Captain's Report by Capt. Dan Armitage



The Bass Tracker Pro Team 175 TXW has the fishing space and features of a boat twice its price.

Mission

More Tracker Pro Team 175s have been sold over the years than any other boat model. The Pro Team TXW is built with the cost and comfort-conscious multi-species angler in mind, a fisherman with a family who needs a boat with all the right features that’s built to stand-up to some abuse and provide years of service.



The nimble Bass Tracker is built to handle the backwaters and bayous where some of the biggest fish – and the occasional obstacle -- are found.

Construction Features

The 175 TXW’s modified-vee hull is built of welded .100” aluminum that is backed by a longitudinal stringer system that is welded-in and injected with foam. The gunwales are four inches wide and constructed from a single-piece of extruded aluminum surrounding a deck built of marine-grade plywood covered in cut-pile carpeting. The deck carries a limited lifetime warranty.



The Tracker Pro Team 175 features an aluminum set-back transom and the bottom has ten degrees of deadrise.

Bass Pro Team 175 Performance

The boat can be rigged right from Tracker with Mercury four-stroke outboards from 25 to 60-hp, and is rated to accept engines up to 75-hp. During our test we were impressed with how nimble the rig was at WOT, cruising and trolling speeds. Rigged with a 50-hp Mercury four-stroke, the boat we tested reached plane in 4.4 seconds, hit 30 mph in 10.1 seconds and attained a top speed of 34.3 mph.

The boat's close-quarters maneuverability when powered by the bow-mounted electric motor was world-class. The motor is positioned perfectly for precise turns and straight-ahead tracking without having to compensate for an offset mounting location.

To see our complete testing data click on "Test Results" at the top of this page.



The Bass Tracker’s bow dash couldn’t be simpler, with a plug-in receptacle for the trolling motor and a remote tilt switch for the outboard. The rig comes with starting and deep-cycle batteries – and a two-bank, on-board battery charger to keep them juiced as standard equipment.



The lids on the Tracker’s lockers are constructed of reinforced aluminum with the carpeting wrapped around the edges. The two forward storage lockers and the center rod locker forward are surrounded by welded aluminum self-draining channels to help keep contents dry and are lockable. We question the location of the fire extinguisher; while handy, it’s literally underfoot of the operator.



The TXW’s single-piece molded helm console is simple and straightforward with a surprising amount of legroom underneath a dash fitted with gauges for fuel, voltage, rpm and speed. Some anglers may prefer a bit more room for mounting a full-sized fishfinder on the console, but there’s ample space at the bow, where it may be more useful while fishing under power of the standard 46-pound-thrust electric-motor.



The three-across seating is deeply padded and comfortable, and the flip-down backrest on the center seat creates a handy “flat-space” with a skid-resistant surface that doubles as a step to the aft casting deck. All three seat bases flip up to reveal storage lockers underneath.

Power Options

Tracker Marine offers Mercury outboard motors as exclusive power on most of its boats. Prices range from $12,695 powered by a Mercury 25-hp ELPT four-stroke, to $16,195 equipped with a Mercury 75-hp ELPT OptiMax.



The boat’s divided livewell has a capacity of 16 gallons, comes with a bait bucket and is aerated with timed recirculation and pump-out features.



The birds-eye view of the 17’7” (5.35 m) Bass Tracker shows that there is storage just about everywhere it can be practically placed aboard a boat this size. It also highlights the amount of deck space for fishing on the bow, off the stern and even on the portside of the cockpit forward of the seats. A cleat on the bow would be handy for tying off an anchor line, especially when wind or current make anchor points further aft unsafe.



Complete with a quality trailer carrying features such as a fold-away tongue for tucking into a suburban garage, the price of a Tracker Pro Team 175 rigged with a 50-hp Mercury four-stroke outboard is $14,695.

Recommendation

We were impressed with the comfort and the quality of the components found aboard the new Pro Team 175 particularly given its low price-point. The fit and padding of the upholstery and the finish of the carpeting and trim materials was well executed and we found very little to criticize. The Tracker spokesman we talked to said the Pro Team 175 model continues to be the world’s best-selling boat because it appeals to such a broad audience of anglers. Compared to boats twice its price, the Pro Team 175 should hold its own in performance, construction and features, and we think represents an exceptional value.

• Top speed for the Tracker Pro Team 175 TXW (2012-2013) is 34.3 mph (55.2 kph), burning 4.75 gallons per hour (gph) or 17.98 liters per hour (lph).


• Best cruise for the Tracker Pro Team 175 TXW (2012-2013) is 20.6 mph (33.2 kph), and the boat gets 8.41 miles per gallon (mpg) or 3.58 kilometers per liter (kpl), giving the boat a cruising range of 144 miles (231.75 kilometers).


• Tested power is 1 x 50-hp Mercury EFI four-stroke.


• Time to plane for the Tracker Pro Team 175 TXW (2012-2013) is 4.4 sec. seconds.


• Time from 0 to 30 of the Tracker Pro Team 175 TXW (2012-2013) is 10.1 sec. ( 0 - 20 mph) seconds.