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Crestliner boats….any good?


limeyangler

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On the boat/motor front it's very hard to find a boat/motor combo that's not a Merc unless you go to a G3. Heard from a dealer that Merc has bought Lund and a few other boat manufacturers.

 

I've been looking for the last few years in anticipation of my move to cottage country. For me, it will only be either a grey or silver motor on the back of my ???? Haven't decided yet but leaning towards a G3.

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Had a CO check us on Nippising 9 yrs ago.

Had a Crestliner with 2 str Yammy.

I asked him how the boat held up. I had just bought my Lund and before that had considered a Crestliner.

He said it had performed well and it took a pounding on Nippising's big water.

Says a lot.

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So, I bought a brand new Crestliner Vision 1700 Wt last July, this was after nearly a year of looking at pretty much all makes and models (both new and used) in and around the size I was looking for. Only 2 things I'm not fond of with my boat.

7"+ fish finder, needs a ram mount, although this seems to be an issue on just about every make and model of boat.

Livewell size on my vision is only 13 gallons.(seems bigger but that's what it's listed at) This seems very small for some reason. I don't keep a lot of fish, however if I was in a tournament this might be an issue.

Other than those 2 minor annoyances, I'm really happy with my Vision. Huge, forward storage, battery compartment holds 2 group 27's, decent rear storage, consoles are laid out nice, fit and finish are top notch.

My two favorite things about this boat are the jumps seats at the back, this gives you a huge rear casting deck without losing cabin floor space (like the foldout seats) as well as not having to shift gear around to fold those seats out.

If you ever plan to upgrade things, run wire, add electronics, stereo/speakers, on board chargers etc, (I've done all of the above) they (Crestliner ) made it really easy. Wiring conduits are very accessible as is the fuse block. Need bow electronics? No problem wiring was already there. Speakers? wire already there. Knock outs for the speakers, already there. Added a pedestal base on the rear deck, cutout was already there!

The j-hook system for the cover is really slick as well!

I had a Lund before this.

My new boat can take a good pounding on Lake Erie, Huron or Ontario, as well as smaller cottage country lakes (so far so good)

Edited by jjcanoe
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On the boat/motor front it's very hard to find a boat/motor combo that's not a Merc unless you go to a G3. Heard from a dealer that Merc has bought Lund and a few other boat manufacturers.

 

I've been looking for the last few years in anticipation of my move to cottage country. For me, it will only be either a grey or silver motor on the back of my ???? Haven't decided yet but leaning towards a G3.

Yes, Mercury owns Lund, Crestliner, Princecraft, Lowe, and some fibreglass brands. Yamaha owns G3 boats. There still are some independant brands such as Alumacraft, Legend, and Starcraft/Smokercraft/Sylvan (all one company). But Legend still pair their boats with Mercuray.

 

If you go with Alumacraft or Starcraft/Smokercraft/Sylvan then you may get to choose the motor for the combo providing that the dealer carries more than one brand of motor.

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I have a FishHawk 1650 with a 90 Merc 4S... (new in 2013) Havent had a problem..great boat.

 

Silly minor issue - but you cant open the livewell door when the spare seat is installed in the rear fishing platform. With the passenger seat installed, it opens fine...

 

Other than that it has a sweet ride...

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Actually the E-TEC's and especially the G2 are now catching up and will probably take over in another 5-7 years.

They have a loooong way to go to overtake yamaha. Don't forget yammies have been top of the market for 30 years anyways. I know in nfld, you don't see any mercs on boats. Mostly Yamahas. Same thing in cuba/mexico etc....a lot of yamaha outboards.

 

 

 

S.

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Yes, Mercury Mariner, exactly the same for that year but the badging Sinker.

I also have a mariner, but its a yamaha with a mariner cowling. Any parts I need I get from a yamaha dealer. Merc guys won't touch it.

 

S.

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12 years of owning 2xYamaha outboards, absolutely zero problems what so ever.

Regardless of the make, you have to take care and do your maintenance, use ethenol free gas with stabilizer, every fill up.

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I also have a mariner, but its a yamaha with a mariner cowling. Any parts I need I get from a yamaha dealer. Merc guys won't touch it.

 

S.

I know my 15 horse is all Yammy block, cylinders etc. I'm not sure about the 115. I do know that a dealer out here won't work on the 115 because they don't carry Mercury tools. Not that I have ever needed anything on these motors but regular maintenance.

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I know my 15 horse is all Yammy block, cylinders etc. I'm not sure about the 115. I do know that a dealer out here won't work on the 115 because they don't carry Mercury tools. Not that I have ever needed anything on these motors but regular maintenance.

