Tracker vs Ranger

We are looking at getting either a Tracker Targa V19 Tournament Edition or a Ranger 1880 MS Angler. This will be our first boat purchase and were hoping to get some input from anyone with pros/cons. We are looking at fish & ski as the wife wants something for the family too. We will be using it for a lot of fishing though and possible High School tournaments. Any input would be greatly appreciated!

I just bought an 1850 Reata – its the same hull as the MS Angler. The Angler is geared a bit more towards fishing and the Reata is the true fish and ski.

I didn’t compare to Tracker but I did to Lund and it was no comparison. I’d reach out to the guys at The Boat Center in Chippewa Falls – even if you don’t go with a Ranger they will be super helpful. They also have the Skeeter Solara which would be an option for you.

Thanks for the input. We are leaning towards the Ranger. We looked at Lund, Tracker, SmokerCraft and Alumacraft. We thought that the Ranger, although more expensive, just had a better feel to it.

Thanks again for your input!

Expected use, length of ownership, resale, cost all need to be considered. If you intend to use it for years it’s Ranger for sure. If you need to get into something affordable that floats and is a short term thing until another boat then Tracker. HOWEVER under no circumstances get talked into under powering either boat. Stay within 20% of the max rating.

Go luck and have fun.

Not often talked about, but an on water demo will shed light on how the given models you mentioned “track” in the water.
Best boat control wins the happy guy decision.

I’d go with the Ranger 11 times out of 10.

Friends don’t let friends buy Trackers.

If looking, I would compare apples to apples, maybe a warrior 198v, skeeter 1910 or solera, yarcraft has the allure, much more comparable to the ranger.

Get with Dean Marshal (above) for an on the water demo.

I don’t know how a person can compare a aluminum boat to a glass boat…but that’s just me.

Dean’s phone number is at the bottom of his post.

Thank you all for the input, it’s definitely been helpful.

Dusty Gesinger wrote:

If looking, I would compare apples to apples, maybe a warrior 198v, skeeter 1910 or solera, yarcraft has the allure, much more comparable to the ranger.

Triton makes the Allure

That’s the one.

I have a 2015 Ranger 1880 Angler that I bought last fall and I could not be happier. If you can afford a Ranger then that is what I would get. Rangers hold their value so if you want to upgrade down the road the Ranger will be worth a lot more than a Tracker of the same age. Just look at Walleye Central used boats to get an idea of resale value.