Would you recommend Starcraft Aluminum boats?

[paulgp6022]

Hi, I am looking into buying a 16' Super Sport 160 with an aluminum hull. Do you know how they ride? How do they handle compared to fiberglass or wood? I would be using it on Long Island sound as a runabout. here is the link for the boat. Thanks for any suggestions! <br /><br /> Click here

 

[nightride]

Re: Would you recommend Starcraft Aluminum boats?

boat will be fine for long island sound and the handleing all depends on what your going with for power if you buy it take it down the conn river to the sound first and get the feel of the boat its a nice trip I use to do it when i lived in mass

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: Would you recommend Starcraft Aluminum boats?

See them on the lake allot (Champlain) and they seem to handle the chop very well. Just be weather wise when you head out. Good boats.<br /><br />Bob (Former NYer vary familiar withe LI Sound)

 

[paulgp6022]

Re: Would you recommend Starcraft Aluminum boats?

It's max rating is 75hp, what would you recommend for the least horse power? I was thinking about a 50hp merc.Any ideas what I should get? Thanks

 

[MGuckin]

Re: Would you recommend Starcraft Aluminum boats?

The sound is fairly flat except in the "Race". I think I might avoid that with this boat at least until you get used to it.<br />Horsepopwer? Get all you can. Doesn't mean that you will always use it but nice to know that it is there when that sudden storm comes in.

 

[Ficht Guy]

Re: Would you recommend Starcraft Aluminum boats?

I have a Starcraft SuperSport 160 (2001) with a 75 HP Evinrude Ficht. Surprisingly a very quick and awesome setup. I am running in the high 30's to low 40's for speed with a 15 pitch aluminum hustler. The boat handles big water pretty well, I occasionally take it out on Lake Michigan (weather permiting). The console and gauges are nicely layed out, has a very large glove box and storage under the seats as well as up in the hull area. I this message was posted back in july/aug but did you end up purchasing one? If you have any questions regarding this boat you can email me at truckguygmc23@yahoo.com.

 

[Ficht Guy]

Re: Would you recommend Starcraft Aluminum boats?

Sorry for posting again. Just wanted to say that the boat rides very nice and is actually quiet for an aluminum boat. Handling characterisics are very good as well. I traded in my 1971 Glastron V156 Sportster w/75HP Evinrude which was a tri-hull so compared to that setup my new boat rides and handles like a cadillac. Build quality is good and the boat has a very solid feel to it when in rough water.

 

[MFG197]

Re: Would you recommend Starcraft Aluminum boats?

as the owner of a 19' Sea Nymph 90HP Evinrude (used on Lake Erie for 5 years) I like aluminum boats they need less HP and are easy to trailer. Get as much HP as you can afford. If its a 50 don't go 4 stroke. It'll be a dog. Boat should be seaworthy but will not ride as good as fiberglass. Just my opinion. Go welded if you can.

 

[Boatist]

Re: Would you recommend Starcraft Aluminum boats?

Starcraft makes fine solid boats. Aluminum in general rides a little rougher. Since Aluminum is lighter it will tend to go more over waves instead of thru wives. Lighter also means better fuel mileage smaller motor on water or land and easier to load on trailer. Aluminum and starcraft means no stringer to rot. Starcraft is still one of the manufactures that use rivets, I perfer welded hulls as rivets can loosen and leak. If you can aford it get a 70 4 cycle EFI engine.

 

[BassMan283]

Re: Would you recommend Starcraft Aluminum boats?

http://www.lundboats.com/index.cfm?intMenuItemID=2686&blnReload=0& <br /><br />Read why Lund stays with rivets.

 

[SeaDawg]

Re: Would you recommend Starcraft Aluminum boats?

Bassman, I read the Lund site you posted above. <br /><br />No question, Lund makes a good boat. But they tap dance all around the weld versus rivet question. <br /><br />I think they have made a company decision not to invest in the weld technology, just like a lot of other boat companies don't want to use aluminum I-beams in their boats, because of the investment.<br /><br />I don't know about airplanes (from the Lund article), but I have seen several companies that use welded tractor trailers (compared to rivets). <br /><br />There were several other comments (actually information not included) in the Lund article that made me question how reliable the article was. <br /><br />Again, not bashing Lund, I would own one in a heartbeat. I just feel they could have been more open with that article.

 

[Boatist]

Re: Would you recommend Starcraft Aluminum boats?

