While some anglers favor the "spare no expense, bigger is better" philosophy, Crestliner's Fish Hawk 1750 proves that you can have a capable, fully featured fishing boat that can be towed by a light-duty vehicle and will actually fit inside your garage. There's also the part where you get to keep most of your money in non-boating investments.
Unique Factor
A lot of compact boats are proportionately smaller in areas such as gunwale height to preserve the "look" at the expense of capability. But the Fish Hawk 1750 looks like one of those undersized linebackers that make up for their modest stature with attitude. You can picture this boat in places such as shallow Lake Erie in a blow or on an Alaskan river being dusted by snowflakes.
The 1750 features a no-rivet, all-welded hull that interlocks its sections via tongue and groove joints before welding them, creating joinery that's the strongest point of the hull. At 17 feet, 6 inches long it's a foot shorter than Crestliner's top-selling Fish Hawk 1850, but has the same 7-foot, 11-inch beam and the same-sized livewells. The only difference is a little less space on the still-roomy front and rear casting platforms, which have inserts for fishing chairs. Like those of its big bro, the 1750's storage compartments are surfaced with a bedliner material instead of carpeting, which can get funkier than a teenager's gym locker.
Performance
Because Crestliner is a Brunswick company, you can get any engine from the factory you want - as long as it says Mercury on it. Our test boat features the FourStroke 115 outboard, an EFI that is 10 hp under this boat's max rating and is the largest non-supercharged four-stroke in Mercury's lineup. While it looks very tall and heavy, this in-line four-cylinder is actually the lightest four-stroke on the market by a slim 3- pound margin over the Yamaha F115. The 115 is the most powerful configuration in Mercury's 1.7L FourStroke family, which also includes 75 and 90 horsepower flavors.
The Mercury proved to be a good match for the 1,100-pound Crestliner hull. Time to plane was a brisk 3.5 seconds with just a little bowrise. We churned out 0–to–30 mph in a respectable 8 seconds. At this speed we were running 4500 rpm, which is right in this engine's "happy zone" and according to Mercury tests burns about 5.5 gallons per hour. Top speed had us enjoying the scenic St. Croix River in Minnesota at 42.5 miles per hour.
Handling
On test day, the water was more level than Howie Long's flattop. So while we can't attest to the 1750's bashing ability, it has the same Tru-V variable deadrise hull as the larger 1850. The hull is sharp in the bow and tapers off to 12 degrees of deadrise at the stern, so the ride should be pretty sweet in choppy conditions.
Dillon Donnelly
Dillon Donnelly
Although you can option your way to hydraulic steering, we had a single cable system with Teleflex's No Feedback system that canceled prop torque when we ran in a straight line. It was easy to steer, albeit a little notchy. On hard turns it only ventilated at the very end of our maneuver, after having first carved an impressive arc on the placid water's surface. Large reverse chines direct spray downward for a dry ride in sloppy conditions.
Best Uses
Those who fish with live bait will discover that the 1750 is among the most accommodating compact boats in terms of providing your finny little friends with onboard comfort. With a 24-gallon livewell in the stern and a 20-gallon tank in the bow - both with bait buckets - anglers won't even have to leave their standard pedestal fishing chairs to catch and release into the livewell and re-bait. New from Crestliner is a smaller baitwell in the bow so you don't have to disturb the main herd every time you need to reload.
As on tournament bass boats, the area in front of the single console is a one-height casting deck. In the center is a lockable rod holder that opens from the rear and stays open thanks to twin dams. A great locker feature is the automatic light for those of us who get rolling pre-dawn. Nine rod tubes on two levels are labeled 7' and 6' to show their max capability. There's plenty of room for tackle boxes in the bow storage compartments that can be converted to a giant cooler depending on your refreshment needs.
Although not specifically set up for entertaining, this boat can certainly do double duty with a passenger capacity of six: four in cockpit pedestal seats and two on the decks. There is a pair of D-ring attachments on the stern for a towing harness in case the kids want to go tubing or skiing.
Preferred Setup
Your biggest choice for the Fish Hawk 1750 is what sort of console setup you want. All preferences are catered to whether you want no-console tiller steering, a single driver's console like our boat has, matching dual consoles or even a full windshield rig for those Northerners who just can't wait for the season to begin. Crestliner recommends the 25-inch transom if you are choosing four-stroke power, presumably because of the additional weight, although the OptiMax direct-injected two-stroke is only 24 pounds lighter.
For anglers, Crestliner makes the 1750 easy to equip: Just select the Tournament Package and you are good to go. Bundled together are a pro-style recirculating livewell with a light and timer in the stern, twin adjustable bike pedestal fishing seats, two-bank battery charger, stainless steel stern rail, Sony stereo, and pull-up cleats for additional style points. A painted Shoreland'r trailer comes standard, so about the only other add-on you need is a wireless MotorGuide trolling motor that allows you to operate it from anywhere on the boat.
Crappie anglers (the fish, not the fisherman) often find the fish concentrated in one small area, so Crestliner gives them the option of side-by-side pedestal seats at the bow so two can be working the sweet spot.