Smoker craft - Anyone have a view

[cowanjo]

Hope everyone is salivating for the new soft water season. I can not wait being an aussie cannot walk on ice without waiting for the crack!

 

I am considering taking one of these underneath me this season. 60 HP 4 stroke. I want to hear the good bad and the ugly. Mylittle 14 footer on Pigeon has given me an awesome time - but want to upgrade.

 

Thoughts and thankyou!

 

John

Edited January 30, 2010 by cowanjo

[Radnine]

Hope everyone is salivating for the new soft water season. I can not wait being an aussie cannot walk on ice without waiting for the crack!

 

I am considering taking one of these underneath me this season. 60 HP 4 stroke. I want to hear the good bad and the ugly. Mylittle 14 footer on Pigeon has given me an awesome time - but want to upgrade.

 

Thoughts and thankyou!

 

John

 

I think that may be too much motor for a 14 footer.

Jim

[archie_james_c]

I think that may be too much motor for a 14 footer.

Jim

 

 

He's talking about the 161 Smoker Craft

[irishfield]

Read it again Jim !

[Radnine]

Read it again Jim !

 

I don't speak Aussie (note the capitalization) let alone read it.

It's getting easier to do sudokus than read posts on here anymore.

Jim

[Joey]

In our research for a boat, we were very close to buying a Smokercraft, but went for the Lund instead.

 

The Smokercraft had alot of plusses so I will give a good review here. It all ended up coming down to the price and wait time in the end. We got at much nicer, bigger Lund than the Smokercraft in the end and only had to wait a week. The Smokercraft was going to be 6 to 8 weeks and that was just out of the question.

 

Joey

[John Bacon]

I checked out several boats in that range. I ended up with a Princecraft Holiday Delux Side Console. That seemed to be the best bang for the buck. I don't pick the boat up until spring so I can't say much about it.

[bushart]

I Bought my Smokercraft Pro-Tiller new in 96---run a 50 merc 4 stroker

 

I cannot say enough good things about it-----and boy does it catch fish

 

If your over 40 you'll remember the slogan for the Popeil Pocket Fisherman

 

Seriously though--great boat

 

Bushart

[trevy727]

i had a smokercraft fazer. loved it. would buy another.

Edited January 30, 2010 by trevy727

[vance]

I have had smoker craft 151 stinger since 2001 and other than a few screws working loose I haven't any problems and I would buy another in a second.

 

vance

[Andy]

I had a 15.5' Smokercraft with a 40 merc on it, great boat. Only sold it 'cause I wanted something a little bigger and a opportunity came up on a Starcraft I liked. Only issue, if you want to call it that, was that you would have to check and tighten the odd screw. They may not be built as heavy as some brands, but they are a sharp looking boat, I still kinda miss my old one.

[Radnine]

Are you looking at the side console model (remember if you buy a tiller you don't need a boat that is more than three feet long, cause you're tied to the motor anyway )? I am sure it will be a wonderful boat.

At the show I came a away from the Smokercraft/Sylvan booth thinking that they went a little bananas with the crome and fake leather but looking yours up on the internet, it looks like a good fishing platform.

I have a 16' with a 60/four and it moves the boat beautifully. Having said that, I remember when I first got the boat thinking that I was flying; Now two seasons later, 34 mph doesn't blow my skirt up the way that is once did.

Good luck in your search.

Jim

[lookinforwalleye]

Are you looking at the side console model (remember if you buy a tiller you don't need a boat that is more than three feet long, cause you're tied to the motor anyway )? I am sure it will be a wonderful boat.

At the show I came a away from the Smokercraft/Sylvan booth thinking that they went a little bananas with the crome and fake leather but looking yours up on the internet, it looks like a good fishing platform.

I have a 16' with a 60/four and it moves the boat beautifully. Having said that, I remember when I first got the boat thinking that I was flying; Now two seasons later, 34 mph doesn't blow my skirt up the way that is once did.

Good luck in your search.

Jim

 

 

Try a shorter skirt!!!

[moparhawk]

I've owned a 162 promag since 99. Well built with nice features. All boats in this class are "good". I have no complaints

[cowanjo]

Thanks All as usual validating my thoughts - seems like they are a solid investment (Maybe wrong word!) I will post some pictures post delivery now. i will never forget my little lund so many musky ... i may display on here to sell ... pretty hard maybe i should keep both but my wife may divorce me! so you will all see my Lund DLX honda 9.9 2006 on here some time i next month. Dont want anyone to buy until the spring - let em burn around my lake Hondas are awesome - maybe I should keep for my 8 year old.

