# G-3 or Tracker ?



## freebird (Jan 17, 2011)

Still trying to decide on a boat.. If I wanted to go Tin instead of glass which would be a better choice between a G-3 eagle 190  with a yamaha 115 hp 4 stroke and a Bass Tracker pro team 190 with a Mercury 90 hp 2 stroke?


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## sheetsrep (Jan 17, 2011)

I own a eagle 170 and love it! I shopped around and seemed to be built much better than the Tracker. I have never owned a 4 stroke so I can't help you there.


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## freebird (Jan 17, 2011)

sheetsrep said:


> I own a eagle 170 and love it! I shopped around and seemed to be built much better than the Tracker. I have never owned a 4 stroke so I can't help you there.



I went to Bass pro yesterday and looked at a Nitro Z-8. Nice boat but I dont know about spending 39,000 on one. I would like to stay around 25,000. I prefer to buy a new boat so that rules out fiberglass.
I heard that the hull is stronger on the G-3 than the Tracker.


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## Big7 (Jan 17, 2011)

I have an older Tracker..

The hull, beam and transom are very strong..

Also, looked at the G-3..

The only thing I can see better is that it is a little more
basic.. no carpet and fancy console to mess up and have to clean
like on the Tracker. Not as purty on the eyes either.

Both are fine boats..


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## porkbelly (Jan 17, 2011)

G3 gets my vote. I like the trackers but I would take a G3 over a tracker any day. Would have to do with price difference if I were buying. To much in boats means to little for fishing. Had a friend once that bought a new boat but had to have someone to help with expenses when he wanted to take it out. Gas food and bait can get expensive.  Reason I have used boats and love them. Paid for and no payments to worry about. Have you all noticed that that once a month thing comes way to fast. Ok just messing with you buy that new boat. Wish I could. I did once.


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## puddle jumper (Jan 17, 2011)

Out of thoses two I would go with a G-3 but do yourself a favor and look into the War Eagle and Triton's as well, and if you are bass fishing out of it definently look at the Triton...Ive got a 17 Triton and love it....lots of storage...
PJ


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## alexmlane (Jan 17, 2011)

I had a couple of G3's and they were both great boats and performed really well. As far as aluminum goes I would also look at Xpress Boats. I had an Xpress too and I think it actually topped the G3. It was the X19 with 200hp. I used to fish some big water with it too and it did really well. Good luck


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## freebird (Jan 18, 2011)

90% of the time I will be fishing west point lake. Bass and Crappie. A family member has a nice '05 ZX225 Skeeter for 23,000 but its used. I'm kinda in limbo as to whether I should get a new aluminum boat or the solid used Skeeter. If I get the Skeeter and something goes bad on it after a few months my wife will blow a fuse and my dog will have company in the dog house lol


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## morris (Jan 18, 2011)

The one with the Yamaha


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## Troutman3000 (Jan 18, 2011)

Make sure you get an all welded boat what ever you do.  Have a mechanic look over the skeeter for you.  Thats a great deal.


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## sheetsrep (Jan 18, 2011)

@ Big7....the g-3 eagle has all the pretty stuff to 

@freebird....you can find a lightly used boat with transerable warranty on the motor if you are patient.You also may want to make sure you test drive a tin boat if you have never driven one. They do handle a little different than fiberglass.


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## freebird (Jan 18, 2011)

sheetsrep said:


> @ Big7....the g-3 eagle has all the pretty stuff to
> 
> @freebird....you can find a lightly used boat with transerable warranty on the motor if you are patient.You also may want to make sure you test drive a tin boat if you have never driven one. They do handle a little different than fiberglass.



I have fished out of aluminum. Never been in fiberglass. Other than a ski boat.


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## Jody (Jan 18, 2011)

Look at Triton too...I have several friends that bought the Triton Aluminum and they are very well built...check with Tim Greer over at the Sportscenter in Perry before you buy


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## badkarma (Jan 18, 2011)

Take a ride in fiberglass if you haven't before.  They are heavier and take the waves much better.  But if you are set on a new boat, the G3's are very nice.  Guy in our club has a 20' G3 and it is huge.  Lots of deck space and it looks nice.


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## freebird (Jan 18, 2011)

Thanks everyone
Just doing research on boats before I buy. This site has been very helpful. Hope to see some of you on the water by March.


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## bowfish71 (Jan 18, 2011)

Freebird I have a G3 and I love it.  I have had zero problems out of mine and the yamaha 4 stroke is amazing on gas.  I had to check after my first trip to make sure my gas gauge was working because it still read full LOL.


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## freebird (Jan 18, 2011)

bowfish71 said:


> Freebird I have a G3 and I love it.  I have had zero problems out of mine and the yamaha 4 stroke is amazing on gas.  I had to check after my first trip to make sure my gas gauge was working because it still read full LOL.



