Starcraft Delta series

Anybody got one? Likes? Dislikes? Is the quality there? From looking at the 188 tiller online, they look very comparable to the Alumacraft competitor.

The 188T fishes surprisingly good and better than I recall from my previous aluminum ownership days….

We have sold a few and getting good feedback so far… there is one on our showroom floor to take a peek at for yourself. The boat is certainly a valid option in todays market place especially if you value a Yamaha .

I bought one last spring from the Boat Center guys and am very happy with it. I use it for a little bit of everything; pitching, jigging, drifting, trolling. It’s a pretty big boat for an 18 ft tiller and it’s great to have all that open space! I would say the quality is good, but I did have a couple small things that needed some attention. The deck area in front of the driver where most people mount electronics on tillers was a little under built if you’re going to run multiple unit’s. I’ve got 2 10 inch Helix’s and the Boat Center guys had to reinforce this area. After that, it’s pretty nice and solid. The small drawers under the console area had no drainage and fill up to the brim in rain. A couple small holes drilled into the back corners fixed that problem. I had the same problem with the fully sealed battery box located in the floor. After a bunch of rain while docked at Sturgeon Bay, some of my electronics quit working. I opened the battery box and found it filled with water just to the top of the battery. Again, I drilled a few drain holes in the bottom and all was good. I consider these to be very minor and easily fixed. Other than that, the boat has been great. I even took it Salmon fishing on Lake Michigan for a few trips and was very happy with how the boat does in big waves. At this point, I’m very happy with the purchase. I’d give it two thumbs up!

Dean Marshall wrote:

The 188T fishes surprisingly good and better than I recall from my previous aluminum ownership days….

We have sold a few and getting good feedback so far… there is one on our showroom floor to take a peek at for yourself. The boat is certainly a valid option in todays market place especially if you value a Yamaha .

Thanks Dean. Is the one in the showroom up in Chippewa Falls?

to_setter wrote:

I bought one last spring from the Boat Center guys and am very happy with it. I use it for a little bit of everything; pitching, jigging, drifting, trolling. It’s a pretty big boat for an 18 ft tiller and it’s great to have all that open space! I would say the quality is good, but I did have a couple small things that needed some attention. The deck area in front of the driver where most people mount electronics on tillers was a little under built if you’re going to run multiple unit’s. I’ve got 2 10 inch Helix’s and the Boat Center guys had to reinforce this area. After that, it’s pretty nice and solid. The small drawers under the console area had no drainage and fill up to the brim in rain. A couple small holes drilled into the back corners fixed that problem. I had the same problem with the fully sealed battery box located in the floor. After a bunch of rain while docked at Sturgeon Bay, some of my electronics quit working. I opened the battery box and found it filled with water just to the top of the battery. Again, I drilled a few drain holes in the bottom and all was good. I consider these to be very minor and easily fixed. Other than that, the boat has been great. I even took it Salmon fishing on Lake Michigan for a few trips and was very happy with how the boat does in big waves. At this point, I’m very happy with the purchase. I’d give it two thumbs up!

That’s the kind of honest review I was hoping to find. Do you have any idea on what kind of speed you’re getting? How does it do getting up on plane?

Chippewa does not have one there at this time…

Speed if I remember correctly was 41mph with 3 people and 43 with 2.
to setter will report his performance report…..

We can and will get you on the water for a test drive with some lead time and civil weather….

I can’t remember for sure what my top speed is, but I’d say bumping 40 MPH for sure and maybe a bit more than that. As for getting up on plane, it’s not an issue. Even fully set up for Salmon fishing with Tracks, Downriggers, rod holder trees, 3 guys, a TON of rods and tackle, and a large cooler full of Salmon, we had no problem getting on plane.

The boat/motor combo with the 90 SHO works very well. I did add a Tiller Assist for steering. Most times it’s not needed at all, but in heavy waves on long rides it’s very nice.

