What'cha got?? (boat)

[DennisB.]

I started of with a Tracker 175 pro team with a 40 horse force, had it for years. Then last year I bought my first glass boat it was a Skeeter ss90 with a 90 yamaha, sold that to get the the Champ 186 with a 150. I like my current boat a lot but I really miss the Tracker some times when fishing some of my old haunts, man those tin boats are durable. I never worried about bangin it up but now if I get to close to rip rap I start to sweat.

Dennis.

[McCarter]

My first boat was a 16ft Fisher Pro Avenger with a 40 HP Merc.  I bought it right after i turned 17.  I was actually trying to buy a boat for over a year but no one would finance a 16 year old without a co signer.  But i came up with a big enough down payment to convince them to loan me $9000 and change.

I had that boat for 8 years and traded it in on a used Ranger.  Which is the boat i still have.  It is a 99 Ranger R93 with a 200 Merc EFI.  I like the boat but i miss my tin boat as well.  I didnt have near as many problems with it as i do with the glass boat.  Plus, i could beat the snot out of it and not worry too much about it.  The Ranger runs a bit faster which is nice, and it has a lot more room.  But i would never badmouth Fisher ( made by Tracker ) cuz that boat was built like a rock.  Even on St Clair, i never once had to tighten down any screws like i have seen others do after a couple hours on the big water.  I loved that boat.

PB himself

[yukonjack2]

My first boat was a lund 1850 pro-V with a 115  and a 9.9 yammy . MAn, what an awesome ride - especially for walleye and salmon trolling.  Wasn't fast, but was a caddillac ride.  Problem - 36 lb thrust original trolling motor - upgraded to 42 for a while, then to 56, then finally to 82 lbs of thrust - finally something that would move it around in the wind.   The windshied acted more like a spinnaker than a wind screen.  Sure do miss her though when the water is rough.

I upgraded the end of 2004 to a ranger 520 with an evinrude 225HO.  what a sweet ride as well - aside from the minor stuff, boat has been awesome.

Jack

[stackenem]

My first boat was a 1976 glastron with a merc thunderbolt 50hp. Went from that to a 1990 glasport with a 120 force. This year I upgraded to a 2006 stratos.

[Revtro]

Ah, memories of the first boat.  A yellow 1976 Brady Bunch edition Galaxy runabout with a 120 I/O.  Brown and orange shag carpeting and brown vinyl throughout.  I named it "The Groove Tub" and had groovy 70's style love flowers decaled on it.  Why not go with it I figured...  Spent a few summers converting it to a fishing boat complete with a rod locker and trolling motor.  Ah yes...she was a fine ship.  I still miss her.

Moved on to a 20ft. Lowe with a 115 Yamaha.  Great motor...crappy ride.  No deck space, so once I started fishing bass tournaments, I wasn't satisified.  Plus the top speed was only 47.  Nothing like getting to the fishin' hole last in a tournament.

In 04 I got a BassCat which I still own with a 200 Merc EFI.  I think I'm in love.  Excuse me a moment, I have to wipe the tear from my eye.  Thanks..that's better.  She's a sweet boat.  I like to wash her and pet her and just plain admire her as she sits with her wanting eyes in my garage, just tempting me to go fishing.  What a life.

[bosshawg]

boy, you guys had it pretty good.
in the early years i went thru a couple of 12' alum.'s, a 12' sears gamefisher (tri-hull), then bought a 16' alumacraft w/a 30hp motor. add frnt & rear decks, large cooler size livewell & presto - my first bass boat. then in '97 bought a brand new out-of-the box tracker v-17 w/a 75 horse. my baby for 6yrs. then all hell broke loose - divorced, lost a job of 28yrs. pretty sad, blah blah blah....still saving pennies for that bigger, prettier, faster boat - but for now got a old 18' skeeter w/175 merc that does the job.

BTW- dennis b, a while back a thread went out and all posted what we're ridin' in now. pretty cool machines we all have.

[225XS4Garza200PXL]

I think I could have started off with something simple... but I didn't. For some personal reason I decided to wait it out until I had the opportunity to get something I felt "safe" in on the big water. I fish smaller lakes but I fish St. Clair and Erie alot and wouldn't be caught out there in smaller boats. So last year I got my first boat... a 2003 Stratos 200 Pro XL with a 225 HO. I loved this boat alot. It took somewhat of a beating at the beginning because of my inexperience at driving, but what  I took from that was that Stratos builds one heck of a boat to hold up what I put it through. That boat took my fishing to a whole other level and I was able to get out on the big lakes and always felt safe.

Earlier this year I sold it and ordered my current boat a 2007 Stratos 200 Pro XL except this time around I got a Merc 225 Pro XS...

For you guys shopping around for a bass boat take a great look at Stratos... come see Wonderland Marine West at the boat shows and ask for Jose...

Take it easy...

