1/1/2024 0 Comments Starcraft boat models by yearHowever, my next boat will be bigger and will be glass. It has been a really good boat for the most part and I would recommend looking at the brand. I lost 5 MPH of speed, but it was worth it. I also had to go to a 4 blade stainless prop to get it out of the water properly. It also doesn't help that I have a Vantage and charger on that side. Negatives: The dealer is out of the boat business, I should have bought a bigger motor (rated to 150 hp, not Starcrafts fault), the boat will not drift sideways without a drift sock (It wants to go forward, not sideways), The livewell drains into the back tray and the boat catches water through the access cover, the factory stereo and speakers are junk, they should have put latches on the two open storage compartments and the passenger side should be top loading, The ****pit area is vinyl lined and it has a tendency to peal upward at the edges, the seats could be much better, the seat posts and holders could be better, and the boat leans right while sitting when it has a full tank of gas. I also get a lot of compliments on the rig. Positives: handles rough water well (deep hull), rides OK (not great, not bad), dry ride, plentiful storage, it can handle three of four fisherman pretty easily, trailers well, easy to load on bunk trailer (never going back to a roller!), flexible boat that can handle big or small water, back-trolls well, 8 rod center storage, a lot of room on dash and consol for more accessories, I like the vinyl ****pit for cleaning up, it was a great value compared to competition, and does double duty well for skiing and tubes. I use the boat quite a bit and have a tendency to fish bigger water. Overall, when I purchased the boat in 06, it was a really good buy compared to the similiar model of Lund or Alumacraft with the exact same motor. It is actually a 17 ft 8 inch boat with a deep hull. I have a 06 175 Starcraft Starfish SC with a Merc Opti 115. The new products sure look nice but cannot atest to performance. I doubt they are going to go away any time soon. Beyond boats the name appears on campers, motorhomes and other recreational products. Starcraft has been imitated alot over the years by such folk as Blue Fin, Sylvan, etc. I no longer have a Starcraft but only because I chose dealer loyalty over brand loyalty. The shop said that because I left it in water and covered that condensation was the primary culprit. I replaced the floor after 11 or 12 years. The 83 I sold to a friend who later sold it and he periodically gets thank you notes from the person he sold it to!!! All of our boats have seen harsh use in travel, waters and storage in our balmy WI winters. Another friend bought a fishmaster shortly after my 1st purchase and he still has it with no problems. I had an '83 fishmaster and in '85 upgraded to the 18' w/115 and had it for 15 years. If I recall correctly he bought the boat used, yet Starcraft still worked on the boat until he was satisfied. The dealer and factory worked with him until the problem was fixed- which I believe included essentially replacing the hull. I know of one poster here who had a problem with his Starcraft leaning a bit to one side at speeds in the 36 mph range. It's now working Lake Erie and has been getting the heck beat out of it - and still has no leaks, no loose rivets, and only 2 small (1/4 inch) stress cracks in the seat attachment flanges. It's on owner number 3- who was mad that owner number 2 beat him out when I sold it, and pestered owner number 2 until he sold it to him. I still see my former 1981 16 ft Starcraft now and then. I currently run a Starcraft 176 Superfisherman, '02 model, 17 degree vee, bought new, and I've had zero problems- no stress cracks, no leaks, no loose hardware- nothing at all has shown a problem. Note that the amount of deadrise in the Starcrafts varies a lot with the different models so you can easily see from the specs which will have the deeper vee. In general, I see a lot more Starcrafts than Lunds around here, and the word among unbiased users is that the Starcrafts tend to ride a bit smoother in heavy waves, but that they tend to rock a bit more when still fishing or trolling since they typically have more deadrise, the amount of vee in the hull, than the Lunds. I'm in the Buffalo, NY area and both the Starcraft and Lund lines are handled by respected dealers that have been around for a long time.
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