Finalists in my Boat Search!!!

[Brett's_daddy]

A 2000 Starcraft Starfire 16ft. SC w/2001 Mercury 50hp ELPTO for $4200

http://worcester.craigslist.org/boa/5543183573.html

 

A 2004 Lund Rebel 1440 SS w/2005 Suzuki 40hp Four Stroke EFI $4000

http://hartford.craigslist.org/boa/5552868538.html

 

Both are about nice boats but I do remember people telling me to buy the biggest boat I can afford so I'm leaning towards the Starcraft. Safety is definitely a concern as I will have my wife and 5 year old with me most trips.

[Allen Der]

I'm a bit biased but I say get the Lund for these reasons: its newer, it has a bulletproof suzuki 4-stroke, newer and better trolling motor, you're fishing small lakes, and I think you said your SUV can only tow around 1500lbs.  Just make sure the transom and decks are solid

[Further North]

Wow!  that's quite a step up from what you were looking at last week!

I'm biased towards the Suzuki 4 stroke as well - I love mine and in terms of future operating costs it'll use less gas and no oil...and I like Lund boats a lot.

That said, there isn't a thing wrong with the Starcraft/Merc offering either - I like that there's a lot of pictures in the add, and sure looks like it's in decent condition.

Do you due diligence on both (or just the first one you look at if it rings your bells)...get in, crawl around, poke at stuff, ask questions...you know the drill.  Get 'em to a marina/marine mechanic if you can to look for the things you don't know about.  I Know you've heard it before...but get them on the water if you can.

One thing: that Title thing on the Starcraft spooks me a little.  I understand how it can happen, and the seller is up-front about it...but not one dollar changes hands before that title is in your hands if you go with that boat.

[Brett's_daddy]

Just spoke to the seller of the Starcraft and he has title in hand now!

[Further North]

There you go!

The extra "stuff" included with the Starcraft is great...you'll have to buy all that "stuff" anyway...but make sure it doesn't become a distraction to mask a flaw in the boat or the motor.

...I'm still biased towards the Lund and the Suzuki.

Suzuki 4 strokes are just crazy good.  It baffles me that they don't own more of the market.  They are just quietly excellent, getting the job done with a minimum of fuss and a ton of reliability.

[Brett's_daddy]

What about the size difference between the boats? I'm afraid that as my boy grows (as boys will do...lol) that the 14ft. Lund may get cramped...what do you think?

[Further North]

14' 5" is a little small...but do you really think you'll still have this stater boat more than a couple years?

[Brett's_daddy]

Honestly...yeah, I do. This may be a starter boat or it may be a longer-term boat if we really like it!

[Further North]

Then go look at both and make a decision...I doubt 1 ft. 7 inches will make that much difference.  Odds are usually slim that a fisherman keeps his first boat more than a few years.  They find things they don't like, or see their rigs that do what they want better...and the old boat gets sold to help fund the new one.

[slonezp]

That StarCraft is one clean looking boat. I don't think you could go wrong with either boat. I don't know much about the Suzuki's but I can tell you the Merc ELPTO's are a great motor but a bit temperamental on cold starts. Either boat will fish 2 comfortably, neither will fish 3 comfortably but the extra foot and a half will make it feel a little less crowded

[Kevin22]

I don't like fishing 3 in my 17'. My buddy has a 16' tracker pro deep v and its cramped with 3 anglers. 2 and a child is different, but as he grows he is going to need some room to fish as well. The 1440 is a tiny boat. Once you put in a cooler for drinks, food and  bait, a couple tackle boxes, and rods there won't be much (if any) room left for 3 people! 

You are hearing about the suzuki being bullet proof, well i'm here to tell you the 96-01 merc ELPTO are some of the best motors ever produced. Parts are available everywhere, and they are easy to work on yourself. 

I would choose the starcraft just for the added room in the boat. 

 

Is the above post correct about your vehicle towing limit being 1500lbs?? The starcraft will be close to 1200# loaded, the lund probably 900#. Something to consider... 

[Gotfishyfingers?]

+1 for the the star craft

[Brett's_daddy]

I've spoken to other Honda CRV owners on a Honda message board and they say that Honda always builds in a margin of error for their tow ratings so 1500lbs. is a conservative estimate but it can easily handle more. They also said if i do find the engine shifting a lot I could always add a transmission cooler and decent models can be had for under $100. It also helps that my CRV is all-wheel drive.

