Tested By Capt. Bob Smith

Any serious fisherman likes to have the opportunity to decide to fish the tournament at the local club when they like. The problem with that is often the layout of the boat interferes and makes the decision a compromise. Well, the Tracker Targa 17 SC makes that an easy decision with lots of room for gear and for working the fish from the front to the back. The depth and width of the hull make the Targa a stable boat on flat and rough wind-blown lakes regardless of how fast you have to push her to beat the rest to the best spots.

New for 2004, they have added a Lowrance X-47 fish finder with surface temperature, new upholstery, new custom console at the helm and a new swing-away tongue with retractable safety cables on the trailer.

On the port side of the bow you have a standard Minn Kota 12 volt, 55lb thrust, 54” shaft trolling motor with PowerDrive foot control. Hidden behind a panel in the peak are two tackle organizers in the tray management system. Trim for the big motor and a separate aerator switch for the bow livewell are also in the peak next to the trolling motor connection. You can place one of the casting chairs in a position near the center of the front casting deck. A 19-gallon livewell is over on the port side of the front casting deck complete with aerator and timer. No more passing your prize catch back to someone and risking it flipping over the edge on the way. Ample bow storage is in the center and starboard boxes in the bow. Just ahead of the helm is a bow aerated baitwell for the lucky person up front.

The deep cockpit is spacious and practical. You can place casting chairs on pedestals in four positions here for riding and working. In the center of the cockpit front, just below the bow casting deck is a lid that gets you to a centerline rod storage system for five rods, and it, like the bow lockers, are lockable for security. In-floor storage is between the helm and companion locations.

The helm is designed to install large graph or GPS units if you like. The white faced dials with black lettering were easy to read underway and the Plexiglas windshield provided adequate protection from the strong breeze we worked in. To the right of the fish finder, the driver gets their own cup holder for coffee and cold beverages. Tilt steering is standard along with rack and pinion steering systems. Side lockers were large and long with keepers for the navigation lights. A set of oar clips keeps the oar handy to the driver on the starboard side.

The stern fish deck has another chair position as well as its own 28-gallon 50” aerated livewell with timer, recirculated pump out system and a baitwell insert.

The standard package for the Targa 17SC is equipped with a Mercury 50-hp outboard. She can have up to a 125-hp Mercury outboard bolted on the stern. She is 17’4” long and measures 94” across the beam. She carries a transom height of 23” and has a 21” bottom width. Her two piece all-welded hull is constructed of .100 gauge 5052 Marine Alloy for strength and durability that is backed by a Limited Lifetime hull warranty. She has two strakes for performance and a 6” reverse chine. The Targa 17 SC uses a longitudinal stringer system, and her package length is 22’2” and package width is 8’3”. Standard package weight is 2,265 lbs.

Our test rig was powered with a 125 hp Mercury outboard with a 12 ¾ by 21 three-blade aluminum prop.

When we tested the Tracker Targa 17SC, she jumped on plane in just 3.3 seconds and was up to thirty miles per hour in only 6.8 seconds. Her best cruise seemed to be at 3500 rpms which delivered a speed of 27.4 mph and burned 5.9 gallons per hour. At cruise, you can expect to get about 126 miles on her 30 gallons of fuel. Our test boat topped out at 5100 rpms running 45.3 miles per hour. At this speed she is burning about 12.8 gallons per hour and can travel about 96 miles on the tank. Sound levels at the helm were ranging from 58 dBa at idle to 79 dBa at cruise and 92 dBa at top speed.

If you’re ready to fish any day and want to go out for some of the tournaments at the local lakes, the Tracker Targa 17SC provides an excellent platform that lets you fish anytime and choose to fish the tournaments of your choice. She is ready to pack in a bunch of gear and stay out all day, if you are ready.

• Top speed for the Tracker Targa 17 SC is 45.3 mph (72.9 kph), burning 12.8 gallons per hour (gph) or 48.45 liters per hour (lph).


• Best cruise for the Tracker Targa 17 SC is 27.4 mph (44.1 kph), and the boat gets 4.68 miles per gallon (mpg) or 1.99 kilometers per liter (kpl), giving the boat a cruising range of 126 miles (202.78 kilometers).


• Tested power is 1 x 125-hp Mercury outboard.


• Time to plane for the Tracker Targa 17 SC is 3.3 sec. seconds.


• Time from 0 to 30 of the Tracker Targa 17 SC is 6.8 sec. seconds.