Opinion and info on Tournament V-18 help

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Gigahertz

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I am trying to decide if a Tournament V-18 is what I want/need as an upgrade of my 1995 tracker Pro 17.



I ask the following question on iboats but did not get a single response so I am hoping your guys can help me out with your opinions.



"Just spent a whole afternoon searching online and reading up on all that I was able to find on the Tournament V18 and the V18 All Fish model.



Currently I have a 1994 Tracker Pro 17 I bought a couple of years ago for $2500 (my first boat). Other than a few problems: rotten carpet, disintegrating main deck (plywood), dead tachometer, 5 leaky rivets, etc etc, the boat mostly works but I think it's time to decide whether to overhaul the boat and spend some money on it or to just sell it.



I fish mostly at Lake Havasu, AZ and along the Colorado River. I love the Pro 17 because with it I can get into all the coves out here (even the really shallow ones). It basically can do what I need it to except for the following areas:



1) Rough water handling. It goes without saying that an aluminum boat with a Mod-V hull will not do well in chops and here at Lake Havasu it can get quite choppy from the wind or just boat traffic.



2) More space. I usually fish alone or with one of my buddies. With it's narrow profile and the limited amount of storage, I always end up tripping over things while trying to move around the boat. May be I should just learn to pack lite?



So here I am. So far the Tournament V18 seems to be exactly what I want as my second boat and I want to see if you guys will care to give me some "if I were you" kind of advice.



To start off I have the following questions:



1) Compared to a Pro17, how much higher (approx.) does the V18 ride? I was told that the higher the boat rides the more it (side of the hull) acts like a sail, how bad is it on the V18's compared to a Mod-V hulled Pro 17?



2) How much lower (below water)does it ride? I want to know how much bottom clearance (draft?) I will be sacrificing by going with the V18 vs my Pro17. The river gets quite shallow at some parts.



3) How fast can the V18 go with the stock 90hp motor? How much faster will it be with the optional 115hp motor?



4) I noticed that the 2006 and older Tournament V18 has a shorter (compared to the 2007 and newer models' 35 Gal.) live well. Does anyone here know the volume or the length of the live well on the 2006 and older V18's? I need a good sized one for the nice kitties we have here in the river.



5) Finally, are there certain model year that I should look for or avoid for specific reasons?





Oh yeah also, does anyone know where I can download the owner's manual on the Tournament V18?



Thanks so much for taking the time to read my looonnnggg post and thanks in advance for all the valuable advice you guys have for me on my search for a new (used) boat!!!!



Have a great weekend!"
 
The Tin crowd outta be along to help but it sounds like you already have your answer. You need to move up in size. There are going to be give and takes with any boat. Yes, it will get blown by the wind so upgrade your TM to handle it. The only time I have seen draft as a problem is with the Florida crowd who fish veeeery shallow, for most of us it's a non issue most of the time. Havasu is not known for being shallow....skinny water is skinny water and no model is going to be great. You have a lot higher boat. Buy a long handled net, problem solved. Others will give you more info.
 
Yeah that is why I am a little worry about the way it rides. I do a lot of night fishing and I usually would beach the boat on a beach, with my current boat it is not much of a problem getting on and of the boat since it rides pretty low out of the water. Is the V-18 that much higher? I am hoping that it is a little higher than a mod-V boat but not as high as the V-hull boats like the Tracker Targa.



Thanks for your reply.



 
I have a few answers to your questions. I have a 09 tourney v18. Love it. Plenty of storage space. With the deep V design it handles rough water as well as any glass boat. I spend a lot of time on Ky lake and it gets rough. With the 90 you can get 40 mph with the 115 you can get 43 to 45. I have had both on my boat. Up graded to the 115 for the extra power. I carry alot of gear and run a 24 volt TM. Sets a little deeper in the warer but shollow water is not a problem. I have the large livewell, plenty of room for the big fish. I had a Pro team 18 with a mod V prior to this boat-No comparison on the ride. The Mod V would beat u to death on a chop. Sounds like the Tourney V18 would work for you.
 
