Rugged Performance and Premium Features

Tested By Captain Keith Burton

For most folks looking for an economical fishing boat that is easy on the wallet and easy to tow usually means a stripped down boat with all the appeal of an open skiff. But not if you are looking at the boat featured here, the 2005 Crestliner 1600 Angler SC.

The folks at Crestliner have listened closely to anglers and their customers to build what is arguably one of the best entry-level all-aluminum fishing boats on the market.

This rugged 16-foot fishing boat features a wide 84-inch beam and a huge amount of level deck space that has the fishing sportsman in mind and it offers many features found on premium boats.

Designed with Comfort in Mind

The seats deserve special mention as they are the same premium seats found on Crestliner’s top line of boats. The company spent over a million dollars in research and development money on those seats to make them durable and comfortable.

The seats even have their own name, Concept DX, and they are designed to channel water away from the seat to help keep them dry from water spray and rain. I found them well padded and the back rest provides plenty of support, much better than the flat-style seats on other boats. There is also no wood used in the seat, so they will provide years of use.

Construction and Design

The 1600 Anger SC also is a quiet boat over the water for an aluminum boat. There is very little of the slapping noise that is generated by the V-hull as it cuts through waves. There are many reasons for this. Crestliner makes their hulls very strong and the Angler 1600 SC is no exception. The fully welded hull and extruded aluminum gunnels make for a stiff and rugged hull that should provide many years of outstanding performance.

Crestliner is so confident of their hulls that they offer a lifetime warranty on the welds of the hull and a full three year warranty for everything else.

Crestliner has also coated most of the undersurfaces of the storage compartments with a spray-on material they call “Crest-Liner”, which is very much like the durable material sprayed on pickup truck beds. This flexible plastic coating does several things. It protects the underside of the covers, which are made of aluminum, from corrosion, and it cuts the noise that could be transferred by vibration.

An additional note, the company says their coating is formulated for marine use and is not exactly the same as that used on pickup trucks.

The fully carpeted deck features numerous storage compartments for all your gear and both the bow and stern fishing platforms provide plenty of room to get around.

Features at the Bow

At the bow, the Crestliner 1600 Angler SC comes from the factory pre-wired for a trolling motor, complete with factory installed controls. A large dry storage compartment is built into the deck just forward of the pedestal seat location. A large 27-gallon live well is also conveniently located just aft of the bow pedestal seat.

In the Cockpit

Amidships, a huge rod locker is provided below the port side gunnel. Both of the seats in the main deck area can be removed to be used for the bow and stern fishing platforms. Their removal is remarkable easy. Just push a button, twist slightly, and they come right out.

The helm features a tinted windshield and instrumentation for engine speed, miles per hour, fuel and voltage. There is also space for a depth/fishfinder on the dash to the right.

The Power Behind the Boat

Out tester was equipped with a new Evinrude 75 horsepower ETEC outboard. We were pleasantly surprised at the performance of this lightweight and compact engine. Starting without hesitation, the Evinrude ETEC emitted no smoke that we could detect. This is a remarkable thing for a two-stroke outboard. The engine also idled smoothly and quietly.

Performance

Over the water, the Crestliner 1600 Angler SC offers a smooth ride through moderate chop, but being fairly light, bigger waves will bump you around a bit, but less so than many other boats of its type.

Steering inputs at the helm are answered smartly, and the boat is fun to drive. But at speed, your passenger may complain a bit about wind, especially if it is a chilly day. The passenger doesn’t get a windshield. One oversight was the lack of a handle for the passenger to use when the going gets rough.

There is another detail we need to mention here. Crestliner has started using all stainless steel screws with a square heads rather than a Phillips head. This is really a significant improvement as the square-headed screws can be installed with greater precision and force, and are much less likely to back out. They also make it unlikely of the heads being stripped if screw replacements are needed.

Overall, the Crestliner 1600 Angler SC makes an outstanding choice in a rugged, all-aluminum fishing boat. Its features and durability should make ownership a pleasure for any fisherman.

And if you need a full windshield boat, the Crestliner 1650 Sport Angler is available.

• Top speed for the Crestliner Angler 1600 SC is 36.7 mph (59.1 kph), burning 7.1 gallons per hour (gph) or 26.87 liters per hour (lph).


• Best cruise for the Crestliner Angler 1600 SC is 23.6 mph (38 kph), and the boat gets 6.28 miles per gallon (mpg) or 2.67 kilometers per liter (kpl), giving the boat a cruising range of 96 miles (154.5 kilometers).


• Tested power is 1 x 75-hp Evinrude ETEC.