[Bulletproof]

I am the proud owner of a 1979 12ft' flatbottom.  I have put a nice litle minn kota transom trolling motor on the back.  Really a nice rig, practical and very easy on the pocketbook

[chase5004]

Well, like most of you I to started small and worked my way up. I started out with a 17 ft grizzly tracker w/ 25 merc that I used for hunting, and then I found out about the great sport of bass fishing. I sold that to get my current boat which is a 1993 Astro 20 ft w/ a 150 merc. It is a bit under powered but it's paid for and it suits my needs.

Pat

[fiker]

My first boat was, and is a 16' aluminum Tracker Guide V w/ a 25hp. 

I added a bow mounted trolling motor, and have upgraded the sonar units. 

It's not fast, not that big, and it's not that pretty, but so far, she's gotten me everywhre I wanted to go, and back.   And there aren't any boat payments. 

I love that boat.

[spinninbug]

When I married my husband he had a 17 foot starcraft with a 50 yammah we sold that and bought a 1980 ranger with a 150 Johnson on it.  Boy does that boat go,  we have been wanting a newer bigger boat for a couple of years now and I have been dragging my feet you know just not wanting to spend the money.  But we just found a deal we couldn't refuse.  Just picked it up Wednesday,  1994 204 Champion.  Wow what a difference 4 feet makes.  A 70 some year old man had this boat and there isn't a scratch on the hull,  not a stain on the carpet and the price couldn't be beat.  We get to fish our first tourney tomorrow in it and my husband hasn't stopped grinnin since we picked it up.  Oh and it has a 200 Mariner on it. 

[fishon1219]

I started out as a wee little youngin fishing with my dad out of a 14 foot flat bottom that he had painted red, white, and blue. Than in 1974 he boat a real bass boat, you know the kind the pro bass fisherman used. It was a tri-hull with the casting plat forms, livewells and storage bins. We had that boat until 1984 when he bought a 15 ft procraft with a 70hp mariner. Great memories fishing with dad in all 3 of them boats. Well he finally moved out of the house in 94' ( I guess he knew I wasn't leaving home so he packed up mom and went to Indiana to grow cereal and cows.) He sold the boat and then I had to by one. It was a 1987 Dyna-Trak with a 110hp evinrude. I had that boat until this February when I finally beat the wife in to submission and bought my first new bass boat, a Stratos 285 proxl with the 150 Vmax. What a difference going from a 16footer to an 18'5 footer has made. I dont know how I was able to fish in that smaller boat now that I actually have deck space. I cant wait to really grow up and get me a 20'. Probably in about 10 more years.

[rudycard72]

I started out with a 14ft rouge river canoe that i had until someone sawed down the tree i had it chained to, Then i bought a 14 ft Alumacraft with a 15 hp Johnson on it. I carpeted the whole thing,put on a front casting deck and platform seat, put my trolling motor on the bow and took off the head of trolling motor and turned it around. I bought a bigfoot power switch fot the trolling motor so it could be operated by foot all except for steering.Had no problem selling it and buying a 1996 Ranger r72 with a Johnson 115 on it. If you look around at a Michigan BFL event i'm the one with the smallest boat,but one of these days I'm gonna win one in that boat.

[TheFishinPollock]

I started of with a Tracker 175 pro team with a 40 horse force, had it for years. Then last year I bought my first glass boat it was a Skeeter ss90 with a 90 yamaha, sold that to get the the Champ 186 with a 150. I like my current boat a lot but I really miss the Tracker some times when fishing some of my old haunts, man those tin boats are durable. I never worried about bangin it up but now if I get to close to rip rap I start to sweat.

Dennis.

What year is yours dennis??   I have a '86 168 with a 115 that I'm thinking of upgrading to a 150 for the new season down here.

[DennisB.]

Its a 98' I love the boat and may repower real soon.

[TheFishinPollock]

Yea. best riding hull I have ever been in.   When ya decide to upgrade I might be interested in yours . What brand and year is the 150?

[dhuff]

Hey BossHawg I believe you are the one that I bought the 97 tracker from. 

[Bronzeback5LBER]

I grew up fishing out of a 14' sears v with several small old motors,later I picked up a little bass hunter 9' abs plastic just to fish the little ponds,than in the fall of 2001,I bought my first real boat, a tracker 175 se w/60 tracker motor(mercury) one day I'd like to upgrade(almost did it this past spring) just might have to wait a couple years or so,I would like to sell my boat though it has very low hours on the motor last year I probobly had it out the most I ever have and that was about 15-20 times and mostly I just go short distances and use the trolling motor more than anything.

[bosshawg]

dhuff, really now......
had the boat stored at a buddy's house in westland off of warren rd.
if that is where u picked it up at, then yes that would be me.

[dhuff]

Hey bosshawg,

Yup that was me that bought the boat.  And, I still have it and fish out of it a ton.  I am going to be getting a new boat in the spring but will probably keep that boat as well haven't decided on that just yet.  I have had that boat all over the place from down south to far up north and in between.  Had to get a new trailer for it and I blew out the lower unit insurance coverd me for a new one.  Other than that small things like a bilge and and new trolling motor 65lb thrust 24volt and she is a fishing machine still.  Love the boat.