B & B marine has a Eagle 190 Yamaha 115 4-stroke that I am gonna go look at. 
Any good remarks on B & B marine?
No bashing them please.
How would you rate them on a 1-5 scale (5 being Excellent and 1 being poor)


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## inthetrees (Jan 18, 2011)

That looks like my wife on the back of your triketor.....


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## bowfish71 (Jan 18, 2011)

I got my boat from B&B and dealt with Bart.  They had the best price and were right on cue with everything they told me.  I would give them 5*.  When the boat came in it was just as promised and if I had a question all I had to do was call him and he answered my questions.


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## nosfedgta (Jan 18, 2011)

I have a fisher pro hawk with a 90 2 stroke and I love it. Its wider than my old champion and my friends ranger. It Looks Identical to the tracker tournament v 18 which you can also get with a 90 2 stroke. Its a good boat and wider than the rest of them..


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## Msteele (Jan 18, 2011)

*B&B Marine - 5*

Bart was very helpfull when I was looking at boats.  I almost pulled the trigger on a aluminum G3 until I looked at a SeaArk.  The SeaArk was set up better for the fishing I wanted to do.  Good Luck!


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## Fishlipps Revisited (Jan 18, 2011)

if Trackers are made like they used to be, i'd take a G-3 over a Tracker ANY day.....i sold against Tracker for a few years, so i learned them inside and out...literally.....we gutted one once that had been out in the weather a while...the floors, and such pretty much fell apart.....and, we found of lot of eye-openers..

also, the Lowe family sold Lowe boats to OMC back around 1990.....and a few years later, started the G-3 line (Generation 3).....those people know how to make a boat...


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## Big7 (Jan 18, 2011)

freebird said:


> B & B marine has a Eagle 190 Yamaha 115 4-stroke that I am gonna go look at.
> Any good remarks on B & B marine?
> No bashing them please.
> How would you rate them on a 1-5 scale (5 being Excellent and 1 being poor)



2 1/2***

Depends on the help at the time...  ***

I lived very near there for about 20 years...

Work is usually pretty good but the delivery dates (were)
almost always off.. That's been a while since I used them for anything other than "parts"..

The other "B" in "B&B was Bart's brother .. Barry...

He's near Jackson Lake, does uber-super work..
and is ALWAYS on time and at cost quoted...

Re-built my carbs and changed out the e-pact to the newer generation (factory) Johnson stuff.
Chump change. I know BUT..

A friend of mine (with a much bigger boat) had him do some major work on a boat that had been sitting for a long time.. 200 hp Evinrude.. total re-build.. What little problems he had.. he would call him while on Jackson.. He'd say.. "do this, do that" and if he couldn't get it
over the phone 
Barry would take it back on the same dime..

He does all my boat work now..

Just sayin'


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## Garner90 (Jan 18, 2011)

bullet


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## BCAPES (Jan 18, 2011)

freebird said:


> I went to Bass pro yesterday and looked at a Nitro Z-8. Nice boat but I dont know about spending 39,000 on one. I would like to stay around 25,000. I prefer to buy a new boat so that rules out fiberglass.
> I heard that the hull is stronger on the G-3 than the Tracker.



Not so sure that $25,000 rules out a fiberglass boat.  I saw that HD Marine has a Pheonix 18 foot fiberglass with a big motor for MSRP of 28,000 at the boat show this week.

Do not remember the HP on the motor but I do remember that it was plenty.  Think it was a 90 hp Yammy


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## Fishlipps Revisited (Jan 18, 2011)

BCAPES said:


> Not so sure that $25,000 rules out a fiberglass boat.  I saw that HD Marine has a Pheonix 18 foot fiberglass with a big motor for MSRP of 28,000 at the boat show this week.
> 
> Do not remember the HP on the motor but I do remember that it was plenty.  Think it was a 90 hp Yammy



a 90 HP on an 18' fiberglass boat would be something the buyer would live to regret...

that's like "pre-packaged" 17' aluminum boats with a 35HP....the price looks good, but the performance sucks...


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## centerc (Jan 18, 2011)

I had a 20 ft Sea ark it was big and roomy and would run real shallow but was not as good as a fiberglass boat for Bass fishing. On a slightly to windy day Tin boats are really hard to control. I would go with used or a new Phoenix glass boat


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## freebird (Jan 18, 2011)

inthetrees said:


> That looks like my wife on the back of your triketor.....



OK Tim you owe me some hush money or I'm telling your wife !  I always knew I was gonna get you good some day lol
I got that pic off of a motorcycle forum


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## freebird (Jan 18, 2011)

Thanks for the advice everyone


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## Bust-A-Hawg (Jan 19, 2011)

I bought a 2010 Tracker 190 with 90 merc optimax last labor day weekend and so far I love it.  Only thing I wish I had done from the start was upgrade my electronics.  Should have done it before I drove it out of the parking lot instead of a little bit along.  Drove it away from BPS Macon for $20,120 after tax etc.  Triton was a little bit more and I didn't want to drive 50 more miles to Perry. Didn't really look at G3 boats.

