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The Smoker Craft Ultima 172 is a compact bowrider built in welded and pressed marine-grade aluminium by Smoker Craft of United States, a builder trading since 1957. On our measurements it works out at roughly 17 ft 2 in (5.24 m) of hull with a beam near 7 ft 5 in (2.27 m), which places it squarely in the trailerable family bowrider class: one vehicle, one trailer, one afternoon of prep, and the boat is in the water. Family-owned Indiana builder producing versatile alloy fish-and-cruise bowriders.
Layout is classic bowrider and that is the whole point of the boat. Twin lounges run forward of the windscreen with a walk-through to the anchor well, the helm and companion seats sit amidships behind a wrap screen, and a full-width lounge spans the transom for sunbathing and socialising. Around 9 people fit aboard comfortably in sheltered water. Cushions lift out, backrests fold and filler pads convert the cockpit from a conversation pit into one long sun bed in a couple of minutes.
On the water the Ultima 172 is easy to like because nothing about it is demanding. Trim it out, settle into a mid-throttle cruise and it holds course with a finger on the wheel. Turns are progressive rather than sharp, wake crossings are soft, and the boat is forgiving of an inexperienced driver — an underrated quality in a family bowrider.
Power is a 100-150 hp four-stroke outboard package, and that suits both the hull and the way these boats are used. Keeping the machinery outside the hull frees up stern storage, simplifies servicing and removes the bellows and gimbal wear items that punish neglected stern drive boats. It also lifts the swim platform clear of the exhaust.
Watersports are well covered. A tow point is standard on almost every boat in this class, and Smoker Craft owners regularly add a pylon or a folding tower for wakeboarding. A modest outboard package pulls a slalom skier out of the water cleanly and tows children on an inflatable biscuit all day without protest. Skis, ropes and vests live in the under-floor and under-seat lockers so nothing sits underfoot while the boat is loaded.
Fishing is the quiet strength of this hull. Pull the bow cushions and the forward lounge becomes an open casting platform with clear access all the way around the bow, and the rear lounge lifts out to open up the transom and side gunwales. Ten minutes of work turns the family boat into a genuinely capable fishing boat, and ten minutes the other way turns it back again before anyone gets home.
Build and finish sit where you would expect for a entry level boat from United States. Smoker Craft is a family-owned Indiana builder that has been producing aluminium boats for nearly seventy years, and its Pro Angler, Ultima and Sunchaser lines include several genuine bowrider layouts. The company's speciality is the fish-and-cruise compromise: a boat with proper padded bow seating and a walk-through screen for family days, but with removable cushions, rod storage, livewells and casting decks so it converts to a fishing platform in minutes. Hulls are riveted or welded depending on model, with foam flotation and reinforced transoms, and the boats are light enough to tow easily behind a mid-size vehicle. Interiors are practical and hard-wearing rather than plush. Smoker Craft's strength is choice — the catalogue is unusually broad for a builder of its size — and value, with new package prices that undercut fibreglass equivalents substantially. On the used market they are inexpensive, durable and easy to repair, which makes them popular with families buying their first boat outright.
Options worth having on the Ultima 172 are the practical ones: a bimini for shade, a decent bow and cockpit cover so the upholstery survives being stored outside, an upgraded sounder if you fish, and a stereo package that can be heard over the engine. Aluminium hulls also reward a good trailer with proper skids, because the plating marks more easily than fibreglass on a poorly set-up trailer.
As a used buy, check the same things you would on any bowrider in this size band: transom firmness, stringer and floor soundness, hours and service history on the engine, steering and trim function, and the state of the upholstery seams, which are the first thing to fail on a boat that lives uncovered. At this end of the market condition matters far more than model year — a well-kept older boat beats a neglected newer one every time.
Our price guide for the Ultima 172 is US$31,000 - US$42,000 new, which moves with engine choice, trailer, tower and how recently the boat was refreshed. Judged as a whole, it does what people buy a bowrider for: cruise, tow, swim, fish and entertain in one boat, without asking the family to compromise on any of them. Smoker Craft has been refining that formula since 1957, and the Ultima 172 is a straightforward, well-judged expression of it.
The world's best selling bowrider size, Light, simple and easy to tow.
US$38,000 - US$52,000 new
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Featured Boat of the Week
This week we are putting the Bayliner Bayliner DX2000 in the spotlight, and it earns the spot. At 20 ft 2 in (6.16 m) long on a 8 ft (2.44 m) beam, this is a bowrider that reads the water well and still feels roomy enough for a full day out. A 20-foot deck-boat-width bowrider with outboard power and a huge social cockpit. Power comes from 115-150 hp mercury fourstroke outboard through a outboard package, and the fibreglass hull keeps the ride settled when the afternoon breeze puts a chop on the surface.
Seating is rated for 8 people, so there is space for family, friends, towels, eskies and the tow rope without anyone climbing over gear. Owners tend to buy it for family, water ski, leisure — which is exactly where it shines. Fuel is 30 us gal (114 l), and on the second-hand and new market you should expect to land somewhere around US$42,000 - US$58,000 new depending on hours, trailer and options.
Our full deep dive covers the layout in detail: bow lounge comfort, helm ergonomics, the rear entertaining area, storage that actually swallows a weekend, plus standard features, popular options and honest notes on where the boat compromises. If the Bayliner DX2000 is on your shortlist, start there — and check back next week, because the featured boat changes every week as we complete more full model reviews.
Featured Bowrider Article
Ownership
Boats do not die of old age; they die of neglect. A well-kept bowrider can still be in service after thirty or forty years, while a badly stored one can be uneconomic at twelve. Knowing which parts have a clock on them lets you buy and own accordingly. A quality fibreglass hull that has been kept covered, repaired promptly and stored out of water can last forty years or more. The laminate itself rarely fails; what fails are the plywood or composite parts inside it — stringers, bulkheads, floors and transom cores — when water finds a way in through unsealed fittings or damaged gelcoat. Aluminium hulls are similarly long-lived and often outlast their fittings entirely. Their enemies are galvanic corrosion, especially from stray current in marinas or missing anodes, and fatigue cracking around welds on hard-worked boats. Both are inspectable and repairable. A modern four-stroke outboard serviced on schedule commonly reaches 2,500-4,000 hours before major work, which for a family boat used fifty hours a year is decades of life. Petrol sterndrive engines have similar potential, though the drive leg, bellows and gimbal components need renewal along the way. In practice most engines are replaced because parts availability, electronics or economics turn against them…
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