Thanks so much for your reply. It's great to hear from someone who actually owns one of these. I totally agree with you about the old Pro series Mod-V hull. when I first got my 94' Pro17 two years ago I could run the boat all day and not have a single drop of water in the boat, it was amazing! Then after a few choppy days of running up and down the lake water started to appear inside the hull and now I have to turn on the bilge pump every 2 to 3 hours to keep up with the leaks. My boat has a 40 on it and it struggles to hit 30. I found out the leaks are from 4 rivets which I am going to replace.



I read that adding a Jack Plate will help get more speed on a 90, have you looked into that?



Thanks again for your reply!
 
If you do get the V18 with the 90 putting a jack plate on it is not worth the cost for a extra mile an hour. The boat will run fully loaded with gear 39/40 mph. The pro team 18 I had had a few leaking rivets also. Good fishing.
 
Coming from barely hitting 30, 39/40 loaded sounds really good.



Thanks!



 
Sorry for the delay in responding, but my little retirement "fun" has turned into a full time position selling Trackers. I own a 2009 V18 with a 115 opti and could not be happier. I have ridden and driven many boats the last few years, and I would not trade my V18 for any of them (except if I could sell one of the others and take the money to buy another v18). I have had mine in perfect calm and in 4 foot waves on a stormy Kentucky Lake. It has been an absolute delight in EVERY condition, and I continually get offers on the rig. The HDS system and Terrova ipilot are great, but the one upgrade I would recommend is a Spitfire prop. It is a Mercury4 blade made for this type of hull. My top end (46 gps at 5500rpm) has not changed, but I get there VERY quickly. I hope this helps. If you have any other questions, just shoot me an email.
 
Gigahertz - Two thumbs up on "Coming from barely hitting 30, 39/40 loaded sounds really good."!! I moved from a Tracker 175 PC with a 40Merc (28mph to a Nitro 700lx with a 115 (55mph)!!! I really wanted a TV18 with the 115 back in 2006, but needed a Dual Console due to my tourney partner being my then 9 year old son, and they don't / didn't make them dual console anymore, and I could not find a used TV18 with Dual Console. Everyone I know who had them loves them. Like others, never bad to get the most HP you can on the boat if you can afford it, I would think 90 would be the MINIMUM you'd ever want on that boat, and if you plan to keep it for 5-10 years, get what you want, if you don't need to worry about resale value (or not much), get the 90 if it fits your needs.
 
Thanks for the encouragements. Yeah, it seems that people who had the opportunity to either own or fished from the Tournament V-18 all have good things to say about their experience.



May be that is why there are so few newer Tournament V-18 on the market right now. I think I might have to wait till it's off season before I can find one at a reason price. The few that are on the market are all at least $2000 over NADA average retail price. For example there is a 2010 right now on the market and the asking price is $15,995...ouch!



From what I have read so far I think this boat will do what I need it to so once I got myself one I plan on keeping it for a while.
 
I also have a 2009 TV 18 with a 115 Optimax. I upgraded the trolling motor to 24 volt digital 75#. Absolutley love this boat and nothing comes close in aluminum to this boat.

Just google Tracker tournament v 18 for sale and it will pull up different sites. I actually used google alerts for a 2009 model and was emailed when one was listed and ended up buying it last September. Had 3 hours on it and paid 15k but you wont pay less than 10k for one older than 2006. The guy paid 20k for it new. 2010 is the last year these were built and that year they were all blue, which i didnt care for. Good luck
 
Good idea! Thanks!



I just set up a couple of Google Alerts and hopefully I will find something soon.



I have a question for you. Aside from NADA boat guide, what is a good source for boat valuation quotes? I am finding that all the Tournament V-18's I am seeing on the market are listed quite a bit over the NADA average retail.



I don't have much experience shopping for boats, I am wondering:



1) Does the price go up during the summer?

2) When will there be more boats on the market? May be Winter or Spring?



It's just so frustrating looking for a new toy and can't find one :p



Thanks so much for your input, have a great weekend!



 
Just traded in my 2005 TV18 for a new 2014 Z7. I loved the TV18. Had the 115 Mercury on it and got it up to 47 mph with just me in the boat and my gear. Never had a problem with the boat or motor over all those years. Hated to trade it in but just love the new Z7. If you do find a TV18, I hope it runs as well as mine did.
 
