New boat. Where to start?

Ive gone through three horrible fixed upper boats. Last year I had enough and got rid of a 90 Pro V that had to many issues to deal with. I am leaning towards buying new but am also looking at used. I’m just starting to the process but would appreciate good advice. Dealers, brands, what to look out for,ect. Looked at the smokercraft Ultima 172 this evening and crossed that off the list. I have been looking online at the alumacraft edge 175 and like what I see. I have a young family with 2 sons and really want to make this purchase about them. Although I’m sure I’ll mainly be using the boat with a buddy or two. Help please!!! I work a lot and any help I can get will save me a great deal of time. Thanks

D it would help if you typed in your location or about location in your profile. At a glance folks can see what area your from.

It would make a difference if your from Iowa, Minnesota or someplace else of course.

Sounds like you want to stay with metal?

I really like the Alumacraft boats. They ride well in rough water. I bought a trophy 175 and think it will be a great boat. I like the deep sides so my little girl basically has a wall and can’t climb out. I had a Alumacraft dominator and liked that as well. What motor are you considering. If you are looking at Alumacraft I would highly recommend talking to La Cannes Marine and Nick La Canne.

Thanks for the input so far. I’m from central MN and would plan to use boat primarily for fishing but need it to be family friendly. A handful of big lakes a year but primarily smaller lakes. I figured a 115 motor will be plenty for me. I’d like glass but my absolute limit on cost will be around 28000. Looked at the tracker pro guide 175 combo and really liked what I saw. Anyone know if they use butt joints on the welds for trackers? I really appreciate the advice this will be a very large purchase for my family. Thanks!!

If you are looking for Alumacraft specifically I would go to Westre’s Marine in St. Cloud or J&K Marine in Walker. I’ve heard good things about both dealers, and they are Aluma dealers. Do you plan on keeping the boat forever or possibly selling in the future? My buddy has a Lund Crossover 1775, and it’s a very nice boat to fish out of as well as all the comforts for the fam. I would check out Power Lodge in Brainerd, if you want to look at Lunds. Walleye Central.com has a ton of used boats, and your $ will go a lot further with a slightly used boat especially at that price range too.

Westres is where I looked at the tracker and was very impressed with the staff. I will be sure to check in with them again. I’ll check out walleye central.com. Thanks!!!

My brother is looking at these same boats. IMO, the Edge is overpriced for a fishing boat. Lots of unnecessary (IMO only) bells and whistles. If you’re going to use it primarily for fishing, I’d lean towards the Competitor. It’ll save you some money over the Edge, is better suited for fishing and will still handle play time well. The Edge does have the flip up seats which are nice, was a requirement for me, but I think you can put a flip up bench on the Competitor.

For example, my first real boat was a Reata, while it was a great boat, I spent 80%+ of my time fishing and felt slightly limited in that dept. It was great for the play days, but always left me wanting more fishing. I now have a Skeeter 1910 and while it’s not set up to play as well, I feel like it does as good a job as the Reata did and it fishes MUCH better.

I liked the idea of a 1-3 year old boat with really low hours. You can skip the first good depreciation hit and maybe get a little more boat for your dollar.

Ex. I’m over in the Alumacraft forum with a 2013 Dominator 175. 3 years old, 39 hours, and except a carpet stain it looks like it from from the showroom. Like you, I didn’t want projects or something ready to break down at any minute.

I believe brad, above, posted a really nice Trophy that was next to new too. Almost wish I would have seen that when I was shopping

Had one more thought. How long were you planning on keeping this boat? To the point of should you get more motor?

For fishing a 17′ Alumacraft a 115hp will do fine. When your young boys get older and into watersports will you wish you maxed it out at the 150hp?

I am in the same “boat” (pun intended) as the original poster. Although I’ve got the search process underway, I’d love to hear peoples’ opinions regarding boats in the 17′ range from the most popular manufacturers.

I’ve done quite a bit of research on the Alumacraft Competitor 175, and have liked what I’ve found so far. I was able to cross the Trophy (too deep and wide gunnels) and the Edge & Competitor (wide gunnels) off my list this far. What’s out there for comparable models and prices from other manufacturers?

patk wrote:

Had one more thought. How long were you planning on keeping this boat? To the point of should you get more motor?

