Best alumanium muskie boat? As far as livewell length, rod storage etc.

[esoxanator]

[ToddM]

Lunds have two rod boxes and the other ones listed only have one except alumacraft and tracker each have a one good musky boat with two.

[esox69]

i posted it before, and i'll post it again- my crestliner cvx182 is an awesome fishing machine! tons of forward and deck space, tons of storage, 95" beam, good open floor area in the center for misc items, and good runner in all weather conditions - BUT the quality i see is poor! many problems with construction/design. the service manager said maybe because the boat is so wide that it flexes too much, but he quickly added i am the only one over the last 2 years to have problems... so is he lying or am i just unlucky? anyone else have news for me?
steve

[Trophymuskie]

My 182 ultima is by far the best muskie boat, it has 2 rod boxes that can handle 7.5' rods but I can't even tell you the size of the well as one should not need one for muskie fishing.

It has the biggest rear casting deck of them all as well as a great trolling machine. Very wide beam and not to shallow or deep. I have no problem trolling with 4 people or casting with 3 or 4 if they are veterans of muskie casting.

Catch a big one this fall
Keep releasing them all
Richard Collin
http://www.trophymuskiecharters.com

[luckymusky]

im leaning towards buying a crestliner 1600 fishhawk... but what are the poor quality items you mentioned. and how big is the livewell?

[esox69]

the boat has (1) good sized 7 1/2 foot rod locker, a 50" livewell and a 30"? baitwell(that also doubles as another storage compartment). not sure if the 1600 fishawk has the same items/dimensions- the problems i had were many: rear deck screws popping up daily, the deck, and compartment hatch covers shifting so it was almost impossible to open, plus a bunch of other things that made me question my purchase. tony grant down at cave run said he had the same problems, and also had his console loosen up on him daily! YIKES! kinda hard to steer a boat when the console isn't attached to the deck...
many members of this board swear by the fishawk series, so maybe i got a dud; or is it the big cvx182 series only with the problems. really like some feedback myself-
steve

[Kingfisher]

I agree with Richard, My SMOKERCRAFT will not be replaced untill it fails to please me. I doubt that day will come. I troll a lot and as an all around great fishing machine I could not find a better laid out boat. If I was looking for a great casting platform it is hard to beat the Tuffy Esox Magnum or a good pontoon boat ha ha . Kingfisher

[pikeman]

I have a smokercraft pro mag boat. It is very well laid out and very well built.The livewell was only 36" long so I went to a machine shop and had one custom made 57". I am very happy with this boat.

[ToddM]

I have a misty river 1600dlx. It has a nice sized rod box and a 48" livewell which only sees musky sausages.

I think the crestliners are good boats. My only critisism of the fishhawks is that they make poor use of space on the right side of the boat. Could put a rod box there instead of that tiny livewell. I think the cvx182 is a nice boat but they no longer make it.

I would agree that smokercrafts are good trolling boats. They also have good rear casting decks by comparison to other boats. I can't understand however why they make the bottoms so narrow and the sides so high. Not great for casting.

[jyoung]

I have a 2001 Crestliner 1750SC Fish Hawk, This boat has a 50" livwell and a 22" baitwell,and I have no problem fitting 7'6" rods in the rod locker.
Now I don't know anything about the deck screws becoming loose or for that matter having to tighten up the screws on the console. I haven't had any problems with the boat at all.
The boat has a great layout and a decent amount of storage,Most people that have been in the boat seem to like it as much as I do.
Good hunting,Jeff <><

[musky Gary]

Anyone have one of those new Tracker Tundra's Thet are 100% Aluminum, even the seats and floor. No wood to rot out.

[John Skarie]

I have a 16"6" Alumacraft Magmum tiller. The livewell is 20 plus gallons, not sure how much, and is 55" long. The rod locker will hold 8" all stars no problem.

Fished in it for 2 years and love it so far. The best laid out 16" boat I've been in yet for musky fishing.

JS

[DLS]

I have a friend who also has the 18 ft Crestliner. Dido on everthing you said. The boat is laid out nice but not put together very well. I was disappointed that Crestliner would make something that was cheaply put together.

I myself use a Lund Mr. Pike 17. The only thing I wish is it was a foot longer. The boat has held up extremely well and I give it a lot of use muskie fishing on big water. It is solid and put together well. I have owned other brands and used other brands, for an aluminum boat you can not beat the qaulity and performance of a Lund.

Just from my own experience, Lund is the best for an Aluminum Boat.

Dave S.

[esox69]

soooooooooooooo, the crestliner cvx182 has been cancelled huh? hmmmm, interesting, only made for 2 years, then discontinued? could it be that they had DESIGN problems, like too wide a beam with too little support in the frame structure? were others experiencing the same problems i was having? winkwinknodnodknowwhatimeanknowwhatimean? makes me wonder...
steve

[esoxanator]

>Anyone have one of those new Tracker Tundra's Thet are 100%
>Aluminum, even the seats and floor. No wood to rot out.

Yes,
That is the boat I'm leaning towards right now. It looks like a glass boat but its aluminum. Stamped out like airplanes and cars. If you would like to see pics and specs goto www.trackermarine.com scroll down and on the left you'll see *New* Tracker Tundra.

[Tom B]

Actually, the CVX 182 was discontinued because of poor sales. The same hull is now the 1850 Fish Hawk, which has a more "family friendly" layout.

As far as the screws loosening.... I have had to tighten lots of them on my 1750 FH. I have been using lock tite on them and that seems to be working. I am not an engineer, but.... my theory is that welded boats require thicker aluminum, therefore, to save weight, the stringers are maybe not as heavy as they ought to be, thereby allowing enough flex to let the screws loosen. The ones that I have applied lock tite to aren't moving.

Tom B

[Joe]

esox, I was seriosly considering buying the 1850 Fishhawk until I looked at the inside construction. It is absolutely the best layout [in my mind] for my type of fishing.The quality was very poor!!! I think Crestliner is spending too much time perfecting their hull and forgetting about the rest of the boat. I bought a Lund Mr. Pike 17 instead.

[jyoung]

esoxinator,
I don't know much about the tracker tundra boat but I do know about tracker boats.
They are not of the highest quality, I owned a tracker up until May and I just about replaced everything on the boat from the livewell pump to the bilge pump,LCR,trolling motor,winch,fenders for the trailer, I mean this boat was falling apart in front of my eyes. The final straw was when the boat started developing small fracture on the hull and thats when I decided that I had had ENOUGH.
So as far as I concerned tracker boat co. will never see my buisness ever again.
So if your on the fence about buying a tracker,Just don't fall off the wrong side and get hurt.
Good hunting,Jeff <><

[fishgraf]

dont even ask about trackers. i have a glass 1 and after 1 year the whole bottom spiderwebbed. now i know we are talking about metal boats but here is the problem. THEY ARE THE WORST CUSTOMER SERVICE COMPANY EVER. they gave me such arunaroundi wanted to choke every one of them. ok i vented.

www.yougetwhatyoupayfor.com

[Sparkie]

Have to agree with that. I bought a tracker because it was all I could afford. I've replaced all the wood, carpet, bilge & livewell pumps, and seats. This is not because of poor storage either. My boat is inside any time it is out of the water. It is an older boat (1986) but it has had the best of care. Last year the welds started to crack and the rivets have been leaking for a few years. The bottom looks like a slide at an amusment park with all the waves in it between the braces. So I guess you get what you pay for. I think the boats are just made for the guy that leaves it in the shed 95% of the time, as for me my next boat will be a Lund!!!