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  1. #1
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    Looking for some input from you guys that came from glass to tin....

    I am really struggling, I have a Ranger Cherokee 202, with a Yamaha 115 (its basically todays RT188). I love the boat, it is in excellent condition and everything works. However, I am seriously considering going to a little larger glass boat. I have fished out of a few glass boats and I really like the lower gunnel height, extra weight, greater speed, larger fuel tank, etc. I am thinking about selling mine and making the move, but I am not sure and the last thing I want to do is go to a glass boat, then regret it because I would be hard pressed to find an aluminum boat like mine for what I have in it.

    So, you guys that came from glass to tin, Any regrets? Wish you had not made the move? I know they each have their pros and cons, but I am thinking I would like a little more storage, something a little faster with greater range, that does not get blown around as bad by the wind.....Thoughts?

    Thanks ahead for the input......

  2. Member
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    #2
    I went from an alum bass to a glass offshore now back to alum bass. I know this is different than your case but never again. More fuel, hard to tow, more upkeep. Always worried about hitting something and messing up the gelcoat.
    2016 Ranger RT178 white
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  3. Member 3dees's Avatar
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    #3
    35 years of glass. bought a new Crestliner VT19 in 2011. just traded for a VT18. you give up some going with tin, but I have never regretted it. I came close to getting a Nitro Z18 until I saw the VT18. tins are easier to tow and maintain. if I fished big water I would have probably stayed with glass.

  4. Member Obsessed's Avatar
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    #4
    Never owned a tin, always glass. Moving from a 21 foot glass with a 225 with a drinking problem into a new RT188 with a 115 four stroke. I hope I don't regret it. But if I do regret it I have a contingency plan......I will move back into a glass boat Figured it couldn't hurt to try one on for size!
    2017 Ranger RT188, Dual Console, Crystal Red Metallic, Mercury 115 Pro XS Four Stroke, Command Thrust with Tempest 24P, 52 MPH GPS @ 5200 RPM
    Motor Guide 80 lb Xi5 Pin Point/GPS , Lowrance HDS 7 w/Totalscan @ Console, Lowrance Elite 7 TI @ Bow; Romans 6:23

  5. Member Panama's Avatar
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    #5
    For 40 years I have owned bigger glass bass boats. Most of the time, I had the little Cherokee listed below as a boat I fished stumps and bad water in. I still own the Cherokee, but I always had a glass boat for bigger water.
    Three things happened.....1. the aluminum boats changed a lot and are much better designed now with bigger front decks and such....2. I had two cases of blisters on fiberglass boats that were horrible experiences....3. I started fishing Florida more and fished smaller waters and shallow water a lot more than reservoirs.

    I got rid of the fiberglass over three years ago and went to a RT188 with a Yamaha 115. For me it was a very very good decision that I have never regretted. I think you need to examine your particular situation and decide. What is good for some people here might not fit your situation. The RT is not "bad" I the wind and is a LOT better than a most aluminum boats....But it is not as good as a glass boat. The RT ride on rough water is not bad for aluminum and more solid feeling than most - but it is not as good as a decent sized glass boat. It is better than smaller glass boats though.

    I would keep the Cherokee. You know it and know what you have and they are very good boats. You won't get a lot for it anyway. I would look for a good used glass boat - and they are out there to find. The better of the two choices is so personal as to what type of water you fish and when you fish. If it is real real windy, I stay home. I don't like fishing in the wind anyway. I fish when I want and fish shallow water a lot. The RT excels there. If I fished a lot of wide open big water and could not choose when I wanted to fish, I would still own a glass boat....No doubt in my mind.
    ----------------------------
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    2013 RANGER RT188 - YAMAHA F115 - ULTREX - LOWRANCE GRAPHS
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  6. Member
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    #6
    The only drawback to tin in my experience is ride in truly rough water. Now some tin boats (Lund pro V) might excel in this area. I feel that the tracker design is slightly better in rough water than the flatter hull designs most use for their tin bass boats but it still is not close to the ride of a good glass boat in truly rough water.

    I understand that tin boats are pushed by the wind more but I have honestly not even noticed this effect. If it gets really windy I use the anchor mode on my TM and just fish.

  7. Member
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    #7
    I read an interesting thread here a week or so ago.

    Guys with tins that previously had issues with the wind blowing them around said that, after adding a large "Anchor Control" style trolling motor, the wind was not much of a factor anymore.

