Quality boats !

[sjcslk]

I'm curious about responses here. Here in Michigan on one of the sportsman sites theres a person quite knowledgeable about fishing boats and here is what he said: "Alumacraft, Lund, Crestliner and possibly Princecraft are at a higher level. Starcraft, Lowe, Polarcraft and G2 are all excellent mid level boats". Do most here generally agree and are there any other fishing boats you would put in a category? Just trying to gain some knowledge, not create controversy.

 

[Sprig]

I agree Lund, Alumacraft and Crestliner are top of the line aluminum boats. I’d add a couple to that, that you mostly find on the west coast - Alumaweld, North River, Smokercraft, Hewescraft are also top line boats. The other boats are maybe a half step down but are still good boats. I’d be happy with any of the boats mentioned.
i have a 19’ Alumaweld, a great all around boat. I have it all set up for fishing but have pulled skiers behind it. It also a good rough water boat. It’s taken me safely home through some nasty conditions.

 

[JimS123]

Since I would rate Starcraft and Alumacraft in the same category, I would also have to rate them all alike.

OTOH, if you added Tracker to the mix I would rate them at the bottom.

 

[ahicks]

Re: top shelf alum. boats, Sea Ark needs to be right up there as well.

 

[Texasmark]

Over the years I had Alumacraft open 12 and 14', Starcraft I/O 18' Holiday, and as of last year, 2002 Crestliner 1750 Fish Hawk. I like the Crestliner the best for numerous reasons and if I were to buy again, doubt it, it would be Crestliner preferred.

 

[Texasmark]

I learned that a long time ago. When you decide you want something used, prepare yourself before you go shopping. Once prepared, when you spot what you think you want, immediately investigate and if suitable, pounce on it. Procrastination for whatever reason can cost you....BTDT

 

[Captain Caveman]

I've heard similar sentiments but can't verify for sure. I have a best friend with a beautiful 18ft Lund and another with an 18ft Crestliner. I run a 16' Alumacraft. They all have their pros and cons.

Years ago I heard negative things about the Tracker (G2/G3) boats. However, there sure seem to be a lot more of them out there. I just compared new 16ft Lunds with 90hp to new 16' Trackers with 90hp. The pricing appears to be roughly the same around $26-$28k. The Lunds are always nice but I was surprisingly impressed with some of the things in the Tracker. I haven't seen any of them sink in a lake, so my guess is that their quality has improved quite a bit.

My neighbor has a Tracker but I don't think that I'm qualified to opine on it in any way. I suspect that is the same for most of us. We have decent experience with one or two brands but not all of them!

 

[sjcslk]

Over the years I had Alumacraft open 12 and 14', Starcraft I/O 18' Holiday, and as of last year, 2002 Crestliner 1750 Fish Hawk. I like the Crestliner the best for numerous reasons and if I were to buy again, doubt it, it would be Crestliner preferred.

I recently saw a post for a Fish Hawk for sale and the guy was calling it a bass boat. It doesnt look like a bass boat to me. Would you say its a bass boat? I'm not looking for a bass boat and I'm partial to Cresliners, too.

 

[JimS123]

I recently saw a post for a Fish Hawk for sale and the guy was calling it a bass boat. It doesnt look like a bass boat to me. Would you say its a bass boat? I'm not looking for a bass boat and I'm partial to Cresliners, too.

Many people with boats don't have a clue about boating. I recently saw an ad for a 16' Bayliner OB runabout and the guy advertised it as a "speedboat". Another guy was selling his flat bottom, square bow aluminum boat and he called it a JackBoat....LOL.

 

[Texasmark]

I recently saw a post for a Fish Hawk for sale and the guy was calling it a bass boat. It doesnt look like a bass boat to me. Would you say its a bass boat? I'm not looking for a bass boat and I'm partial to Cresliners, too.

The Fish Hawk isn't a bass boat. It's a runabout with a fore and stern deck, both with mounting positions for the movable/removable seats. It comes with a trolling motor. In the 1750 size, it isn't setup for 4 folks on Sunday afternoon playing with water toys as 2 of the occupants would have to either be in the water, use seats inserted in the bow and stern decks, or only have the helm and opposite seat (on the Dual Console models) and the other two occupants just sit on the decks.

For the person that chooses to use it to fish for Bass, it's very convenient and has enough freeboard to keep you dry when the going gets windy and you want to fish. With the 91" beam, there is plenty of room.