SmokerCraft Boats

[Guest]

I have been shopping for a new boat and have looked at Crestliner,Lund,g3,Princecraft,and many others.Out of all the boats I have looked at I found that Smoker Craft is the only one that makes a boat that is set up the way I like.I realy don't know much about the company or their product.I was really interested in the Cresliner Fishhawk 1750 but my wife would PREFER a boat with a full wind shield which the Smoker Craft 17ft Milentia has.Does anyone have any pros or cons on this brand of boat?
(Dman I am taking your advice and dumping the Force.If I need to resell my new boat for any reason I don't want to have any problems with trying to sell a boat with an out of date no longer in production motor)

[Guest]

I fished out of a 17.5 foot SmokerCraft Phazer with a full windshield for about 6 years. In my opinion they are junk! Many of the gauges quit working and it had an electrical fire which took care of some other things. The interior compartments were poorly constructed along with the upholstery. By far the worst part is the way the bow is built and sits in the water. You will not be able to hold on a tight piece of structure in any amount of wind. Almost forgot about the windshield, it would not close correctly after a couple years due to the two sides separating. I'm sure some people love their SmocerCrafts but this was my experience, hope this helps you out!

~firstchoice

[mflint]

FirstChoice is right. I've rigged on a Fazer (Smoker Craft) before and they just are not made quite like a Lund, Crestliner or Alummacraft.

Also in rough water smoker craft don't cut water. I would describe it like a frying pan hitting the water.

Hope this helps.

------------------
Fish Hard ~ Play Later

[Guest]

I'm in the same boat as these guys. The larger Smokercrafts are junk. I have fished in one, and another friend has owned one and he popped so many rivets in the hull he actually sunk the boat at the dock! Very rough ride that sounds like you are riding a massive sea in a pop can.

Stick with Crestliner, Alumacraft and Lund....all made in Minnesota and very good boats made to handle these waters.

[fireman182]

A friend of mine bought a 2000 milentia and had the same problems with rivets popping on big water. They replaced the whole hull with a 2001 hull, which has another .035 thicker hull than the 2000. So far, everything else is working fine.

[Guest]

My brother has a 17.5 Alumacraft with walk thru windshield that he likes very much -- even rigged for Lake Michigan salmon. I have a Tracker Targa 18, also with walk thru windshield and also rigged so I can fish Lake Michigan. Both boats have seen big water and rough conditions -- both do quite well, altho the Targa is faster by 3-4 mph with same load and same power (90 Mercs). People remember the early Tracker bass boats and write off Tracker entirely without looking at what they have done in the past 4 to 8 years.

However, as the guys above report, Genmar's lineup, which includes Crestliner and Lund, has some mighty nice watercraft. The Lund 18 Fisherman has a full walk thru windshield and some other nice features. Remember, tho, with ANY aluminum you will not get the ride and stability you get from a similar sized glass boat. The single perfect boat for all fishing conditions has never been made.

[Guest]

Well that pretty much settles that!
Thanks for the replies guys.

[Guest]

My uncle bought a 96 Smoker Pro Mag new.... rn extensively the first 2-3 years.... let it sit a few and ran it hard this year (I think I borrowed it about as much as he used it a few years) wonderful bought, I liked the set up. The front deck sat high, but I didn't feel tippy, was well above the windshield. Has a 70hp Evinrude that moves it near 40 w/ he and I in it ( he goes about 2 bills... and I'm goin 230), so it moves well w/ some weight. Never heard about rivet problems, his sits the whole summer on his lift (I swear half in the water usally) and has never had any problems w/ the hull. Great boat.. thinkin about takin it off his hands if he likes my offer.

[Guest]

My uncle bought a 96 Smoker Pro Mag new.... ran extensively the first 2-3 years.... let it sit a few and ran it hard this year (I think I borrowed it about as much as he used it a few years) wonderful boat, I liked the set up. The front deck sat high, but I didn't feel tippy, was well above the windshield. Has a 70hp Evinrude that moves it near 40 w/ he and I in it ( he goes about 2 bills... and I'm goin 230), so it moves well w/ some weight. Never heard about rivet problems, his sits the whole summer on his lift (I swear half in the water usally) and has never had any problems w/ the hull. Great boat.. thinkin about takin it off his hands if he likes my offer.

[Guest]

Fishhead,

E-mail me or I'll talk with you this weekend.

Paul

[slabberknocker]

I bought a new Sylvan Expedition this year and have no problems with it. It has a walk thru windshield, very wide (90" across) and 75 horse Merc. It is a rough ride though at times. I am still learning about tilting and trimming it. Any suggestions on how to make a smoother trip across the lake on a breezy day?

[Guest]

Slab,
Get some good quality air ride seats in your Sylvan. I take on big water all summer and I would have some serious back problems without air ride seats!

About your tilt/trim question....sometime I trim it all the way, full throttle at about 40some mph skipping over the waves, if is is feasible. Other times trim all the way down and plow into them, but you will get a little wet, but smoother ride. It all depends on how you hull was designed. My Dad's Alumacraft Trophy cannot trim the motor up without porpoising. It was designed to plow into the waves. My Tournament Pro is very flexible on how it handles and will do everything I want it to do in any circumstance. Get to know your boat and you'll know what I am talking about.

[slabberknocker]

Thanks for your help CD. This is my first boat ever and I learn new things everytime I am out on it. I have done pretty good learning a lot about tilt and trim and handling the boat. It is just that the ride seems a little rough when I would not think it would be.

[Dave]

"My Dad's Alumacraft Trophy cannot trim the motor up without porpoising."

CD,
Alumacraft has a fix for this. My Trophy does the same and they sent me instructions for two ways to fix the porpoising problem.

1. Alumacraft sent me two "wedges' (little metal plates about 6 inches long) that you rivet to the bottom side of the boat back by the transom.

2. "Instructions for stopping porpoising"
A. Starting 1.5" to 2" from the outside corner of the hull, insert edge of chisel between the bottom skin and the transom.
B. Hit the chisel with a hammer opening the gap between the transom and bottom skin 1/8" to 3/16" working toward the center of the boat.
C. Open this gap for about 6". If the boat does not perform without porpoising, repeat steps A & B lengthening the wedge about two more inches or until the porpoising stops.

I was advised, by an Alumacraft rep friend, to use sealant in the gap. Did it work for me? I keep forgetting to do it so I can't tell ya for sure. The rep said it works just great.

Call Alumacraft, they'll send ya the instructions and metal wedges.

[Guest]

Thanks Dave. I'll pass on the info!