60 Day Review of my 2020 Tracker 175 TXW

[CincyGus]

I took delivery of my Tracker 175 TXW w/ Mercury 60HP 4 stroke new July 23 and proceeded to tow it to Lake Vermillion, Mn. for a 7 day fishing trip. I completed the break in period over the course of fishing and joy riding the first three days. Fished 6 days that trip and have had it out fishing three times since and out joyriding and tubing with the daughter and friends 3 times. Below are my thoughts on the Pro's and Con's of the boat. I am a retired, fish 2-4 times a month usually and like spending time on the water if I can, when I can. I don't fish tourneys, just recreational fishing.

Pro's

• Very comfortable, over-padded seats
• Plenty of storage- Too much. Need to be careful not to load the kitchen sink and weigh the boat down needlessly (which I did). Once I trimmed back to what I needed or could need from everything I had room for, the boat ran better and I could find everything easier too.
• Rides great in medium rough water. Feels planted when I hit a tight turn at near top speed. No cavitation or sliding of the rear end. Feels very secure.
• Decent speed for the stock motor I have on it. Currently stock Black Max 14p prop gets 34 mph WOT with just me in it and loaded for fishing. Hits 30.5 with 2 additional passengers and loaded for tubing/cruising for the day. Have a 14p Spitfire on the way and will post updates once I test that.
• Workmanship was solid. Have found no issues as of yet that require warranty work.
• Large fishing decks are generous workspaces with room for rods & tackle without feeling like your going to trip over anything.
• Engine sips gas! 21 gallon fuel tank lasts 3-4 tubing trips. Fishing a large lake like Vermillion and making a couple one end to the other runs on a few of those 6 days I fished with the remaining 4 days being hopping around to different spots on about half the lake, I managed to use 3/4 of a tank all week. I thought the gauge might be broken until I filled it up once I got home.
• Boat sits in very little water. I had the stern tied to the dock at Vermillion in 8" of water and the bow in about 18" since my boat needed less water than anyone else's and we had 3 to tie to the dock. Comes in handy in shallow grass weed beds and in the river channels. I've taken it well farther upstream than anyone in a heavier boat would dare.

Con's

• The rod storage locker tubes are poorly designed. I put rod socks on my rods but because the tubes follow the curve of the bow to allow a 8' and 2- 7' rods, your rods are stored with a slight bend in them when in the tubes. I didn't like that and store everything longer than 6'6" on deck and only the smaller rods in the locker.
• Stock 45 lb thrust edge trolling motor is adequate at best and in anything stronger than 20 mph winds, your not going to make any speedy progress even with it at level 5 (top power). Boat should come with at least a 65-70 lb thrust stock. I had a 2nd TM battery added before I ever picked it up and have had no issues running out of power.
• Fish finder (Lowrance Hook2-5) that was placed on the console I moved to the front deck so I could have some depth and downscan imaging. I purchased a Hook2-9 Triple for the dash and that's a more helpful size for running a map and sonar at the same time as your moving across the lake.

I won't list this as a con as it's specific to me doing mods and adding deck lights, running sonar cables and such but the self tapping screws that used to hold the carpeted trim plates on the boat deck are a pain in the arse to find when they bury them down in the carpet threads. I've removed them all as I had need to remove trim pieces to run wire/cable and replaced them with hex head Stainless steel self tapping screws of the same size. Easy to see where they are now if I need to remove a trim piece and no stripping the heads with the hex heads.

All the con's other than the rod locker were expected considering the price of the boat. I knew the TM and sonar were going to be adequate but not wow factors and likely replaced asap.

Overall, I am thrilled with the decision and purchase of the boat. It fishes great, is easy to control both when under power by the Merc and with the TM. It rides nice, fast enough to get across a lake, saves me money on gas so I can buy more baits It doubles as a joyride with the Mrs, daughter or a couple friends with enough power to pull a tuber. If I could go back today and get all my money back and give them the boat back, I wouldn't. I guess that's about the highest score I can give this boat for meeting my needs. Hope these thoughts help someone that might be considering this boat. If you have specific questions, feel free to comment below or Msg me.

Figure eight on!

[jlg309]

Good review!

I agree with everything you said. I’ve got the 70 lb. trolling motor and there’s plenty power to spare. I’ve had mine for 3 weeks now, maybe 6 trips out, and no regrets.

[Highcentered]

They really are great boats for the casual fisherman. 4.5 years later I still feel like I made the right choice buying my 175txw over the more cookie cutter rigs out there. While I like the layout of the 2018 and up 175txw and 190tx better in theory after reading about putting the curve in the rods I don't think I like it so much now. At least in the old layout with rod box in the middle you could fit 8' rods in there and keep them straight. My longest rod (7' 9") fits in my 2016 nice and straight with room to spare. I'd for sure get a good 24v trolling motor on that boat ASAP because it will snatch that boat around in some pretty bad wind. You'll probably tap out before a good 24v does in the wind. And one with spot lock will change your life.

[jlg309]

I definitely like the center box for tackle storage. It’s far easier to keep organized than the Triton boat I came out of. The side rod lockers do “bend” the rods on anything over 7’. For the most part, I’m keeping most of my rods on a rack in my garage. I’ll grab a few extras I think I’ll need for the day, store them in the lockers, then put them back on the rack when I get home. That’s my biggest gripe about the Tournament Edition layout. I don’t like leaving “bent” rods in the locker, but in my case the center tackle storage makes up for it.

[Highcentered]

Luckily all my tackle will fit in just one of the side compartments on mine. My plastics are organized but packed with minimal wasted space and I'm pretty minimalist with hard baits even though I seem to throw them more than half the time. My opinion is if I need more space than what that one compartment will hold I need to cull through some stuff because as it sits most of my baits are just in there to be eye candy

[lovetogofish]

I feel like I wrote that review myself, that is almost 100% the same as how I feel about my boat I picked up in July 2nd a 2020 175TXW also. Everything is spot on with ow I feel and I am seriously considering taking a jigsaw or something to the rod tubes on at least one side to make it just a big hole so I can fit probably 20 rods not just using those tube holes. If I get the balls to do it I will post about it. Other than that my family loves the boat too and we have already got a tube, with the tube booster ball (makes a big difference holding the rope out of the water), and just cruising around on the weekend with the kids.

[Bluzharp]

When I got my 2018, the 19s were out with the side rod lockers. I wanted the center rod locker and it works great for me. I also swapped the trolling motor for an 80# terrova before it left the dealer. After a few trips, I moved the trolling batteries to the front storage bins because I thought the front rode up too high. Adding the Talon on the sandwich plate added extra weight out back. I also have a bimini. It's a great boat for me and very manageable for solo outings.