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Brief Summary
The Tracker Panfish 16 has a mission that’s clearly defined in her name, but she’s equally comfortable in skinny water fishing for anything from Bass to Crappie to Perch. Her unique “stick” steering at the forward seat allows for improved visibility while maneuvering through tight streams, flooded timber and stick-ups. Being a Tracker, she comes fully equipped and at a price point that’s hard to resist.
Key Features
- Marine-grade, cut-pile fishing-friendly Midnight Star carpet
- Light-touch stick steering
- 2 oversized fishing chairs with locking swivel and 4 drink holders
- Rugged 1-piece all-welded Mod V hull with all-aluminum transom
- Minn Kota 12V thrust, foot-control trolling motor
- Lowrance fishfinder with surface temperature and swivel
- 14-gallon aerated livewell with cushion top
- 2 top-loading carpeted 8' rod/gear lockers, 2 underseat dry storage boxes
- Interstate cranking and trolling batteries
- Custom factory-matched trailer with 13'' radial wheels and all-welded frame
Specifications
Length Overall | 16' 2'' / 4.93 m |
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Beam |
5' 10'' 1.78 m |
Dry Weight |
766 lbs. 347 kg |
Draft | N/A |
Deadrise/Transom | 6-deg. |
Max Headroom | open |
Bridge Clearance | N/A |
Weight Capacity |
880 lbs. 399 L |
Person Capacity | 4 |
Fuel Capacity |
11.4 gal. 43 L |
Water Capacity | N/A |
Engine Options
Tested Engine |
Currently no test numbers |
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Std. Power |
Not Available |
Opt. Power |
1 x 20-hp Mercury EL FourStroke 1 x 20-hp Mercury ELPT 4-stroke 1 x 25-hp Mercury ELPT 4-stroke EFI 1 x 40-hp Mercury ELPT 4-stroke 1 x 9.9-hp Mercury ELPT 4-stroke Command Thrust ProKicker |
Warranty
Deck Warranty Extended | Limited Lifetime |
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Captain's Report
Learn More
Watch Our Video
Mission Statement
The Tracker Panfish 16 was made for maneuvering into skinny water, through weeds, and around flooded logs to get to the little hidey-holes where fish love to congregate. With the controls at the forward seat it’s easy to blaze a trail through it all, and once on site, lower the trolling motor and start fishing, all without ever leaving the seat you rode in on.
Major Features
Features Inspection
Getting There
Starting with her most unique feature, the Panfish 16 is controlled from the forward seat with stick steering. This allows for great visibility while driving especially when working through a debris filled stream. With the base 20-hp engine, Tracker tells us that she’ll reach speeds between 22 to 24 mph. Need more? She’s rated for up to 40-hp.
Seats are fore and aft and both swivel. Two more can fit on the padded seat in the middle, which keeps the light boat well balanced.
Once on Site
Once arrived on site, kill the outboard, raise the engine, lower the trolling motor, get baited up, and start fishing, all without EVER leaving the seat you started in.
Having the stick steering at the forward position not only allows for great visibility, but functionality. The captain is already in a perfect position at the trolling motor foot control. With the 14-gallon (53 L) aerated livewell in the center of the boat, all that’s required to bait up is to swivel the seat around. Tracker even included a removable minnow bucket as standard.
Rods can be stored in the two top-loading storage compartments, 10’ (3 m) to port and 7’ (2.1 m) to starboard. These are certainly convenient, but we’d also add bungees or straps to the top of these lids to secure a rod for those quick jaunts from one spot to the next, and not have to stow the rods or worry about the gear sliding around on the deck.
The comfort seats can be folded out of the way when not in use. And don’t worry, the hinges are pinchless.
We’ll be maneuvering through the spots with the help of the included Minn Kota Edge 45-lb. thrust, 45” (114 cm) shaft foot-controlled trolling motor and we’ll have a good view of the bottom thanks to the Lowrance X-4 fishfinder.
Getting Home
Once the day is done, it’s time to head back home. Tracker included plenty of storage throughout the Panfish 16 so that she can swallow up all the gear.
The included trailer comes color matched and is fully protected with Galvashield corrosion protection. EZ-Lube hubs remove the worry about highway travel. Driving onto the trailer couldn’t be easier thanks to the upright load guides that Tracker now adds to the standard package. And with a package weight of only 1,495 lbs. (678 kg), she can be transported by even the most modest tow vehicle.
Pricing and Options
Tracker has a long-standing reputation for making its boats affordable and the Panfish 16 is another example of that commitment.
The MSRP is $11,995 with a Mercury 25-hp 4-stroke.
Now we know what you’re thinking. “For that price you get a stripped boat”, right? Wrong! Tracker doesn’t play those games. This boat is fully equipped, ready to trailer, ready to fish, right off the showroom floor (of course we’re not considering registration etc…). In fact, taking a look at the options list shows how well equipped this boat is. There are only two items on it… a strap cover ($385) and a brake upgrade for the trailer ($445).
Warranty
The following items are part of the Tracker Promise Warranty --
Construction
We’ve done plenty of reports on the construction of Tracker boats and they can be seen at the side bar to the right of this report. The broad-stroked version is that Tracker uses an all-welded construction method over riveting. The hull is one-piece with pressed in strakes and chines welded in for added strength. A longitudinal stringer system runs full length to support the running surface. The transom is box-beam and corner braced to unitize and further strengthen the hull. Then all the void areas are injected with expanding foam for more stiffness, a quiet ride, and to dampen noise from being transmitted to the water. The short version is, these boats are tough and made to take punishment.
Observations
Probably the easiest job in the industry is selling Tracker boats. They keep on coming off the assembly line in an endless stream and none stay for long on the showroom floor. They all come fully equipped, with scant options to worry about. And they all carry a price-point that is designed to keep them moving. Tracker makes its money not from jacking up the price and gouging customers for profit. It makes its money in shear volume. And the only way to do that is to offer a quality product at a decent price. Mission accomplished.