Bassman<br />I have two aluminum boats one with rivets and one welded. The one with rivets leaks around rivets. Sure you can tighten most but ther always a few you can not get to both sides of so no way to tighten. The other boat is welded and has never leaked one drop in 22 years. It also uses I beams and channels for stringers. The way they put it together can hardly leak even if it was not welded. The hull slips into a channel and it is very tight then it welded both sides. The channel is different length on the bottom and top so welds do not overlap. Next the gunnel slip into another channel and again welded inside and out. The part that the hull and gunnel slip into forms the chimes and it is made of very strong aluminum.<br />Also Rivets mean more bubbles and more trouble getting your fish finder to work while on plane.<br />My Welded boat came only with a 20 warranty but when I bought it 22 years ago they said if ever had a weld failure that has a lifetime warranty.<br />I see lund said lifetime warranty but what I did not see if that is for hull failure or if it cover leaks also. Also do you have to return boat to them to get a rivet leak fixed?? I know Starcraft, Lund are very good boats and if I found what I wanted I would buy one but I allways look at the welded first. They talk about airplanes and trucks but a minor leak it these is no big deal. All aluminum to me are better than Fiberglass or wood.

 

[BJM]

Re: Would you recommend Starcraft Aluminum boats?

In my limited experience in the aircraft industry, aircraft use rivets because they are incredibly well characterized. End of story. Changing to a diferent technology in such a risk/liability averse industry would take investments in the billions. The Comet came crashing down and it used rivets. Problem was the square windows caused cracks to propogate. Since then the design rule books have been much better defined and they made things work despite being hobbled by rivets.<br /><br />Welding in boat building had a rocky start in WWII when the Canadian Corvettes sank in the North Atlantic due to the steel being used below its glass transition temperature. Cracks would propogate catastrophically. Metallurgy was much less developed then.<br /><br />If Lund says their boats are riveted because planes are then they are not being truthful about the reasons. The current 777 uses composite wings, not to many rivets mixed in with the glue there I imagine, but I am not a 777 expert by any means.<br /><br />I like the idea of welding personally.

 

[what200]

Re: Would you recommend Starcraft Aluminum boats?

I have a 17' aluminum that is a copy of a starcraft. It light and stringers won't rot but the floor and transom did. Because it is light it doesn't take much HP to make speed to a point. Boat would do 30mpg with a 50 suzuki when I got it. I put a 150 merc on it and now it does 54gps, so having a round chine and rivets probably slows it down a lot. The rivets don't leak as far as I can tell. I know of a guy that has a 17' starcraft and he said his would do 48 gps with a OMC v-4 140. <br />When my boat had the 50, it would handle chop and rollers quite well and was impossible to lose control of. With the 150... handles a little different. I would go for it but I really like the more recent 18' starcrafts. Don't weigh much more but handle bigger power a lot better.

 

[bonitoman]

Re: Would you recommend Starcraft Aluminum boats?

I owned a 1974 starcraft for 7 years in florida. I fish salt twice a week every week of the year. The starcraft was a 16 footer with a 60 hp evinrude I rebuilt years ago. I fish the flats, inlets and offshore.It was a great rig. I sold it to my cousin and he loves it. It was rated for about an 80 hp. I did about 38mph with two people and gear plus alot of food.I fish and eat hard. Great boats. I changed the floor out a few years ago to marine plywood. I just screwed it in with self tappers. No glass involved in the floor.

 

[Diesel]

Re: Would you recommend Starcraft Aluminum boats?

I had a little 14' Starcraft for years, was a great lake boat (open model). Sold it and got a 16' Welded Aluminum Silver Streak. It is a runabout model with a low windshield, top, and I had a bow tan added to get some weight up front. <br /><br />I run a Yamaha 90 on it and have great power and stability. Off the West Coast of Vancouver Island things can get pretty wild. It handles heavy swells great. Is a little rough in a chop. In a couple of areas between islands we often get tide runs of 4' with a 8 knot current. As the waves are close together this is pretty much the limit for this boat, but once out of the tide run and on the more open water it is fine. The motor has a 17" pitch and I get upwards of 40 mph wide open when the seas will ever let me do it (rare around here).<br /><br />Good luck.

 

[miloman]

Re: Would you recommend Starcraft Aluminum boats?

I have a 92 16 ft dx model starcraft I have never had any problems with it. I have had it on Lake Erie in 6ft waves and other then my shorts being soiled the boat was fine sure it leaks 1 cup a day but my bilge pump cleans that up real fast. My only beef is that they rated the 92 boat for a 40 hp and I think she could take more

 

[xxxxxx]

Re: Would you recommend Starcraft Aluminum boats?

yes a good boat<br />There is a chat group in yahoo chat on Starcraft boats.<br />There are Starcraft photos to view.