No More Tracker Pros

[No More Tracker]

I was on the Tracker Marine website looking at new boats and I notcied something strange. No more Tundra pro boats!

Just the plain old aluminum models. What happened?

I thought with the Parsons and Kavajecz as the spokes people for the product they were selling them? People were buying them because of those guys, right?

Are there no more walleye pros on Team Tracker?

Anyone know anything about what is going on?

[hgmeyer]

At least what I have heard is that Tracker will produce a fiberglass pro-boat. The Tundra may still be available on a special order basis...

[No More Tracker]

Wow. That would be a surprise. They stopped making the fiberglass walleye/multi-species boats years ago because they didn't sell.

Interesting that they'd bring back glass when it didn't work before. The Tundras must not be selling for them to cancel the model line.

[Vikings Fan]

Jim Carrol usually checks Walleye Central from time to time. He was on Trackers pro-staff last year. Maybe Jim or another Tracker pro could enlighten us as to what the truth is before the rumors start flying to fast. Or maybe better yet someone from Tracker could comment?

[walleyedmike]

Wow. That would be a surprise. They stopped making the fiberglass walleye/multi-species boats years ago because they didn't sell.

Interesting that they'd bring back glass when it didn't work before. The Tundras must not be selling for them to cancel the model line.
I don't think that was the only reason that they stopped selling them. I think they had some larger, more design oriented (transom) issues.

[tracker pro]

Well that did not take long - flying rumors. I don't think....I think..... where are the facts?

[walleyedmike]

I'll be happy to go over the facts, but I would be even happier if you, tracker pro, would sign in with a legitimate user name.

I know someone personally, who was sponsored in part by Tracker, who owned a Tracker Targa. The transom cracked severely while on the water. They tried, unsuccessfully, to repair the transom, so they reinforced it, and in doing so, they added too much weight to the back of the boat, rendering it virtually useless. He was told that this was all that they would do. He later found out that his boat was not the only Targa to have this problem.

I tried not to go into specifics, or "throw stones", tracker pro, but since you asked........
:stirthepot:

[hgmeyer]

Here's the post from another board (with permission) www.nitroowners.com.

Note: "Fatrap" is Mike Grandick, an employee of BassPro who works in the boat department. I doubt that he would spread conjecture or rumor.

He posted:

"I guess Tracker is carring Tundra's as a special order only for 2009. Ofcourse this makes me feel real good. My dealer says no worries as they will still fix and carry parts for now. A fiberglass deep V Nitro will be the new Multi species rig.
fatrap"

[hgmeyer]

Tracker did not "build" the formed hull aluminuim boats. The production was subcontracted. The boats were, once a few production issues were ironed out, excellent from anyone I know who has one and that would be around a half dozen guys. As with any new product there were some early issues. But, that is not what has apparently dealt the death knell to expanded production.

There was never any pricing advantage and the alloted production from the subcontractors was never going to meet any increased demand. Maybe at a future time it will become a popular concept for aluminum hulls.

[walleyedmike]

Thanks, hgmeyer, for the info. I'm sure with today's new technology, and some design modifications, the fiberglass Nitro deep v, like their bass boats, will be a great boat.

[mrbreeze]

Perhaps from a business perspective, the cost of aluminum simply became uncompetitive to fiberglass?

[No More Tracker]

If their new glass boat is anything like their existing bass boats that would be terrific.

Now, I hope they have good price point boats as well. The Nitros have some 50K bass boats and some 20K bass boats. The Multi species boat hopefully follows suit.

BTW - The Tundra is gone primarily due to lack of sales. They just were not a good seller like their Tracker bass boats.

[Actually]

Although you are correct that sales were the cause, the ability to make moeney on that boat was difficult because of the cost of aluminum. As the cost of aluminum went up, so did the cost of the boat but had to remain in line with other boats in that class, thus Tracker lost margin. Not something that bodes well to a model in this economic environment.

Thats why Lund went to glass as well, losing sales to other companies that had better $ value, fit and finish, and showroom appeal for the $ on nthe aluminum models. Note that from the double digit falls in aluminum sales vs single digit drops in the multi species categories

Just some background info...

[walleyespooner]

You might go to the website the main Tracker pro's have. Everything is explained there. It's very rare for Tracker pro's to post on WC.

