FleetTracker

Was definitely a cold and nasty one on Saturday!!  Dad and I came through in the event.

Rich - Let me know how the installation goes.  AP is the only item my larger boat is missing... been pondering about equipping the same unit this season.

Well who would have guessed things didn't hold up on the shipment plans for the boat back to the dealer??

I called the dealer yesterday and they said the boat didn't show up.  So I called Tracker and they said oh, it's still here... we'll try to get it on a truck today.  Gotta be kidding me!!

Guess I'll have to take a day off work next week to head down and pick it up from Bowers.  I'm busy this weekend ice fishing the NYS Pro Am on Oneida and then Sodus next weekend.  Need the boat back so I can work on it after work and rig it back up and make some more improvements.  One of these days i'll have good news and this will all be in the past.

Luke - Devin is right about sometimes needing to get down deeper than the 300 will go but in my experience it is in the mid/late summer period when the fish (especially salmon) can be down real deep but I run the 300 and even a couple 250's during much of the rest of the season.  Depending on boat speed and currents etc. you should be able to get down between 50-60 ft with the 300 copper if you are just running a spoon behind it. As Devin mentioned the 300 run down the chute is often productive and I usually run mine that way too. It will run off the TX 44 boards too. I don't use the Offshores  as I have all Church boards so I can't speak to that.  As far as the dipseys a setting of 1 -2 generally works well but it also matters how much other stuff you are running and where.  Bottom-feeder is right too - expect to tangle once in awhile and it may not even be your fault as cross currents and certain lure actions and a bunch of other factors come into play sometimes.....you can expect over time to have some shorter coppers than you started with originally My problems have never been with the wire rigs mainly with multiple leadcores.....

 

As far as how far out to run the boards with copper  you'll have to experiment. You want them far enough out to be sure that the other stuff you're running is clear of them  and I usually run one shorter than the other on the opposite side so that if they swing on turns they clear as well. I also don't usually run my downriggers as far back either and stagger the lengths of them as well.

 

I know some guys like using dipseys from coppers I normally just run a single spoon (usually small to medium for trout and larger for the salmon) just less to mess with and less drag coming in.

Les you bring up some good points.  Luke the 300 will be most applicable in June and early July where you fish.  After that, you'll need a longer Copper to reach the Kings.  I caught more Kings last year on 400 and 450 Copper then I think all Riggers and Dipseys combined... it's lethal!

I have a 250 Copper that I run during this June/July timeframe, as well as a 10 color.  I run either of them down the chute, or if it's pretty calm with minimal boat traffic, I deploy big boards and will throw one down each side to spread things out.  I haven't had as much luck on the 250 or 10 color during this time of year.  Riggers seem to take most hits in this water column range for me.  Like I said though, the deep copper is lethal late Summer.  Look into picking one up for this year... I'll help ya spool it up this Summer.  See ya soon man... season is almost here!

Run it down the chute Luke. I wouldn't mess with an inline. More trouble than what its worth. You'll want a 400-450 copper for our area though. 300 not deep enough.

Talked to Bowers... let them know I got all the information about the boat from talking to the factory that he's had for the last 24hrs but never communicated.  They apologized and made excuses about being busy... blah blah don't care.

I asked him that if the boat indeed arrives on Monday 2/8 as planned, that I would like to pick it up first thing on Friday morning 2/12.  He could not and would not confirm that he could do that, saying they're still busy with boat shows and likely won't have time to "prepare" the boat.  I said that I don't want them to re-mount or do anything to the boat upon receipt, and that I will re-rig the boat myself.  He still could not guarantee availability next Friday.  Unbelievable.  I told him I would call him on Tuesday morning and between now and then I would expect him to align appropriate resources so that upon delivery of my boat on Monday, it is able to be picked up on Friday.

He had the nerve to say "what do you need it so fast for".  I told him that I obviously have a lot of re-rigging to do, including everything that was stripped from the boat, I have to mount a brand new 9.9hp kicker, wiring, trollmaster, etc., and that I need to do some custom aluminum bow modifications for a more rigid planer mast support platform.  All of that takes time and I've already lost over 2 months of the off-season and by the time I get the boat I'll only have 7 weeks until it hits the water.  Never again with these people... 

