Ranger Reata 1850 vs. Crestliner Sportfish 1850

I was out kicking the tires on a new toy yesterday when I found out I can’t get a yamaha on a Crestliner anymore because Gmenar bought them & Lund so they outfit them with Mercs. now. So I started looking a the Ranger Reata 1850 I’ve never owned a fiberglass boat before & was wondering pro’s & cons of them & how they handle on big water veries the deep v’s. I own an 03 Crestliner sportfish 1850 with a 150 & t8 Yamaha now. So I know a lot about the crestliner so must of my questions would be about the Ranger. One of the main reason for a sportfish or a reata is I still bring the kids tubing & sking pus fishing & my sportfish did that real good. Any thought that woukd be great.

The first thing that comes to mind in difference is PRICE! You are going to pay nearly double for the Ranger what you would for a boat like your Crestliner. If you are not bent on getting a glass boat, take a long hard look at the Alumacrafts….you can still get them rigged with Yammies! I owned a Crestliner 1750 Fishhawk, went to the Alumacraft Tournament Sport 175 rigged with the same motors you had and couldn’t be happier. It’s a super fishing rig with power enough to tow the toys and a walk-thru to keep the elements at bay. You could also consider the Trophy series as that boat is a little bigger and laid-out more for family and recreation, but still a decent fishing boat. Do either compare to the beauty of a new Ranger? Probably not, but they are serious boats that still allow you to put Yamaha on the rear and they are tough as nails! And….the best part, they will allow you to save some $$$ for other things.

My first thought was the price also. What about weight? I’d think that the glass boat would weigh a lot more, and also draft deeper?

I love my 1850 Sportfish, but I think my next boat will be the CL 1850 Canadian .

Compared to the SportFish you still have the full canvas, better rod storage (IMO), and no carpet…just spray it out when you are done.

Jon

I’ve spent a fair amount of time in my buddies’ Reatta. He got this boat last fall. He rigged it with 175 Opti and 9.9 Pro kicker.

At this point, I’ve got one “major” knock on the boat. The front deck isn’t quite be enough in my opinion. I think if they may this boat in a 1950 and all the addiditional space is up front, this would be a “perfect” boat.

The minor complaints:

Cup holders don’t have a way to drain when raining.
Rod storage/ski storage could you small tweaks to make it more “fisherman friendly”

So, all in all, this boat is awesome. We fished out of it on Erie for 5 days. Three of us trolling cranks and I couldn’t believe how much room this boat has to offer.

When it comes time to get my next boat, this will be a top consideration.

I went from a Crestliner to the 1850 Reatta this year and there is absolutely no comparison. Granted, there is a price difference. However, I have absolutely zero regrets in making the upgrade to a Ranger. Do it….you’ll be happy you did.

I would find a different dealer if you are looking for a Crestliner. I just bought a Crestliner with a Yamaha on it and I was going to go with an E-Tech. The dealer can order a boat with no factor rigging and put there own rigging on for which ever motor you choose. It will cost you a little more but not as much as a Ranger. I would say for the same HP in a Yamaha vs. Merc it cost me about $1000 more. I personaly would stay with the Crestliner but the Rangers are nice boats.

Hookem,

I went from a Crestliner 1850 to the Ranger 1850 this past year. I thought the Crestliner was a fine boat, it still is, but the ride difference and fit and finish of the Ranger for a few grand is well worth it in my opinion. The base boat would only be about $3,000 more. You would get much more in resale and, more importantly, you would have a larger grin when driving it! Absolutely no knock on Crestliner, but go with the Ranger.

EJ