Crestliner

What Crestliner is on the used market

Crestliner is a Minnesota aluminum builder (since 1946, now Brunswick alongside Lund and Lowe) known for all-welded hulls aimed at the serious walleye and multispecies market — a half-step below sibling Lund in prestige and price, a clear step above Lowe and Tracker in construction. The 6,000 hulls in our sample skew toward 16–20 ft deep-V fishing layouts in the upper Midwest.

Known issues to inspect

Welded-hull inspection applies: transom and keel weld condition, signs of repeated stress repairs, and floor/deck plywood on pre-2010 boats. Crestliner's welded seams have a strong durability record; the practical issues live in the rigging, not the hull.

As with Lund, the electronics-and-trolling-motor package often represents a large share of the asking price — date-stamp every component, because 'fully rigged' with 2016 graphs is a discount conversation. Verify Mercury outboard history (Brunswick packages skew Mercury), check the livewells, and inspect the trailer bunks supported the hull correctly on heavily trailered boats.

Resale and value character

Crestliner is the quiet value pick of the premium aluminum tier: it gives up a little resale shine to Lund but costs meaningfully less to buy, and welded construction keeps old hulls saleable indefinitely. In walleye country the market is efficient and liquid; elsewhere expect slightly longer sale times. Buy on hull condition and rigging age, and the brand will neither help nor hurt you at exit.