Fishing Boat Brand Favorites

[chrisw]

Sent a message to setup a viewing for a 2021Starweld Flex 17' dual console. It's a factory demo, still has full hull and motor warranty. Looks to be roughly $5k off normal price. I love the rear flip up seat concept, bow cushions which the wife will love, decent graph to get started with, taller than normal windshields. I'm going to make sure the Yamaha V Max on this boat is also a 2021 and ask them to pull the hours on it.

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[Nytracker]

https://buffalo.craigslist.org/boa/d/buffalo-2011-lowe-fishing-boat-many/7255110016.html

Was just looking after reading post. Have no interest or ties  to this. Just letting you know it's there. 

[mlammerhirt]

400 hrs. Over 10 years on the 75hp.....what do you boat guys think....good, bad, ok?

That boat is sure setup to fish.

Looks like the one pic is on Chautauqua lake. If that's where that boat spent it's life that's a pretty good life vs. the great lakes.

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[Buckmaster7600]

400 hrs. Over 10 years on the 75hp.....what do you boat guys think....good, bad, ok?

 

That boat is sure setup to fish.

 

Looks like the one pic is on Chautauqua lake. If that's where that boat spent it's life that's a pretty good life vs. the great lakes.

 

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400hrs on a 4stroke is nothing depending on the 400hrs. Nice thing about newer motors is there’s no lying, plug it into computer and it will show you what rpms the hours were put on if 350 of those hours were put on over 5000 rpms it would be a bit concerning. That’s a smaller motor for that rig so to get up to 30mph it’s probably up there in the R’s.

 

It all depends on how it was used and by who. I plan on having my boat for a long long time but I would be asking some questions if I was buying my boat used today. It’s 2 years old has just shy of 200hrs on the main motor and probably 95% of those hours are at 52-5400 rpms that works out to 50mph on my rig. On my home lake I regularly make 10-20 mile runs one way. I live 15 minutes from the launch at the south end of the lake and it’s faster for me to run the boat up the lake than it is to trailer it.

 

 

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[chrisw]

400 hrs. Over 10 years on the 75hp.....what do you boat guys think....good, bad, ok?

That boat is sure setup to fish.

Looks like the one pic is on Chautauqua lake. If that's where that boat spent it's life that's a pretty good life vs. the great lakes.

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My buddy is out quite a bit and puts about 90hrs on a year. The boat I researched previously (4 yrs old, 800 hrs) I'm going to guess that alot of trolling was done with it. But to me it's not just motor hrs, but that'll tell you how much time the person spent in the boat too. So I'd assume the interior isn't like new either after 800hrs of use. I plan on putting a lot of hrs on myself so I'd like them to be low or 0. The above boat has some great fishing features for sure. I just struggle with spending $20k on a 10yr old boat when I could spend another $10k and get one close to new?

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[wolc123]

The new Starweld, for $10k more, seems like a better deal.  That Lowe is underpowered, with a 75 hp four stroke.  It would be tough to pull up a skier, with more than 2 adults onboard, with so little power.  It would also struggle to get on plane with more than 3 adults onboard.

A 75 hp four stroke outboard would give that 17 footer about the same push as a 60 hp 2 stroke.  That was what my 17 footer had on it when new.  It was fine for two guys on the boat, but  significantly underpowered for any more than that.  

I upgraded to a 70 hp 2 stroke, which has plenty of power in all scenarios.  You would need at least a 90 hp, to get the same push from a 4 stroke, due to its crap power/weight ratio, compared to a 2 stroke.  The 115, should be very ample.

Edited January 1, 2021 by wolc123

[Nytracker]

1 hour ago, chrisw said:

My buddy is out quite a bit and puts about 90hrs on a year. The boat I researched previously (4 yrs old, 800 hrs) I'm going to guess that alot of trolling was done with it. But to me it's not just motor hrs, but that'll tell you how much time the person spent in the boat too. So I'd assume the interior isn't like new either after 800hrs of use. I plan on putting a lot of hrs on myself so I'd like them to be low or 0. The above boat has some great fishing features for sure. I just struggle with spending $20k on a 10yr old boat when I could spend another $10k and get one close to new?

