Help me pick: Crestliner, Lund, Ranger, or Triton?

Hi - I'm looking for a multipurpose, multi species, fish & ski. Sorry for the long post but I'm trying to anticipate your questions.

Details: for the purpose of this exercise, let's assume $$ is no object, both for the initial purchase, and for the year-long operation - gas, towing, etc - so give me your honest opinion without factoring in money. Don't care about resale, do care about quality and dependability.

Fishing Uses: Bass fish Lake Cumberland, KY to Lake Geneva to small Wisconsin Lakes. Muskie fish Cave Run, KY to small lakes around Hayward. I don't troll for Walleyes and really don't fish for them, but will troll for Muskie occasionally. No plans to fish the great lakes. My only concern would be trying to get a large Deep-V or a heavy Glass boat in at a small unimproved ramp, but those ramps are few and far between.

Other Uses: Ski, tube. Ability to take out 7-8 people for a day of fun. Must have a place for wife to lounge in sun while I fish if it's just the 2 of us (bow cushions, lounge chair, stern cushions)

Motor: Open to suggestions, but I will be maxing out the HP on whatever I get. I am concerned about the boat weight to HP ratio for some of the Glass boats - looks like they can be a bit inefficient and slow.

Contenders:

Crestliner Sportfish 1950 & 1850

Crestliner Superhawk 1950 & 1850

Lund 2075 & 1900 Tyee

Lund 1875 Crossover

Triton 206 Allure

Triton 220 Escape

Ranger 2050LS Reata

Ranger 1850LS Reata

Stratos 386 XF

If I had to rank them, fishing 1st, ski/tube 2nd. So probably a bow rider that has an available "fishing package" probably isn't in the running, although if anyone has a Glastron GTSF200, it looks kind of interesting, would love to hear about it.

A final contender would be a Tracker V-20 Targa. I know Tracker is a lightning rod of opinion, but the fact is the layout, features, and useability of this boat really seems to fit my needs. Is it worth the real and/or perceived reliability issues?

I know someone will mention local dealer. I have one local for Ranger & another one for Triton. Tracker is at my local BPS, and Stratos is at my local Cabela's (Ranger also at Cabela's). Crestliner and Lund are both 50 miles away and my guess is both they carry them, but don't sell a lot of them.

So give my your best Glass vs Tin, welded vs riveted, Brunswick, Tracker, 4 stroke, 2 stroke opinions. Thanks.

I'm in the same boat (no pun intended) lol.  Which one did you end up getting?

Thanks!!

I had a Lund Baron and the ride was a little rough on Winnebago. I mentioned to her that a glass boat would have a smoother ride and she said," Why don't we get one?". 5 days later, I had a Yarcraft. Never looked back. Way better ride. Maybe take her for a  test ride and shake her up a little bit. Then mention the Ranger rides way better. Done deal. Mrt.

The Stratos is a nice boat for Fishing and Family.  You know guys like them because they almost never come up on the used market.  I think they are made by Ranger now.  The Verado would be a great match, low & top end but still 4S start and idle.  Yammies are great also.

The only way for you to really "tell" is to get in both of the boats and give them a ride.

I can tell you over and over that no boat out there will take wind and waves like a Ranger.  Glass is better the aluminum for wind/waves/boat control.

But aluminum is faster and lighter if you need to push your trailer around the garage.

Get in the boats and drive them in wind/waves and see what you like and do not like.  If the dealers can't get you out, find a local fishing club and ask to get out in someone's boat to see how it works.  Guys do it all the time.

Finally, if the better half found something that she likes?  And you are good with it?  Yah, needle is pointing that way.  Check that one out first.

So the better half saw the Crestliner Sportfish 1950 SST online photos and videos. She really liked how versatile the boat is converting from fishing to cruising/family. No one else has that nifty bow conversion, she really liked the SST transom, and that a table is an option. I know we would be giving up some of the ride vs a Ranger or Triton, but are we really giving up that much?

if your into musky look into the mirrocraft 1771 mx its designed for musky 50 inch reviving livewell and the feature i like is 9 foot rod lockers in the front deck

I own a Lund, and love it. However, I'm not real keen on the two models you listed...   I wouldn't hesitate to buy Crestliner, or Alumacraft either tho.

Based on what you describe as your basic needs, I'd get an aluminum boat. But if your primary need is fishing, don't get a fish/ski boat, or a cross over style. Fishing out of those truly stinks. Get a good fishing boat. It will pull skiers and tubes just fine.

I have personally owned a Crestliner with an E-tec. Loved it. Preferred it far and away to my dads and brothers Lund. Last fall I bought a brand new Triton 186 with a 175 Pro XS and 9.9 pro kicker. This ride is far superior to any aluminum I have been in. It goes 54 MPH me and half a fuel load. Three footer s on Winnebago and the windshield is dry. Far better in these conditions than brothers new Ranger 19.5 fisherman. Is the Triton a Ranger? No. But it is better than Stratos. I also bought this for thousands less than a comparable Crestliner. I used to be very brand loyal when it came to outboard power. I just like adding oil and going. They burn super clean and fogging is a snap in a 2 stroke. My opinion. My snowmobiles a 4 stroke. I don`t believe there is a bad engine out there. It is how you take care of it.

I see Aluma has a 1850 Edge too - may have to look at that again. How do you feel about the back pedestal seats being right in front of the jump seats? I'm not picking on Aluma because I see it on many others. But I did notice on new Triton Allure 206 the back row seats are grouped together in the center, giving the jump seats more room - and more room along the sides.

I just bought the Edge and love it. I was looking at Triton but boat was like another 700#. That'd be like adding my 4wheeler to the load. I had towing in mind going up to Vilas co. But also for fishing the bay. I did like the crossover. I didn't care for the crestliner. 

What's a decked out and maxed out 2050LS with a 250 Vrod and Gen 3 12" Lowrance running these days? How do people feel about the Ranger buying experience? Like buying a car, the dealer needs to make something - but how do you even know how much that is?

Ranger 2050LS, buy your last boat first and never look back.  FYI  Bass Pro now owns Ranger.

Yes, I did look at Princecraft - The Platinum would check many of my boxes, but I'd be back to Tin vs Glass. I think the SST transom on a Crestliner is a great option Princecraft doesn't have. And my nearest Princecraft dealer is 283 miles away - something to think about I guess.

Fishing Holdings, Inc owns (owned) Ranger + Triton + Stratos. Where does Stratos fit in that 3 brand line-up? Is it like GM with Cadillac, Buick, Chevy?

And since Bass Pro Group now bought Fishing Holdings, Inc...where does Tracker, Nitro, and Tahoe fit in? Is this like Fiat buying GM?