If I have one complaint about BPS is that they don't give points on your outdoor rewards membership card when buying a boat.  That would have been really nice.  Points on a $20K purchase would have probably been enough to get at least one (maybe two) HDS8 sonars for the boat.

Good luck with your choice whichever way you go.


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## Msteele (Jan 19, 2011)

centerc said:


> I had a 20 ft Sea ark it was big and roomy and would run real shallow but was not as good as a fiberglass boat for Bass fishing. On a slightly to windy day Tin boats are really hard to control. I would go with used or a new Phoenix glass boat




I need the room and shallow float.  I can still fish in open water if it's windy.  A little trick that a veteran crappie fisherman showed me that works great on a windy day.  I pull the plug on my boat and let it fill with water just before it comes through the water drains in the floor.  It adds enough weight so the wind doesn't blow you to fast for fishing.  I have the best of both worlds with my aluminum rig.  Maybe not all people would agree with this, but it works for me.


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## ErikD (Jan 20, 2011)

I like xpress boats but in all honesty I have never fished from an aluminum boat I liked as much as a glass boat.  You shouldnt have a problem finding a deal in Jan. though.  Good luck man.


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## nickf11 (Jan 20, 2011)

I used to fish out of a 17 ft tracker w/ a  125 merc. I now fish out of a 21 ft. Lund w/ a 225 merc. Lund is now owned by G3 and and they are pretty much the same boat. I have to say the Lund (or G3) rides smooth as silk! It rides just like a glass boat. Not to mention the quality is superior. It's all personal prefrence though. The only thing I miss about tracker is that trackers are all welded boats. The lund is not. Good luck


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## freebird (Jan 20, 2011)

nickf11 said:


> I used to fish out of a 17 ft tracker w/ a  125 merc. I now fish out of a 21 ft. Lund w/ a 225 merc. Lund is now owned by G3 and and they are pretty much the same boat. I have to say the Lund (or G3) rides smooth as silk! It rides just like a glass boat. Not to mention the quality is superior. It's all personal prefrence though. The only thing I miss about tracker is that trackers are all welded boats. The lund is not. Good luck



I'm looking at the G3 Eagle 190. Isn't it all welded also?
Just asking. I have only seen it online. Going saturday to look at one in conyers (B&B Marine)


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## nickf11 (Jan 20, 2011)

I am not certain if that one is or not. I just know what I have seen


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## freebird (Jan 22, 2011)

To all that replied...
I looked at a G3 Eagle 190 today and was very impressed. I believe that I'm sold on it. It has a 115 hp 4 stroke Yamaha. Gonna add a passenger side console and a lowrance Elite-5 depthfinder. Thanks for all the great info.
Richard


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## Sun Rise Bass (Jan 22, 2011)

if i was you i would be looking for a 4 stroke over a 2. saves you tons on the oil!

the new trackers are like 13000, take the rest and deck it out with the graphs and tackle you want. i bought tackle for 3 years before i bought my new boat so i would have stuff in it. alot of ppl go out and buy the best boat their credit will get them.... then they realize they need tackle....rightnow, i have easily over 500 worth of plastics in my boat thats before we even look at hard baits. just a thought...

you could have a whole dream day at BPS walk out with a boat and all the goodies you want

just saying


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## Fishlipps Revisited (Jan 22, 2011)

i thought he said it DID have a 4 stroke...

but, i'd be leery of a 115 HP on a boat that's rated for a 150....that boat only weighs about 400 lbs less than a 19' Ranger...

i've seen SO many under-powered rigs in my day....and, heard complaints from SO many unhappy buyers when i was in the biz.....

heard several since then, too...


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## sbroadwell (Jan 22, 2011)

Fishlipps Revisited said:


> a 90 HP on an 18' fiberglass boat would be something the buyer would live to regret...
> 
> that's like "pre-packaged" 17' aluminum boats with a 35HP....the price looks good, but the performance sucks...



Absolutely! Charlie has a 175 Optimax on his 18' Phoenix.


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## freebird (Jan 23, 2011)

Fishlipps Revisited said:


> i thought he said it DID have a 4 stroke...
> 
> but, i'd be leery of a 115 HP on a boat that's rated for a 150....that boat only weighs about 400 lbs less than a 19' Ranger...
> 
> ...