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 New is nice .... I can appreciate that .. like I said I have nothing in this . Saving 10k leave alot of room for fishing  equipment upgrades. Down riggers,  fish hawk auto troll  planer boards / mast. Rods,  lures etc. 

[chrisw]

 New is nice .... I can appreciate that .. like I said I have nothing in this . Saving 10k leave alot of room for fishing  equipment upgrades. Down riggers,  fish hawk auto troll  planer boards / mast. Rods,  lures etc. 

I hear you on that too. Being that I'm a bit anal about my toys I just fear that the little wear spots or stains or whatever that are normal would bug me on a new to me boat. I don't even put my lawnmower away without hosing it down after every use!

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[Buckmaster7600]

If you’re not planning on going with a kicker and don’t plan on doing any water sports a bit underpowered can be a good thing! It’s a lot easier to go up to 2mph than go from 3mph to2mph!


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[moog5050]

3 minutes ago, Buckmaster7600 said:

If you’re not planning on going with a kicker and don’t plan on doing any water sports a bit underpowered can be a good thing! It’s a lot easier to go up to 2mph than go from 3mph to2mph!


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One of the issues we have trolling with a 260hp motor.  Not always easy to get below 2.5mph when desired.   We use the Amish trolling bags a fair amount.  Probably not the most efficient for gas consumption.  

[Nytracker]

I had ab17.5 foot sylvan pro fisherman.  Bought it used for 5k. Had a 48hp Johnson utility 2 stroke. With 2 people and fishing equipment I would get up to 38mph . With downriggers down just bumping it into gear I could get down to 1.5 mph.  Perfect speed for trolling sutton spoons for lakers. If the fish wanted slower I would fish into the wind . With all this talk of boats  makes me miss mine .

[Robhuntandfish]

If you get a 16-17 foot no need for a kicker or trying to troll with the main engine.  Get the ipilot troll motor and a 24 v system.  So much easier and quieter.  No steering, hands free, can set and maintain a direction and speed. You'll never go back.  

[Buckmaster7600]

If you get a 16-17 foot no need for a kicker or trying to troll with the main engine.  Get the ipilot troll motor and a 24 v system.  So much easier and quieter.  No steering, hands free, can set and maintain a direction and speed. You'll never go back.  

Depends on the style of fishing and conditions, my last boat had a 24v terova with 2 group 29’s and could only get 3-4 hours or so with just the trolling motor at 2.5ish MPH.

Trolling for eyes slower without down riggers and dipseys and the other junk lines a bow mount is the only way to go!


Using a kicker with steering locker with terova for steering it will last days. I do the same with my current boat unless it’s real windy/rough then I have to steer with kicker.


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[wolc123]

1 hour ago, Nytracker said:

I had ab17.5 foot sylvan pro fisherman.  Bought it used for 5k. Had a 48hp Johnson utility 2 stroke. With 2 people and fishing equipment I would get up to 38mph . With downriggers down just bumping it into gear I could get down to 1.5 mph.  Perfect speed for trolling sutton spoons for lakers. If the fish wanted slower I would fish into the wind . With all this talk of boats  makes me miss mine .

That is the same model that I bought new, with a 60 hp Johnson back in 1989. I think the cost then was $ 9k, with a trailer.   I also had a 15 Johnson for a kicker on it.  I bumped the main power up to a 70, when it was 10 years old, and I just bumped the kicker down to a 5.5 last year.  

The kicker gets used very rarely, because even the 70 will troll at 1.5, while continuing to charge batteries.  I used to do a little back trolling for walleyes on Chataqua and the  Allegheny reservoir with the kicker, but these days I usually go for bass, primarily using the bow mount electric.  The 70 is all I use when trolling for salmon on the big O, although I don't do much of that the last few years.

With just 2 guys on the boat, I could get it up on plane with the 15 hp, but it took a while.  It came in handy when we busted a prop on the 60, on a shoal up in the St Lawrence, a long time ago.  That kicker is mostly just there as a spare, which thankfully I only needed that one time.

I wore the lower unit out on the 60 Johnson,  thru the first 10 years, but have had zero problems with 70, over the last 20.  I do a careful job with winterization, but that is it as far as maintenance, except maybe 3 or four sets of spark plugs.   The 70 still has the original factory fuel filter in it.  I have only used ethanol free gas, since it became available, about 10 years ago.

