new boat question

[kwbybee]

Ok so I'm looking to get a new boat in the next few months and I'm having a hard time deciding on the style of boat. Stick steer or conventional front and rear casting deck design. The models I'm looking at are Crestliner Outlook and Storm 1700. I have only 20 feet length to store in my garage so my choices are limited. The type of water I fish are large reservoirs to small stumpy lakes. Any advice is welcomed and appreciated.

[Chuck Adams]

Crestliner 1860 or 1754.
I have had both.
Currently run a 1754 and love it.


Sent from my iPhone using Crappie.com Fishing mobile app

[Crestliner08]

Crestliner is a great hull for handling all kinds of rough water. And a lot less expensive than Lund. If you consider a stick steer, talk to the retailer about "drift", as the sticks do tend to drift unless your hand is always on it. Most sticks are flat bottoms as well, which tends to give the rear passenger a wet ride. JMO.

[Cray]

Either one would make you a nice boat. Depends how you fish and if you fish more by yourself or with someone else. I have a 17 ft wareagle stick steer and love it for me because I fish mostly by myself. I fish in some pretty rough stiff at times and never felt unsafe but it will pound your backside in really rough water so you have to slow down. I run 50 Yamaha and I find it gives me enough lift that passenger doesn’t get any wetter than in a side console. But that being said that side console with side by side seating would be nicer if you fish a lot with someone else.

[Alphahawk]

I’m not going to recommend what boat you should get. I have a stick steer and will tell you the good and the bad about it. It is an Xtreme 1454. It is a full V Hull. While I don’t like getting out in rough water in it the boat handles it pretty well. But you will get wet even in a small chop running at speed. If you run at speed your back will take a beating.....unless you install a suspension seat.....which I did. If you fish in winter you will need a Face Saver or some kind of face shield running at speed. My steering doesn’t drift but sometime in the next year I will replace the mechanical stick steer with hydraulic stick steer. I like the fact of running boat and fishing in same seat. You only need one sonar unit in a stick steer. I prefer being down in the boat and not having to fish up on a deck. Back in 2015 when I bought the boat I had no problems getting up and down on a deck to fish.....but I knew the day would come when it would not be so easy....and that day is here. I get questions all the time if I would buy another stick steer. The answer is at my age I most assuredly would. The only thing I would change is I would have bought the 1872 model. But like you at the time I had a small garage so I bought what would fit. Funny thing.....one month after purchasing boat I bought a new house with oversized garage......I could have bought much bigger boat.....LOL.

Regards


Sent from my iPad using Crappie.com Fishing mobile app

[cwright]

I know some like the stick steer and there are a few pros to them. I had one of the tracker panfish stick steer years ago. Like stated, it would beat me to death in rough water and I hated driving with the stick. Never felt comfortable with it like I do a steering wheel. I have had two crestliner deep vs and they are outstanding boats so I feel their bass version would be the same. Triton has a version similar but with many upgrades. Sometimes you can find them at very good prices as well. I almost pulled the trigger on one before opting for my current Lund deep V.

[jay the baptist]

I had a 16 ft g3 with 50 yamaha 4 stroke. Nice dry ride, no drift, easy as pie to steer, tow and load and unload. My only cons would be not enough storage, In the winter or rain it's a cold ride up front. In good weather it was a pleasure to be in. I've had several side consoles one center console and one tiller. If I was on big water much at all, I want side console. But running creeks and small lake, I like the tiller setups coming out today. More room and storage than stick steers. JMO. Good luck!