What Brand aluminum do you own?

Started by JayPea2006, May 07, 2006, 10:26:56 AM

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JayPea2006

I'm interested to know what brand, reason, and what features made you decide on the brand you bought?

I'll start by giving my own.

I have an 05' Bass Tracker Pro-Team 175 Special Edition in a lovely shade of bright red. I went with the Tracker mainly because of the lifetime hull warranty. It is an all welded hull and after the last Tracker I owned (TX17) which had a riveted hull, I liked the idea of an all welded hull.

So far I am happy with the boat since I replaced the 12v 46lb thrust MotorGuide with a 24v 71lb thrust Motorguide. The 12v drained too quickly when having to hold the boat on spot during windy conditions. Other than that the boat has held up as well or better than any other I have owned.

Look forward to hearing the other readers post on this subject.

clubber

I own a 95 Tracker TX-17, bought it about 6 years ago from the guy who bought it new. I knew him and had fished out of it on numerous occassions. He bought it after we sunk the other boat he had, but that's another story. I bought it because I got it for a good price and it had a 25 horse on it, and a few of the lakes I fish are 25 horsepower limit, inlcuding my favorite lake. I replaced the Minn-Kota trolling motor with a 12/24 Motor-Guide, right after I got it. Great boat for most of the lakes I fish. But I just recently sold my Skeeter with a 150 and I sure miss it.

Kal-Kevin

I run a old 89 tracker with a 50 horse on the rear, not a lot to look at but fun in the skinny water. I got from my fishing partner when he up grade to a 175 tracker two years ago.

Chemdawg

Just bought in March, 2001 TX Pro Team 175 with a 60 horse Mercury. I chose it mostly because I have a Nissan Frontier truck, 6 cyl. and was worried about being able to tow a glass. Plus this boat, after looking on, I think it's NADA, was $3,000 off blue book.

38 MPH and quite a bit more fishing room than my 25 hp, 14ft Starcraft flat bottom were just a few reasons. It can take the rough waters MUCH better than my flat bottom....I always ended up having to go the chiropractor after a rough trip on the lake with the flatbottom. Oh, and I can got from one end of Sillhouse Hollow lake to the other and still have 2/3 tank left. ;D
"We sleep safely in our beds because brave men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those that would do us harm." George Orwell

bass1cpr

   I run a 1987 Tournament V Tracker. The V hull takes big water good it's been airborne more than once. Tops out at about 41 mph with the 75 horse. Standing timber don't scare me and neither do old fence posts. Scratches add character and mine has some. It's not beat up and still doesn't leak. It has more storage than any of the other aluminum boats I've looked at.
   My next one will be a 99 or newer 18 foot Tournament V. Gotta have the V for cutting the rough water. I've already owned a 100 mile an hour boat so that's out of my blood. I do miss it some times though.
A fish a day keeps postal away. See fishing is relaxing.  Member B.A.S.S.  Illinois B.A.S.S. Federation Nation

kw4570gov

2000 model Xpress X-21, 225 EFI Merc, 6" jack plate ( soon to be replaced with 10" jp ) 12/24 67# MotorGuide hand control. 71 mph on a good day. Went to buy a 19 footer but got a good deal on the X-21 demonstrator boat. It has enough storage to hold all of mine and my son's fishing gear. Would not trade it for a glass boat, but I do wish it had a stronger trolling motor.

Kent

normil1

I just aquired an '89 bass tracker tournament V17. 1 owner, older fella. The only problem so far seems to be oil inj. alarm beeps after just a few minutes . Boat doctor couldn't find definite cause, possibly just sat too long. He said to be safe, unhook the pump, mix oil with gas. sound like the way to go??? Other than that, the boat is great!! I'm used to fiberglass also, but with gas prices, kind of glad to find this boat!
"When in doubt--- Jerk 'em  out"  Hooksets don't cost anything !!

JayPea2006

Quote from: normil1 on May 08, 2006, 08:15:45 PM
I just aquired an '89 bass tracker tournament V17. 1 owner, older fella. The only problem so far seems to be oil inj. alarm beeps after just a few minutes . Boat doctor couldn't find definite cause, possibly just sat too long. He said to be safe, unhook the pump, mix oil with gas. sound like the way to go??? Other than that, the boat is great!! I'm used to fiberglass also, but with gas prices, kind of glad to find this boat!