I'll bet mine is the oldest TV-18 still held by the original owner. 2001 dual console with a 2002 Merc 150XR6.

I love my boat, even with all its faults. It survived being sideswiped by a semi on the highway, getting lodged under a dock by a flowing current, and even four-foot rollers on Lake of the Ozarks. Once I learned how to start a cold motor, I've not been frustrated. It needs a 24-volt trolling motor (long shaft), and a beefier battery charger than the stock one. Mine comfortably fishes three big guys, and is downright spacious with two.
 
I have a hint/suggestion for all tin boat guys.... If you encounter leaking rivets, I suggest that you replace them, as I did. I replaced every rivet below the waterline on my 93 Tracker Targa 19. Took them out 1/2 (every other one), in one "project", and then the other 1/2. I replaced them with stainless steel 3/16th in pop rivets that are used to assemble semi-trailers. They are monster rivets! They have a structural rating in the "tons". Each old rivet was drilled out, the hole enlarged to 3/16ths, and then two-part marine epoxy was "swabbed" into the hole, inside and out, and then the rivet was "pulled" (only way) with a pneumatic rivet tool. (these are not your fix the gutter type pop rivets, there are industrial strength) That was four years ago. Not one popped rivet or leak, since. And, as Toxic knows, I would routinely run in very rough water (4-6's) on places like the Bay of Green Bay. This solution was proposed by a friend who is a retired "body and fender" guy. I can send anybody that wants them, the specs on the rivets
 
I bought a 2005 TV18 in aug of 13. It was as factory prepaired w/a 90 Carb Mercury. The best top end was 42 with light
load and no passenger. I have since updated to a 125 but am in the break in mode so I have no performance report. The boat has
a great rough water ride, and it is very wind resistant when using the TM due to the short sidewalls. This boat doesnt have the
sail or kite effect associated w/alum boats.
The only negative is the way it leans when going into a turn, and while fishing, if your passenger stands off center on the rear deck, it doesnt
take much to make the hull list to one side. As wide as the hull is at the stern, one would think that this wouldnt be a problem.
The TV18 is a a great boat, but Trackers bean counters discontinued it it favor of the semi V.

My advice, if you can find one of these boats FS in a reasonable driving distance, buy it. So far I
have not seen a bargain priced TV18. The owners know what the have, and they will bring premium money.
Since I'm out of break in on the 125, I have had it to 50mph GPS running single,loaded, 43 w/partner. As we speak w/all the modifications, electronics, New Motor, I am sure I have as much invested as the boat cost new, but I have no regrets. Its a fine ride. Larry in western Ky
 
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Hey Guys,

I have not been monitoring this thread for a while and I did not notice you replies till now.

So I did it, a week after my last post it bought a 2009 V18 with a 115 Optimax.

After having it for a year I have to say this boat is awesome! It has all the space I need and it handles the big wake/waves at Lake Havasu beautifully.

The only thing I am trying to figure out still is the top speed. With me and my gear the boat is topping out at 40mph (GPS). From what I have read so far, people are getting high 40's with the 115 Opti. I called Mercury and they told me that as long as I am hitting the max RPM there is not much that can be done. I also spoke to one of the senior mechanic at Tracker and he said that 40 is all I should expect out of my boat.

Next time I am going to do a test run with no gear and see how much faster it will go. The only extra heavy item on the boat is the second battery for my 24V trolling motor.

Any ideas?

I will post an update in a few weeks.

Thanks for all your replies!
 
With the right information to go on....prop to pad measurement, prop size and pitch, rpm's at wot, etc., we might be able to tell if you can get more speed out of setup or a different prop.
 
Thanks for replying, I will have to wait till my next trip out so I can get the info and report back.

I live in LA and my boat is in AZ so I have no access to it at the moment.

Thx again
 
Gig you should be running 45 plus with your 115. My identical boat w/a carburated 90
was running 42 loaded, single. Try a 20 Laser II prop.that has been slightly cupped.
to turn 5800. It will work wonders on your boat. Larry in western Ky.
 

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