70hp

[JimS123]

a Russian version of a citroen 2CV..... literally a russian made french car......

As Frank would say, wholly crap!

 

[ahicks]

Another thought maybe. It's pretty expensive to repower a boat like this/in this price range. A decent engine, say a used 50 hp 4 stroke, can easily double your investment! That in mind, I would not recommend buying a boat, unless it was REALLY cheap, or maybe purchased cheap with a known bad motor, that I planned on repowering right away.

2 stroke oil isn't designed to literally burn. Good oil just does a pass through, lubricating, protecting against corrosion, cooling, and stabilizing the fuel on it's way through. Modern oil is able to do that without much smoke. The smell does kinda follow you when idling down wind though. As a died in the wool 4 stroke convert, I don't miss that smell one bit....

 

[Scott Danforth]

2-stroke oil is only one step below nitro-methane....the both make me horney

 

[mr 88]

Wow, that's a new one.

I've heard 60, 70, 75, etc., but never 65%. I guess it must be an opinion, and not cast in stone.

Wow ,who died and made you King ? Your numbers ,60,70, the 75 conveniently skip 65 And what does your etc. cover ? . Does it really matter , when the OP writes he wants to go out with a full boat , that will be underpowered with what's on it now . That figure I have seen on numerous sites and I personally have no engineering degrees or scientific evidence to back it up with. Do you with your numbers which are above and below my figure ?

 

[racerone]

I tinks it is meant to mean 65% of the rated power for the boat.----If boat is rated for 200 HP it suggest no less than 130 HP on the transom.

 

[mr 88]

Another opinion.

I had the opportunity to ride in a brand spanking new boat that had dual pedestal seats and they both wobbled. I'm pretty sure that the deck was quite solid. With an out-the-door price of $96,000.00 I sure hope it was solid.

Yes another opinion, I am glad you had the opportunity to ride on a 96,000 boat that had a crappy pedestal seat ! Every cheap ass boat that I have been on with said seats were not wobbly. Maybe because they were clamped on the tube correctly with enough muscle to keep them.from jumping around. Sure hope whoever's was looking at buying that boat let the dealer and MFG know about the cheap aftermarket seat that was installed on a 96,000 ride Of course that's just my opinion and not real life experience ,sarcasm implied .

 

[Old Ironmaker]

What's a LADA?

A Soviet Ferrari or the Tracker of cars. They didn't catch on in the North American market that Comrade Gorbechev thought they would. By the time they took the boat ride across the Atlantic they were rusted out. That's not exaggerating they actually some did rust on the trip to North America.

As far as a Tracker goes I would rather have one than fish from shore for sure. When I started shopping for my 1st ever real boat I was drawn to Trackers, mainly because of the entry level prices because we had what young couples usually always have, mortgages. I have seen more than a few on display at Bass Pro Shop. When a pal thought he should buy a new one for his 1st ever boat and he has zero mechanical skills as well as a limited budget we went to BPS. I showed him stuff such as the woeful fit and finish, locks that wouldn't lock along with storage areas that were full of water and how they are terribly under powered out of the showroom hoping they talk you into buying more H.P. One actually was leaking at the bottom of the hull after it had rained. Then I showed him and compared details on my 25 year old StarCraft Superfisherman 190 and then he got it. He did get himself a nice used 12 yr old 17' Crestliner with a nice 90 Yammy on her tail end.

 

[Old Ironmaker]

Carpentry too. Yeap, I still have all ten fingers.

.

All 10? When I did pre job orientations with our subs I would ask if there were any carpenters and ask them to hold up both hands. If they had all their fingers they were either slow or new at it. Some laughed most didn't think it was funny a bit.

 

[Texasmark]

Re: 40 hp on a 15' boat. Back in the 60's, I learned how to ski behind an ugly OD green 15' fiberglass Wards boat powered by a 40 hp Sea King...... and had a blast!

Point being, power is relative. That said, rarely will you ever down size. Get used to a 70, and a 50 on a similar boat might get boring quickly....

You were lucky. My tow machines were wooden with either 18 Rude or 25 Wizard. Whole first summer I couldn't stay up (on 2 skis no less) and no doubt, miserable power sources had a lot to do with it. But it was fun.

 

[Texasmark]

A Soviet Ferrari or the Tracker of cars. They didn't catch on in the North American market that Comrade Gorbechev thought they would. By the time they took the boat ride across the Atlantic they were rusted out. That's not exaggerating they actually some did rust on the trip to North America.

As far as a Tracker goes I would rather have one than fish from shore for sure. When I started shopping for my 1st ever real boat I was drawn to Trackers, mainly because of the entry level prices because we had what young couples usually always have, mortgages. I have seen more than a few on display at Bass Pro Shop. When a pal thought he should buy a new one for his 1st ever boat and he has zero mechanical skills as well as a limited budget we went to BPS. I showed him stuff such as the woeful fit and finish, locks that wouldn't lock along with storage areas that were full of water and how they are terribly under powered out of the showroom hoping they talk you into buying more H.P. One actually was leaking at the bottom of the hull after it had rained. Then I showed him and compared details on my 25 year old StarCraft Superfisherman 190 and then he got it. He did get himself a nice used 12 yr old 17' Crestliner with a nice 90 Yammy on her tail end.

This summer I acquired a 2002 17.5 Crestliner Fish Hawk with a 115 Merc (max rated engine) and 70# ™ (2x overkill ). Upper cut on alum boats and the best boat I ever had for fishing and I have had lots of them. Crestliner claims to be the Hallmark of aluminum boats with their 20 year guaranteed hull.

