[fishn&flyn]

anyone have any experience with any of these aluminum skiffs? Looked at a Tracker 1548 all weld grizzly at BPS which appeared to be a great boat but max HP is only 25, thing weighs 688 pounds, the similar sized Lowe 1660 DT comes with a 40, 670 pounds as does the 1651 excel which has a similar weight.

 

[jimsmicro]

My Sea Ark 1660 MVT weighs 660. I question whether that number is right to be honest. Maybe just some kind of error in the stats of the hull, it should be lighter than that.

 

[BassFlats]

Do all of them have the same gauge aluminum?

 

[fishn&flyn]

Yes they do, I guess my main question here is why the tracker is only rated fo a 25hp (seems very underpowered especially loaded with dogs and decoys) and does anyone have any experience with any of these brands and which one offers the highest quality?

 

[BassFlats]

The Tracker's beam is 12" narrower than the Lowes.

 

[fishn&flyn]

Correct on the bottom measurement, think they are both 72 across the top

 

[eightwt]

why the tracker is only rated fo a 25hp

Have wondered the same thing. Have been told by knowledgeable person that owners have had issues with Tracker when pursuing warranty work. Personally, I like their layouts, but am leery. Have read some pretty unhappy reviews on line.

 

[fishn&flyn]

Which forum?

 

[eightwt]

Don't remember, think I just searched "tracker grizzly reviews"

 

[fishn&flyn]

Thanks!

 

[DuckNut]

Basically 12 sqft of displacement is huge in a skiff that size. Makes sense to me.

 

[eightwt]

The 1548T Sportsman and the 1648SC are the same boat basically with some differences. The 1648Sc is rated up to a 50 Hp. The sportsman has sponsors, would that make a difference?? The 1648 SC is just a side console. Difference in the Sportsman is a tiller?? Beats the heck out of me.

 

[fishn&flyn]

Me as well, I’m just looking for a solid boat to duck and goose hunt out of and I want it to be as bullet proof as possible and definetly not underpowered. Going to an offshore blind with 10 dozen decoys and retrievers and running the super shallow marshs of the eastern shore means power is important

 

[Dustin2785]

If you’re going to be duck hunting I would look at the edge, havoc, and xpress duck boats. They’re built a little more stout than the production boats like tracker and lowe. Could also look for a custom builder.

 

[State fish rob]

I bought the lowe 1660 in college , close to 6’ across back seat. Several outboards over the years. Kept it till 2 years ago. Made $300 great entry level skiff ,some what noisy,even in the best conditions though
About as maintenance free as it gets Touch up w flat matte anything
Good luck

 

[fishn&flyn]

I looked at express, they use a foam flotation that can absorb water so a 600# boat becomes a 1000# boat in 2 years....gonna check out Edge

 

[eightwt]

I’m just looking for a solid boat to duck and goose hunt out of

Might try to find a Chincoteague Scow. Had a chance to buy an original when I lived on the Shore and went with a bay boat instead. Still kick myself.

 

[fishn&flyn]

Well couldn’t find any super negative reviews of the Tracker Grizzly post 2015, just the usual bitching! There is a lot I like about the layout and the features it comes standard with are nice. Unlike the others it has 4 welded stick it pin placed on all 4 corners of the boat, is powder coated and sprayed with like a rhino liner type non skid and comes pre wired for a trolling motor. The only real downside I can find is that it is only rated for a 25hp. I did find dealers around me that sell Havoc, Lowe, Excel and Edge. Of them all the Edge diamondback 16 looks like the clear choice and it come with a 50 HP Tohatsu which reviews as a beast of a motor. Going to check one out! Downside is it’s 3500$ more than the Grizzly without any of the standard features.

 

[DuckNut]

I had a custom 22/72 aluminum made. I pushed it with a Mercury 25 bigfoot loaded. Used it as a barge for decoys. Had sides made 4' up the sides and tossed hundreds of decoys in it. Had room for a driver and dog in the rear, all other space was for decoys.

 

[Zika]

Friend had all kinds of warranty issues with Tracker. BPS finally replaced the hull and he promptly sold it. Think you'll be more satisfied with a custom builder or check out SeaArk for your needs.