That close to pressing the trigger on a Starcraft 2119 5.0 MPI

[Frag]

Hi guys,

long story short, I spent the last few weeks debating in my head if I would buy this 2119 new ... or its bigger brother (2321) used.

Sparring you the details, I am no longer aiming at the 2321.I lost some trust in the seller and the bank has way higher financing rate since it is a 2011 (go figure).

So I am back to my first choice, a brand new 2013 StarCraft 2119 (Prestige Edition) with the Mercruiser 5.0 MPI (the base engine is the 4.3 MPI).

Few guys told me that this is a very reliable and nice boat and that the warranty is top notch. If any of you guys knows it ... I would appreciate the comments...

http://www.starcraftmarine.com/showroom/runabout/limited-io/2119-re-io

I really ...really like it. It does not has the finish of a Crownline or a Searay .... but everything is nice, firm and solid. I really feel it. I decided to read a little more before pulling the trigger.

Any comments welcome, I would like to use your experience as much as I can...

 

[JimS123]

I have only good things to say about Starcraft. I'm sure this boat is well built and would perform very well. If you like it that's all that matters.

For me personally, though, it would be no deal. That's a pretty big heavy boat, and yet the cockpit space is so very small. Even though the kids have boats of their own and we usually meet them on the water rather than take them along, I would like the ability to take another couple if I wanted to. My 19' can comfortably seat 6 people. That Starcraft looks to me like more than 3 would be banging into each other. There are times that nobody would want to sit in the bow.

 

[Old Ironmaker]

A nice boat yes. But that space too small. 4 in it is a crowd. It's a runabout cruising boat and for that room is a must. Shoulder to shoulder gets old, fast.

I would shop around and I'm a StarCraft guy.

 

[burtonrider11]

Interesting. We have 1997, 2010SS. It measures 20'2" and has a beam of 8'6". Our boat is extremely roomy, we've had 4 adults (one of them an ex college offensive lineman) and 4 kids in the boat for hours at a time and it never felt cramped. 8 adults would be another story. However for our family, 2 adults, 2 kids and gear, it is extremely roomy. It's not perfect, but for what we paid for our boat, its a great fit for our family. The boat pictured looks like our family would be cramped. Our swim platform is much smaller, my guess is that's where we make it up in ours.....Tough call, but I think I'd have a hard time going for that one. If you are going to be cruising for long periods of time, space is everything....

 

[keith2k455]

I have one assumption. It looks like loa is 23'.

Mythoughts: My Crownline 210 is just shy of 21' and had an identical layout. ...captains chairs, walk through transom, swim platform that is not integral to the hull, which leaves my loa almost identical to This one. The 5.0 is great in my boat. The thing concerning to me is the pictures. ...the people look way more cramped than I experience in my boat. I've had 4 adults and 2 kids most in mine and honestly we could have easily fit 2 more adults and 2 more kids.

I think that if you feel it is roomy enough, you will like it. Although I'm still not sure about the walk through, it does keep you from climbing over the rear seat constantly.

 

[JASinIL2006]

That does look awfully cramped for a 21' boat. There's more rear seat legroom in my 19' Larson.

 

[mr 88]

Agree with the posts above. The stern seat looks like a knee knocker unless your sitting in the middle like the picture shows. No reason for some one to be riding uncomfortably while sitting back there.

 

[Bayou Dave]

Their specs say max persons is 10. I think 10 would be really uncomfortable.

 

[Old Ironmaker]

Their specs say max persons is 10. I think 10 would be really uncomfortable.

10 Munchkins from Oz maybe. Not adults. 2 on the bow, 4 in the main area, 2 on the sun deck and 2 on the swim platform, yep, that's 10.

What would this boat go for new? I have never priced a boat of this style as it's not fishable really.

 

[tlombard]

That sundeck looks huge too when comparing it to my 18ft Caravelle. Looks like they sacrificed some cockpit space for extra length in the bow section. Depending on your family/boating situation, what some might consider a problem might be a benefit though?

For example, my outings generally consist of loading up and cruising to a cove where we tie up with others and spend a lot of time in the water. One thing I notice is that if there are kids on a boat that is tied up, they are ALWAYS on the bow. Also, if you tie up a lot like we do, a bow filler cushion would make that another great place for somebody to lay out in addition to the rear sundeck.

Anyway, I agree with others that the cockpit looks a little cramped but your situation and preferences are unique to you. All comes down to how you look at things, glass half empty/half full and what not.

 

[Frag]

Actually you guys are right, the picture shows the boat as being cramped up ... but god knows ... I thought it was quite roomy when I jumped into it. But since you are pointing it out, I will have a second look at it.

The model I would buy is a new 2013 (the one in the picture is a 2016). The only difference is that the 2013 has the full length seating at the stern ... there is no walking thru transom. BUT you can flip the seat up to have the transom. I actually prefer the 2013 design over the 2016 one.

When I will go back to the dealership, I will try to take some pictures for you guys.

I have an amazing deal on the 2013 ... that dealership is pushing hard to get rid of the remaining 2013,2014 and 2015 to make room for the new models.