BassinBill,

I had the opportunity to crawl around one at the Chippewa store just before Thanksgiving. I thought it had a ton of room and felt wide. For perspective, my last boat was a Skeeter MX2025. When the weather warms up I plan on doing a water test. For me, I am most interested in how it handles/tracks when I am on the bow mount. I think it has plenty of storage. I don’t know exact prices, but I was told that the additions to the Starcraft tracks are on the high side as far as price is concerned.

Have fun shopping!

FDR

francisco4 wrote:

BassinBill,

I had the opportunity to crawl around one at the Chippewa store just before Thanksgiving. I thought it had a ton of room and felt wide. For perspective, my last boat was a Skeeter MX2025. When the weather warms up I plan on doing a water test. For me, I am most interested in how it handles/tracks when I am on the bow mount. I think it has plenty of storage. I don’t know exact prices, but I was told that the additions to the Starcraft tracks are on the high side as far as price is concerned.

Have fun shopping!

FDR

I just went with 72 inch traxtech tracks for maximum flexibility.

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A friend has a 168SC and is extremely happy with it. Lots of room and ample storage. Stable side to side. Good hole shot and speed. A very good value when compared to its Lund and Alumna craft competition.

to_setter,

Did you have to have a custom boat cover made due to adding the tracks?

FDR

francisco4 wrote:

to_setter,

Did you have to have a custom boat cover made due to adding the tracks?

FDR

No; the standard cover still fits with no issues.

I also owned an MX2025 previously. The storage space is comparable between the two. I put everything I had in the 2025 into the Delta without issue. While I do miss the full windshield a few times a year in crappy weather, I really like not having a windshield in the way most of the time.

Setter, how do the compartments do with keeping water out?

BassinBill wrote:

Setter, how do the compartments do with keeping water out?

The side compartments stay pretty much dry, but the ones in the front deck let water in. I have yet to meet a boat that can keep all compartments dry unfortunately…….

Dean Marshall wrote:

Chippewa does not have one there at this time…
We can and will get you on the water for a test drive with some lead time and civil weather….

Any idea when they’ll be getting one? How is the supply from Starcraft on getting one? I’m more just curious on if I decide to pull the trigger, how much time I have before supply runs out like it has with everything last year.

shoot me a email Bill, [email protected]

I will try to get one there for you to look at….

Little update. They’re a nice boat. TONS of storage! The only real thing I didn’t care for was being able to see the screw heads on the deck. It was good enough for the wife to approve!

BassinBill wrote:

Little update. They’re a nice boat. TONS of storage! The only real thing I didn’t care for was being able to see the screw heads on the deck. It was good enough for the wife to approve!

How do you like the delta? Found a couple used and a couple storms that look like a great deal. I have no experience with starcraft though.

So far I love it. About the only thing I wish it had would be a 150 engine like the console models.

What model did you end up with? Whats it have for a motor?

I have a Delta 188T with a 90 Sho

Youbetcha wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>BassinBill wrote:</div>
Little update. They’re a nice boat. TONS of storage! The only real thing I didn’t care for was being able to see the screw heads on the deck. It was good enough for the wife to approve!

How do you like the delta? Found a couple used and a couple storms that look like a great deal. I have no experience with starcraft though.

I had a smoker craft pro mag 171(same company as StarCraft) and it was a good boat. A few little things that warranty covered no problem. That hull is different than the delta’s and mine wasn’t the smoothest ride but it was a dry boat. The delta’s hull design is supposed to be better. We looked at the full windshield delta model before getting our alumacraft and they seemed like nice boats as well.

Stanley wrote:

I had a smoker craft pro mag 171(same company as StarCraft) and it was a good boat. A few little things that warranty covered no problem. That hull is different than the delta’s and mine wasn’t the smoothest ride but it was a dry boat. The delta’s hull design is supposed to be better. We looked at the full windshield delta model before getting our alumacraft and they seemed like nice boats as well.

Ended up with an alumacraft as well. Those new 17ft storms were tempting though. Pretty reasonable.