2005 Crestliner 1700 Mirage

I guess you can say that my Dad received the best Father’s Day gift last year - A brand new Crestliner with some electronic goodies to go with it. My Mom approached my brother and I with the idea last year and being that he and I enjoy spending time on the water I feel we were both on the same page from the start. We wanted a boat that was versatile and could be used in a variety of different environments and could also act as a “family” boat when needed. We did tons of research - I looked at the Trackers, Lunds, Ranger, and couple of no-namers. I checked out the construction quality, warranties, and motors and in the end - I felt the Crestliner was right for us. We all did and luckily we located one at Salinas Valley Marine.

Since we’ve almost had the boat for a year, I thought it was time to give my

100% honest opinion on the Mirage. First off, I really like the design - the storage is great and the configurable bench seat is a must have in a smaller boat like the 1700. The only issue I have with the seat, is that it had a design flaw. When the bench seat was flipped over, it rubbed against the sidewall and tore the vinyl. Our dealer made some metal brackets to cover up the sides and protect the sidewall. This should have been addressed by Crestliner at the factory. The instrumentation is nice and we added a Lowrance fishfinder and GPS module at the driver’s console and bow. Since most boats come with nothing but the standard gauges you usually have to spring for the good stuff. Some manufacturers offer packages but you can usually negotiate the boat price down and buy the stuff yourself later and still save money. We also added a boat charger and Minn Kota trolling motor. We added the 55lb thrust model (per the dealer suggestion) and I wish we would have gone with something with more thrust and voltage. It does also have a livewell and rod locker. We rarely use the rod locker but I do like the fact that they made it accessible if the bench seat is up or down. This was well thought out so they get a plus on

that one. We also chose to go with the vinyl type flooring instead of the traditional astro-turf like material. It’s user friendly and cleans real easily. The seats are comfortable and they remove with the click of a button. You have the option to buy additional seats but with the bench seat already installed I don’t really see a need to purchase them. The boat did not come with a boat cover so I went online to boatcovers.com and they had our particular model on file. You just choose your engine model size (115 4-Stroke in our case) and location of your trolling motor and they take care of the rest. It’s fits like a glove and was delivered in roughly 10 business days. Overall, we are extremely pleased with the boat. It does have it’s quirks (see below) but it handles very well and the craftsmanship is some of the best out there.

Model: 2005 Crestliner 1700 mirage

Pros: The boat handles various types of water great. The workmanship on the aluminum hull is near perfection and the interior is nicely designed as well. Does not have that “cheap” feeling when you grab and shake the console or windshield. It’s a very sturdy nicely designed watercraft and could be one of the top in its class.

Cons: Bench seat tore the sidewall vinyl. Steering seems to be a little on the stiff side. Moving from neutral to forward sometimes seems like it’s grinds into gear. May need some adjustments from the dealer. Livewell pump went out on us while in the delta.

Dealer: Salinas Valley Marine - These guys are pretty good. They have been responsive to our needs but I do wish they would have recommended a larger trolling motor. Like I said, the 55lb gets us moving around but something with a little more power would be optimum.