Smokercraft boat question
 

I am looking for feedback on smokercraft boats in particular a Starcraft stealth.I havent had a chance to see them in person but i saw one selling for 23000 brand new and thought that was a good deal.Its 16-6 with 60 hp motor full windshield, swim platform,front mounted trolling motor.It seemed to have alot of good features for the price but maybe its not a good quality boat.Other boats with similar features are selling for 29-34G.Feedback is welcome

Can't give feedback on the stealth in particular, but one of my boats is a starcraft 14' tinner and it has been absolutely great. It's coming up on ten years old and has been pounded down gravel and swells that it probably shouldn't see and has held up great. Starcraft has been around for a long time.
These days I feel like you can't really go wrong with about any brand of boat for what the average guy uses it for.

A buddy with a 2006 Smoker Craft had rivet issues after about 4 years, it has a .100 thick hull and riveted. Our Crestliner is welded and .125 thickness, heavier and more expensive though. The Boat and Sportsman's Show has everything there to see and compare.
Doug

Hey there just took a quick look. Ive compared this price range of boats a lot and i found the crestliner/evinrude to be my choice. I originally was confused why the pricing of your stealth was where it was being about 23000(as in high). And after taking a peak it looks like the stealth you are looking at has a max hp rating of 90hp, but the one youre looking at has a 60hp. Also has a max weight load(i think taking into consideration the motor) 900 pounds. Thats pretty good but then you would need to start comparing it with boats in a category slightly above what i was looking at. So you are comparing it to boat models of crestliner of lets say the fish hawk or super hawk, and for lund whatever model is above the fury 1600. Because these max out at 60hp normally.

Anyways a few observations is that i think the price may be lower comparatively because the motor size is not maxed out to what it could be. And with the added weight of your boat with the larger capacity i think that motor is going to be fairly undersized personally. I have a way lighter boat then the stealth with a 60hp and its good, but i wouldnt want it on a heavier boat. You will likely be getting about 40-43km/hr max and i think a decent amount of trouble fully loaded to get on plane properly. However that boat specifically will probably be more stable then the models slightly below i mentioned earlier. A properly weighted/sized boat will get around 47-50km/hr out of a 60hp fully loaded. I highly reccomend comparing boat models, features, weight apacaities, hull depth and width etc side by side in an event like the sportsman show. Or go drive one day from dealer to dealer - its really worth it. Itll narrow your search down significantly and make you think of things you hadnt considered. I like open space concept and the welded aluminum boat so i did crestliner. That stealth will be rivetted as are most other boats(you will get lots of varying opinions on which is better - but look at warranty difference and i think that answers it) and i wasnt a huge fan of the layout, it seems a little hemmed in for me.

Biggest thing i would consider is the majority of time you will be using your boat what will be your average weight in it? 4 people/adults then i would definitely upsize and do the higher model that you are looking at but max it out with a 90hp, especially on lakes with any size to them. Or will it mostly be 2 adults, with maybe some kids or passengers here and there. Then i would downgrade to something like a crestliner vision, lund fury, or whatever model is the next one down from your stealth and max it out with the 60hp. Or you can do what youre sort of looking at for the “stability” and weight capacity and undersize the motor if it makes you feel more comfirtable.

There have been lots of posts on stuff like this in the past you should take a look at.

Either way its exciting to get a boat! Make sure you do your homework and you get into exactly what you need! Good luck man!

Thanks for the awesome details. This is what I was hoping for. I’ve never owned a fishing boat so your info is really helpful. I really liked the crestliner fish hawk series. All I need now is money.

x2 thanks for the info! Wife and I are officially in the market for a new-to-us 16-18ft aluminum boat and trying to soak up every bit of info we can. I'm still pretty set on either Lund or Alumacraft and living on Kijiji these days...

What’s your budget? My Eagle Performance Boat is for sale. Fully loaded with electronics, electric trolling motor on board chargers and more. Heavy gauge all welded. 100 hours on the Evinrude 250 HO
19’ long and 102” beam

I haven’t posted it on Kijiji yet. I’ll be posting it likely this weekend

There have been a ton of good used aluminum 16ft boats coming up on kijiji. If you watch it close you make get an amazing deal. I have seen 2008 crestliner fish hawk with 90hp fully loaded on there for 10,000. Some really good deals if you catch them.

Take your time, dont rush, go and do the footwork and look at the details, specs, measurements and what they all mean and do differently from one motor to another and one boat to another. As well as storage options and layouts. And then of course money. A word of caution try to hit the sweet spot because the bigger/heavier/expensive the boat the more maitenance, and upkeep there is which may make you hesitate for going fishing as many times as you might if it was a bit smaller and easier to deal with etc. So really try vision how many people/weight, size of lakes, roughness of water youre comfortable in, and speed you want to be able to travel, as well as stability. They all play a part and may point you to the best option. My preference like i said is crestliner/envinrude, but i also like alumacraft/yamaha.

I also took a look at the trailer axel capacity and tire size/type. The dealers normally load them so close to the max limits they should be that they will cause you issues. Not a bad idea to have a look into that a little bit while you are already bargaining for everything else. Thing to look at are axel max weight for your total rig plus anything you may want in the boat while you are pulling it, and tire type/size. The rest im not so sure about to be honest.

Once again good luck - super exciting.

I have owned a 16' smoker a 17' Crestliner and many Lunds.

The Crestliner fish hawk is twice the boat compared to the smoker.

A Lund, of similar design, is better yet.

Nothing wrong with the smoker for the price, but if you can swing it in your budget, buy better quality.

I was in your situation a few years ago.
I got a 60 HP on an awesome boat. 60 is great for you and wife/friend.
If you expect to take more than the two of you it will definitely be underpowered. If even one of the extra persons is 'heavy', it will be like dragging an anchor.
Second point to a newbie. When buying, rarely does someone tell you about trim tabs. I feel they are absolutely essential especially if water gets rough.

Lots of other things. You are welcome to PM me.
Peter.

I agree. It’s a bit tricky sorting thru all of Smokers specs for there different models I found. They have some decent quality boats in some of there model lines but you have to go thru everything in detail to find them.

I was just speaking to my friend yesterday who had a very nice looking 2017 Smokercraft and was telling me he just traded it in for a Kingfisher as the smokercraft was falling apart after only 2 seasons and a half on the water. complained about screws and rivets coming loose as well as wires. Said the boat let him down and he was done with it so he was moving on.. So I would proceed with caution based on what he said about the Smokers. Cheers.

I'd have to agree with this. My dad bought a Tracker Pro Guide V16 WT nearly ten years ago and hasn't had an issue other than the fuel gauge failing. With the amount that we use it, I certainly don't notice the differences in quality.

If you're guiding multiple times a week, that might be a different story.

Good luck! Lund or Alumacraft for us....16-18ft. We've seen a couple things on Kijiji, but not the perfect one just yet.