Smokercraft boats

[Pixel Shooter]

Dont discount Starcraft boats, not as big out west but they are out east and have a great rep and resale like a lund. Luv my fishmaster and set up for fishing. I went to Minnesota to grab mine and saved good dollars. used that is

[gramps73]

The name on the boat does not matter as much as the smile on your face. Buy the boat that fits your needs and don't worry about the name on it.
Jmo
I run a Crestliner and wouldn't fish out of any other brand...
Nothing wrong with the others....

[bobalong]

Originally Posted by Pixel Shooter

Dont discount Starcraft boats, not as big out west but they are out east and have a great rep and resale like a lund. Luv my fishmaster and set up for fishing. I went to Minnesota to grab mine and saved good dollars. used that is

StarCraft are nice boats, I remember when the T180's came out about 20 years ago or so, never owned one, but seemed like a great boat, with one of the best floor layouts I ever saw in a boat. I hoped they changed the seats in them, the only thing that could have been better IMO.

[Lambo]

I had a 2006 Smokercraft Promag 172 with the 90hp Mercury Optimax. Great boat, loved it, plenty of power, great on fuel, handles big waves no problem. Only reason I sold was to buy a jet boat so I can go on the rivers too. I bought it new and sold it for basically what I bought it for after owning it for 4 years. Smokercraft holds their value too (if you take good care of it).

[Stally77]

Originally Posted by skidderman

Just my opinion but I feel lund is over rated for the price. Smokercraft just as good if not better.

X2.

[MadChapper]

I actually bought a Smokercraft 172XL from shipwreck at the boat show a few weekends ago. Reading this forum has me concerned if I have any issues now. Other than their sales manager trying to push on their ridiculously overpriced payment protector plan everything went well.

We spent the day at the boat show, doing cost comparisons, option comparisons, fit/finish ...talking with all the boat salesmen. Lund/Crestliner/Smokercraft were the 3 brands we were comparing. I previously owned a Crestliner that was lost in the fire up here in 2011... it was a great boat. Lund's are great boats too... In our price range, if we had went with Lund, we would have a smaller boat, with a smaller motor than smokercraft also because of the smaller size, a less than desirable layout. With Crestliner we would have the same size boat same size motor, but the boat had minimum storage and was pretty plain fit and finish and layouts that do not work my family of 4.

The 172XL is a great boat.. has options inside I'd have to spend $40,000 in a Lund to get. Tons of room... tons of power.. tons of storage.. (ice needs to melt to test her out!)

Im not sure we can argue resale... how many hits do you get on smokercraft boats on kijiji or trader.ca? Not as many as lunds or crestliners.

[huntsfurfish]

Originally Posted by gramps73

The name on the boat does not matter as much as the smile on your face. Buy the boat that fits your needs and don't worry about the name on it.
Jmo
I run a Crestliner and wouldn't fish out of any other brand...
Nothing wrong with the others....

Have to agree! Well said.

[Walleyedude]

Originally Posted by gramps73

The name on the boat does not matter as much as the smile on your face. Buy the boat that fits your needs and don't worry about the name on it.
Jmo

X3.

Well said.

[JohninAB]

Originally Posted by gramps73

The name on the boat does not matter as much as the smile on your face. Buy the boat that fits your needs and don't worry about the name on it.
Jmo

x4. Well said.

[Habfan]

Hey Don, don't rush into anything ! Take your time and look around, that's how you'll find find the best deal !

[gramps73]

Originally Posted by Habfan

Hey Don, don't rush into anything ! Take your time and look around, that's how you'll find find the best deal !

Gnome,,,,
Never trust a hab fan....

[redmega]

Any feedback on the Lowe boats? The wife and I purchased our first boat at the sportsmanshow its an 185 fishing machine with a 150 hp Merc fourstroke, I went in knowing nothing about boats except what Ive read on here. The only thing I knew that i wanted was a welded hull and as close to max hp as possible. hopefully we made the right decision on this boat, seems well built and suits our needs. The other option was a kingfisher but the wife liked the carpet and cushions that this boat offered.

[EZM]

Lowe boats seem to get positive reviews. They certainly seem to be well built.

The key thing for buying a boat is quality ..... after that layout ...... clearly not everyone will understand what makes a quality boat - and I will tell you it isn't necessarily thickness of the tin, it's how it is structured and what other materials they use to make the bones of the boat.

Once you find the right quality boat, look at the layout and how you are going to use it.

I run my boat nearly 100 days per year - so quality and layout is what I would suggest you look for.

Having owned dozens of boats, and used them in many different ways over the years, take your time and find the right boat to fit your needs - and max the horse power. You will be happier in the long run.