1750 Fish Hawk 20 vs 25 Transom

[Wally Diver]

Am looking to purchase a 1750 Crestliner Fish Hawk with a 20 in transom and put a 115 4-stroke Mercury on it. Anybody have that setup, if so any major regrets with not going to a 25" transom.

If your dealer doesn't have carry over's or does not have a large inventory, I hear its tough to pick up 115 4-stroke's by any manufacturer. With that being said, I also hear if the dealer has to buy the new 115 4-stroke now, the price increase is $1300.00 plus, so its looks like I may have to settle with a 20 in transom or pay another $1300.00 plus to get the 25" transom and the long 115 shaft.
The manufactures sure know how to make capitalism work in their favor by creating this shortage in 115 4-strokes.

I will probably do the 20 " transom and save the $1300.00 on the engine plus the extra amount Crestliner will charge to get the 25" transom unless I hear a convincing reason not to go this route.

Thanks in advance.

[Bryan]

Wally Diver:

I run a 2050 Sportfish with a 20" transom. I like to backtroll and went with wave wackers and a rubber shroud around my motor to keep the water out. The only time I notice that a 25" transom would be better is when I am backtrolling. If you don't do a bunch of that then the 20" transom will be just fine. Spend the $1300 on some nice electronics or electic motor.

[Islander]

Wally, I had a fishhawk 1750 for 4 years before I went to a 1850 Sportfish. A couple observations are in order. First, I had a 70 HP 4 stroke on my boat that was plenty for fishing. I also had a 8 hp kicker on the boat that I seldom used. The 70 4 stroke trolled real nice. If you fish big water, and the 1750 is not a big water boat, you will need wave wackers with the 20 inch transome. The 115 four stroke will have the transome sitting very low due to the motors weight. The gas tank sits horizontal at the stern (unless they changed the design). I did not care for this. A few times on the Detroit River made me very nervous with the transome sitting so low. If you fish big water, you might consider the 25 inch transome. Also in my humble opinon I would be concerned if the gas tank still sits at the stern. Thats alot of weight. Now if you fish small lakes I don't think that would be a problem. Of course these are my opinions after a few years of use. Now the hull has a 11 degree deadrise so the boat planes very easy but can take a pounding in a good chop. However, just slow down and you should be fine. If your just planning to fish, consider the 70 HP 4 stroke. I had a Johnson that is made by Suzuki. A super motor. So much so I really miss it. Hope this helps. Anything further just ask.

Carl

[BSJDL]

I have a '02 1750 Crestliner DC with the 25" transom,115 Yammy with a F8 kicker = alot of weight.Remember them four strokes are heavy.The water line on the transom sitting in the water is about at the little drain holes.Took a few waves over the back, so I add wave wackers, makes me feel a little safer.The 20" transom with that big ol' four stroke hanging off the back and 27 gallons of gas might not be a good big water boat.Thats my 2 cents. Very happy with boat,good choice.Good luck........

[SnellTier]

Wally,

Do yourself a favor and go back and search the archives for "Crestliner". The layout of those boats is nice ... I nearly bought one myself and wanted to very badly ... but I saw too many examples of poor quality in those boats when I looked at them this year. Those archives will make you fully informed about any potential problems.

I know two people who have had transoms broken loose from their Crestliners ... one of which then sunk. That was a boat that was used a lot ... like 180 days a year (literally) for a couple of years before it gave up the ghost. The other was owned by a tournament pro and I suspect got used pretty hard but he was very specific in letting me know what happened to his boat (and if I recall, this occurred in just on season of use).

If you buy a 1750 FishHawk ... and the fishing camp I go to in Canada swears by them ... good luck with it and enjoy it. I have 4 friends that own Crestliners ... two of whom own the 1750 FishHawk ... and they really like them. One is powered by a 90 Honda and runs 38 mph GPS. The other is powered by a 115 Merc 4-stroke and runs like a banshee!!! The boat is a modified Vee, not a Deep Vee, and does not take much power to get it rolling FAST! It is a VERY stable fishing platform and is a nicely laid out boat.

Boy, I wanted to buy one ... BUT ...

[SnellTier]

As an added thought, Wally, that 25 inch transom might make it stronger as well as adding height. You might talk to your dealer about it.

[HAJ]

There are some reliable reports of cracked welds in the archives on Crestliner boats. Everyone speculates about how hard they were probably pounded on the rough water to cause this. Yet many claim to have been driven with appropriate care in high seas. You will rarely ever see anyone mention another potential cause--improper trailer set-up. If the trailer is not adequately supporting the transom, that would be very hard on the transom as well. I suspect there are some boats that take more of a pounding going down the highway than on the water. I see at least one boat trailer every summer with a top quality boat like a Lund or Crestliner where the bunks are not all the way under the transom. These 4 strokes are very heavy today and proper trailer set-up is more important than ever before. If anyone is going to report cracked welds in the future, it would also be nice to know what kind of trailer is supporting that transom. I think the importance of going with a premium quality custom trailer is more important than ever before. It may not always be the boat's fault.

[SnellTier]

One more point, Wally.

I looked at a lot of boats before I ordered my new one yesterday.

The Lund Angler 1700 SS is the same size (17'2" long by 92" wide) and basically the same floor layout as the Crestliner FishHawk 1750 with 5 exceptions:

1. The Lund does not offer the port console. I don't know if this is important to you. It was critical for me which is why I bought the Mr. Pike rather than the Angler. Had the Angler had the port console as an option, I would have bought it and saved some money.

2. The Lund does not have the baitwell on the starboard side. To me, this absence is a GOOD thing ... I would never used that baitwell on the Crestliner anyway so why pay for it.

3. The Lund has an extra rod storage area on the starboard side exactly like the port side. I was pretty impressed with that.

4. The Lund is rated for 140 hp, not just 125 like the Crestliner. You can put the 140 4-stroke Johnson (Suzuki) on it and have it maxed out.

5. The Lund is a deep vee while the Crestliner is a modified vee. The Lund will be more stable in rougher water because of the deep vee but that deep vee will require more horses to move it at the same speed as the modified vee. That is ok, however, because the Lund is rated for more horses.

Hope this helps.