Alright fellas - I Finally got a hold of the Factory today and spoke to a lady by the name of Sandy, who just confirmed that my boat has now completed the repair and is shipping from their factory back to the dealer today.  They anticipate it being at the dealer on Monday 2/8.  I asked for a description of what was done and she sent me a letter that was sent to my dealer yesterday.  Not surprised I haven't heard from the dealer about any of this... they are the worst communicators!!  The letter has such high level descriptions of what was done - I would rather speak to someone who knows exactly what was done and was involved in the repair.  Tracker isolates you from these people and you only get to talk to secretaries.

I'm now going to call the dealer and let them know I will be in next week to pick up my boat.

Ranger did not sell themselves, as not even Ranger owned Ranger.  They were held by an equity firm called Fishing Holdings LLC.  Bass Pro bought Ranger (and Triton, Stratos) from Platinum Equity, who bailed Ranger out in 2010 during bankruptcy restructuring when they purchased the company from Fishing Holdings LLC.  From the articles out there, the new holdings firm sold the company to BPS without Ranger C-suits involvement or knowledge.

BPS does NOT plan to sell the Ranger/Triton/Stratos brand in their stores, and plans to keep the brand isolated and standalone.

None of this affects the close business relationship between Tracker and BPS.  Tracker will still live strong at BPS, unfortunately.

I have called Michelle at Tracker twice yesterday, and twice today, with no answer and leaving messages to call me back.  Still no call back.  Trying to understand what their 'plan' is on the repair and obtain more details on how long this is going to take.  The dealer declined to find out for me and told me to call Tracker if I wanted to.  Really helpful they are.  New status update:

History of Events:

12/4/15 - Identified problem of hull leak at my home in the driveway by filling boat with water

12/4/15 - called Bowers (dealer where I bought it); they said bring it in

12/5/15 - drove the boat 3hrs south and left it with Bowers

12/9/15 - Bowers calls and confirms significant hull crack; boat must be sent to factory

12/10/15 - I provide complete list of items to remove from my boat prior to shipment to the factory

12/11/15 - Bowers starts to remove items from my boat and keep them in storage

12/14/15 - Bowers completes the removal of all items from my boat; sends pictures of damaged hull and condition of boat with gear removed

12/19/15 - Bowers provides me with warranty return-to-factory paperwork to sign

12/21/15 - I signed and returned all paperwork back to Bowers; inquired on when it would be picked up

12/22/15 - Bowers indicated that no Tracker Factory trucks are scheduled to the North East for rest of year; would be first week in January

1/4/16 - Tracker Factory truck picks up my boat from Bowers and heads to the factory

1/6/16 - Bowers confirms that my boat made it to the factory

1/11/16 - I called the factory; they confirmed my boat was there, and couldn't tell me anything further; told me to talk to my dealer

1/18/16 - I emailed Bowers and asked for a status; they have not heard anything to date but said they would reach out to the factory

1/22/16 - I called Bowers to inquire on status; they still have not heard from the factory despite emails and calls in to them

1/26/16 – Emailed Bowers to inquire on status from Tracker – didn’t hear back…

1/28/16 – Called & emailed Michelle at Tracker to inquire on status; left message to call me back.  Got an out of office response via email.  Awesome.

1/29/16 – Bowers finally returns my email from 1/26 saying that Tracker plans to repair my boat and is starting the repair today; provides zero details

2/1/16 – Called Michelle at Tracker twice and left messages; still no call back.

2/1/16 – Emailed Bowers if they could find out more details of the repair and timing – they declined and told me to call Tracker. Great Service!

2/2/16 – Called Michelle at Tracker twice and left messages; still no call back.  

Thanks for all the kind responses guys.  The fact is they (Factory or Dealer) don't seem to care that this is an awful experience for me.  Just a number and they have plenty of people that continue to buy their boats across the country.  I will be providing a very thorough consumer review that I'm sure will make its way into the link above.  All I can do is continue to spread the word of this horrible experience and the way Tracker handles their "valued" customers.

