Thanks to all who tried to provide insight into composite stringer grids.

I came away with the following:

Wood or no wood, how it's done matters most. To that end, I called the factory
to arrange for a tour of the production process; l was told it is only done
through the dealer, which is too bad, because that means I may have to engage
in negotation before I've actually decided to purchase. More on that in a bit.

The boat is question is the Fishmaster model 1960 sold by Travis, built by
Dynasty. Also comes in slightly different trim as a Polar 1910 model.

While Travis branded boats don't have a great reputation, there is reason for
optimism. I have seen continuous improvement on the overall quality of this
model and others in the model lineup over several years. Viewed from the
outside, the boat itself appears well constructed, especially in it's price
class. The hardware quality and overall finish are quite good, and the
features are well thought out.

Travis is a bit of a puzzle. They are struggling, and Tracker may be
positioning itself for a takeover via a series of loans that give Tracker
increasing control of Travis. I don't have a problem with Tracker, but Travis'
instability is troubling from a service and resale perspective. There is only
one store in Georgia, and it is not hard to imagine it closing.

This particular model comes rigged with the Suzuki 140 four stroke, and the 150
EFI two stroke is also available. I have no problem owning either motor. The
140 is tempting for the user friendliness, but I suspect the 150 will actually
outperform the 140 by more than the listed 10 hp. Suzuki is well represented
in north Georgia, with four dealers besides Travis.

There are other hurdles to tackle, like the boat space in my driveway, already
challenged by my bass boat's 84" of beam. The 1960 is 102". And then there is
my V6 Sport Trac towing around 3000+ pounds instead of the current 2000 pounds
I currently tow. But those are other stories for another post, another time.

And finally, I want to offer this observation: It would have been so easy for
the previous thread to have been strictly about the original question, or
reasonable tangents to the issue at hand, without the personal attacks that now
represent the majority of interaction in this group. Wouldn't that be nice?


-- Rich Stern
www.nitroowners.com - The Nitro and Tracker Owners Web Site
www.mypontoon.com - The Pontoon Boat Web Site
www.fishingreportdatabase.com - The Fishing Report Database
www.mysporttrac.com - The Sport Trac Web Site