    Sorry that I can't remember enough to find the LINK for you.

    richg99

  8. Member krr6581's Avatar
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    #8
    Their are a few things that I miss about having my Triton. I miss the speed I had, however I don't miss the cost of fuel my Merc 175 XR6 like to drink. I also miss the more comfortable ride but, the ride in my tin isn't bad overall just not as comfortable. I don't miss the constant worry about nicks and dings or dock rash. Yeh, there are trade offs going from glass to tin and vice versa. I don't regret going to tin as I just don't have a real reason to go to a glass boat. I did my homework though as I knew what I was wanting to buy. I did look for the boat I have now as I do fish some relatively big water and so finding a tin boat with a semi V hull that was a bass boat was something I wanted and at the time nobody made them but I found my TV18 which was lightly used. I had considered the RT188 but knew it probably wouldn't be the best choice to fish some of the big waters I fish when I go to Canada each year. All in all it boils down to what your willing to give up or gain by going to a glass boat. Good luck in what you decide.

    Eat, Sleep, Hunt & Fish

    2010 Tracker Tournament V18 18' 3"
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  9. Member
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    #9
    Richg99, I added a MK Terrova last summer and it does help in the wind, but the wind is still very much a factor. I feel like I am fighting it all the time...

  10. Member
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    #10
    I went from tin to glass and back to tin and I'm staying with it forever. I love the light weight towing, ease of maintenance and overall simplicity of my tin. If it's to rough on the water to fish out of my tracker then I don't want to fish that day anyhow, I flat am getting to fat and older to get beat up all day long hitting big waves and paying the price on Monday morning afterward with the back pain. I would never go back to glass....period.

  11. Member Kelster1574's Avatar
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    #11
    Started in a Tin as a kid....took me 30+ years to get back, but haven't regretted it yet. I had a 370V for 12 years, then a Stratos 295 Pro Elite, now my RT....amongst the places I fish are the California Delta (12-15 times per year), and Clear Lake (7-8 days a year) and yes there are days I know it would be nice to be riding in a big old glass boat....I would never own one, and haven't second guessed my decision once. I LOVE this boat...fish ability, cost to operate - towing, and running, are absolutely amazing. I will say I am a weekend, club fisherman, and definitely not a speed demon....my needs may be different then yours.
    2016 Ranger RT 188 - Charcoal / Dark Cherry
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  12. Member tcesni's Avatar
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    #12
    39 years of being a "tin man". I've never had the big gas bills, the big tow bills and never made a boat payment. Tin to the end.
    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

  13. Banned
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    #13
    I have been back and forth several times. I am currently in a glass and my last boat was a tin and the tin can't compare to the ride you get in a glass. I had a tracker pt 175 back in mid 2000 and did not like it at all. I am personally not a fan of the mod v hulls. I then went back to glass and loved my triton until I had a family. I then went to a v hull crestliner fish hawk. Great boat, great layout way better ride then a mod v. The only reason why I got rid of it was build quality. These types of rigs are not meant for hardcore fishing. For the weekend angler, no problem, for me I needed a boat that was designed for serious angler. I am now in a ranger, and have to say its an incredible machine...

  14. Member Jeff Hahn's Avatar
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    #14
    I had a 1990 Ranger 390 and then a 2001 Ranger R91. Like krr6581 said, I do miss the speed from time to time. But, I do NOT miss worrying about scratching or gouging the gel and having to pay for an expensive repair if it was in the polyflake. I don't miss worrying about blowing up a big HP motor and having to pay for a new powerhead. I do like the lighter towing weight and better gas mileage with the smaller outboard.
    "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

  15. Member
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    #15
    Started with a 14' tin and left for 30+ years. Six months ago I traded my 20' glass rig for the Rt188 and haven't looked back. I'm fishing more than I have in years, like a decade in years. What I gave up in big water performance, even the 20' bass boats have limits, I've got back in other ways. I'm not seeing much better gas mileage towing. My truck likes gas anyway. I'm using lots less gas in the boat and routine maintence costs on this 1154S compared to a 225 Opti is like WOW! If you go big DFI be ready for some big routine maintence cost as they age.

  16. Banned
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    #16
    I went from a 20 foot Skeeter to tin....... LOVE it. Get an Ultrex and be done with it. Wind not a factor anymore, Ranger RT188 rides VERY well in rough water.