I'd like some help on selecting my first-ever walleye fishing boat. I've narrowed it down to :
Crestliner's 16' Fishhawk
Lund's 1675 Explorer
Starcraft's 166 Starfish
I've got a local dealer that sells all three. At times, I would be fishing some big-water. I'd just like to get some opinions on these boats. Some pros and cons as well as what would be the best value? I dont even know yet whether there's a big difference in prices with these.Thanks in advance.

I have a lund alaskan that I like well. I looked at the crestliner and did not like the rear splash well. It dose not go all the way across the transome and swamps the back of the boat in any kinds of waves.

I had a 2005 lund explorer tiller(1600) and I loved it. Took rough water well. Awesome layout. The new explorers come rigged up very nice with all the bells and whistles. I also looked at the crestliner and I liked the layout in the liners but I opted for the lund. I thought that the layout was better, better fit and finish. better livewell system. I thought just alttle better rig over all... The lund was about 1000 bucks more. Well worth it in my eyes. Mind you that was in 2005 not sure what the new crestliners look like. Good Luck!!!:bigsmile:

Your looking at three nice rigs so you won't go wrong with any of them. The best thing to do is spend some time looking closely at the specs and layout of all three.

Major differences that I see in the three rigs is Max HP. The Crestliner is rated for 75, Lund for 90 and Starcraft for 125. Seeing as it's best to max the HP or get within 20% of max HP on a boat, that will be a large difference in cost between the three.

The Lund is the widest at 90 inches and crestliner narrowest at 87 inches.

Like a previous poster said, the splashwell on the Crestliner is really small. I'd feel more secure with the large splashwell of the Lund or Starcraft. Although you can always add wave wackers to a boat to minimize the amount of water coming into the splashwell.

Fuel tank is largest on the Starcraft at a whopping 32 gallons and smallest on the Lund at 19 gallons.

One little issue but often major with me is the Lund and Starcraft are rated for 6 people and Crestliner 5 people. That can be a factor on the rare occasioin you want to entertain friends on the boat.

All in all though, three nice boats. If cost comes into play, get the boat you can afford to put the most power on. Don't put a 50 on these rigs to save cost. Max the HP or get as close to Max as possible and you'll enjoy it much more. Resale will be better as well.

Speaking of resale, the Lund or Crestliner may be worth more at time of resale than a Starcraft depending on which brand has the larger following in your region of the country.

KP did a good job of comparing the boats. I going to throw in another thought even though you did not ask the question. I do that only because it reflects a mistake I made with my first boat many years ago. For economic reasons I started with a 16' boat (a lund rebel) and it wasn't long that I knew I'd made a mistake and should have gone to a 17'. A couple of years later I traded up and, of course, had not saved any money at all. You have probably thought through it all very well but, with some occassional big water in your future, I'd encourage you to go over it in your mind once more. Even if it means a good used boat instead of new it's worth considering. (Actually I now have an 18 so maybe I'm just never happy but this last trade had more to do with my older age and the need for a windshield and canvas top!) From the stand point of room and safety the 17 always seemed adequate.

Good stuff guys! If I can afford it, the Lund may be my first boat. Thanks for the input.

$$$$ LET US KNOW WHAT THE PRICE DIFFERENCES ARE... I would imagine that the price diff in the crest and the lund are going to be close. And the star will be higher if you put the max hp on of course....I would also mention resale...You may pay alittle more for a lund but I had one for 3 yrs and sold it for what I paid... They hold their value better than anything I can imagine...It almost like an investment (thats what you tell your wife anyways) LOL

crimedog.......I sent you a personal message