 

[JimS123]

Wow ,who died and made you King ? Your numbers ,60,70, the 75 conveniently skip 65 And what does your etc. cover ? . Does it really matter , when the OP writes he wants to go out with a full boat , that will be underpowered with what's on it now . That figure I have seen on numerous sites and I personally have no engineering degrees or scientific evidence to back it up with. Do you with your numbers which are above and below my figure ?

Of course you don't have an Engineering degree. If you did you would know that there is no scientific evidence that says what's underpowered or not.

The numbers I cited are not MY numbers, they are unfounded opinions that have been published on various web sites by other people.

The point I was trying to make was that whatever percentage you proclaim, it is merely your opinion.

 

[Old Ironmaker]

This summer I acquired a 2002 17.5 Crestliner Fish Hawk with a 115 Merc (max rated engine) and 70# ™ (2x overkill ). Upper cut on alum boats and the best boat I ever had for fishing and I have had lots of them. Crestliner claims to be the Hallmark of aluminum boats with their 20 year guaranteed hull.

You have a mighty fine boat there Texas. I fish out of my buddies Fish Hawk regularly for Smallmouth. Even though it's only 17' it feels like you are in a 19'er when we leave a few seats at home. Lots of room for 2.

 

[CNT]

Interesting that here sounds like:

"Trackers are alright for beginners"
or
"Trackers are approved for beginners"
or
"Trackers are only for first timers"
or
"Trackers are for once and never again"

 

[Scott Danforth]

No, its on a scale of boats, with plastic boats being on the bottom, Trackers are about 2 or 3 steps above the bottom

they are an entry level boat.

nothing wrong with entry level boat, just like buying a kia as a car. if your desire is to go fishing or boating.... they will do that. if you are looking to impress people, they wont do that.

just like a used kia, a used tracker will have issues.

 

[JimS123]

Interesting that here sounds like:

"Trackers are alright for beginners"
or
"Trackers are approved for beginners"
or
"Trackers are only for first timers"
or
"Trackers are for once and never again"

When I was a teenager and NEEDED a boat, but couldn't afford one, I built one out of plywood. It was grossly underpowered with a 10 HP Wizard that wasn't even on the same planet as the 65% mandatory requirement. Nevertheless, as i look back at all the boats i've owned over 50 some years, I can say that I had the most fun on that old woodie.

A friend has an old trihull that is rated for a 115, but he runs a 9.9. All he does is fish and it suits him just fine. He always talks about how he loves his boat.

Another friend has a Formula with twin 454's and he hates the boat because the newest boat on the river is now faster than he is.

Yet another friend invited me to dinner at the local yacht club and I overheard two guys commenting that the newest member has a cheap 30' SeaRay and he thought they should limit membership to only quality boats, 40' and over.

Its not the destination, its the journey. Its not having a fast boat, its how much fun you have with what you have. Its not about spending a lot of money, but taking care of what you spend it on. Its not about the Joneses, its about spending time with your family. Its not about wanting something better, but rather being satisfied with what you have....

 

[Old Ironmaker]

No, its on a scale of boats, with plastic boats being on the bottom, Trackers are about 2 or 3 steps above the bottom

they are an entry level boat.

nothing wrong with entry level boat, just like buying a kia as a car. if your desire is to go fishing or boating.... they will do that. if you are looking to impress people, they wont do that.

just like a used kia, a used tracker will have issues.

Scott, I have always valued your opinion, even on some of the cars you own or have owned even though a few of them I would never be caught dead again in a i.e. PT Cruiser. We rented 1 once when we went to FLA so I have a real world opinion. My wife bought a KIA, her choice not mine. It's a 14' Optima, not only does that car fly with it's HP to weight ratio plus it is a hoot to drive with the 6 speed selected. The fit and finish is very good and it looks great in it's Sorento Blue Pearl paint. I was surprised. I bought my ex a Hyundai Exel in 86' brand new off the lot. It surprised me too, it was a dog with the little 4 banger and drove like a big rock on wheels even with the 4 speed manual. But she had it for 5 years and it never once had an issue, oil and filter every 5000K and did all the Hyundai services, not even a clutch and this was her 1st manual tranny. Kia and Hyundai are now under the same parent company. There are a few entry level Kia's and Hyundai's I agree but not all are.

 

[Scott Danforth]

Step son's daily whip is a Hyundai Sonata. Not a bad car, not a great car.... however as a college beater its a good car. it is now 17 years old and has about 108k on the clock and is starting to fall apart. Its simply an entry level car.

Just like Tracker is an entry level boat like Forester and Mirrocraft, etc.

 

[Texasmark]

You have a mighty fine boat there Texas. I fish out of my buddies Fish Hawk regularly for Smallmouth. Even though it's only 17' it feels like you are in a 19'er when we leave a few seats at home. Lots of room for 2.

It's the 91" beam. Beam really does make a difference as I learned after purchasing.

 

[Old Ironmaker]

It's the 91" beam. Beam really does make a difference as I learned after purchasing.

Yep Texas. I have been on 18 footers that 2 guys have to say excuse me every time they move, no room. Can I say it was a Tracker, yep I just did. My 19'6" StarCraft is wide and deep enough to dance in when I move the seats around or leave a few dockside. I seldom have 3 people in her fishing unless still fishing for Yellow Perch or Crappie. That didn't come out right. If it has more than 3 ABOURD we are on a nice sightseeing tour wasting both Uncle Johnny's time and fuel. And to make it even worse I pass over big schools of fish and I can't hook any, I go to the same area the next day and they are long gone. I don't know why I torture myself.

 

[CNT]

It's the 91" beam. Beam really does make a difference as I learned after purchasing.

So here I am learning too. Beam (width) is as important as length. Here mention 91" beam, that's 7 and 1/2 feet, it's pretty wide. But, I will bring tape measure as I look around at boats.