 

You mean Proctor and Hyde's won't work on Merc??? They are both Merc dealers.... They may not want work on the Mariner but they service the current Merc's.

Edited by G.mech
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Proctors definitely, a Merc dealer. Don Hyde Marine in Hagersuigan won't touch them with a 10 foot pole. They are a Yamaha and Evinrude dealer now. They sell StarCraft tinnies and G3's as well as there big cruiser lineup. I was there today window shopping.

Edited by Old Ironmaker
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Proctors definitely, a Merc dealer. Don Hyde Marine in Hagersuigan won't touch them with a 10 foot pole. They are a Yamaha and Evinrude dealer now. They sell StarCraft tinnies and G3's as well as there big cruiser lineup. I was there today window shopping.

 

No kidding? I stand corrected... sorry John.

 

Despite all the Merc bashing, after 800+ hours my 2004 Optimax has never needed to see the dealer. Regular maintenance and it's run like a top. It wasn't my first choice when I was boat shopping either but I've been very satisfied with it.

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Despite all the Merc bashing, after 800+ hours my 2004 Optimax has never needed to see the dealer. Regular maintenance and it's run like a top. It wasn't my first choice when I was boat shopping either but I've been very satisfied with it.

 

That's excellent and I'd guess that you make sure it get's it's regular maintenance. The success of any of today's outboards starts with a proper break-in and followed with up with maintenance...not the logo on the side. Regular use of Quickleen, Quickare, Ring-Free, etc. sure doesn't hurt either. There isn't one outboard manufacturer that has a better product across all hp ratings, 2 cycle - 4 cycle, or high performance >200hp.

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What about this Mirrorcraft….Evinrude E-Tecs any good?

 

1663 AGGRESSOR 16' W/S (BLACK) SHRM

B # MRR83272D616 T # 5KTBS1914GF532650
VINYL INTERIOR, AUTO FLOAT BILGE, TROLLING PLUG,
STEREO W/ 2 SPEAKERS 12V POWER POINT, TRAVEL COVER,
1 EXTRA SEAT, FLIP UP CLEATS, SWIM PLATFORM,
BOW STORAGE NETS, FULL TOP W/ WALK THRU CURTAIN
BRP PRE RIGG, 2200 LB BUNK TRAILER W/ SWING TONGUE
& ALUM RIMS SPARE TIRE & MOUNT
90 H.P. MAX OB.
W/ 90 T & T $ 31,499.00
Edited by limeyangler
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limeyangler, I have a 2015 E-TEC and love it..........they PURR just as quiet as any Merc/Yammy 4 stroker but not as quiet as a Honda. It's has a strong hole shot yet it gets great gas mileage.....also the self winterization is the cat's meow........check it out.....

 

I have a 90 "HO" that is really a 115 hp detuned to 90+ hp.....with the 10% manufactures are allowed it really has 115 hp at the low end then tops off to 99 hp at the top end. If you need extra torque for a heavy boat/passengers ask about the 90 "HO".....if not with a 16' boat you will probably not need it..

 

The regular 90 is a inline 3 cylinder engine while the 90 "HO" is a V-4 that has better choices in props....

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2BCcOWnm7zo

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I have a buddy selling a nearly new lund alaskan with a 60 merc tiller for $22,000 if your interested. Its a sweet boat, and hardly used. I think its a 2014, but might be a 2013 bought new in 2014. Save you a few bucks on a nearly brand new rig.

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limeyangler, I bought a '98 non-current Crestliner Kodiak 16' in '99. It came with a 3 year bow to stern warranty and a 20 year hull weld warranty. It is made with 100 guage aluminum.

 

I have a bow seat, two benches and a split rear.

 

It handles rough water well. Rated for a 40 tiller, but I have a 25 Yammie that I bought last year on it, replacing the '99 25 Johnson 3-cylinder that came with it.

 

I can not say enough good things about my Crestliner. When I was shopping around, I had a short list with Lund, Princecraft and Crestliner. All three are good, but the layout, dealer availability and price were the major deciding factors.

 

The older Legend boats were made on Crestliner hulls. I'm not sure who makes the Legend hulls now.

Edited by 35Wailin
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Despite all the Merc bashing, after 800+ hours my 2004 Optimax has never needed to see the dealer. Regular maintenance and it's run like a top. It wasn't my first choice when I was boat shopping either but I've been very satisfied with it.

 

I cannot comment on the 4 stroke Mercs, but the smaller 2 strokes are not good fishing engines. They don't troll smoothly, seeming to spit and sputter and rattle. The old OMCs were awesome for trolling, but then if you don't troll and are more of a run n gun angler, that is a moot point.

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