06-01-2022, 03:04 PM
I'll second Craig's thoughts on the the Tracker's, they are really nice boats.. I know they don't have the elitist reputation of the Lund's but I didn't have to spend $80K either, so I'm fishing and enjoying it and not worrying about making a payment. I go to have fun, not to be looked at.
I may throw a different angle at you, that may not apply to how you like to fish, but for me being able to run in shallow water was important, but I also wanted big water safety for when the wind kicks up on Bear Lake. I eventually decided to get a deep V so I could fish Bear Lake, what I found out was my older Tracker like Craigs only weighed in about 1300 lbs and with 115 hp, it pushes the boat about 38 mph (GPS) and on shallow Cutler, about 1.5 to 2.5' deep it actually still will run well without digging in the mud too much.. I didn't expect to be able to run in shallow water and still have big water safety, but this boat will give me both options. I love the wrap around window and Bimini top, it's not like my friends full cabins on their big boats that are heavenly in November gales, but it sure is nice for spring fishing... If budget isn't an issue, look at the Duckworth's, Thunderjets and etc... They are really nice, but if you're like me and don't have that much extra cash watch KSL, I seen a sweet Lund that was hardly used and the guy had passed away so his family sold it for like $26k.... But it didn't last long, think it sold in an hour or two... Plus you can find old used ones that need some attention and boats aren't too difficult to rework, as long as the transom, hull and engine are in good shape...
Over the years I've found that having the ability to do something is more important than having the first class option... We started out camping with a 1970 ish trailer that was in pretty
shape, but we had a blast in that trailer, went everywhere and had a blast... Then we upgraded to a really nice fifth wheel, ended up having all kinds of leakage issues and rework needing to be done, hardly ever used it and when we did we had to go to developed campsites and I have to say it was a very expensive mistake, I should have stuck with the one that I had fun in... However, the fifth wheel is much nicer to stay in when we do use it... Maybe once a year these days...
To finish up my rambling, check out YouTube videos on the different boats that you're thinking about, they will show you the general layouts and you can see if you like the way the boat is organized.. I really liked the newer Targa's storage systems and wish my older one had the same stuff, but they also weigh a lot more than my 99 so they probably wouldn't work in shallow water, so I'm glad I got what I did... Good luck and if you want to try out different type boats make a post and I'll bet some BFT'ers would be willing to let you check out their boats... That can help you decide on features that you want in your boat... Later Jeff
I may throw a different angle at you, that may not apply to how you like to fish, but for me being able to run in shallow water was important, but I also wanted big water safety for when the wind kicks up on Bear Lake. I eventually decided to get a deep V so I could fish Bear Lake, what I found out was my older Tracker like Craigs only weighed in about 1300 lbs and with 115 hp, it pushes the boat about 38 mph (GPS) and on shallow Cutler, about 1.5 to 2.5' deep it actually still will run well without digging in the mud too much.. I didn't expect to be able to run in shallow water and still have big water safety, but this boat will give me both options. I love the wrap around window and Bimini top, it's not like my friends full cabins on their big boats that are heavenly in November gales, but it sure is nice for spring fishing... If budget isn't an issue, look at the Duckworth's, Thunderjets and etc... They are really nice, but if you're like me and don't have that much extra cash watch KSL, I seen a sweet Lund that was hardly used and the guy had passed away so his family sold it for like $26k.... But it didn't last long, think it sold in an hour or two... Plus you can find old used ones that need some attention and boats aren't too difficult to rework, as long as the transom, hull and engine are in good shape...
Over the years I've found that having the ability to do something is more important than having the first class option... We started out camping with a 1970 ish trailer that was in pretty
shape, but we had a blast in that trailer, went everywhere and had a blast... Then we upgraded to a really nice fifth wheel, ended up having all kinds of leakage issues and rework needing to be done, hardly ever used it and when we did we had to go to developed campsites and I have to say it was a very expensive mistake, I should have stuck with the one that I had fun in... However, the fifth wheel is much nicer to stay in when we do use it... Maybe once a year these days... To finish up my rambling, check out YouTube videos on the different boats that you're thinking about, they will show you the general layouts and you can see if you like the way the boat is organized.. I really liked the newer Targa's storage systems and wish my older one had the same stuff, but they also weigh a lot more than my 99 so they probably wouldn't work in shallow water, so I'm glad I got what I did... Good luck and if you want to try out different type boats make a post and I'll bet some BFT'ers would be willing to let you check out their boats... That can help you decide on features that you want in your boat... Later Jeff
When things get stressful think I'll go fish'en and worry about it tomorrow!