Best Fishing/Family Boat

I’ve been deliberating purchasing a used 16.5′ – 17.5′ aluminum fishing/family boat. The majority of use will be for walleye and musky fishing but need enough space for 3 kids and the wife from time to time.
I’d be looking for at least a single counsel but would really like to have a dual counsel or full windshield. Preferably, I’d like to stay under 15K. I know there are others out there with the same situation, a little advice on what you’ve found would be greatly appreciated…. Thanks

Our 17.5 Crestliner Fishhawk has always been good for us…lots of room and a nice open deck for fishing but it doesn’t sacrifice seating space

How old are your three kids?

I have three boys. 15 months, 4 years, and 6 years are their ages. I run a 1700 Lund Fisherman with a full windshield. We just got back from a week of fishing up north. While we were fishing with our two older boys my wife very calmly said, “You know we are going to need a bigger boat. Sooner than later.”

Here are few problems with our set up. Lack of quality and quantity rod storage. The foot print of the boat is simply too small for the number of casters. We have a kicker. So we can’t tube because that does get in the way of the ropes. I have not looked into a bar that might be able to mount in the seat base on the rear deck though.

In all honesty, I think you need to think bigger. I do love the full windshield for the added protection of passengers. The jump seats come in handy as they do not take up precious floor space. But do realize that you will realize the difference between two adults back there versus two children.

Good Luck with your decision.

FDR

I would lean heavily towards the 17′ boat. Generally you get a wider beam on the longer boat. And an extra foot across the beam makes a huge difference. 2 or 3 people fishing out of a single counsel 16′ boat works OK, but get over that many people and it gets packed in a hurry.

Go as big as your budget allows. I have a 16.5′ boat and really want to get a 19-21. Bigger is better, you’ll never say “I wish I had less room”. For family I like a deeper hull, safer for the little ones. I also like a full windshield. Loos some fishing space but it’s up to what you want.

I am in a similar situation. My boat is way too small for me, my two 7 year olds, and wife. My garage is small and I can fit the small rig fine but anything larger would require a larger garage, and tow vehicle. I need a better job to do all three at once.

we have been running a crestliner 1850 sport fish since 2005 check one out if you get a chance i liked the layout of the boat the first time i saw it full windshield 4 seats that can be moved to the back deck well 2 can and one up front works great for family pan fish trips then when me and one buddy go i can leave out 2 of the seats and have plenty of room for our gear when we are trollin cranks has a 36 gal tank and rides pretty well ours has a 125 hp on back can run about 32- 36 with the right prop when the kids wanna ski our tube we can do that also just fished @ kabetogama for a week 6 in the boat majority of the time all adults no one was crowded only thing could use is a lil more rod storage hope you find something tat suits your family well

Had to sell my Alumacraft Trophy19 a few years back….my current Crestliner 17′ console doesn’t even come close in terms of room for kids, grandkids, coolers, “stuff”, etc. I’ll certainly agree that the newer boats have much better rod storage features, but the Trophy19 was a great all around boat (we also have 3 kids – and now grandkids) for fishing, cruising, tubing, etc. Lake Michigan to Medicine Lake, deep, wide and comfortable. Lots of 15 mile runs on LOW that were dry and warm behind a full windshield and camper cover. Darn boat was allergic to fish, but treated us very well.

Pete

We have an Alumacraft Trophy 17.5′ boat with a 115 Merc. It has been a great boat, but now that the kids are teenagers, it’s like having extra adults in the boat. It fishes great and tows great.

PM me if you’d like as I’m looking to sell it this fall!! It fits your budget and is full windshield.

Eric

Skip the deep-v, tri-hull blah blah blah…

For family boating, and especially for fishing in any kind of shallow water, get a ‘toon.

I have a scissor trailer for my pontoon, and I can put in/out on a beach… Landings are even easier.

The ONLY issue is space. They’re big. It lives next to my garage all winter but in the summer it takes up a good 1/3 of my driveway.

Still… Worth it.

Take a look at Ercoa. They are a MN company and their boats sport plenty of power to get on plane and to pull skiers, plus fishing amenities, trolling motors, the works. And their Hextoon concept really works.

Ercoa

Looks like posts cover most issues. One more: with kids ages consider interior depth (from floor to gunwales). Deeper is better with small kids. One of reasons we went with 17′-5″ Lund Fisherman. Never regretted it. need w/s too. Good Luck

I had a 19 foot Crestliner Sportfish SST. The SST stands for space saving transom, essentially it’s a transom extionsion so that the outboard “well” doesn’t cut into your usable space in the cockpit. It was really great in terms of maximizing the usable space and including the V-seating in front of the windshield, that boat could carry a lot of kids and adults.

A couple of suggestions:

1. With a family boat get a boat with a good bimini top that covers as much of the cockpit as possible. Sun protection is really important if you’re going to spend time on the water.

2. Around the metro area, ride quality is key. With so much boat traffic, you’ll always be riding in the slop wherever you go. Even if you didn’t initially think about it, I’d consider looking at fiberglass as well as alu rigs.

3. Will “dual purpose” really work for you? I sold my Sportfish and bought a dedicated pleasure boat because for me the dual purpose boat had too many compromises. Too big and heavy for bass fishing, no rear casting deck, not enough family comforts, etc, etc.

Grouse