Starcraft Superfisherman 180

I am considering a SF 180 does anyone have one or been in one.
I mostly fish Lake Winnebago and do some tubing with the kids.
It is very deep and wide, almost seeems too wide--will the wind blow
this around too much. How fast will it go with a 150 opti?
I am also considering the Alulmacraft Trophy 180 and the Sylvan
Viper 180. The Starcraft is about 400lbs lighter which makes
me wonder about the ride in the "chop" that Winnebago has to
offer at times.

[Mick Broughton]

Good luck

[staylor]

..bacuase of the weight of the newer DFI and 4 cycle engines. I have the older style "narrow" Starcraft SF 176 maxed out with a 150 Opti. It sits a bit low in the water with the big Opti, especially with a full gas tank and I can easily see why they added some more width to the hull on the SF 180. I use mine on Erie and the Niagara River and find that there are some days when I wished I had the wider hull. I suspect that if I ran the lighter Opti 115 then the boat would sit much higher. As for the deep hull- sure its more wind sensitive, but its also dryer in the rough and a bit safer if you run with the kids in the boat. I go out now and then with my grandchildren- ages 2 and 5, and their parents say that they really appreciate the deep hull. As for ride, check the boats you're looking at for the angle of their vee hulls at the transom and at the forwardmost section of the boats keel line. More vee at the transom means a smoother overall ride, more vee at the front of the keel line means a softer ride when plowing thru the rough stuff. The relative lightness of the SF 180 has little effect on ride- but it does give you a higher top end and more gear capacity. Again, check out the Coast Guard capacity plates on the boats you are looking at to compare. I have no complaints at all about my SF 176- and its a 2002 that has never needed anything repaired or replaced- and has zero leaks.
Doug

[beeman]

If you want soft dry ride,seaworthy,easy to tow rig go for it. I preffer the fishmaster series and way it's setup. Things I dont like the sides are kind soft and will ding at dock use hull huggers. I would say superfisherman 180 is better size maybe perfect. National search I found zero used ones. Other boats I like would include crestlinersuperhawk or raptor but the hulls will pound little more. Lund fisherman explorer 18.5 is sweet. I would stick with lund just depends on how much money your willing to spend $45k is not an option for me. Dont worry about the wind if it floats higher there's no way around it, having secure feeling out on open water priceless. The crestliner I had was less affected by wind but seemed heavier and lower in water. Id shop around and choose the least expensive boat but that's me.

[eyepirate]

i had 2 of the superfisherman 170's..2007 editions..fished erie, lake st clair, saginaw bay,thunderbay, lake superior(huron bay,brimley bay and drummond island),bay of quinte,plus all the larger michigan inland lakes....never had an issue with either boat..preferred my etec set up to my merc set up...jigged the detroit river from bout mount electric as well..............never had the 150hp but would imagine you are looking at 48 to 52 mph..myself i am headed to check out a viper 185 in a few hours...presently running a princecraft super pro 186 with a 150hp 4 stroke(i always have kickers as well) get about 44 to 45 mph from the prince....................................but with 150 on SF 180 you should do well, make sure to get an extension net!..lol the reach to the water for larger fish can be quite a stretch!..............................p.s. also had a 2006 alumacraft dual console navigator 175....was not all that thrilled with her............................p.p.s..yes!!! boats, tow vehicles and wives should be changed at least every couple of years....

I have owend lots of boat's glass and top of the line tin. The 180 super fisherman is the best boat for the money! for bigger water. the boat needs to be wide 101 beam because of the 19 deg dead rise that cuts the water like a knife, but is more tippy because of the sharp dead rise! The boat tracks great in the wind because of lots of the boat down in the water off plane form the sharp dead rise. The boat handles rought water very well high and dry with full lenght chines and a full windshield. I have been out in 3-6 footers and have stayed dry when my buddie's in there Ranger 620 were getting swapped and soken wet! lol
With a 150 Optimax on this boat it does 45-49mph not a speed boat because lots of boat is in the water. 40mph at 3/4 throttle is good for me @4.5mpg.

Hope this Helps you buy a good Boat a bad boat suck's and not everybody has 60K for a awsome boat!

[haybay larry]

In too have purchased one. I picked it up last fall, the last one available in Ontario. It came pre-rigged with a Suzuki DF140. I couldn't be happier She trolls well and with 2 24" trolling bags gets down to 1.5 mph. This was important to me as I didn't want to get a kicker motor. It has good storage and the Bert's tracks allow you to mount almost anything. I have 2 Scotty pro packs on the tracks. It sits high in the water and for the first time I have to actually step down to the dock.
This may be my last boat as the last boat I owned I had for 16 years.

...Larry

[tly]

It has been a few years since I had my SuperFisherman 180 but it is by far the best craft I have ever owned. Old, (1985-2000) it has faced lots of bad stuff and we always felt comfortable for safety & fishibility.

The new ones appear even better in terms of storage, comfort in heavy weather. Friend has a 'modern' version and it is a joy.

Downside is there are not alot of dealers near us now.

[JinxCanada]

i had a superfisherman 170 and it was by far the best boat i have owned...i wish i never sold it.

[Bowhuntnsteve]

TTT

I am in between a 180 Superfisherman & 1 of the 2 fishmasters.

I am leaning 180 cause I like red, LOL, the storage mainly & DRY! The fishmaster really doesn't have dry storage, & its stern livewell. But I like the FM's cause you can get in the corners good for the riggers and not have to worry about that stern casting deck area.

UGH, luckily I got time like a few weeks, I have a 196 coming in w/my name on it but it could change! I am curious to know what the difference will be from the 2010's to the 2011's since the 2011's will be shipping. I was told there were 2 2010's left at Starcraft, 1 blue & 1 red. I need to go look at a 180 SFM again and not browse past it paying more attn to the FM!