TOPIC:

So I just got back from my marina from picking up my boat. Nothing major done, just had my cover patched and beefed up- some of my extra tracks caused wear in some un anticipated spots and also the knob area from the Minnkota Ulterra Quest. It came out great. I also had my trimtab switch moved to a much better area and I am very pleased with that too. That original switch position was about the only thing that I want thrilled with on this boat , so now I am a happy camper. Oh I also had 6 inch tracks put on either side of my bow for a FFS mount- I will be adding Active target 2 as soon as it warms up a bit.

I went to a sportshow this year and was able to crawl around a Smokercraft Phantom. What a solidly built Pacific Northwest style boat in the same vein as the Hewescraft, Duckworth, Thunderjet models. Wow, the room on the rear dance floor is incredible. Smokercraft is the parent company of Starcraft so my marina does carry them. While i was there I inquired about trading in the Fishmaster and ordering a Phantom. Timeline wise it wasn't going to be ideal, id miss out on some early spring fishing. Also I found out if I wait till the fall, I could go with my marina to the dealer meeting where I could get the Phantom at about a 10k discount via my marina and they said they will pass the savings right to me. That's awesome .
I also crawled around an Angler Qwest 24 ft Pro Troll at my marina and that is just a mind blowing trolling platform. It is so spacious and layed out great.
It wouldn't make an ideal boat to be trailering all over or fishing small lakes so i figure that will be the Erie retirement boat.

So I figure I'll fish the Fishmaster this season, get the Phantom in the fall, and in 6 years- go with an Angler Quest 24 or 26 footer. So i figure I got 2 more boats left in me. I'll post a pic of the Phantom console and a few of the Angler Qwest 


      

One of my firm beliefs - "Ya gotta hava plan!"  

I'm sure you know, Angler Qwest (with a W) is now Angler Quest (with a U).  The parent company of the original Qwests changed several years ago and in the words of the current owner, the new guys had not interest in fishing and and poor quality control on the Qwest models.  

Brad found some investors and is now producing Angler Quest pontoons at a facility in Indiana with a predominantly Amish workforce. He told me if you look at the new ones, some of it will look familiar, but he has made plenty of changes for strength and durability. I think he's dedicated to make this a strong player in the Great Lakes market. 



























 

Yes sir,  I've talked with Brad and I thoroughly believe in his vision and his commitment.  In fact my marina is only 10 minutes down the road and they said I could tour the factory when I want.  I was going to see about getting into an AQ this year but decided to wait until retirement so I could get a longer model.  If i picked one up now I'd only want the 22-footer as i will be trailering it alot.  When i retire I'll go with the 24 or 26 footer as I'll be living out at Erie.
I also am looking forward to that Smokercraft Phantom.  A ton of room for a 20 footer.

Just curious. Have you ever thought about a Fiberglass boat?  Don't get me wrong, I've owned three different aluminum boats and got good service from them. But I was young, dumb and relatively poor at the time, and considered myself rough and tough. That all changed the first day I bounced across the waves in my Pro Line. A couple of anecdotes. I took the guy who bought my 18 foot Sylvan fishing once on my Pro Line. His comment? "The next time I buy a boat, I'm going with fiberglass."  
I went to eastern Lake Erie last October and fished two days. Both days were 3 to 5 foot waves, emphasis on the 5s. My fishing partner was a guy with zero, small boat/big lake experience. Day one I was in a Starcraft Fishmaster 21'. The owner is a charter captain and was very gentle on the throttle going out and coming back in. Still is was a rugged day and I felt pretty beat up by end of trip. Day two we were on a 20' Skeeter. Boat owner is a tournament pro. When I first saw the boat, I told my fishing partner, "This should be a much smoother ride today."  
"Why?" he asked. 
"It's the difference between aluminum and fiberglass," I said. "The fiberglass is heavier, for one, but the hull can be designed to cut the waves better." 
Day one we had a bouncy, but not bang, bang ride 10 miles to the fishing area going about 8 or 9 miles per hour. Same waves same sort of ride, no flying off the tops of the steeper or taller waves, averaging about 18 mph. 
My fishing partners comment, "Now I know the difference between fiberglass and aluminum."  The captain said if this had been a tournament day, he'd have been running 40 MPH.  
Certainly, a glass boat is 10-15% more I'd guess. I'd also guess you'd recoup that easily in resale. Or like me, in durability when I bought my ProLine in 1999, I had it narrowed down to a it, or a 22' Sylvan "Offshore" model - similar to Starcraft Islander. Had I gone aluminum, and stayed with aluminum with the thousands of hours on the lakes, hundreds of thousands of miles on the trailer, I'd likely have gone through two or three boats in the same amount of time and use.