 

[JimS123]

I have an amazing deal on the 2013 ... that dealership is pushing hard to get rid

My first thought is why has it sat there for 3 years. Surely someone should have wanted it.

 

[tlombard]

I hadn't thought of model year changes. And who knows, the perspective in the picture could make a difference on how roomy that boat appears as it is.

Personally, I wouldn't be worried about the fact that it hadn't sold yet. Maybe they got it end of the year and once the new models came out, it just wasn't worth the price difference to compensate for model changes in 2014? When financing the monthly payment on the brand new model year is going to be negligible for awhile so I would think that most would always go for the newer until the deal just gets too good. The key is that you get that same warranty in my opinion.

 

[Frag]

My first thought is why has it sat there for 3 years. Surely someone should have wanted it.

I am not nervous about this. I am Canadian and the summer season is really short here. It is really common to see brand new 2013/2014 at dealerships. Boats are not flying away that fast up here. For more, the last two summers were really crapy around here.

BUT now with the Canadian money going down in value ... the price of the 2016 are out of control since most of the boats are built in the US. So NOW the 2013 and 2014 are flying out like crazy since they are still affordable.

Actually if you American guys are in the market for a used boat, you should look north of the border. 1$ US is mostly 1.37$ up here ... so our boat would be dirt cheap for you guys. But, I am not aware of you boat import laws.

As an example ... that 2119 model was sold to me for 36k CAD. This is brand new, prestige version with all the bells and whistles and the trailer. This is 26k US dollar ... which is not that bad. The deal is not completed yet, but they are holding it for me for few days. The warranty starts when I take delivery of the boat. So a 2016 would not change a thing.

The same model, but 2016 is over 50k CAD ... and the boat is exactly the same. All of this because of the sudden Canadian money drop.

 

[jkust]

I'm at the point where we need an extra couple of feet of boat so to me that looks a bit small as our two kids are much bigger than when we bought it. Our limiter is the 5000lb capacity of our boat lift so not sure what yours can accommodate. We has a situation like this at the marina near our lake house whereby the dealer quit selling a particular brand of bowrider in order to focus on pontoons and ski boats and they couldn't give their last two away. I think they were five or six years old by the time they finally offloaded them.

 

[Frag]

I finally went back to the dealership today to take a closer look at that seat space in the back. I am 6'1'' and I sit really comfortably there with a good 6 inches of room in front of my legs. But yes, I noticed that the back area is a little tighter than let's say a Crownline 21ss. But both the bow area and the swim platform are larger.

My impression is that by design, they moved the console a bit back to have a larger bow area. But it does not feel small in the back and yes I agree that the pictures seemed to show otherwise. Go figure.

I really like it. As I said, I noticed that the finish details are not as refined as a Crownline/Sea Ray BUT everything looks really strong and simple. I am the kind of guy who like to customize his toys and felt at home while exploring it. I noticed few screws that could be replaced by bolts, just a small fun project I will do when it will be too cold to fly around the lake.

I think this is a keeper for me ... I'll take the final decision tomorrow. So far I never found someone who told me to not touch a StarCraft, so I guess I should be alright quality wise.

 

[Old Ironmaker]

Getting a boat across he border is really simple with all the proper paper work in order. Both ways. On an US built boat there isn't duty and a portion if the HST is refunded to US buyers. Tax here is 13% Harmonized sales tax on everything including some food.

 

[burtonrider11]

I finally went back to the dealership today to take a closer look at that seat space in the back. I am 6'1'' and I sit really comfortably there with a good 6 inches of room in front of my legs. But yes, I noticed that the back area is a little tighter than let's say a Crownline 21ss. But both the bow area and the swim platform are larger.

My impression is that by design, they moved the console a bit back to have a larger bow area. But it does not feel small in the back and yes I agree that the pictures seemed to show otherwise. Go figure.

I really like it. As I said, I noticed that the finish details are not as refined as a Crownline/Sea Ray BUT everything looks really strong and simple. I am the kind of guy who like to customize his toys and felt at home while exploring it. I noticed few screws that could be replaced by bolts, just a small fun project I will do when it will be too cold to fly around the lake.

I think this is a keeper for me ... I'll take the final decision tomorrow. So far I never found someone who told me to not touch a StarCraft, so I guess I should be alright quality wise.

From the pictures, it does look crowded, however, they're just pictures...If you can sit in it and it feels roomy, thats a much better gauge. It's definitely a great looking boat! I've mentioned that we have a 1997 2010SS and it's been a good boat overall. It certainly isn't as refined as a Crownline or Cobalt, but it's a good solid boat that we routinely take out into Southwestern Lake Michigan. I have never had any concerns with it getting us there and back safely. I hope you enjoy yours as much as we've enjoyed ours!

 

[keith2k455]

I think this is a keeper for me ... I'll take the final decision tomorrow. So far I never found someone who told me to not touch a StarCraft, so I guess I should be alright quality wise.

That's great. I do love how pictures can actually lie so well. If you at 6'1" are comfortable in YOUR boat, I say get it.