Green light on a boat

[angustheryan]

So will be moving my family North of Sault Ste Marie soon. Got the go ahead to buy a fishing rig for myself and the family. Willing to spend a good chunk on it but kinda want most bang for my buck.....as do we all.

Looking for some thoughts and experiences from everyone. I had a look at both the 16/18 foot XTR by legend......and the crestliner fishhawk/superhawk in the same ranges. So far i like both of the boats only the Crestliner dealer seemed to want to work with me more in the way of trying to make the boat what i want for the right price.

Was kinda looking at lowe boats too as they seem comparable as well. All boats were packaged with various Mercury 4 stroke engines.

The majority of the time it'll be used on "smaller" lskes but may venture a little into Superior for some trolling.

Any insight from seasoned vets would be appreciatedas this is quite the financial investment and I want to gather as much info as I can!!!

Thanks in advance

[laker taker]

You will not go wrong with a Crestliner and the bigger the better.
Laker

[chesapeake]

Max out your horsepower also.

I purchased a Kingfisher. Heavy gauge aluminum. I have no worries beaching on less than sandy conditions.

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[Marker]

You may find 16 too small on the big lakes on less than perfect days. A GPS will be a good investment, I have had a few days navigating by wire due to thick fog.

[sabmgb]

Agree max out engine, you don't have to use it, but if a storm should come up you want to get ahead of it. Also a kicker big enough to get you home if big engine has problems, and you can fish with it.

[Surf and Turf]

IMHO the Crestliner is a much superior boat. I would compromise with the biggest you can use on the Northern Lakes you intend to fish and the smallest you will feel safe in on Superior, and yes it's better to have spare power than not enough when it counts. I have a 2001 Crestliner 2050 Sportfish with a I/O that I run in Erie, and Georgian Bay but is too large for Northern Lakes. If it wasn't for the wife I'd have 17 footer too!

[JBen]

Is there a significant difference these days between the most common manufacturers? Know when I was shopping for my boat I ended up spending hours researching Crestliner, Lowe, Legend, and G3. Am pretty sure there's at least a couple more not mentioned.

After hours and hours it got to the point where lines became blurred. Id go take another look at the "Crestliner" that was closest to what I was looking for and forget that x feature was "standard" on the Lowe X, or G3 Y.

Like Surf and Turfs reply.
Figure out what kind of waters will get the bulk of the hours, the hull type (deep V or modified etc), your engine. Then maybe look at some of the less important features. In the end theres likely a handful of makes that will fit the bill and not much to pick between.

80%, maybe 90% of the guys I know that I spoke recommended the G3 "They are the best, nothing better". In the end thats what I went with.
Not because I thought Legend or Lowe or Crestliner were any less than the "best" to. It had the features I was looking for, the layout I liked the most ( compartments, live well etc) and in the end it was the Yamaha motor I wanted more than any other.

[cmartin519]

I was in the same situation as you are 5 years ago. I spent a long time researching everything that was possible in the 16 - 17 ft range. It ended up being a tie between the Lund Rebel, and the Lowe FM series. I finally was able to check both of them out in person and the Lowe ended up winning based on the price.
I fish mainly on Lake St Clair, and thats a massive open body of water that can get pretty rough. The Lowe deep V's are solid and comfortable. I've never felt unsafe or like I shouldnt be out in the chop. A 90hp would have been great, but the 60hp that was packaged with the Lowe has been plenty to get me out, and get me off the water fast enough with weather coming in. I guess common sense goes a long way there as well. The one thing I would recommend regardless of what brand you choose, is a FULL windshield. I didn't think I would want that when I was boat shopping and now wish I would have... more for my guests than my self.

[Jerryklimczuk]

So will be moving my family North of Sault Ste Marie soon. Got the go ahead to buy a fishing rig for myself and the family. Willing to spend a good chunk on it but kinda want most bang for my buck.....as do we all.

Looking for some thoughts and experiences from everyone. I had a look at both the 16/18 foot XTR by legend......and the crestliner fishhawk/superhawk in the same ranges. So far i like both of the boats only the Crestliner dealer seemed to want to work with me more in the way of trying to make the boat what i want for the right price.

Was kinda looking at lowe boats too as they seem comparable as well. All boats were packaged with various Mercury 4 stroke engines.

The majority of the time it'll be used on "smaller" lskes but may venture a little into Superior for some trolling.

Any insight from seasoned vets would be appreciatedas this is quite the financial investment and I want to gather as much info as I can!!!

Thanks in advance

Congrats on the green light! I bought a brand new Tracker Targa 18ft off of Georges Marine and Sport in Eaganville, out by Ottawa. They were $5600.00 cheaper then every dealer I visited, emailed and spoke to. It was a drive out there but for that much saving I didnt care. They have a great website that lists most prices and different models and manufacturers. Look them up and have a look at their stock, best prices I have seen in Ontario.
Happy hunting.

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[Fisherman]

You bought a Tracker, otherwise commonly known as a Cracker, maybe check google for all the problems.