Starcraft Islander?

[mich-fish]

I have owned several glass boats but am seriously thinking of aluminum. My question is Islander?, Sylvan offshore? Sea-Nymph or Sabre? Any help would be appreciated. Anything special to look at on any model? Planning on 4.3 or larger engine. Boat will be mainly used on Saginaw Bay, Lake Huron and Michigan. Thank You

 

[jasoutside]

Re: Starcraft Islander?

Welcome to iboats mich-fish! You haven't yet posted your local but I do believe we must be neighbors

Fiberglass to aluminum? Excellent decision

The boats you just mentioned would all be great for fishing in our area.

What kind of budget are you working with? That would help us give ya advice on what to look for.

$500? Well, not much but a decent aluminum hull ready to completely and totally rebuild/repower.

$10,000? Well, you should be able to score a turn key, ready to fish rig.

Cheers

 

[mich-fish]

Re: Starcraft Islander?

I was willing to spend up to 10k, maybe more for a sweet deal. I would prefer to be less but would depend on condition of boats. I have seen your project Islander and am impressed, Great job, cant wait to see ya in the bay or in the Saginaw river with it.

 

[jasoutside]

Re: Starcraft Islander?

Ah Yup, Shields, we are neighbors.

Cool, well since you aren't bottom feeder budget category (like me) your route to the water will be a whole lot less pain than what I'm going through, ugh....

I do believe your challenge will be the hunt. Late model big alum boats don't go up for sale very often. Seems like I'll see a few per year in lower MI. Shoot, they don't even build the Islander anymore.

Yah, I do believe mine will be ready to float at some point in 2012 - I hope!

 

[1973Chieftain]

Re: Starcraft Islander?

Welcome aboard! There are several newer islanders on CL right now, like this one
http://detroit.craigslist.org/okl/boa/2848559542.html

 

[1973Chieftain]

Re: Starcraft Islander?

Or this one for $3700
http://saginaw.craigslist.org/boa/2852358996.html

 

[Jet Mech 71]

Re: Starcraft Islander?

Well I had a glass boat before I got my Islander. IMO I love not having a glass boat. They are a lot heavier, which means bigger engines to do the same speed and more fuel to tow. The down side is wind will mess with you more on the water. I was told that the Sulivan boat is more or less a Starcraft. Just configured a little different and sold under a different name. That was told to me by a Starcraft dealer in Idaho. Have never done any more digging to find out for sure. I love the Islander, and so does everyone at the ramp. Not a lot of them here in WA. I get lots of attention at the ramp and on the water. Good luck finding one. You will love it I am sure. I would pay the extra and have it looked over by a shop just to say yourself the hassle of getting stuck with a money pit. In fact I bought mine for MI and had it shipped to WA, that is how much I wanted one. LOL

 

[1216bandit]

Re: Starcraft Islander?

As stated above, the Islander and Sylvan Offshore are basically the same boat. With your budget you should not have any problem finding something sea worthy and in very nice shape, with probably lots of fishing goodies included! I moved up from a 19' Islander to the 22' and really like the extra room as well as the performance of the 4.3. Some models have rear facing pedestal seats behind the main seats which can be taken out and give you even more room, others have a rear facing seat built onto the back of the box the main seat sits on. My 1993 has a small live well under the forward passenger seat and I believe some of the later years they put the livewell under the floor. The older Islanders have a bit more freeboard, not sure what year they made the change but they can be pretty much identified by the much lower bow rail, so there have been some changes from year to year
When shopping for my 22' I used a program that allowed me to search huge areas of craigslist at one time, saves you from looking city by city. Ended up finding a great deal down in Kentucky. Dont forget..the closer we get to spring the greater the choices! Have fun!
few more for ya
http://swmi.craigslist.org/boa/2841842859.html


this one sounds like its worth checking out...2nd owner, indoor heated stored and lots of goodies
http://swmi.craigslist.org/boa/2846006454.html

 

[ricohman]

Re: Starcraft Islander?

I looked long and hard for a good used example. But where I live it was an immpossible task.
So I bought a new 2011 and drove cross country to get it. There is something about a great lakes boat that I have always been drawn too.

 

[Jet Mech 71]

Re: Starcraft Islander?

I can totally relate. I live in WA and bought mine in MI. There we a few out here but all were I/O. I just didnt want another I/O. After looking at Starcraft's website and seeing the bracket, I knew what I wanted. Spent a few months looking, calling dealers ect. Then I found mine on CL. I could not wait to get it! I am glad I held out for what I wanted. No regrets at all for me. I know you are going to love your Islander. They are a great boat, well built and easy to handle. The only issue I had was docking. Because it is light, I tend to come in a little fast even at idle. It has taken some practice but I have gotten pretty good with it now. I just have to make sure I turn the helm seat so I can get into reverse more. That would be my one complaint about my controls.
Enjoy it, and have fun on the water.

 

[ricohman]

Re: Starcraft Islander?

I can totally relate. I live in WA and bought mine in MI. There we a few out here but all were I/O. I just didnt want another I/O. After looking at Starcraft's website and seeing the bracket, I knew what I wanted. Spent a few months looking, calling dealers ect. Then I found mine on CL. I could not wait to get it! I am glad I held out for what I wanted. No regrets at all for me. I know you are going to love your Islander. They are a great boat, well built and easy to handle. The only issue I had was docking. Because it is light, I tend to come in a little fast even at idle. It has taken some practice but I have gotten pretty good with it now. I just have to make sure I turn the helm seat so I can get into reverse more. That would be my one complaint about my controls.
Enjoy it, and have fun on the water.

Thats why they make both models!
I wanted the 4.3 instead of another outboard for my own reasons. And they do seem to have a loyal following. Unfortunately, some owners of older well used examples seem to want nearly what a new one was worth.

 

[Jet Mech 71]

Re: Starcraft Islander?

Oh yea I have seen that. I looked at one here after I got mine. It was an I/O and it was 3 years older and they wanted 3K more than I paid for mine. The sales guy told me he was asking 1K more than he owed. I didnt trust what he said but still, these boats do seem to get a high resale price it seems.

 

[mich-fish]

Re: Starcraft Islander?

Thanks for the inputs guys. I have called on several and it seems that some of the deals are sold right away. I am debating on if I would want a hardtop. I just dont think that there would be good ventilation on those hot windlass days drifting on the bay. I could put a generator and install a/c and use a drop curtain of course.

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: Starcraft Islander?

Shoot Bond-o (moderator) a PM. He owns an Islander with a V-6 and a home brewed hardtop. He is very familiar with those boats.

 

[Jet Mech 71]

Re: Starcraft Islander?

For ventilation on mine, just open the bow hatch and have the window down in the cabin door and you get a lot. With a hardtop, make sure you have windows that open and you should be fine.