I was just wondering if any of you had one and if so what do you think? I will not be purchasing one for the next 1-2 years if finances keep going the same way for me as they have been. These boats seem to be one hell of a deal at the package price though.
I want to get the 17' er with the tunnel hull for shallower running. I also want to upgrade to the 75 horse Mercury four-stroke. This should end up costing about $16,000 in the end which I think is a good deal for a multi-function brand new boat for me and my friends. I also will be getting, at the time or a little later the lower unit to make the motor a jet so I can functionally use it in the river and switch it back to a prop for duck hunting.
What do you guys think? Are these good boats? I have heard nothing but good things about them. What are your opinions/experiences? It seems like the perfect boat for me.
By the way this is the exact boat that I want besides the small 25 horse motor. http://www.trackerboats.com/boat/index. ... &boat=2294
Thanks in advance.
Grizzly Tracker Boats
RE:Grizzly Tracker Boats
They are a well build functional boat, I looked hard at them when I was shoping a couple of falls ago. I really like the shotgun/rod locker on the gunnel.
The only warning I would give you is that a outboard can lose up to 1/3 of its horse power with a jet unit. I have a soft spot for Merc 2 stokes but run a 4 stoke now and love it, however if I was going to have a jet unit I would go with a 2 stoke as they will have a longer life span when being run at the higher RPM's required for a jet unit.
Another idea might be to use a prop and get a skeg and circular prop guard for running rivers?
The only warning I would give you is that a outboard can lose up to 1/3 of its horse power with a jet unit. I have a soft spot for Merc 2 stokes but run a 4 stoke now and love it, however if I was going to have a jet unit I would go with a 2 stoke as they will have a longer life span when being run at the higher RPM's required for a jet unit.
Another idea might be to use a prop and get a skeg and circular prop guard for running rivers?
RE:Grizzly Tracker Boats
jmay is absolutely right. Grizzly boats and Tracker boats are some of the best aluminum boats from a structural standpoint vs. expense. He is also right about OBJ's robbing 1/3 of your horsepower.
We used to rig alot of boats for guides and they would frequently run jets for the winter and then bring their boats in before spring chinook season and have us remove the jet and reinstall their lower unit and adjust the motor height. Then in the fall, we would change it back to a jet.
Since you have plenty of time before your proposed boat purchase, keep a logbook of how much you fish and where. If you are only going to need a jet a few times a year and a prop for the majority of your fishing just stick with a prop. Many of our customers wanted outboard jets and just didn't need them. Two weekends a year, doesn't justify an OBJ.
If you are looking for a Mercury outboard for your boat, jump up to the 90. It's a good one and jets well.
We used to rig alot of boats for guides and they would frequently run jets for the winter and then bring their boats in before spring chinook season and have us remove the jet and reinstall their lower unit and adjust the motor height. Then in the fall, we would change it back to a jet.
Since you have plenty of time before your proposed boat purchase, keep a logbook of how much you fish and where. If you are only going to need a jet a few times a year and a prop for the majority of your fishing just stick with a prop. Many of our customers wanted outboard jets and just didn't need them. Two weekends a year, doesn't justify an OBJ.
If you are looking for a Mercury outboard for your boat, jump up to the 90. It's a good one and jets well.
Last edited by Anonymous on Wed Sep 19, 2007 10:18 am, edited 1 time in total.
RE:Grizzly Tracker Boats
Thanks for the replies. I am already aware that the jet will rob some ponies from the motor so that isn't an issue with me. And there is no possible way that I would be able to get away with running the prop in the river because I run the lower Skykomish a lot in late summer and it gets extremely shallow, sometimes even to low for a jet. And the extra cost for the lower unit is deffinaitly worth it to me because the boat would be used a lot with both.