Buddy has the same boat but with an outboard.  He uses a 20" shaft fine but it's on a panther transom mount where it can get up out of the water and outta the way when cruising and gets deployed down into the water when trolling.  He uses the EZ-steer to connect to his main OB.  Works good.

I called the Factory Thursday and guess who isn't at work this week. Unreal.

I emailed the dealer again earlier this week without response for days. However, the dealer FINALLY wrote me an email Friday saying this and only this: "Your boat is being repaired. They're starting on it today."

Really? No further details? Way to leave me wondering.... I responded with:

"Do you have any further details on the fix?  What is the fix going to be?  How intrusive is it?  Anything getting replaced? How much of the boat is going to get torn apart?  Inside and outside welding?  Are they taking a look at other structural locations to determine yield as a result of this issue so that I don't encounter a repeat problem this year?  Are they beefing up the structural welds anywhere else? How long do they anticipate the fix taking? Can you please provide more information?"

I immediately got a response back saying " You will get a receipt of all work that is completed when it's finished. We are doing boat shows this week so any further responses may be delayed."

I didn't respond... and I hope they don't sell any boats at their boat show. Regardless of a positive outcome on the boat repair, which is absolutely best case, I will never ever again deal with this company or dealer again. And everyone I know and encounter in the future will hear the same.

1/26 Update: Although I have developed some new found patience becoming a dad in 2015, that patience is being heavily tested early on in 2016!  I emailed Bowers last Monday to see if they heard anything from the factory, as it was closely approaching 2 weeks that the boat had been there.  They responded via email and said they've heard nothing but would reach out to them and seek status.  I didn't hear anything further all week so I decided to call Bowers on Friday afternoon around 3PM.  Bowers said they still have not heard back from the factory.  No email or call back, and still no status on my boat.  I expressed my desire for better results than that... Bowers agreed and said they would keep trying and let me know as soon as they hear from them.  I've heard nothing since.  Tomorrow marks exactly 3 weeks that the boat has been at the factory and there's been zero correspondence between the factory and the dealer to date.  I'm not looking forward to the rest of this process given how it's gone so far.  I plan on calling the dealer myself tomorrow.

No - Bowers did not remove the 115HP 4S Merc on the back.  It's on the boat still at the factory.

History of Events:

12/4/15 - Identified problem of hull leak at my home in the driveway by filling boat with water

12/4/15 - called Bowers (dealer where I bought it); they said bring it in

12/5/15 - drove the boat 3hrs south and left it with Bowers

12/9/15 - Bowers calls and confirms significant hull crack; boat must be sent to factory

12/10/15 - I provide complete list of items to remove from my boat prior to shipment to the factory

12/11/15 - Bowers starts to remove items from my boat and keep them in storage

12/14/15 - Bowers completes the removal of all items from my boat; sends pictures of damaged hull and condition of boat with gear removed

12/19/15 - Bowers provides me with warranty return-to-factory paperwork to sign

12/21/15 - I signed and returned all paperwork back to Bowers; inquired on when it would be picked up

12/22/15 - Bowers indicated that no Tracker Factory trucks are scheduled to the North East for rest of year; would be first week in January

1/4/16 - Tracker Factory truck picks up my boat from Bowers and heads to the factory

1/6/16 - Bowers confirms that my boat made it to the factory

1/11/16 - I called the factory; they confirmed my boat was there, and couldn't tell me anything further; told me to talk to my dealer

1/18/16 - I emailed Bowers and asked for a status; they have not heard anything to date but said they would reach out to the factory

1/22/16 - I called Bowers to inquire on status; they still have not heard from the factory despite emails and calls in to them

1/26/16 - I still have no indication that Tracker has done anything yet... no status, no boat, no confidence that this will end well

When I was younger I was perch fishing in Lake Erie.  When I raised the rod I felt weight but it didn't feel fishy... I reeled up and upon inspection my hook went directly into the opening of a Pepsi can and got lodged into the corner.  Pretty wild.  Did my part cleaning up the lake that day.

