Xpress vs. Tracker ? 2024
ChrisD46 reply :
These two aluminum bass boats are on my short list bass boats to buy - pro's and con's of each , your experiences ? My main needs / wants are : Long lasting / quality construction , dry ride , well thought layout , good hull design (good ride , gets up on plane easily) , etc. ... Your thoughts ?
Catt reply :
If you're talking Xpress Hyper-Lift hull the discussion end there!
Bluebasser86 reply :
Never owned either, but I've ridden in both. If I was going to buy one, it would be Xpress by a mile. I actually was planning on buying one before I found the boat I currently own.
3dees reply :
not even close, but the Xpress is going to be much more expensive. there are other options. Ranger, Triton, Crestliner, etc. do yourself a favor and check out other boats. most tins made today will give you what you want. there are differences depending on size of the boat, size of the motor, etc. deck lay outs are a personal thing.
J Francho reply :
I owned an Xpress. There's zero comparison to Tracker.
XpressJeff reply :
I have not had any experience with the newer Tracker boats but I have had an older riveted boat that I was not crazy about.
Last month I bought a new leftover 2015 H17 Xpress for more than 2k cheaper than a Tracker.
I've only got 10 hrs on it to break in the motor so far but I would probably have paid the 2k anyway. I love it!
ChrisD46 reply :
I appreciate the replies to date - while I will look at the other tins - I have heard that the Xpress (especially with with hyper lift) was in a class by iteself . I see Triton , Crestliner , etc. as more in line with Tracker price / quality ... While the Xpress may be slightly more expensive than other tins I'm in the : "buy once - cry once" camp . It is going to be a retirement gift to myself so I'll enjoy the research !
slonezp reply :
Unless you go with a custom, the only production boat that is similar to Xpress is the Sea Ark Stealth
AC870 reply :
I had an older Xpress and loved it. It was an H50 (16-foot) and was just a tad small or I'd still be in it.
Further North reply :
I like Tracker boats..had one for a while. They fit a specific niche in the market...but with a choice between Tracker and Xpress...everything else being equal, or close to equal...
Xpress every time.
ChrisD46 reply :
The Xpress X series while not having the open space of the Hydrolift series looks to have the better platform for bass fishing for me - how does the X series ride ?
Catt reply :
On 2/3/2017 at 4:38 PM, ChrisD46 said:The Xpress X series while not having the open space of the Hydrolift series looks to have the better platform for bass fishing for me - how does the X series ride ?
What size boat ya looking for?
On the XP160-170 the rod box is in the way of the passenger's legs, the decks are kinda short.
I do not like the "Xtreme Coat Liner"!
J Francho reply :
On 2/3/2017 at 4:38 PM, ChrisD46 said:how does the X series ride ?
Like most other pad hull boats. My first Xpress ride was in an X19, a 12 mile run on Lake Ontario in the standard long rollers that toss most boats around. Rode fine, can get rough in chop over 2', like any bass boat.
Sittin there reelin em in reply :
They both can get to hard to get places but I'm a bass tracker fan though. Good luck!
ChrisD46 reply :
On 2/3/2017 at 6:06 PM, Catt said:
What size boat ya looking for?
On the XP160-170 the rod box is in the way of the passenger's legs, the decks are kinda short.
I do not like the "Xtreme Coat Liner"!
At this time 18 ft. length is what I am consideing as a good deal of the time I will fish out of it alone . I may consider one size up if it was a great deal tough and it wasn't too much of a issue to manage by myself . Hopefully the 18 ft. length does not have items in the way of your legs and the deck is long enough .
Further North reply :
On 2/3/2017 at 4:38 PM, ChrisD46 said:how does the X series ride ?
I've always been sorta puzzled by this question in regards to fishing boats...
I get that no one want's to get beaten to pieces by a boat...but I really doubt there's any modern boats that do that...
Most of us spend hours fishing for every minute we ride...I would think that fishability would lead the charge for any serious...or even semi-serious fisherman.
But...like most things...that's why we've got different flavors...
3dees reply :
to be honest, any boat can have problems. lots of complaints about compartments on Xpress boats. they seem to leak bad. people make like Xpress is the best built tin out there. they have the best hulls of the tins and can handle more power, but speed is not the most important feature for me. they use thicker aluminum, but the Crestliner PT series are also built with the thicker material. I see other boats in the future using thicker aluminum so the can hang larger engines. I don't have any Xpress dealers anywhere close, but my Crestliner dealer is 30 minutes from me. lots of things to consider in buying a boat, tin or glass. I don't believe there is a huge difference in the tins sold today. all can give years of enjoyment. they can also give you nothing but headaches. yeah, some are built a bit better than others, but usually at a cost. it comes down to what you need vs. what you want.
slonezp reply :
On 2/4/2017 at 8:07 AM, Further North said:I've always been sorta puzzled by this question in regards to fishing boats...
I get that no one want's to get beaten to pieces by a boat...but I really doubt there's any modern boats that do that...
Most of us spend hours fishing for every minute we ride...I would think that fishability would lead the charge for any serious...or even semi-serious fisherman.