The reason I was going to go with the 75 horse motor is because I am going to have to finance the boat and the max horsepower rating for that boat is 75. Which is to my understanding that the dealer will not go above that rating because of liability and coast guard specs. Is this true? Ideally I would have gone with a 90 horse, but I don't want to finance the boat and motor seperately and put the motor on myself. I am fully capable of putting the motor on myself, I just don't want two different payments. I can deal with a 75 horse if need be because I already know about what to expect out of that motor. My Grandpa has a pretty over weight 16' Fury sled from the 1970's with a 70 horse Evinrude pump on it which is not the true 70 horse because of the jet. This boat has gotten us through many years of great river fishing. I would eventually in the long run upgrade to a motor with a few extra horse though.
jmay, you mentioned something about the 2 strokes lasting longer at higher rpms. I was just wondering, how much longer? I have noticed that most of the people on the rivers these days are using the four strokes (pumps). I have heard that the new four strokes are a lot better and more reliable than the old ones. I have also heard that they are a bit better on gas than the 2 strokes. I personally would like to stick with a four stroke, but my options are still deffinaitly open. I also don't like having to mix gas every time I want to go out like with a two stroke.
The reason I was going to go with the 75 horse motor is because I am going to have to finance the boat and the max horsepower rating for that boat is 75. Which is to my understanding that the dealer will not go above that rating because of liability and coast guard specs. Is this true? Ideally I would have gone with a 90 horse, but I don't want to finance the boat and motor seperately and put the motor on myself. I am fully capable of putting the motor on myself, I just don't want two different payments. I can deal with a 75 horse if need be because I already know about what to expect out of that motor. My Grandpa has a pretty over weight 16' Fury sled from the 1970's with a 70 horse Evinrude pump on it which is not the true 70 horse because of the jet. This boat has gotten us through many years of great river fishing. I would eventually in the long run upgrade to a motor with a few extra horse though.
jmay, you mentioned something about the 2 strokes lasting longer at higher rpms. I was just wondering, how much longer? I have noticed that most of the people on the rivers these days are using the four strokes (pumps). I have heard that the new four strokes are a lot better and more reliable than the old ones. I have also heard that they are a bit better on gas than the 2 strokes. I personally would like to stick with a four stroke, but my options are still deffinaitly open. I also don't like having to mix gas every time I want to go out like with a two stroke.
RE:Grizzly Tracker Boats
4 strokes have come a long way in the last 5 years, and I have one and love it, however 2 stokes are designed to run at a higher RPM by nature. An extreme example a Stihl Chainsaw operates at 10-12000 RPM's with no issues being a 2 stroke, but if a small block chevy hit that RPM load pistons and rods would fail in short order
As long as your not running a 4stroke at 5000rpm's all day there should not be issues. The last 15 years 99% of 2strokes are oil injected so you should not have to mix oil after your 20 hour brakein (most 2 stokes run double oil for the first hours of thier life.)
As for financing and the engine you could get a single Credit Union loan and just order the boat and then have a small shop without a legal department put on your engine.
I'm a huge fan of both horsepower and firearms better to have the and not need them....right?
As long as your not running a 4stroke at 5000rpm's all day there should not be issues. The last 15 years 99% of 2strokes are oil injected so you should not have to mix oil after your 20 hour brakein (most 2 stokes run double oil for the first hours of thier life.)
As for financing and the engine you could get a single Credit Union loan and just order the boat and then have a small shop without a legal department put on your engine.
I'm a huge fan of both horsepower and firearms better to have the and not need them....right?RE:Grizzly Tracker Boats
To avoid the hassle of the lower horsepower rating on your boat, have them install the jet and apply 60Jet decals to your 90. Sounds like a game, but dealers do that all the time.
I'm still a fan of 2-strokes over four, but the 2006 limitations make 4-strokes nearly your only option unless you go with Mercury Optimax or some of the newer Evinrudes. My choice is Mercurybecause there are more shops that work on them, better availability of parts, and since OMC (the former owners of Evinrude/Johnson) went under around 2003 and were bought out by Bombardier they became more expensive.
Yamaha makes a good four-stroke that is very reliable, but I am not sure of the availability of OBJ's on them.
I'm still a fan of 2-strokes over four, but the 2006 limitations make 4-strokes nearly your only option unless you go with Mercury Optimax or some of the newer Evinrudes. My choice is Mercurybecause there are more shops that work on them, better availability of parts, and since OMC (the former owners of Evinrude/Johnson) went under around 2003 and were bought out by Bombardier they became more expensive.