For fishing a 17′ Alumacraft a 115hp will do fine. When your young boys get older and into watersports will you wish you maxed it out at the 150hp?

+1 on maxing out the hp

I was able to dodge that bullet of an underpowered boat with most dealers at the MPLS Boat Show

While maxing out the HP is important in most situations, I think these 17′ Alumacrafts are different. MOST 17′ boats are only rated for 115 so they perform adequate with a 115. HOWEVER, they’re a different animal with the 150 and is a big selling point for these models over the competition. The 115s will do just fine on these boats, but the 150 will do it better.

Personally there are 2 main aluminum boats I’d look at, Lund and Alumacraft. I’m not sold on the welded boats. G3 is another I’d look into, but they weren’t too popular back when I started researching boats. Starcraft as well, just not many dealers near me.

I own a 2016 Alumacraft Competitor 175 Sport LE with a 140 Suzuki and a 9.9 kicker. I purchased from Cabelas in Rodgers after having a less than stellar experience from another dealer. I too have a young family with a wife and 3 boys all under 7. Last summer we actually used the boat more for just doing some swimming and tubing than I did for fishing, which was the primary reason I got it. It works out great as a family boat. When I was looking I checked out Lund and Crestliner but both were more expensive (especially Lund). Lund always seemed to be around $5000 more priced out with the same options (plus you have to choose a mercury motor or pay extra). I felt that Alumacraft offered the best value in terms of a reliable boat paired with functional features. I paid more than your cap of 28k but if you take off my kicker motor and ipilot trolling motor and you went with a 115 instead of the 140 I went with you should be under 28k.

Patk I am glad you didn’t find the trophy I bought first. I did get a very good deal on a 2015 boat and the Trophy was what I really wanted. One other recomendatio I have is do your research on the motor. I had a 2010 Etec 115 H.O. and will never own another. New powerhead at 80 hours.No oil light in shop 4 times and could not figure out. Limp mode many times on the lake. Needless to say I am not a fan.

I found a 2017 Alumacraft Competitor 175 with a 140 Suzuki, a Helix 7 at the dash, Helix 5 at the bow, and a 70lb, 24v (don’t remember the model) trolling motor, and a cover at the MPLS boat show for $28900, but didn’t pull the trigger. The dealer was located quite a ways from where I live and I had heard a few negative things about their service and processing of warranty issues.

Don’t hesitate to check out a Lowe. Made by the same company that makes Lund but not priced like a Lund. I can get 45mph by myself if conditions are right with a 115 merc. My boat set up with electronics and xi5 Trolling motor was less than your max price.

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Getting some great advice. Thanks a lot guys. I’ll have to give some serious thought about a bigger motor if there is the option. I’ll have to look at Lowe’s line up also.

Would a 55lb trolling motor be too small for a 17-18 ft? I have put it on the list to upgrade to 80. As I have always gotten a lot of use from bow a trolling motor.

dbimrxt wrote:

Getting some great advice. Thanks a lot guys. I’ll have to give some serious thought about a bigger motor if there is the option. I’ll have to look at Lowe’s line up also.

Would a 55lb trolling motor be too small for a 17-18 ft? I have put it on the list to upgrade to 80. As I have always gotten a lot of use from bow a trolling motor.

I guess the way that I looked at it, or the way I talked myself into a decision if you want to put it that way, was to say that if im gonna spend all of this money im gonna get the boat I always wanted – no shortcuts. I think I made the right choice. get the rig that you want the first time would be my best advice

The one negative for me on the Edge is that it only has one livewell, it’s small, it’s inconveniently under the rear jump seat, and to add insult to injury, they don’t even include a snap to hold the seat bottom up against the seat rear to access the livewell like they do on the Trophy.

So good luck trying to fit some larger fish in there and also good luck trying to get them out of there at the end of the trip. Why they don’t at least offer an optional second livewell in the bow is beyond me. At a time when everyone else has moved the livewell to between the rear seats, and they cannot even make it easy to access, it’s just dumb.

dbimrxt wrote:

Would a 55lb trolling motor be too small for a 17-18 ft?