[Old Pros rule]

Had an old wise dealer tell me once that it does not matter what kind of boat you run...they can be smashed with big horsepower and driver error....funny thing, you never would see too many experienced pros with cracked hulls...didn't matter the make....Usually younger anglers driving like idiots trying to be superman but going no where fast....now the idiots can post a responce on how wrong the above statement is...

[jamicra]

I'll be happy to go over the facts, but I would be even happier if you, tracker pro, would sign in with a legitimate user name.

I know someone personally, who was sponsored in part by Tracker, who owned a Tracker Targa. The transom cracked severely while on the water. They tried, unsuccessfully, to repair the transom, so they reinforced it, and in doing so, they added too much weight to the back of the boat, rendering it virtually useless. He was told that this was all that they would do. He later found out that his boat was not the only Targa to have this problem.

I tried not to go into specifics, or "throw stones", tracker pro, but since you asked........
:stirthepot:

I thought we were talking about Tundra's, not Targa's.... Did I miss something? There was major speculation about this earlier and on "The Next Bite" website, Keith, GAry and a few others answered this very question. Maybe you should try to visit that site and go to Forums and do some research about the Tundras before you lobb those boulders about Targas.
Mike

[walleyedmike]

I thought we were talking about Tundra's, not Targa's.... Did I miss something? There was major speculation about this earlier and on "The Next Bite" website, Keith, GAry and a few others answered this very question. Maybe you should try to visit that site and go to Forums and do some research about the Tundras before you lobb those boulders about Targas.
Mike
I was, in fact, talking about Tracker's history with fiberglass boats, so yes, you did miss something. Sorry for not being more clear. Look at the quote I was referring to in my original post.

[used to log in]

Btw - the new boat is the Nitro 290. It hasn't hit the website yet but should shortly.

[K Gonefishin]

I searched for it and there is some guys site that does have photo's up.

[Small Fish On]

http://www.infomine.com/investment/metalschart.asp?c=aluminum&u=lb&submit1=Display+Chart&x=usd&r=15y


Interesting the the current price of aluminum is lower than it has everybeen in the last 15 years (adjusted for inflation). I would think that manufacturs of aluminim boats could lower there prices on aluminum boats based on material cost and the current supply of workers avilable and as a result sell more boats.

[Econ Guest]

http://www.infomine.com/investment/metalschart.asp?c=aluminum&u=lb&submit1=Display+Chart&x=usd&r=15y


Interesting the the current price of aluminum is lower than it has everybeen in the last 15 years (adjusted for inflation). I would think that manufacturs of aluminim boats could lower there prices on aluminum boats based on material cost and the current supply of workers avilable and as a result sell more boats.

Small Fish On,
Did you even look at the chart in the link that you provided. Al price was actually lower in just 5 or 6 years ago. Al producer ALCOA just announced 13,500 employee layoffs to react to the sudden drop in Al. Look at your chart again, Al has been cut in half in just the last few months. Its called Supply and Demand. If you look at just the auto industry, there was big growth going on the Asian countries, creating the demand for Al. And a lot of these countries wanted to be auto OEM's, (e.g. Kia, Hyundia, Cherry, TaTa, ... the list goes on and on). The Big 3 could no longer be profitable with all these newer OEM's trying to get in the game, thus their current demise; all while material cost are going through the roof. Since OEM's and other industries, (Autos, Boats, Housing, Construction, Tooling, etc.), have been forced to increase prices, demand has haulted and everybody stops buying their commodities. Since raw material cost is really 1st in the food chain, now you see why it has dropped so suddenly and sharply. All industries and their products will have to follow suite as well, but when, how soon, and for how long. And if you don't buy their products, then they have to start letting their employes go. So tell me, if your salary was cut in half or you were let go from your job would you be going out and buying a new Al boat? Only if the price of the Al boat was cut in half - right. But the boats you see today have already incurred these higher Al prices and not the latest prices at $.50/lb.
You're not a politician are you? I'm sorry, your note sounds like something a politician would have stated, (i.e., not knowing and only spuing).

[Gutterball]

The other missing piece in this "discussion" is that Tracker doesn't "make" the hulls for the Tundras. They are actually made by Boeing on contract from Tracker. I believe the switch back to glass also had something to do with the intial agreement's expiration