I double up on oil anyways. I would rather replace spark plugs every few months than a new power head. Better safe than sorry!

bass1cpr

   Normal1 that was a common problem on the early oil injection units. Actually the first ones didn't even have an alarm. I removed my pump because it was the kind without an alarm. Just rember 16 to 6 That's 16 oz. of oil to 6 gallons of gas.
   Running double oil all the time does more than just foul plugs. It's not a recomended practice.
A fish a day keeps postal away. See fishing is relaxing.  Member B.A.S.S.  Illinois B.A.S.S. Federation Nation

JayPea2006

Thanks to you guys for the responses, and thanks cpr1 for your heads up on the "doubling up on the oil" topic. I still feel that the cost of injectors and plugs is a lot better than a power head replacement. Beauty of living in America, we get to share our opinions and take them or leave them.

I think from reading all of the post left here, that a major advantage of the aluminum rig over glass is it's ability to access skinny water, as well as the ease of handling by one's self.

Thanks again!

Hawgwild

I own an older Alumaweld (all welded hull)..which today is the XPress brand....It is a 17' rig and just recently put a 70 hp Yamaha on it...runs about 40 mph and super easy on gas.. :)

The only glass boat I ever owned wound up with a 2 foot gash in the hull...just too many stumps in my area for me to go with glass and wouldn't feel confortable taking a glass boat in that area anyway..

My next boat will likely be an H-56 Xpress (18.5 ft.) with a 115 hp motor...but will take a close look at the Triton metal boats...

As to the injectors the mechanic bypassed that when he installed the motor...that is the first thing that goes on older motors and not worth the risk of using it and ruining the motor...

A little extra oil mixed with the gas is no big deal anyway...maybe a little messy but you know what you got then too..

But will sure be glad to get a new boat/motor that have working injectors or perhaps a 4 stroke..

Scottie

Scottie

bass1cpr

   JayPea it's a little more than opinion it's fact's. Running double oil is just carboning up your motor. I doubt that your turning your motor over 7000 rpm so I doubt you have to worry about blowing a power head. Power head failures happen for a lot of reasons lack of oil is only one if you don't have any.

   Along with carboning up your motor which cuts performance your adding to your emissions and upping the amount of polution your motor is creating.
   Isn't that one of the things they are trying to improve on two cycles? 

   E-Tech and Optimax sure are spending a lot of money to make those numbers better.

   I'd think as one who calls himself a professional that loves fishing,  the enviroment that the fish live in would also be an issue of concern. Water quality improvement is something we all can help to improve one angler at a time, by doing our part to be sure our equipment is operating at peak efficency, and the cleanest emissions possible. 
A fish a day keeps postal away. See fishing is relaxing.  Member B.A.S.S.  Illinois B.A.S.S. Federation Nation

FishHawk

I'm running a Crestlliner 1750 FishHawk and I love it. 

As far as doubling up on oil, well, more oil will never physically hurt your engine block.  Environmentally and fuel efficiency, is another thing.  If you're running too rich, you're going to spew a lot of oil into the water and into the air.  In effect, all you're really doing is wasting your money on extra gas and oil.  If you're really worried about your oil injectors fouling and causing your motor to fail ... mix the oil in the gas tank.


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JayPea2006

Quote from: FishHawk on June 06, 2006, 06:39:27 AM
I'm running a Crestlliner 1750 FishHawk and I love it. 

As far as doubling up on oil, well, more oil will never physically hurt your engine block.  Environmentally and fuel efficiency, is another thing.  If you're running too rich, you're going to spew a lot of oil into the water and into the air.  In effect, all you're really doing is wasting your money on extra gas and oil.  If you're really worried about your oil injectors fouling and causing your motor to fail ... mix the oil in the gas tank.




I tried that but couldn't figure out how to keep the oil alarm from going off and it is quite annoying!

Herdbull

I have to say, I just bought a G3 in May and I absolutely love it. 165 Eagle / 50 Yamaha. It has everything I wanted in a bass boat. I upgraded the fish finder to an Eagle 500 color. I can run all day and it doesn't drink the gas. Took a 2nd place and 3rd place finish in 2 tournaments so far this year.   