[Kevin22]

Its going to "shift a lot" any time you go up or down a hill if it does not have a "tow mode" and you are in OD no matter if its 900# or 1900#. in any case, you don't want to be towing at near max rating for any long stretches of time. Going fishing locally once every weekend PROBABLY isn't going to be an issue. Not as big as an issue as if you were towing a 1500# work trailer every day or something like that. 

All-wheel drive is going to help you with acceleration, especially if you have to stop going uphill, but it wont make any difference on the highway at cruising speed.

A word of caution, if you end up choosing a heavier rig, be VERY careful on steep ramps. There is a ramp on a lake near me that we call the "missile silo" as its almost straight up and down. Last year there were 7-8 rigs that I know of towed out of there. Guys using small vehicles to tow heavy boats. A couple couldn't make it back up the ramp, the rest didn't use emergency brake and locked the transmission. 

[Brett's_daddy]

The ride home will be the longest drive we will ever make with this boat at 187 miles but that is all interstate(thruway). Mostly it'll be used for local ponds and lakes within a 50 mile radius and none have too steep of a grade (not like your "missle silo").

[Kevin22]

You're safe with these two boats, I just wanted to make sure you were aware of the towing issue if you consider other boats. You can look up boat specs on nearly all boats, and that will give you dry weight specs. Add in your extras, gas (7# per gal I think?), anchors, gear, coolers, etc to get your approx tow weight. 

Be sure to keep an eye on that hub on your way home. Stop after 10 miles or so and feel it (with cover off if it has one), if its hot you need to find the nearest trailer shop! Id stop again half way home and feel it. Last thing you want to do is lock the wheel on your way home. 

[Brett's_daddy]

The way I figure it:

Boat = 750lbs.

Trailer = 350lbs. ?

Motor = 199lbs.

Batteries = 50lbs.

Trolling motor, seats etc. 100lbs.?

Fuel = ??? (probably won't have a full tank but if full it has a 15 gallon internal gas tank which would be about 95lbs. using the 6.3lbs. per gallon math...thank you Google).

Total Weight = 1,544lbs.

Of course we don't HAVE to fill the gas tank...we could just put in the standard 6 gallons which would reduce the weight by 57lbs. so we'd be under the 1500lb. mark.

[Further North]

55 minutes ago, Kevin22 said:

You are hearing about the suzuki being bullet proof, well i'm here to tell you the 96-01 merc ELPTO are some of the best motors ever produced. Parts are available everywhere, and they are easy to work on yourself. 

Yup.  Nothing wrong with those Merc engines at all.  I had that same engine in a 1998 40 HP version.

...but I like my Suzuki better...quieter, sips gas, doesn't use oil.

 

[Allen Der]

16 minutes ago, Brett's_daddy said:

The way I figure it:

Boat = 750lbs.

Trailer = 350lbs. ?

Motor = 199lbs.

Batteries = 50lbs.

Trolling motor, seats etc. 100lbs.?

Fuel = ??? (probably won't have a full tank but if full it has a 15 gallon internal gas tank which would be about 95lbs. using the 6.3lbs. per gallon math...thank you Google).

Total Weight = 1,544lbs.

Of course we don't HAVE to fill the gas tank...we could just put in the standard 6 gallons which would reduce the weight by 57lbs. so we'd be under the 1500lb. mark.

i think you're pushing it too close.  the drive train may be able to handle it, but I'd worry about your brakes and suspension.  tow rating is only one number you need to consider.  Gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) and Gross combined vehicle weight rating (GCVWR) should be looked at as well

[Kevin22]

36 minutes ago, Brett's_daddy said:

The way I figure it:

Boat = 750lbs.

Trailer = 350lbs. ?

Motor = 199lbs.

Batteries = 50lbs.

Trolling motor, seats etc. 100lbs.?

Fuel = ??? (probably won't have a full tank but if full it has a 15 gallon internal gas tank which would be about 95lbs. using the 6.3lbs. per gallon math...thank you Google).

Total Weight = 1,544lbs.

Of course we don't HAVE to fill the gas tank...we could just put in the standard 6 gallons which would reduce the weight by 57lbs. so we'd be under the 1500lb. mark.

