Boat preference

Quick boat question…I sold an Lund 1800 Fisherman and am looking at getting into a new boat. Choices are Lund, Alumacraft and Crestliner. I’ve had three Lund’s, never any problems and feel they make a solid boat. Alumacraft makes a nice boat as well. My big hesitation w/ Crestliner is the hull. I believe it is only single layered, not 2XB or Twin Plate. Has anyone experienced the ride in the boats above and how does Crestliner compare. I’ve narrowed choices to 1850 Fishhawk, Tounament CS 175 and Mr. Pike 18. My motor choice is Yamaha or Suzuki. I’d appreciate opinions.

Bshrimp

I shopped all the boats you mentioned last fall and settled on the Alumacraft TP175CS. I had a lot more confidence in the hull, particularly for big water (mille lacs or great lakes), being a muskie guy I also liked the 12″ gunwales and extra storage they create. As far as overall layout goes, I thought the Aluma had better all around storage than the lund and about the same as the crestliner. I’ve got a couple buddies with the crestliner and I hear about issues with porpoising while on plane. I powered mine with a 150 Yam V-Max and a T8 kicker. I get about 53-54mph running solo and lite. gets right up on plane and runs smooth in rough stuff, not glass smooth but also not glass prices. All in all it’s a sweet rig, very fishy.

miket

BShrimp,
I purchased the Crestliner 1850 Fish Hawk, Dual Console, with a DF140 Suzuki. I really like the layout of the boat, plenty of storage, and easy to fish from. The boat seems to ride excellent at WOT. I prefer the welded hull construction from Crestliner. The motor is ultra quite, quickly planes the boat, and am getting low 40’s @ 5300 rpm. I expect mid 40’s when propped correctly. Good luck with your new boat.

Sandbar

I have ran both Alumacraft and Crestliner. No problem with either one, hull or otherwise. As far as hearsay on Crestliners porpoising on plane. that probably has more to do with incorrect trimming.

I had a little electrical goof on my 182 TS and borrowed a 1850 off of fishmar here on the website (Thanks Dean!). That bugger is an awesome ride for the money, no ride issues at speed. It is a long and wide boat that won’t set any speed records with top speeds in the upper 40’s but that wide open layout is awesome. I actually wish the engineers at C-liner would incorporate some of the layout from the 1850 to the Tournament Series boats. The 1850 can’t match the over-all ride quality of the TS boats but for the money, a tad over $20 K with motors and trailer, it’s a sweet ride.

Quote:

---

BShrimp,
I purchased the Crestliner 1850 Fish Hawk, Dual Console, with a DF140 Suzuki. I really like the layout of the boat, plenty of storage, and easy to fish from. The boat seems to ride excellent at WOT. I prefer the welded hull construction from Crestliner. The motor is ultra quite, quickly planes the boat, and am getting low 40’s @ 5300 rpm. I expect mid 40’s when propped correctly. Good luck with your new boat.

Sandbar

---

Thanks for all the input. I like the full windshield I had with the Fisherman and am leaning towards something similar. I imagine if the boat and motor/prop are a good combination it is hard to go wrong with Lund, Aluma or Crestliner. Thanks again!