Alumacraft Competitor 175 CS or 185 CS, and Navigator

[tamarack]

Hey fellas, my Dad and I are looking for a new boat and are interested in the Alumacraft Competitor or Navigator. I am leaning toward the 185 Competitor over the 175 Competitor or Navigator as "bigger is better" and the Competitor has center rod storage and a cooler. My dad is concerned with these boats overall because he is afraid that they will "blow around like a sailboat" in the wind and that the 185 will blow around even more as it is longer. Can anyone weigh in on how much these boats blow around in the wind while trolling because of the deeper hulls, and if this is a concern with either the Competitor or Navigator, whether there would be any difference between the 175 and 185 in this respect. Thanks!

[CaptainMusky]

Price being no object between the two boats I would go with the competitor solely for the in floor rod locker like you mentioned.

The side profile does lend them to "catching" wind a bit, but keeping your big motor down while using the troller definitely helps stabilize things. I never really have trouble with mine. I have a 185 Tournament Sport (full windshield).

[Kyhl]

Agreed, side profile and windshield will have more affect than length.

175 Tournament Sport (full windshield) here. Picked it because of the rod locker and flat front deck. Never say never but I won't have another boat with a walkway cut into the front deck. The storage is much more usefull and you don't have to worry about where you step.

[Savage Brewer]

The Competitors rod locker definitely for me, in those two models.

If you have room in the garage for the 185, a Competitor 185 is a real nice boat.

[Northlander]

Ditto.

[delcecchi]

This thread might be of interest.

http://www.hotspotoutdoors.com/forum/ubb...isi#Post3100733

"Alumacraft Trophy 175 porpoising"

[Lawrence Luoma]

I have a Competitor 185 Tiller and it trolls just fine. It does get pushed around (just like any tin boat) while drifting but its nothing the drift sock doesn't fix. One suggestion I did was to take the tubing out of the rod storage and they are a pain in the but taking the rod in and out. Plus you can triple the amount of rods by doing so and just using rod slicks.

[zanzibarro]

Man I am definetly talking to myself after reading a few threads/posts. Came here to post a new topic but this is similar. My question was feedback from owners of Crestliner 1750 Raptor and Alumacraft Navigator or Dominator 175. I am going to pull the trigger on one of these and am currently researching. My thoughts on some of the topics on this thread.

-My Alumacraft Classic 165 70f Yamaha porpoises big time when trimmed. I always assumed that occured on all boats when trimmed up for speed. Maybe that is specific to Alumacraft?

-Speed: I think it's always best bet if even remotely affordable to max out engine. The 70Y on my 165C absolutely leaves my fishing buddy (same boat with Y50) in the dust. He has trouble planning out and his speed with two men and gear is below 30. By myself in the 70 I can reach 36-37 trimmed. With two men and gear on a trip I am at about 33 max. Additionally, the guy I go to Rainy with twice a year with a Alumacraft Navigator 175 115 Merc has been very disappointed with the speed/take off. He can't reach 40 on it. Let's face it we all know dealers install 50's on 1600 series and 115's on 1700 series to get the boat off the floor.

Anyway if anyone has advice on the aformentioned boats let me know. Want to be able to handle rougher water better. With 165 Classic the trolling motor (bow) pops out of the water on a rough day on Mille Lacs. When netting a partners fish the boat leans severely. Sick of these things. FYI I can't pull trigger on a Lund.

[SkunkedAgain]

I'm not sure why zanzibarro is having all of the problems that he's having with his Classic 165. It shouldn't porpose or feel like it's about to capsize. My old 16' Fisher had a 64" beam and was definitely tippy. I've got a 2008 Navigator 165 CS (with a 91" beam) and that is fantastically stable in comparison. A Classic 165 should have around an 80" beam and still be pretty stable.

To the OP, I wouldn't worry about the wind pushing the boats around too much. If you're trolling the wind should not a concern unless you use an under-powered TM. My only concerns would be about getting the boat layout that you prefer. Bigger typically means more stable on the water but the tradeoffs are needing more horsepower/gas, more garage space, and having to maneuver a heavier boat when launching and retrieving. All things to consider when deciding how big to go with your purchase. Probably the other big factor is how big of lakes you typically fish. My 165 does just fine on Vermilion. It does just fine on the big lakes like Mille Lacs but I wouldn't be pounding big waves through heavy weather.