I assume we are talking about the starcraft? You're off a tiny bit I think

The motor weighs 96#

trailer is pretty close, probably closer to 150# on that style. 

Batteries are 40# EACH

Your TM is about 30-40#. Seats are included in boat dry-weight. 

Total weight should be about 1200# with full tank, plus fishing gear. 

[Brett's_daddy]

NADA says motor weighs 199lbs., where are you getting 96lbs.?

My Gross Vehicle Weight Rating = 4,564lbs.

[thomas15]

The 50 HP ELPTO Merc weighs 200 pounds.

[thomas15]

My boat is almost an identical StarCraft. We have two tow vehicles, one is a Ford Ranger 4x4 with a 4.0 Ltr motor and a factory towing package with class 3 receiver hitch. This pulls the boat no problem and I have pulled much heavier loads from NE PA to Wisc. and back no problems. The other is a 2011 Ford Escape with 4 wheel drive but a small 2.5 Ltr 4 banger. I installed a class 3 hitch and have towed the boat with no problems in the Pocono Mountains of NE PA up to maybe 60 or 70 miles one way without incident or issues. I wouldn't make a habit of going that distance with that particular vehicle though. Oddly enough the Escape has a factory installed transmission cooler. Usually I tow the boat literally 2 miles from home to ramp.

[thomas15]

11 hours ago, Brett's_daddy said:

Honestly...yeah, I do. This may be a starter boat or it may be a longer-term boat if we really like it!

I can tell you in all seriousness that I really like my boat also but.....

I think it all depends. Size wise it is small. Two can fish it ok but three is really pushing the envelope. Speed wise I get anywhere between 32-36 miles per hour, just depends. That speed is fine for this size boat and if you have little or no experience with boats at first you will be like wow this is fast. But there are no shortage of high speed boats out there so yes you will pass some but others will get by you before you even know they were on the same water with you.

I'm trying to come up with a rod holder system. I like to carry a bunch of rods and I sometimes enter local tournaments and between me and my partner the rod lockers are no where near enough. I also have two storage compartments up front that do not hold enough tackle.

I chose Aluminum for the same reason, more value and lighter towing weight. But compared to a glass boat the ride is harsh and vibrations from the motor are more noticeable. You do get blown in wind conditions but still I don't regret getting aluminum.

I know that you don't want to hear some of this. I think having a boat is great and you son will be very excited. I don't know how much fishing you have already done together. When my son was his age we went fishing but usually not for long. Even when we were killing them he would reach his time limit fairly fast. This is not going to change just because there is a boat in the picture. In fact it might get worse. From a time perspective a boat uses much more time in prep work. You are going to eat up a hour here and an hour there getting everything ready, towing, launching and getting to your spot. At the end reverse everything time wise.

Maintaining the boat eats up time and money also. Yes many times you come home, clean up/store everything, put the charger on the batteries, cover the boat. Done. But then there are times when you break something or just do routine maintence and this is a time factor.

So in summery this boat will be great for what it is, a small starter boat. But it will have shortcomings so it's hard to say that you will not be looking, scheming, plotting to get something bigger in a few years. I think you will. But you will also quickly come to realize that even small fairly modest boats are still money pits and this is what has kept me satisfied with my boat. For now that is. I decided to replace the water pump and  a few other things on the boat this past weekend. I did some work on the TM (which btw, a 12V 40 pound TM will work fine on this boat), that work went well. Then the water pump, I broke the horizontal shift rod and so a new on is on order. This is costing when it is all said and done $170.00 to replace a $35.00 water pump that wasn't even broken and now the boat is out of service for at least another week. This is an example of the daily life of a boat owner. There is always something that needs fixed. Always.

[Brett's_daddy]

Most of my fishing holes are within 40 miles of where I live. Like I said, the trip home would be by far the longest trip this boat would ever make. This boat will most likely only be used on the weekends with an occasional weeknight foray and most likely we wouldn't be spending all day on the lake, more like 3-4 hours I'm guessing. The Lund may be gone, the guy has someone coming to look at it around 10am this morning so my choice may be literally made for me but the guy with the Starcraft has been super nice and accommodating...the weight thing does scare me a little since this vehicle towing the boat is our only vehicle which we rely upon for everything including getting to and from work to getting to doctor appointments and bringing home the groceries...I just wouldn't want to do something that would jeopardize that as without a vehicle we'd be screwed.