new boat fever

[hipster dufus]

lawd, i got it!been looking at new boats, g3 1752 cc, mako 17 cc, tracker 1860 cc. g3 comes with a 70 hp yamaha, mako a 60 hp mercury, and the tracker a 60 hp mercury. tracker is quite a bit heavier to tow. mako would be my first fiberglass. none of the boats have a trolling motor. all right about 18k. any opinions? i will be selling my 1648 weldbilt 100 gage w a 30 hp tohatsu 4 strokr, ptt, tm and lowrance.looking to have new boat by march 1st. thanks for any input.

 

[hopper]

Man, tough choice, I would drive myself nuts choosing. What type of water and fishing will you mostly be doing.

 

[Limitless]

Agree, what kind of fishing do you prefer - panfish, bass, stripers, cats? Salt water - Trout, reds, flats, a little offshore?

If you dont need a boat that can bang rocks in the river, I'd go fiberglass like a 17' skiff; the Mako is a good example. There are a number of good manufacturers that make variations. The skiff gives you the option of getting down to the big bend and panhandle if you like the salt, in addition to the great freshwater lakes and rivers here. After you narrow it down post to see if someone has one like your looking at that would let you join them for a ride or at least give you the pros and cons they've seen.

Almost forgot, the ATL boat show is coming up January 18 - 21. Great place to see options!

 

[hipster dufus]

I bass fish oconee jackson and lanier. I will be heading up to Falls lake in NC occasionally. Catch and release. Grandkids might want to tube.2 guys most times w the 3d on occasion. I like the Yamaha on the g3, Mercury is Chinese made.thanks for help guys, just read that g3 has a Veterans rebate of 1000 and a500$ rebate on their Jon’s , they top my list now.

 

[Lucient]

I have a G3 Eagle 180 with a 4 stroke Yamaha 115 and I absolutely love it. You wont be disappointed with a G3.

 

[BassRaider]

All good boats however, read the fine print on financing. You can get these for low monthly payments but 10% down for 10 years. Do you think you would keep this boat that long to justify the cost? The resale is not the best. I labored over this same issue 6 mo ago after selling my old boat. I found a used bass boat for very little and it included engine tune. Had new carpet, 2 Garmin SV, new seats & tires.
There are good used boats out there if you don't get rushed. Make sure to include mechanic check and test ride.
Good luck with your decision.

 

[hipster dufus]

im retired now and prolly fish twice a week from march to november, i bought my weldbilt thinking it would carry me into my olden days. a couple of my buds fell out of it and now i want something a lil more stable. have owned boats i bought used and dont like other peoples headaches so ill buy new and get a warranty. am not opposed to finding the right hull and repowering. either way i will have a new boat by the end of feb. thanks

 

[Hotwater]

I have a G3 Eagle 17'6" with a Yamaha 90 hp 2 stroke on the back. The boat is a 2008 model I bought used about 4 years ago. I love it.

 

[GThunter5]

i had a g3 bay 18dlx and it was great. it had the 90 yamaha. i would have gotten the 20' with the 150hp.

look at Xpress boats as well, i literally flipped a coin. G3 and Xpress are much better than the trackers in my opinion.

i then fished one small bass tournament and now run a glass bass boat with a 225 and still catch the same ole small fish!

 

[JohnK]

I only buy used boats and never had an issue. Knock on wood. I've got a g3 now and the hull is flat compared to a tracker I had with the revolution hull. It's not as fast and doesn't ride as good as the tracker but like I say it was used and the price was right. It makes a good looking little boat and suits me fine. You might want to look at some Alumacrafts as well.

The main thing I don't care for in G3 is the trailers. The Tracker set up is much easier to load and unload vs the bear trailer on the g3's....at least it was for me.

 

[Dutch]

You can get a Pro Team 175 TXW with a 75 4-stroke (ready to fish) for $18000 out the door.

I have owned 2 Pro teams (a 165 and I have a 175 now) in the last 18 years, never had a issue with either one.

 

[red neck richie]

They are all fine boats. My suggestion would be to stay within your budget. I have seen a lot of boat's I would like to have but couldn't afford to have. If you are sweating the payment you wont enjoy time on the water. I would suggest buying something below your budget and enjoy your time on the water.

 

[Dutch]

They are all fine boats. My suggestion would be to stay within your budget. I have seen a lot of boat's I would like to have but couldn't afford to have. If you are sweating the payment you wont enjoy time on the water. I would suggest buying something below your budget and enjoy your time on the water.

Best advice yet...

 

[Crappiepappy]

I am on my 2nd tracker boat. I had a Pro Crappie 175 and I now have a Tracker Pro Guide V-175 SC deep V hull with a 115HP 4 stroke. The pro crappie was great for two people. I now have two grandchildren. I love the deep V hull for my grandchildren. The boat had 2 livewells. The front livewell is 19 gallons and the aft livewell is 29 gallons. I only fish for crappie. Best of luck on finding your new boat.