Express and Lund that are offering 250 outboards, and I wish I could ride in a GatorTrax to see and feel the hype. These boys are blinded by the BASS sponsors who get the rules changed everytime a Pro went aluminum and won. Mark Mendez won on Dardanelle in 2009 in a G3, rule change, you have to fish out of the boat you start the season in. 2017 Ott Defoe wins in a Grizzly at Douglas Lake open, rule change, no tunnel hulls or jet drive engines. BCB, Ranger, Skeeter, etc ain't having that crap, thus the rule changes. I personally have caught more fish out of aluminum, current and last boat plus dad's john boats in pits(man almost every weekend when I was much younger), than all of my glass rigs combined - 2 Skeeters, 1 Terry, and 1 ProCraft. I think 2 reasons, A) older now and have learned a lot, still learning too. and B) I drive those tin rigs where I think the fish are without a second thought. Hell my best day ever was in my brothers G3 we boated 49 bass and I caught 21 of those, FIL 7, and my brother the rest. One day I will probably puncture my boat, it isn't indestructible, but it is in my mind. I can think of twice that I was out, Ray Roberts and the wind came up 25-35 mph and Lake Fork, same scenario, and thought man I wish I had a 21' glass boat right now, and I wouldn't lie and say I would never own one, but I have been happy with my last two boats, hell even with that damn black Mercury...….so far.
Last edited by justsomeguy; 05-20-2020 at 07:56 PM. Reason: added info
1995 Viper 201D
1995 Johnson Venom 200
Gas mileage is for sissies
2018 Ranger RT188 SC Black/115 hp Yamaha SHO 4-stroke; Garmin LVS34 - north
2018 Ranger RT188 DC Black/115 hp Merc Pro XS 4-stroke; Garmin LVS34 - south
14' Mirrorcraft tin boat (ancient) with a 9.9 Mercury 4-stroke, no electronics; catches fish anyway
Yes I did get your point originally. My point is my tin is less work FOR ME and that's what matters. A lot of people who have had both feel the same way as me and you need to accept that. I'm detail oriented where I feel is necessary. Look in the compartments of my boat and you'll see everything has its place and is placed there for a reason. You could call me a lazy slob when it comes to certain things and you would be 100% correct. I still keep my tin rig up way better than some people I see on the lake. Just because I don't wipe it down every trip and clean the inside doesn't mean I don't take pride in my purchase. It gets cleaned when it needs it and that's it. Now I do feel bad about how long it's been since my truck has had a good cleaning but that's another story. It's covered in mud from all the rain we've had and me living on a gravel/dirt road. Some of that ends up on the hull of the boat too but that gets washed off as soon as it makes its first run of the trip.
2023 Xpress H18 with 115 SHO
8" Bob's Action Jack
Garmin Echomap 12, 10, 9, and LVS34 networked with Netgear Switch
Ultrex
Trick Steps
Ramp N Clamp
Pulled by a 2016 single cab HEMI Ram
Came home early from a zoo of a lake and forgot the sun protection plus the fishing sucked. Decided it was time to give the boat a good wipe down inside and out with some Starbrite detailer and vinyl cleaner for the boat and the deep clean for the trailer. I do wish Tracker did what Xpress does with the bed liner on the gunnel. You look at that diamond coat paint wrong and it scratches. Can tell where my rods and trolling motor prop have made contact with it here and there. I do give it a quick wipe down every month or so with quick detailer so it's not like I'm one of those guys that lets it sit out in the rain uncovered and never cleans it. Only time it gets rained on is if I'm in it and/or it happens on the way home from getting run off by lightning.
2023 Xpress H18 with 115 SHO
8" Bob's Action Jack
Garmin Echomap 12, 10, 9, and LVS34 networked with Netgear Switch
Ultrex
Trick Steps
Ramp N Clamp
Pulled by a 2016 single cab HEMI Ram
Anyone want to volunteer to turn the switch to lower my boat into the water so I can go fishing?
https://imgur.com/a/V9aU0yU
"The man of system is apt to be very wise in his own conceit; and is often so enamored with the supposed beauty of his own ideal plan of government that he cannot suffer the smallest deviation from any part of it…He seems to imagine that he can arrange the different members of a great society with as much ease as the hand arranges the different pieces upon a chessboard.” Adam Smith, The Theory of Moral Sentiments
I’ve probably fished his dock.
Just checked out the Polarkraft Mod-V bass boats and all I can say is WOW. They appear to have a hull similar to the Tracker Revolution hull that rides so nice and the layout is awesome. They aren't what I consider a "value" boat by any means but could be a good option for a lot of people. Saw a Pro 175 with a 90 SHO for 26-27k but it was fairly stripped down so you're in Xpress and Vexus territory on pricing.
2023 Xpress H18 with 115 SHO
8" Bob's Action Jack
Garmin Echomap 12, 10, 9, and LVS34 networked with Netgear Switch
Ultrex
Trick Steps
Ramp N Clamp
Pulled by a 2016 single cab HEMI Ram
I really don’t care what your opinion is. If you want to shine up your glass boat at night to keep yourself feeling special, then have at it. Many of us prefer to fish instead. If you don’t realize that aluminum is easier to hook up to a truck, pull to the lake, get back in the garage, and overall maintain then no one on here can reason with you. Glass requires more upkeep, stress and worry. Period.
Yup, I've hit stuff with my tin rig that simply left a mark on the hull what would have required a trip to the fiberglass shop with a glass rig. However, with a fiberglass boat I wouldn't have put my boat in that lake to begin with so there's thatAlso, a tin rig is easier to handle overall. And I prefer to fish instead as well so mine gets the quick wipe down every month or so to get the dust off. I am thinking about seeing what a bed liner place can do for me on coating the top of the gunnel since the paint Tracker uses isn't holding up that great when a rod makes contact with the paint.
2023 Xpress H18 with 115 SHO
8" Bob's Action Jack
Garmin Echomap 12, 10, 9, and LVS34 networked with Netgear Switch
Ultrex
Trick Steps
Ramp N Clamp
Pulled by a 2016 single cab HEMI Ram