Crestliner vs. MirrorCraft and PolarKraft

[dae06]

I am interested in buying an 18 Crestliner Super Hawk. A dealer near me says that he does not have any in stock, but has a PolarKraft Kodiak V178 FS and a MirrorCraft 1945 Dual Impact. He says (like salesmaen do) that I would be just as happy with one of these compared to the Super Hawk.

What I am looking for is a boat that 4 can fish out of fairly well, but 6-7 could go for a leisure ride. Probably 60% of the time fishing and 40% of the time tubing/skiing and just driving around the water.

I'll take any and all opinions.

[lindy rig]

I would hold out for the one you like the best. Too big of purchase to rush.

[dae06]

I honestly don't know which one I would like better. I would like to hear some opinions regarding the other two boats. I know Crestliner is the more popular company, but who know's maybe the other boats are great boats too.

[herefish101]

Get the one you want! Do not let the fact that you really want a new boat rush your decision, and definatly don't listen to what a salesman says unless he can back up his credibility. That said, Babe Winkleman runs a polar craft, it must be a great boat.

[Shorelunch]

That said, Babe Winkleman runs a polar craft, it must be a great boat.

Ahhh . . . more like the best paying boat sponsorship Babe could drum up was Polar Kraft so it must be a great boat (for their show).

That being said, the PK's look like a decent boat. There's few PK dealers in the MN area, so I'd make sure you like the one near you selling them. I'd lean HSO-Classifieds, but it comes down to your preference and only your preference. There's lots of HSO-Classifieds dealers.

[Esox_Magnum]

Get in them and crawl around soon one will stick out over the others.... better yet find someone with one and have them take you out on the water, most dealers have someone they know that will do this.

[Ufatz]

Bear in mind that some day you might want to sell this boat. Which boat NAME will be easiest to sell? Which one of these makers has been around longest and has largest dealer network/parts availability?

I've been around a great many boats from 12' to 48' and find the 18' Crestliner a very well made boat that is very user friendly. It's not perfect but it sure fits the bill for a great many people.

Look. Think. Examine. Take your time.

[311Hemi]

Bear in mind that some day you might want to sell this boat. Which boat NAME will be easiest to sell? Which one of these makers has been around longest and has largest dealer network/parts availability?

I've been around a great many boats from 12' to 48' and find the 18' Crestliner a very well made boat that is very user friendly. It's not perfect but it sure fits the bill for a great many people.

Look. Think. Examine. Take your time.

I agree. Not sure what the price point is on the other two (same price range, cheaper), but the Crestliner is a quality boat. I don't know much about the other brands to offer any insite on their quality, but it's something worth looking in to. I had looked at some other brand boats when I was searching and I was not impressed with the quality of some of them after some years of use (screws coming out, seat bases not 100% stable, etc). After a while of waiting and waiting the exact boat I wanted (Crestliner 1850) popped up for sale and I bought it the next day.

Do yourself a favor and wait for the right boat.....it will be worth it in the end. Don't jump to another brand just because it's available now, if it's not what you really want.

[tomfromblaine]

I own a 18ft super hawk, I love it and like some one stated it's not perfect but no boat is, while the other boats you mentioned are very good boats but I can't see the comparison the mirror craft is kinda close.

[smallieobsession]

As someone that shopped for about 2 years for a boat before I pulled the trigger...really wanted a Lund but new or used they were always the most expensive option so I looked at a lot of boats - everything...Crestliners, Mirrorcrafts, Sylvans,PolarCrafts, etc, etc, etc....and a lot of them seamed like really nice boats and I'm sure I would have been really happy fishing out of them....but after seeing how fast the used Lunds sold and the prices they seemed to be getting for them I decided that I would just hold out for the right Lund so that I had a great boat AND the best possible resale option should I decide to move up to a bigger boat, different model, etc. Ended up with a screaming deal in a brand new Tyee and could not be happier. Just had to be patient and work at finding a deal and was ready to act the minute I found it.

[AaronM]

As someone that shopped for about 2 years for a boat before I pulled the trigger...really wanted a Lund but new or used they were always the most expensive option so I looked at a lot of boats - everything...Crestliners, Mirrorcrafts, Sylvans,PolarCrafts, etc, etc, etc....and a lot of them seamed like really nice boats and I'm sure I would have been really happy fishing out of them....but after seeing how fast the used Lunds sold and the prices they seemed to be getting for them I decided that I would just hold out for the right Lund so that I had a great boat AND the best possible resale option should I decide to move up to a bigger boat, different model, etc. Ended up with a screaming deal in a brand new Tyee and could not be happier. Just had to be patient and work at finding a deal and was ready to act the minute I found it.

Well said and good advice.

[bassNspear]

keep in mind, we all really dont know the future of crestliner becuase of there plant closing and moving them to the lund plant!

Crestliner builds a awesome boat, but with the way the boating indusrty has been in the last three years, i would be wondering what and where crestliner will be in the near future!

[dae06]

I was thinking the same thing as far as resale value goes. I think a Crestliner or Lund would be a better choice for me.

Thanks for all the advise.

[marine_man]

keep in mind, we all really dont know the future of crestliner becuase of there plant closing and moving them to the lund plant!

I agree... but I would really be surprised if the resale value drops that much with the move.

marine_man

[Northlander]

Out of those boats I would go Chrestliner if for nothing else than resale value. I looked at a couple Polar Craft and was not impressed. Seemed cheaply put together. Now if you cant afford a Lund or Chrestliner look into some used Alumacrafts. They can usually be had at a good price and they are well made boats. Just make sure they are powered right they tend to be a tad front heavy.

[Ufatz]

Hey fellas!: Regarding move of Crestliner. You'd have to spend considerable time debating whether you would want to dump a well established and successful boat line like Crestliner. I would be surprised if Lund's parent actually did away with the line.

But I've been wrong before. I think it was in 1964.