IMO yes. I have a 1775 Pro V with an 80 lbs and would like to go bigger. Spend a little extra on a trolling motor and you won’t need a kicker, unless you primarily troll big water.

BigWerm wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>dbimrxt wrote:</div>
Would a 55lb trolling motor be too small for a 17-18 ft?

IMO yes. I have a 1775 Pro V with an 80 lbs and would like to go bigger. Spend a little extra on a trolling motor and you won’t need a kicker, unless you primarily troll big water.

I agree with BW. I have a 1875 Pro-V and went with the 112 lbs. Terrova. I typically don’t need to go over 30% thrust, so no worries about batteries dying on the water. I don’t fish the Miss anymore, but would certainly max out power if planning to fish big rivers.

I am curious about the multiple aversions to the wide gunnels. I was hesitant about them as well before getting a Tourney Pro because they do take up some inside space but later found that the storage is ideal.

I quickly came to appreciate the wide gunnels. Some advantages.
They make a great step for getting in and out.
They make a great seat when anchor fishing.
Nice to sit on the edge and hang your feet in the water.
My dogs like to lay on them while I fish, or walk laps around the boat on the gunnels.
They are easy on the stomach muscles when you lean over to release a fish.

And they make a comfortable foot rest or ottoman.

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I personally like the wide Gunnels and that is one reason why I bought a Trophy. I like the storage and really like the fact that it is a wall with nothing lower to stand on so my little girl is in a sense trapped inside and is less likely to jump out ever. I have had both types of boats and like both types but the wide gunnels fit me and my family right now.

I currently have an Alumacraft and it has been a wonderful boat. I felt the value was as good as Lund at a lesser cost.

I’ve been kicking a lot of tires thinking about a new boat and one thing I’m skeptical about on the new Alumacrafts is the Alumatrac for rod holders. Are they robust enough for pulling leadcore, planer boards and heavy 3-ways? Or what about hitting a snag at 3 MPH? My fear is losing the whole bracket, rod holder and rod over the side of the boat. Does anyone have experience with these? The dealers in my area are not able to confidently tell me these will work for my application. Most are not even familiar with the techniques.

Who uses the Alumatrac for pulling bards and lead? Do you have any concerns with this system?

+3 on the wide gunnels. I have a tournament sport 185 which has the wide gunnels and absolutely love them. Its what I wanted over the narrow metal covered gunnels on the other models. The carpet is nice, doesn’t get hot, nice easy place to mount rod holders, flush mount or track systems. My boat has the top doors on both sides, but I know Alumacraft eliminated the one top door in favor of a side door on the newer models.

The wide gunnels definitely have advantages. Like somewhere to set your beer. They also make a nice platform to mount riggers, rod holders, etc.

its been a while since I was investigating boats and learning about the specs but choosing the competitor over the trophy for me was less about the wide gunnels and more about the larger casting deck. If I remember correctly the Trophy has much less space on the front bow than the competitor and I preferred more space up there for fishing.

I am hoping to be able to use the Alumatrac for pulling boards and leadcore. I have never used leadcore but I am in the process of acquiring the gear now. There really is very little information on the Alumatrac system. If it doesn’t work I will end up flush mounting on the gunnel like my old Alumacraft.

hunterjoe wrote:

MOST 17′ boats are only rated for 115 so they perform adequate with a 115. HOWEVER, they’re a different animal with the 150 and is a big selling point for these models over the competition. The 115s will do just fine on these boats, but the 150 will do it better.

x2 well said

I actually had a preference for the 115hp. Fuel economy for remote trips and lower cost were my personal drivers. Our family has a glass boat for waterskiing so I didn’t need the extra juice.

Some dealers will sell that 175 with less than 115hp, don’t do it! Can’t speak to 18 footers but I might lean to needing more than 115hp.

Francis K wrote:

I I’m skeptical about on the new Alumacrafts is the Alumatrac for rod holders. Are they robust enough for pulling leadcore, planer boards and heavy 3-ways? Or what about hitting a snag at 3 MPH? My fear is losing the whole bracket, rod holder and rod over the side of the boat. Does anyone have experience with these?

There is info on WC that suggests they work well, people are using them for trolling Muskie and dipsies for salmon.