Yamaha makes a good four-stroke that is very reliable, but I am not sure of the availability of OBJ's on them.
RE:Grizzly Tracker Boats
You make a valid point on the RPM's, but I come from a dirt bike back-ground where four strokes are now much better. I can only assume, being a small engine like in a dirt bike, the boat motors are similar? I know that the newer four stroke dirtbike engines are much better than the two strokes. They rev just as high, last longer and have more usable power. I have a 2002 Yamaha WR 426 and it redlines at something like 11,500 or 12,500 rpm (which is now behind the times) and I have never had any problems with it in more than 2,000 extremely hard trail miles. Are the new Merc. four strokes simalar to this or are boat motors still a bit behind the times?jmay wrote:4 strokes have come a long way in the last 5 years, and I have one and love it, however 2 stokes are designed to run at a higher RPM by nature. An extreme example a Stihl Chainsaw operates at 10-12000 RPM's with no issues being a 2 stroke, but if a small block chevy hit that RPM load pistons and rods would fail in short order
As long as your not running a 4stroke at 5000rpm's all day there should not be issues. The last 15 years 99% of 2strokes are oil injected so you should not have to mix oil after your 20 hour brakein (most 2 stokes run double oil for the first hours of thier life.)
As for financing and the engine you could get a single Credit Union loan and just order the boat and then have a small shop without a legal department put on your engine.
RE:Grizzly Tracker Boats
The big major differences with 2 and 4 strokes are the following things:
Weight: (4 strokes are usually atleast 25% heavier. I know experience that a 15hp 2 stroke Yamaha is right around 80 lbs. Make it a 4 stroke, and it was right near 115-120.
Cost: 4 strokes are more expensive. From shopping for the 15 horse we got earlier this year, the 2 stroke was in the neighborhood of $2200, which is what we got. For the 4 stroke model, we were looking around $2800 or more.
Gas: 4 strokes=much better mpg, you don't have to mix oil, although with bigger 2 strokes they are probably all direct injected, probably only 15hp and under 2 strokes need to be mixed.
Maintenence: 2 strokes require less maintenence. More spark plugs though. 4 strokes are a little more needy and require more maintenence.
Speed/thrust: 2 strokes have much more off the line power. So they are much easier to get on plane. I hear some 4 stroke jet's can sometimes be a struggle to get the rpms up and the boat on plane in a timely fashion. 4 strokes are much quieter too of course.
It all depends on the boat really.
Weight: (4 strokes are usually atleast 25% heavier. I know experience that a 15hp 2 stroke Yamaha is right around 80 lbs. Make it a 4 stroke, and it was right near 115-120.
Cost: 4 strokes are more expensive. From shopping for the 15 horse we got earlier this year, the 2 stroke was in the neighborhood of $2200, which is what we got. For the 4 stroke model, we were looking around $2800 or more.
Gas: 4 strokes=much better mpg, you don't have to mix oil, although with bigger 2 strokes they are probably all direct injected, probably only 15hp and under 2 strokes need to be mixed.
Maintenence: 2 strokes require less maintenence. More spark plugs though. 4 strokes are a little more needy and require more maintenence.
Speed/thrust: 2 strokes have much more off the line power. So they are much easier to get on plane. I hear some 4 stroke jet's can sometimes be a struggle to get the rpms up and the boat on plane in a timely fashion. 4 strokes are much quieter too of course.
It all depends on the boat really.
Don't chase reports...Be the report others chase....
RE:Grizzly Tracker Boats
Are you sure about the off the line power? In everything else a four stroke of equal horse power of a two stroke gets off of the line much better. When horse power is matched between the two, the four stroke will always have more torque than a two stroke. And torque equals off the line power and also better power through the mid range. I can't see this being much different for boat motors.Sam Kafelafish wrote:
Speed/thrust: 2 strokes have much more off the line power. So they are much easier to get on plane. I hear some 4 stroke jet's can sometimes be a struggle to get the rpms up and the boat on plane in a timely fashion. 4 strokes are much quieter too of course.
It all depends on the boat really.