Stick with black IMO Justin. I run 15#ers on all boats. Shark brand. Lack of blowback is incredible.

Tournament is a Go for this weekend at this point... look forward to it.

FishHawk X4D $649 at Northwoods. All you'll need.

Only safe ice around me is Whitney Point... Doesn't seem like good news for the Tourney there 1 week from today.

Awesome reels. Use these non line counters for short cores. Got 8 of em for a pair of 3,4,5,6 color setups. Love em!!

The 30 of the next 36hrs above freezing and decent rain surely isn't going to help. Can't catch a break...

I wanted to bring our machines for the tournament... and if there is a tournament someone is going to have to deem the overall conditions to be safe to hold a tournament.  I'm hopeful for all events and limit cancellations, but I don't want to fish on sketchy ice for a tournament that I now feel obligated to fish because I have significant entry fee's already paid.

Time will tell.  I hear Chaumont got these horrible winds and that debris is scattered all over the ice and is now freezing in.  Be careful where you drill!

OK - so I called the Tracker Marine Factory for the first time in this entire ordeal in my most understanding and pleasurable attitude possible, despite my situation.  The operator forwarded me to the Warranty Department where I spoke to a Deann, who was very pleasant, and explained that Michelle Bentley is the individual in their department who handles all returned vessels to the factory.  She gave me her direct contact information for all future calls, and forwarded me to Michelle. So far, so good!  Michelle answered and I explained to her that this is my first call to Tracker Marine and that my boat was returned to their factory for a cracked hull recently and I just wanted to touch base with the factory to confirm receipt of the boat, its current status, and to kindly explain the process a bit more so that I could anticipate and expect what to occur over the next several weeks.  Although I said all of this in the most respectable manner in professional English words, her tone eluded to frustration that she was fielding my call in the first place.  Disappointment #1 on Tracker's part!  I understand Michelle's job isn't an easy one, but when you're given an understanding polite person, you do not head down that path!

Michelle explained that she can give no further status then what my dealer gives me, and that by calling her, I will get no further information then what my dealer will give me.  I kindly said OK, and asked if she could give me any current status on the boat?  She replied, "well it only came in last week on the 6th so I doubt anyone looked at it".  I said OK, stayed calm, and then asked if she had a reasonable expectation of how long the backlog was and when Tracker anticipates to take a look at it?  She said, "I have no idea, and that the whole process is running right about 8 weeks".  I then asked, "well if a decision is made that the boat cannot be repaired and must be replaced, is that known much sooner then 8 weeks?"  She said, "it depends, I don't know", and followed up with, "I recommend you work directly with your dealer to understand what the status of your boat is."  I played the nice card today, and told her thank you very much for your help and assistance, have a great rest of your day.

Not impressed AT ALL with that level of customer support, respect, or appreciation.  I do not want to create a wedge this early in the process, and I hope Michelle remembers the kind man she spoke to today the next time we speak.  Wishful thinking, I know... 

Long story short, I know nothing further then what I already knew and that's that the boat is at the factory.  Sounds like they may not have even looked at it yet...

Thanks everyone. Appreciate the optimistic thoughts.

I was just advised that the boat made it to the factory today, and that it has been checked in for "analysis of the problem and best resolution". I'm very anxious to hear the next round of correspondence.

NYS Pro Am Tournament planned on 1/23.... any locals think that will be feasible.

Don't think I would sell the boat. There just isnt anything else in that size range comparable to what the boat offers. Tracker really nailed this boat design for a trolling fisherman and the type of gear required for that type of fishing. For example, Lund just doesn't get it... I don't use 6'6'' poles thus all their rod lockers are useless. Nor do I want a tiny livewell that can't handle 1 King, let alone a limit of walleye. Made for a bass fisherman (no offense)... just haven't found a boat comparable in capability and the capability may not be apparent to most at first glance. I'm very particular and many of the boats out there are not ideally designed to support the fishing I do. Tough to find the right fit and everyone is different and looks for the right setup to suit them. I also like the flexibility of having a larger glass boat for rougher water or more people going out. If I were to choose, I would take the Tracker out every day. It's a fishing machine.