Trade-A-Boat — February 2018

I

f you ever thought

alloy side consoles

were only worthy

of tackling calm to

moderate conditions

within the confines of

dams, rivers and bays then

think again. Tracker’s latest

Pro Guide V-175SC is a force

to be reckoned with. It’s in a

class of its own and tackles

all four fishing seasons with

ease.

Falling under the Bass

Pro banner, Tracker Boats

produces a wide range of

quality aluminium craft in

the USA, from cartoppers

to dedicated tournament

boats, with a wide range of

multipurpose family/fishing

boats suiting fresh and

saltwater in between.

In bright red, the V-175SC

is quite a stand-out and that,

combined with its sharp

but simple lines, creates a

cosmetic style that grows on

you. However, it’s onboard

where the V-175SC really

shines, Tracker managing to

cram so much into the layout

without compromising

internal space.

Standard features on

the bow include a casting

deck with electric motor, a

separate main-motor trim

switch, heaps of dedicated

tackle storage, a sizeable

plumbed livewell and a

central rod-locker to suit

seven-foot rods.

Within the cockpit you

have the option of loading

it up with extra seats – there

are five seat positions

available, or you can just

leave them all out for big

fishing days. The gunwales

feature full lockers either

side of the cockpit rather

than the usual sidepockets,

another good idea.

At the helm, the small

side-console with large

screen is well protected

when driving, looks flash

with the moulded gauge

inserts, and can take a

medium-sized GPS/sounder

as a dash mount. In the stern

you have another usable

casting deck and another

large split livewell and bait

bucket, plus battery storage.

The V-175SC was fitted

with the latest 115hp

Mercury FourStroke and was

put through its paces over

three days in Hervey Bay,

fishing the inside of Fraser

Island.

Slipping into the captain’s

chair for the 50km run back

to Urangan, I hooked into

the lee of Fraser and set the

cruise speed at 30kts – that

was the last time I touched

the throttle until we caught

the swell and chop hooking

around Moon Point.

As if that wasn’t impressive

enough, we also arrived

back in the harbour feeling

relaxed and far from abused

by the ride – the V-175SC

produces one of the

smoothest and softest tinnie

rides I’ve felt in long time.

At WOT the 115hp

achieved 33kts at 5500rpm,

which is good and holeshot

was responsive. In the mid-

range I found the optimum

cruise speed around 25kts

at 4500rpm in varied

conditions.

Along with delivering top

performance characteristics

the Mercury 115hp

FourStroke was exceptionally

good on fuel – over the

weekend the Tracker

sipped down a measly 65lt.

Considering the mileage we

covered, nobody complained

about the fuel bill.

Clean and innovative

layouts combined with

excellently riding aluminium

hulls are definitely Tracker’s

forte. The standard

inclusions are good, the

build is of decent quality, it

looks the part, is easy to tow,

and stands out on the water

in a number of areas.

Tracker Pro-Guide V-175SC

FOUR SEASONS FISHER

quick specs

Tracker Pro-Guide V-175SC

PRICE AS TESTED $43,000

MATERIAL 3mm plate

aluminium

LENGTH 5.18m

BEAM 2.46m

ENGINE 115hp Mercury EFI

four-stroke

FUEL 80lt

FOR MORE INFO

Visit fishingandleisureboats.

com.au

STORY & PHOTO KEVIN SMITH

tradeboats.com.au 89

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