I understand about being underpowered, but the top speed is 46 mph with the 115 and 55 mph with the 150 hp. To me 46 mph is plenty fast. I dont see paying an extra 4,000.00 to hear my wife yelling for me to slow down all day.Lol


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## Sun Rise Bass (Jan 23, 2011)

Quick Fix: get going fast enough and its hard to hear over the motor and wind


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## freebird (Jan 23, 2011)

Sun Rise Bass said:


> Quick Fix: get going fast enough and its hard to hear over the motor and wind



Great Idea !
I could just get a boat witha 250hp and scare her enough that she just stays home lol..Did I say that out loud???


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## Fishlipps Revisited (Jan 23, 2011)

freebird said:


> I understand about being underpowered, but the top speed is 46 mph with the 115 and 55 mph with the 150 hp. To me 46 mph is plenty fast. I dont see paying an extra 4,000.00 to hear my wife yelling for me to slow down all day.Lol



just bear in mind, that you'll most never likely hit that 46MPH loaded to go fishing....and, by the time you add people, 400 lbs of liquid (gas and livewell water), and tackle, you be lucky to hit 40.....at full throttle.....

i always hated to have to run my boat at WOT to attain a nice cruising speed...

just food for thought..


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## freebird (Jan 23, 2011)

Fishlipps Revisited said:


> just bear in mind, that you'll most never likely hit that 46MPH loaded to go fishing....and, by the time you add people, 400 lbs of liquid (gas and livewell water), and tackle, you be lucky to hit 40.....at full throttle.....
> 
> i always hated to have to run my boat at WOT to attain a nice cruising speed...
> 
> just food for thought..



Thats something to consider. I would rather have the 150 hp but I guess I'm trying to talk myself into saving the extra cost.


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## Cricket Chunker (Jan 23, 2011)

freebird said:


> I understand about being underpowered, but the top speed is 46 mph with the 115 and 55 mph with the 150 hp. To me 46 mph is plenty fast. I dont see paying an extra 4,000.00 to hear my wife yelling for me to slow down all day.Lol



Keep in mind that "top speeds" are a relative thing.  Might be the "top speed" if you had a guy who looked like a toothpick at the wheel, and a half a cup of fuel in the lines with everything else empty, and then ran on a glass like lake.

It's sort of like truck capacity ratings.  They are made with with only a driver of 150 pounds and a very small amount of fuel on board.  Not many folks actually ride like that.  Most people pack 3 corn fed bubba and about 1,000 pounds of gear in the back in the real world.  Boats are the same way.


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## Mistrfish (Jan 23, 2011)

freebird said:


> B & B marine has a Eagle 190 Yamaha 115 4-stroke that I am gonna go look at.
> Any good remarks on B & B marine?
> No bashing them please.
> How would you rate them on a 1-5 scale (5 being Excellent and 1 being poor)



B&B is great, I have known Bart for years and never had a problem. I bought a G3 from him in 2000 and its still going strong.  So I give them a 5


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## hunter243 (Mar 15, 2011)

I just tried out a Triton all aluim, no wood at all. Best riding alluim on the market.


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## tilldawg (Mar 15, 2011)

I have a G3 and love it.  Also the 4 stroke Yammi.

I dealt with HD Marine in Buford and they were great.

Be sure to ask about the rebates that G3 and Yamaha are offering right now.


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## Gitterdone (Mar 15, 2011)

You might want to check out the  EXPRESS boats.I have one and love it.It handles good and its fast for a aluminum boat.Pluss its an all welded boat.It will top out around 50+ with a 90 johnson when im alone,this was with a gps unit not the speed odm,


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## picmman (Mar 17, 2011)

Tracker.....#1 selling bass boat in the world for a reason!!
Ive had mine for 4 years,,never a problem


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## PASSBOY (Mar 17, 2011)

I owned a G3 Pro 170 with a 40hp Yamaha. See my profile pics. This was an "AWESOME" setup. Used very little gas and zero maintenance even at 10 years old. I wouldn't have traded it for a brand new Tracker. Only Yamaha pushing my boats!!  Had to sell it for financial purposes, but held its value awesomely! Sold in one day on GON Marketplace.  Everyone wants big motors, i just want a dependable, economical engine that will get me to the hot spot!


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## bryan159 (Mar 19, 2011)

*boat*

I have a g3 boat and it is great.  It is a smaller all welded duck boat.  I am lookin to get a bigger boat soon and I will tell you this.  You owe it to yourself to look at a Sea Ark boat.  They are really nice and built like a tank.  I will probably be going with a river cat model with a tunnel.  I have been a g3 man for along time and have owned two of them.  Great boat.  The tracker also has a great ride to it.  I think it is like ford and chevy.  The boat market has come so far in the last 10 years.  I think either one of them would be a fine fishing boat


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## JohnK (Mar 19, 2011)

I've had a few boats and the only one I regret was the one I bought new. You can usually pick up a 4-5 year old boat for close to half of a new one and they look the same after you use them for one summer. To get a deal you gotta be ready to pounce though.


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