Thinking of a New Boat

markg · #1 06-28-2016, 12:05 PM

We currently have a 17 ft Crestliner with a 140 Hp Suzuki outboard. Its a good boat and the motor has been very reliable. We have owned it for about 10 or 15 yrs and i am thinking about what kind of new boat i may want.

Most of the new boats have Mercury motors. I see that most boat shops work on Mercury, that would be handy. How is there reliability?

What brand of boats have high end quality? We have been quite happy with Crestliner but Lund and Princecraft seem impressive as well.

All advice is appreciated.

wildside2014 · #2 06-28-2016, 12:15 PM

If youre interested in looking at a legend you can fire me a pm. My employer deals them

elkhunter11 · #3 06-28-2016, 12:52 PM

Lund , Princecraft and Crestliner are all very good quality boats. As far as engines go, Mercury, Honda and Yamaha are all very reliable. If I was in the market for a new boat, I would be contacting Albert at Lac La Biche Sporting Goods.

dodgeboy1979 · #4 07-07-2016, 09:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wildside2014

If youre interested in looking at a legend you can fire me a pm. My employer deals them

Bought a 16 XCaliber last year, awesome boat for the money. I put an merc optimax on it an love it.

SamSteele · #5 07-07-2016, 10:13 AM

I had a 16' Sylvan with a 90 hp Yamaha 2 stroke on it for 6 years. Just changed over to a 18.5' Lund with a 150 4 stroke Merc and a 9.9 Merc Pro Kicker this spring. I was a bit nervous about switching from Yamaha to Merc as I've had great luck with Yamaha everything. That said, I couldn't believe how much quieter the Merc was over the Yamaha (likely 2 stroke vs 4 more than brand) and the FI vs carb was huge too. Starts way easier, uses less gas, is quieter, and has QR codes on the motor to pull up how to maintenance videos on youtube. So far I have been very happy with the 150 4 stroke Merc. the 9.9 Pro Kicker has been a little less impressive as it's carbed and can be a pain to get fired up first thing. Once it has been going it's good but that initial startup is painful. If I had to do it over again I would do a Suzuki 9.9 as they are EFI.

BTW, you can order a Lund with a Honda motor from factory. I believe that Riverside will put a Yamaha on for you. Brokers in Camrose will put a Evinrude on a Lund for you too. I looked at Alumacraft boats (the Edge mostly) and couldn't get past the smaller livewell accesses. Not easy to put a pike in or out of.

SS

HoytCRX32 · #6 07-07-2016, 10:31 AM

I have a 17.5 Crestliner Sportfisher with a 115 Mercury 4 stroke...love it.

wildside2014 · #7 07-07-2016, 10:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dodgeboy1979

Bought a 16 XCaliber last year, awesome boat for the money. I put an merc optimax on it an love it.

Yes they are a great boat for the pricing. Pretty tough to beat a lifetime warranty on a 100 gauge aluminum welded hull too

Poppa · #8 07-08-2016, 01:57 PM

For the longest time, when I was a kid, I desperately wanted a Misty River with a Merc motor. Then, as I got older, I became all about Lund with a Merc. Now, the more I watch Uncut Angling, the more I become enamoured with that Alumacraft/Yammy combo...so many great options!

Elkaholic338 · #9 06-28-2016, 01:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by markg

We currently have a 17 ft Crestliner with a 140 Hp Suzuki outboard. Its a good boat and the motor has been very reliable. We have owned it for about 10 or 15 yrs and i am thinking about what kind of new boat i may want.

Most of the new boats have Mercury motors. I see that most boat shops work on Mercury, that would be handy. How is there reliability?

What brand of boats have high end quality? We have been quite happy with Crestliner but Lund and Princecraft seem impressive as well.

All advice is appreciated.

If you are looking to purchase brand new and want to stay with an aluminum boat, I would have a look at Westlock Motor products, and have a look at an Alumacraft with an Evinrude E-Tec G2 on it. In my experience, Lund has declined in quality from the boats that made their name great years ago, and prince craft was never in the same league as a Lund or even a Crestliner.
Personally I would suggest that you make the jump to a quality fibreglass boat, such as a Warrior, Ranger, Yar-Craft etc. Depending on the type of use you have in mind for it, it is hard to beat the ride quality in a glass boat, and the fit and finish in my Ranger is second to none.

As far as outboards, there are lots of Mercs out there because Brunswick Marine is the parent company of Merc and of many of the boat manufacturers, such as Lund, Princecraft, tracker, etc., making it hard to get anything but a Merc on these hulls.
Personally though, I would not have a Merc, as when I see an outboard grenade at a tournament, it is generally a black one, and while all engines can fail, their track record is poor in my opinion.
Add to that all the maintenance that a Merc requires and the need to run premium fuel, I would not make them my choice.
My first choice would be an e-Tec, as it is lighter than the comparable 4 stroke Merc, has less emissions, uses less fuel, runs great on regular gas, and is as quiet. My second choice would be a Yamaha, as they have proven to be excellent motors as well, and I would stay away from Merc, as mentioned, and from Honda, as much as I like Honda products, they are heavy outboards, and lack the power of a comparable HP outboard of the other brands.

this is just my opinion and experience, and you will find people with horror stories of all brands as well as great success with all brands, so choose what will work best for the use that you have, and that fits your budget and convenience as well.

Good Luck in your search.

Big Sky · #10 06-28-2016, 01:33 PM

You lookin' to downsize or do you have two foot fever?

Fishing boat?
Pulling skiers?
How many people do you usually have on board?

TROLLER · #11 06-28-2016, 03:17 PM

Honda and Yamaha first choice then the Merc.

Eveinrude is having some issues with that etec so I would be shy of it.

Take this conversation to the fishing discussion and you will get tons of real good advise.

As far as a boat is concerned you now own one of the best so Crestliner, Lund, Alumicraft those are kind of the top three.

markg · #12 06-28-2016, 03:54 PM

I want it to be a fishing boat. I would downsize to a 16 foot as its just the wife and I that usually go out. Occasionally another couple.

I like it to be able to go over 30 mph or 50 kph. The big thing for me is quality. The boat i currently have has been great, the suzuki motor starts every time, all the time flawlessly, so i have high standards.

Its just time for something newer. (unless i cant find something better)

I am finding the manufacturers websites tedious, they want to capture a ton of info before you can even access pricing.

benamen · #13 06-28-2016, 03:59 PM

What ever engine you go with, ensure they have the staff to deal with any issues in a timely manner. Some of the dealers have a month wait before they will get to your stuff. I have driven 125 miles to have service done as the local dealer (where I purchased the outfit from) could not fit me in for over a month.With the unit off warranty, I try to do the most of the repairs myself.

markg · #14 06-28-2016, 04:03 PM

My only complaint has been the fact that getting work done (winterize or tune up) has to be done at only 1 dealer in southern alberta. That dealer is about 100km from where i live. They have been great and thankfully I havent needed any repairs done.

Duramaximos · #15 06-30-2016, 05:36 PM

I'm in the minority here but I have nothing but praise for my Suzuki DF150.

It has provided flawless reliability and performance. I think they are highly underrated.

Mountain Toys Cochrane is a dealer and service center.

Good luck!

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