JayPea2006

Quote from: Herdbull on June 27, 2006, 05:35:10 PM
I have to say, I just bought a G3 in May and I absolutely love it. 165 Eagle / 50 Yamaha. It has everything I wanted in a bass boat. I upgraded the fish finder to an Eagle 500 color. I can run all day and it doesn't drink the gas. Took a 2nd place and 3rd place finish in 2 tournaments so far this year.   

Sounds like a great boat for you! Just curious as to what the top speed is on your boat with the 50hp? Is the Yamaha quiet?

Herdbull

Top speed is about 35mph. I chose the 2 stroke over the 4. Although I know the 4's are a bit quieter, I also know guy's that have slight problems with them. I'll tell ya, it's plenty fast enough and rides beautifully because of the hull design and width. In rough waters, I don't get the rocking like on some other aluminum's.

fishnsmith

I have a Mirrocraft 14ft boat. It has been a great boat with 25hp evenrude electric start tiller. MinnKota 40# trolling motor up front. I decked it out and fishes great. With limited funds you can still put together a great fishing boat.

JayPea2006

Quote from: fishnsmith on June 28, 2006, 08:06:54 PM
I have a Mirrocraft 14ft boat. It has been a great boat with 25hp evenrude electric start tiller. MinnKota 40# trolling motor up front. I decked it out and fishes great. With limited funds you can still put together a great fishing boat.

What's important is that it gets you on the water! I had a 12' jon with a custom deck on it with livewell I used for sliding in and out of back waters when I was into redfishing.

lacab

Be careful running more oil than recommended by the manufacturer. I learned about this while riding 2 stroke 4 wheelers. More oil sounds good right? Wrong. Excessive oil means less gas in the mixture. Less gas means that the fuel to air mixture is actually lean. Check your plug. A nice tan chocolate color is perfect.
People are not stepping stones to be used to make yourself feel smarter or more important. Always remember what comes around goes around.

JayPea2006

Quote from: lacab on July 05, 2006, 10:00:54 PM
Be careful running more oil than recommended by the manufacturer. I learned about this while riding 2 stroke 4 wheelers. More oil sounds good right? Wrong. Excessive oil means less gas in the mixture. Less gas means that the fuel to air mixture is actually lean. Check your plug. A nice tan chocolate color is perfect.

Thanks, I did back off about 3 tanks ago. I don't like it though because at speed the motor sounds great, but when coming down off plane the motor knocks like a rod or bearings are going out in it. At least when I added oil to the gas it was smooth running all the time. Oh well, win some lose some.  I won't take it back to the shop because they screwed the thing up worse than it was before. ~beer~

imp81318

It's been really great to hear everyone's opinions of various aluminum boats, as I will be in the market for one in the next year or so (hopefully sooner, maybe later). I already know I want a 16 ft mod. V hull, other than that I am looking at economy economy economy  lo  I know I can get a decent setup in my area for about $1000-1500, which is what I am looking to spend. I'll be sure to add my 2 cents here after I get one (assuming I remember this thread by then)...

Juniver

I have a 17ft Xpress with a Yammie 90 hp on the back..Traded my Pro team 165 on it.Not looking back..This thing is the stuff..Plenty of room and its 95'' wide.

Shayne

I just bought a Lowe Stinger 175 with a 50 hp Mercury on the back.  I liked the large decks, the ability to have two fishing seats on the front deck (for when the I take the kids with me) and just the layout in general.  I looked at Fisher, Xpress, Tracker, and Triton but liked this the best.  The price was right too.

I've had some trouble with the dealer getting the right paint color from Lowe.  It was scratched by the techs doing the lake test and the livewells are kinda tricky at times.

fishnsmith

I have a mirrocraft that I posted about earlier. I stated the process of buying a new 1754 tracker grizzley cc 50hp four stroke. The deal I got was great, until the dealer called saying the price was a mistake and the price I got was with the 25hp. The boat I have has a 25hp and it is paid for. What was I thinking get rid of a paid for boat for one I have to finance.