They are all good boats. I'd pick the one that had the layout that best suited your needs.
I'm seriously looking at buying a vhull boat which is what I have now. I need a bigger one though because we got a place down on Barkley Lake. I'd love to hear opinions on what kind to buy.
We are looking at the above mentioned makes. I think 16.5ft is in our price range.
I had a 17' Crestliner, nice boat. If I were buying again, anything but a Lowe.
What about a Starcraft? I noticed they've been around for 110 years, they gotta be good boats. I noticed some of these boats are all metal floors/doors and some are pressure treated wood. The wood will eventually rot out and it's heavier too, it just seems like metal would be the way to go.
semi-v config IMO. not much difference in brand names either, when it comes to catching fish. just like rods, they all catch fish. a good fisherman can humiliate a rich one every time. get a boat that is open with lots of walking space. try to stay away from anything, thats in your way, that you dont need. shoot i even took the swivel seats out of my boat because they were in my way more than i needed them. if you already have a boat, take your time and look for the rite boat at the rite price.
I have a Lund Explorer. It's nice and wide, dry as a bone not to mention Lund has the best resale value of any aluminum boat.
Billbob LIKED above post
I have never owned a Lund, but I have looked at a lot of them and they seem very well put together. Plus they always bring top dollar on the resale market.
Watch buying a used Lund. Over on the Walleye Central website they have been talking about the transoms rotting out.
I have a Alumacraft 175 navigator with a 150 yamaha on the back. I really love it and it is great for all different types of fishing and great to pull the kids on a tube too.
Simply put, there is no perfect boat, just better boats for different situations. Having a V hull myself, I find many pros and cons. I like being "in" the boat, rather than standing on it. Windy days, I hate it, but I manage. Personally, I like a welded boat versus a riveted hull, but that is probably due to the fact that most of my boats have always seen sub freezing temps as well as 100. Metal expands and contracts, and yes a Lund is guaranteed to not leak, but I don't like the idea of that many holes in my boat. All of the mentioned manufactures are quality builders, so find the layout you like and look for a Yamaha to push it. The hull is only half of what you're paying for.