 

Anyway again thank you all . as many know I am an aussie and this site taught me to fish here thank you!

[ohhenrygsr]

Thanks All as usual validating my thoughts - seems like they are a solid investment (Maybe wrong word!) I will post some pictures post delivery now. i will never forget my little lund so many musky ... i may display on here to sell ... pretty hard maybe i should keep both but my wife may divorce me! so you will all see my Lund DLX honda 9.9 2006 on here some time i next month. Dont want anyone to buy until the spring - let em burn around my lake Hondas are awesome - maybe I should keep for my 8 year old.

 

Anyway again thank you all . as many know I am an aussie and this site taught me to fish here thank you!

 

Hey John Congrats on your Choice. Hope you have many years of Boating and amazing memories / stories to tell all of us.

[craigdritchie]

I did a boat test on a 161 Pro Angler XL last summer. Very nice boat. I drove two individual boats, one with a 50 hp Merc two-stroke, and the same model with a Merc 60 four-stroke. I did the test at Smoker Craft's plant in Indiana, while they were hosting a bunch of boat dealers. Many of the dealers there were looking at packages with the 50 because it was a bit cheaper, and because there were some incentives on it (getting tougher to sell two-strokes, as most people want fours).

 

I would agree with that. The boat went a little bit faster with the 60 four-stroke, but not a huge difference. What was huge, however, was the fact you couldn't even hear the engine at idle, and never once got exhaust smoke in your face (which was obvious with the 50, in spite of being a brand-new motor). Definitely worth upgrading to the 60 four-stroke. The boat is rated to 75 hp ... I thought the 60 pushed it along just fine.

 

The boat itself is nice and open, with more room than you would expect from a 16-foot console boat. The cockpit floor was vinyl, with a carpeted front deck. The vinyl will be more slippery if you drop pike or salmon on the floor, but it cleans up way better than carpet, so it's a toss-up there. Livewell is in the front deck ... convenient, but your fish might get beat up in rougher water. But since the boat isn't meant for serious tournament use, that's less of a problem. Most of the fish that go in that livewell will probably wind up in a frying pan later.

 

Seats are very nice - well upholstered, with no-pinch hinges. The console is a bit small, but functional. You can get two guys on the front deck. It doesn't blow around too badly in the wind. No problem mounting a pair of downriggers at the stern, but the fuel filler cap on the port side would make it more difficult to mount four of them without going to some sort of board arrangement. Fuel tank is 75L (20 gal), and the whole boat weighs something approaching 950 pounds, so it will run a long time between gas pumps (especially with the four-stroke). Hull uses Smoker Craft's five-keel arrangement, so it tracks straight and doesn't ventillate, even in really tight turns. It's well built ... we took a tour of the factory and saw the whole production process ... it's simple, but solidly made.

 

If you mount the passenger seat next to the driver's helm seat, there's enough room to pass between them as you move from front to back. But the passenger seat does make it tight if you want to access the port-side rod locker. I'd also spend the extra for an adjustable height, gas-shock seat base and bicycle seat for the front deck. The standard seat with the boat is too low, and takes up too much space when you put it there.

 

If you want to read more about it, my boat test on the 161 appears in Boatguide magazine's 2010 Boat Buyer's Guide. You can find it at Chapters.

[cowanjo]

I would like to thank everyone for the responses. I will post some pictures and reviews on delivery in April. hopefully I will post more pictures then just the boast of the musky which will come aboard!

[Roy]

Craig, I think you really have things covered and under control. I'm really glad that you are involved with our community. I'm sure that most if not all of our members think the same way. Thank you for your knowledge and experience.

 

Cowanjo, good luck to you.

[The Urban Fisherman]

Craig, I think you really have things covered and under control. I'm really glad that you are involved with our community. I'm sure that most if not all of our members think the same way. Thank you for your knowledge and experience.

 

Cowanjo, good luck to you.

 

Ditto!

[danbouck]

Craig, I think you really have things covered and under control. I'm really glad that you are involved with our community. I'm sure that most if not all of our members think the same way. Thank you for your knowledge and experience.

 

Cowanjo, good luck to you.

 

x3