But...like most things...that's why we've got different flavors...
I need to expand as far as getting beat to death in a boat. Much of that has to do with the driving of the boat and not the boat itself. Hitting waves at the correct angle and speed will affect the comfort and dryness of the ride. Contrary to popular belief, We don't need to drive at WOT 100% of the time.
ChrisD46 reply :
As far as ride - I would want stable & dry .
Fishability is important - the more stable the tin with less tipping side to side is preferred .
Regarding "years of headaches" what exactly were you referring to ?
3dees reply :
headaches can be different things. cracked transom, loose rivets, seats ripping, and electronic gremlins. just like cars. two identical vehicles. one just goes and goes. the other is a lemon. by tipping side to side, do you mean chine walking? you wont get any in a mod. v hull. Xpress has a pad hull, but most tins don't.
as for fishing, the wider the beam, the more stable it will be. I fish three out of my VT19 and there is no leaning. the older tins that were built with narrow beams had more problems with this.
Catt reply :
Bottom width not beam makes for a stable boat!
Xpress storage compartments are known to leak but I would say bad.
@Further North & @slonezp
I totally agree it's driver but on Toledo Bend & most Texas lakes the problem ain't just chop or waves.
We have boatlanes ya gave to run in, get outside marked boatlanes you're in standing timber & will have a hole in your hull.
With boatlanes ya can not pick how ya hit the waves!
How a boat handles rough water out weighs anything else.
ChrisD46 reply :
"How a boat handles rough water out weighs anything else." Lake George , Lake Taho and of course the Big O down in South Florida can produce some big waves and chop when a storm blows in - looks like both the Xpress and Tracker handle better than most and offer a fairly dry ride . Glad to hear Xpress bass boats are stable fishers and resistant to tipping side to side .
slonezp reply :
On 2/5/2017 at 12:57 AM, Catt said:Bottom width not beam makes for a stable boat!
Xpress storage compartments are known to leak but I would say bad.
@Further North & @slonezp
I totally agree it's driver but on Toledo Bend & most Texas lakes the problem ain't just chop or waves.
We have boatlanes ya gave to run in, get outside marked boatlanes you're in standing timber & will have a hole in your hull.
With boatlanes ya can not pick how ya hit the waves!
How a boat handles rough water out weighs anything else.
I respectfully disagree. Let's go back to common sense outweighs anything else. First off the boat owner/captain should have enough sense not to navigate said body of water with a boat not designed for the conditions that may arise. Those that do, should have enough sense to navigate safely. By conditions, I don't only mean weather and bottom conditions. Boat traffic, boat wakes drunk boaters, water skiers, jet skis, and whatever else you can think of all pose issues. My home water is the busiest inland waterway per acre in the United States. There is a 25 mile stretch of river with the average width about the length of a football field with no speed limit and no shortage of weekend wack jobs in their 30-40ft boats. Common sense says if I'm fishing a tourney, that I am off that stretch of river before 11:00 or I spend all day down there and allot extra time to return to the ramp safely. We had a guy sink a brand new 20ft Ranger in an area called the washtub during a tournament a few years back. 100% operator error. I bought my boat knowing I would be spending time on Lake Michigan. I know a guy who fishes Lake Michigan for salmon out of a 16ft Lund Mr. Pike tiller steer and has been doing it for 20 years. He also fishes my home lake and wouldn't be caught dead anywhere near that stretch of river.....Common sense
ChrisD46 reply :
As another poster mentioned - Crestliner deserves a mention as it appears to be a nice boat . A couple of friends mentioned Triton and G3 but not sure if they are in the same league as Xpress , Crestliner ? I've tried to like the Ranger but I don't like the shape plus I believe other manufacturers can offer similar quality at a better price . Any comments ?
J Francho reply :
Crestliner makes a nice boat. Fit and finish is really tight on these boats. G3 (Yamaha) also a good boat worth considering. Never been in a Triton tin, but I've been in plenty of their glass boats. The ones I drove took some "driving" to prevent chine walk at high speeds.
contium reply :
Xpress has the fastest, best built hull. Ranger and Crestliner are great, stable fishing platforms. I think Ranger, Lund and G3 have the best fit and finish. Trackers ride a little nicer and are a little faster than the Ranger and Crestliners. Lund make's a ton of different type hulls. If you really want a smooth dry, rough water boat, look at something like a Lund Pro V. IMO, no bass boat type hull is good in rough water compared to something with a deeper V.
And Ranger also has a pad hull. The RP198.
slonezp reply :
On 2/8/2017 at 8:07 AM, contium said:Xpress has the fastest, best built hull. Ranger and Crestliner are great, stable fishing platforms. I think Ranger, Lund and G3 have the best fit and finish. Trackers ride a little nicer and are a little faster than the Ranger and Crestliners. Lund make's a ton of different type hulls. If you really want a smooth dry, rough water boat, look at something like a Lund Pro V. IMO, no bass boat type hull is good in rough water compared to something with a deeper V.
And Ranger also has a pad hull. The RP198.
Lund actually uses a pad hull on all their boats. The V is only at the bow
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