Tracker Pro Team 195 TXW Review

The Tracker Pro Team 195 TXW is a versatile aluminum bass boat that represents real value for anglers.

Aluminum bass boats have long been popular with anglers who fish shallow, stump-infested waters where durability trumps all else. In many ways, aluminum bass boats might represent the ultimate freshwater fishing machines, with their expansive raised casting decks, comfortable amenities, low maintenance requirements and their amazing ability to be easily launched on lakes and rivers with rough ramps – or no ramps at all. Add in their light weight that makes them easy to tow behind mid-sized vehicles, and their attractive price tags that represent real value, and it’s easy to see why aluminum bass rigs continue to find new fans every year.

As one of the first companies to build aluminum bass boats, Tracker Boats has learned a thing or two about making the most of this versatile platform. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the company’s Tracker Pro Team 195 TXW, a fully loaded, 18-foot model that’s more boat than meets the eye.

Like a big casting deck? The Pro Team 195 TXW comes with 39 square feet of it; simply huge for an 18-foot boat.

For starters, the Tracker Pro Team 195 TXW rides on Tracker’s all-welded Revolution hull with its full-length, robotically welded stringer and transom system. This design gives the boat structural strength for long life, while preserving interior storage space. The hull follows a modified V profile, giving the Pro Team 195 better handling in rough water without sacrificing its shallow water performance. The hull is finished in Tracker’s Diamond Coat finish with its industry-exclusive powder coat and clear coat top layer for dazzling good looks. And with a nod to practicality, the gunnels are capped with the company’s VersaTrack accessory-mounting channel that lets owners position accessories wherever they’re needed, and without having to drill holes in the boat.

A huge in-deck rod locker accommodates rods to eight feet in length.

Step up on the huge raised front deck and you’ll find plenty of space for a couple of anglers to cast on its soft, carpeted surface. If the front deck looks enormous, that’s because it is – do the math and it’s a whopping 39 square feet of casting space here. Even with a pedestal-mount seat in place, there’s still plenty of room to move about. Lift the deck lids and you’ll find two large storage compartments for bulky gear, and a lockable center rod box that accommodates rods to eight feet in length. The lid lifts on twin gas rams, leaving both hands free to stow or retrieve tackle. Rod hold-down straps are standard equipment, of course, along with the Minn Kota Edge 12-volt, 55-pound thrust foot controlled electric motor. The foot control nestles into a deck nook complete with tool holders and a cup holder, leaving plenty of space to mount electronics. A trim switch for the main engine is conveniently located on the bow panel.

The all-new helm console puts all the critical gauges right where they’re easily visible.

Step down to the main cockpit of the Tracker Pro Team 195 TXW and you can’t but help notice the big Tracker’s all-new console design, complete with new multifunction gauges (speedometer/fuel plus tachometer/trim) plus a volt meter and water pressure gauge. There’s also room to the right of the console for a standard Lowrance HOOK-4x color fish finder w/CHIRP sonar. Baystar hydraulic tilt steering is also standard, as is the attractive soft-touch sport steering wheel. Rounding out the cockpit is an in-floor cooler located in the step leading up to the bow deck, and passenger rod storage for six rods along the port gunnel, complete with a bungee-style retainer strap.

A massive 27 gallon recirculating live well in the aft deck includes timer control and a divider.

The stern casting deck is also quite spacious, but not to the same extent as the bow platform. That’s where you’ll find a pair of storage compartments that are perfectly sized to hold three Plano single-level boxes each. The rear deck also houses the boat’s standard 27-gallon recirculating live well, complete with a divider, timer control, lights and a pump-out system with dual overflow drains.

Since the big Tracker even comes with a trailer with a swing-away tongue, there aren’t a lot of goodies left for the option list. Replacing the standard carpeted interior with a more durable, faster drying vinyl floor is one popular option, as is the available Power Pole mounting kit.

With maximum power the Pro Team 195 TXW planes in about three seconds and reaches top speeds of approximately 57 mph.

The Tracker Pro Team 195 TXW is rated to handle outboards of up to 150 horsepower, and it runs like a champ with maximum power. With a Mercury 150 four-stroke, the Pro Team 195 TXW will hop on plane in about three seconds and quickly reach a top speed of over 57 mph. Ordering the boat with a 115 will save a couple of thousand dollars at retail and deliver a bit more fuel economy, while still delivering top-end speeds in the 50 mph range. For anglers who fish mainly smaller waters, this may be an attractive alternative.

No matter how it’s rigged, the Tracker Pro Team 195 TXW is a nicely equipped, well designed aluminum bass boat that represents solid value on the water.