The hull has held up ok.  I have always stored it inside.  It did get a crack down the center of the keel, after about 10 years.  I kept it closed with RTV calk, for the next 10 years, then finally had it welded 10 years ago. 

I get a little water in the bilge, when I run the live well pump, and replacing the plumbing is on my to do list.  I replaced the bilge pump with a big automatic  one, back in the days of the keel crack, and it has no trouble keeping up with the little plumbing leak that I have now.

 

Edited January 1, 2021 by wolc123

[Robhuntandfish]

2 hours ago, Buckmaster7600 said:

Depends on the style of fishing and conditions, my last boat had a 24v terova with 2 group 29’s and could only get 3-4 hours or so with just the trolling motor at 2.5ish MPH.

Trolling for eyes slower without down riggers and dipseys and the other junk lines a bow mount is the only way to go!


Using a kicker with steering locker with terova for steering it will last days. I do the same with my current boat unless it’s real windy/rough then I have to steer with kicker.


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Good point .   I don't fish the high seas so no need for the kicker. Plus my boat is only 16.5.  And if it's too bad on the lake I won't be on it. 

[Buckmaster7600]

Good point .   I don't fish the high seas so no need for the kicker. Plus my boat is only 16.5.  And if it's too bad on the lake I won't be on it. 

I always say that I’m going to buy a wind turbine because if I mention the word fishing you can expect Gail!


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[chrisw]

Good point .   I don't fish the high seas so no need for the kicker. Plus my boat is only 16.5.  And if it's too bad on the lake I won't be on it. 

How do you like the 16.5' length? Have you fished 3 guys in it? Part of the reason I'm not going to an 19-20' is because I do a lot of my fishing mid week and am by myself a lot and don't need a huge boat for just me, but I'd like to be able to fish 3 guys comfortably when I need to.

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[Robhuntandfish]

6 minutes ago, chrisw said:

How do you like the 16.5' length? Have you fished 3 guys in it? Part of the reason I'm not going to an 19-20' is because I do a lot of my fishing mid week and am by myself a lot and don't need a huge boat for just me, but I'd like to be able to fish 3 guys comfortably when I need to.

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I am about the same. Often 1-2 people but have had no issues with 3.  Two guys side by side in the back and one guy in the front who runs a line out each side. But I usually only run tops with three guys 6 lines. If using downriggers etc it might be tight.  Also my boat isn't as wide as the ones your looking at. I think width makes a big difference. My boat with 3 works great on Oneida and not too much for one guy alone,  But I would want something bigger if I was on Ontario or Erie. 

[Otto]

Your should jump on that Starweld, it looks about perfect and decent price too.  

Edited January 2, 2021 by Otto

[mlammerhirt]

16 foot Spectrum with a side console steering.
No issues trolling or casting with 3 guys. Definitely lags when making longer runs on Lake Eire but it's only got a 40hp and when my Dad bought it in 96 he had no idea what he was getting into. If your flying solo alot you won't have any issues with the 16.5

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[wolc123]

I think 17-18 ft is where you should focus, based on your usage description.  For big water trolling, that size is just about right for 3 guys, perfect for 2, and not too big for 1. 

About 90 % of the time, I have 2.  I prefer 3 for salmon trolling, so one can be on the fish, one on the steering wheel and one clearing rigs and netting. There is plenty of room for 3 on my wide 17 footer, and even 4 isn't too crowded.

I am out alone about 5 % of the time, and usually only when I have a dock somewhere.  I can launch and recover it myself, but I much prefer to have a helper for that.  About 5 % of the time, I have 3 or 4 in the boat, but mostly just when trolling.  

The bulk of my time is spent drifting with 2 onboard, using the bow mount electric to control the drift, along with a drift sock, if it is real windy.  Tossing a bucktail jig for smallmouth bass is my favorite technique.

One thing you learn quick with a deep aluminum boat, is how to work with the wind.  All that freeboard is great for keeping the waves out of the boat, but also makes a good sail, making it hard to control with an electric

 In high winds, my favorite technique is to deploy the drift sock from the bow, and drift over shoals.  I seldom even lower the electric motor when the wind is much over 10 mph.

