Boat help
 

I'm looking at upgrading my fishing boat and not sure where to start. I have a basically brand new 15hp tohatsu so hoping to be able to use that motor (typically just fishing small lakes with one other person). So far my best options look as follows:

Starcraft sf dlx 14
Lund fury 1400
Alumacraft escape 145

Any reason to go one way or the other? The starcraft is significantly cheaper which is appealing but I don't mind spending a little more it it's worth it.

Any advice is welcomed

Those are pretty heavy boats for that motor. My advice is buy a 14' utility boat (no floor it will keep the weight down) or buy a bigger motor.

I won't comment on whether or not it's the right motor, but Lund and Alumacraft over Starcraft allllllllllllllllllllll dayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy. There's a reason it's so much cheaper.

I have the Alumacraft mentioned and was barely satisfied with a 25/hp. It was ok by myself and that was it. It would not get up on plain with another person in the boat. Buy a utility and put in a floor “ easy peasey “ and you should be ok with your motor.

Dodger.

None of the boats you listed will even get up on plane with your 15hp. While Tohatsu is a great motor if that is what you want to use then forget the idea of any of the mentioned boats.

Way too heavy for your motor. If you want one of those then consider selling your Tohatsu and do not go too light on the boat. A 25 will bring it to plane but a 30 or 40 would be my choice.

Yes, agreed with the above posts. A 15hp is for a simple light 12ft utility tin boat with no floor in it. Otherwise you are totally underpowered.

As far as boats go, the very best boat in my opinion, for the money, is a Lund SSV. It probably needs a little more horsepower, like something 25hp-40hp if you run a 14' or 16' version, but they really are the best quality boat I've run (and I've run dozens and dozens over the years). The 20" transom option is also great to have.

If you want to use your 15hp, then a 12' Lund AWD utility is the proper match for you. That's a great option for a light simple utility boat that is a quality build.

look at a Marlon as well

15hp for a 12' the new yamaha 25's for a 14' or 16'

I was worried the 15h wouldn't be enough. I got the motor from my grandfather but the old boat he has leaks despite multiple attempts to fix it. I'll look at something simpler to lighten it up.

The Lund WC14 is rated for 25hp which is a bit closer to your 15.

Boat help
 

A lot of the 12 foot boats are rated for 10hp. I have a Lund WC-12 with a 9.9 hp Merc on it and it gets up on plane with two adults. If I have myself and two of my late teens kids (and all our gear) it barely gets on plane. I also have an older SSV-16 with a 25 hp on it and it has no issue getting up on plane with 3 adults. I can actually pull a couple kids on a tube with it in a pinch.

If you’re looking to use your 15 hp outboard I would say you are looking at a 14 foot utility aluminum boat to pair it with. Keep in mind that some of these will have a 15 inch transom while others will have a 20 inch transom, so choose the right one for your outboard.

I didn’t see Princecraft or Crestliner (whose utility boats are made by Princecraft) listed in your original post. Take a look at them as options as well.

SS

With one other person as mentioned in the OP you'd be fine getting on plane with a lund WC 14 or a marlon 14