Unless you are helbent on fighting the wind, it dont take much electric power to move a 17 ft aluminum boat.  28 pound thrust 12 volt works fine on mine.  The light boat is also economical to push with your gas motor, or pull with your gas truck, compared to heavy fiberglass models.  Gas was near record cheap last season, but I certainly dont expect that to continue thru the next 4 years.  

As far as interior layout goes, single side council, center council, and tiller steer are best left south of the Mason dixon line.  If you want to fish outside of June thru August in NY, a dual council with full windshield is the only way to go.

Edited January 2, 2021 by wolc123

[TreeGuy]

I probably should've mentioned it in the first post, I'm not new to boats at all. I've been fishing out of boats since I was old enough to and am still out of buddies/parents boats. I've spent a lot of time on bass boats the last few years and while they're great at what they do, they're way too one dimensional for me. Now I was contemplating the Nitro ZV18 line (fiberglass walleye boat) but in order to get the price where I wanted it I'd have to look at a 5-6 year old boat and I'm the type that is pretty meticulous about care and storage so I'd kind of like a new/like new model so I can keep it looking brand new for years.
I'd love a 20' boat but since it's probably going to be just me fishing 70% of the time I don't want something that is much larger than is needed. It also becomes more to trailer, park, dock etc. And I can pick my days on the Big O so it's not like I need a big water boat per se.
There are some really attractive prices on the Starcraft 16-17' models with a 90hp but I'm going to have to go sit in them with the wife and see what kind of room we're looking at. I'm just not sure how cramped it would be out trolling with 3 guys in a 16.5' boat. I'm also looking ahead and don't want to blow my self imposed budget way out of the water either because I plan on purchasing some high end graphs and imaging units also which will probably run me $3k on top of the boat. Down riggers will probably wait a year. Another thing I'm noticing on some of the models is that mounting rod holders doesn't look as easy as it sounds. Some boats have storage doors running the gunwales, thin strips of aluminum etc. I really don't want to have to be modifying too much just to get holders mounted either. I like the idea of the track systems so I can remove/add accessories on the fly. There are almost too many makes and models to compare. I haven't ruled out the Tracker V175 combo yet either. I know some people swear that they are garbage, but I my mind there are so many of them out there that you're going to run into issues the more you sell, it's math. If you look around online you will find a lot of guys swear that lund quality has dropped way off in recent years so... Who knows for sure. That is the reason I would prefer that whatever dealer I buy from is within an hour of my house so need be I can get there without too much trouble. I'm also researching dealer reviews, Krenzer Marine in Sodus looks to have great feedback and they sell what I'm looking for. In fact, Krenzer has a used Starweld 17 in exactly what I'm looking for right now but I had them pull the motor hours and it has 800hrs in a 4yr old boat. That seems quite high to me. I don't feel comfortable spending $24k on a USED boat. Fremac Marine also gets some decent feedback and isn't too far.
Another really awesome looking rog is the G3 Sportsman 200. If you aren't familiar with them look one up. They are a semi V, 20' boat, full windshield, 150-200hp on the back and a dance floor of room. They run about $60k new, I found one in Clayton, a 2015 with a 150hp for $30k. As cool as they are I have a hard time dropping that much on a 5 year old boat.

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Rick @ krenzer is a stand up guy.

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[chrisw]

Rick @ krenzer is a stand up guy.

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Good to know!

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[TreeGuy]

How do you like the 16.5' length? Have you fished 3 guys in it? Part of the reason I'm not going to an 19-20' is because I do a lot of my fishing mid week and am by myself a lot and don't need a huge boat for just me, but I'd like to be able to fish 3 guys comfortably when I need to.

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I have a 19.6. I fish with my 6yr old son a ton, so I'm launching and loading solo. If you have been around boats like you say, handling the boat solo won't be an issue. Extra space will be better than being cramped. I would guess that@Robhuntandfish would agree that there was plenty of room for trolling with 3 guys and@Pygmy can verify there was enough room for 4 trolling, even though I chose to sit on his lap.... The day we fished 4 with Pygmy we ran 8 leads on boards, 2 dipsys and 2 riggers so don't be fooled that a dual console can't be a trolling machine. We boxed out in an about 2 hours iirc.

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[TreeGuy]

Good to know!

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Solid pricing and great installers for electronics as well. A+ dealer

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