To me, boats are like puppies — I love almost all of them, except those that have butt-ugly lines and irritate my sensibilities. The boats, not the puppies. Truth be told, my heart belongs to the small craft, those center consoles and skiffs ideally suited to poke around the Chesapeake’s watery maze of tidal tributaries. So when I got the assignment to take
Polar Kraft’s Sportsman 1554 SE for a spin, I jumped at the chance.
First, a little background about the Polar Kraft. The Indiana-based boat builder offers 70 different models, including the Sportsman series that range in size from 15 to 20 feet. I met local Polar Kraft dealer Walter George, president of Annapolis Boat Sales in Chester, MD, at Goodhands Creek on a glorious late summer morning. A stiff breeze came out of the north, ideal for putting the Sportsman 1554 SE through its paces on Prospect Bay.
The first thing that impressed me even before we launched the boat was how big it looked on the trailer. It has an impressive 82-inch beam, which should make hunters and fishermen who are known to carry a lot of gear smile.
Topside, the layout is simple with ample storage. On the port side is a lockable fishing rod/gun locker. A bow casting deck was stable in the 18-inch chop. The model I tested was completely tricked out with a trolling motor mounted onto the casting deck and a live well forward on the port side. The boat also had removable, pedestal-style seats both forward and aft. Some anglers will find them useful, others not so much. I’m in the latter group as I’ve never warmed up to these types of seats in small boats.
I also didn’t think I’d like the side console configuration, but I quickly saw the advantages of it in this boat. The tinted windscreen, however, I can live without.
Mounted on the console was Lowrance X4 Pro Fish Finder, a good-sized unit for the skiff. A simple, three-switch panel below the steering wheel makes activating running lights (removable and flush mounted plates) and the live well a snap. The dual batteries are nicely situated in a bench seat behind the helm, and the 11-gallon fuel tank and charcoal fuel filter, bilge pump, and live well pump are easily accessible in the stern.
The boat is constructed using .100” (.25 cm) marine-grade aluminum, with a one-piece bottom. Everything is welded except the keel, which is reinforced with a strip of metal secured by rivets, says George, to give it extra rigidity and strength when breaking ice, a scenario mid western hunters are likely to encounter more often than those of us who gun the Chesapeake, with the exception of last winter. Still, knowing you have that extra muscle should give you more peace of mind when busting skim ice at 0’dark-30 in January.
All these bells and whistles are fine and dandy, Dollar, but how did it handle? I hear ya’. The Sportsman 1554 SE has a semi-v entry with two strakes running the length of the rig and a hard chine. One ride cannot cover all the scenarios the Bay can dish out in a single trip, of course. But the skiff was impressive on all key fronts.
The hole shot was more than adequate, and the four-stroke 40-hp Yahama shoved us onto plane in under four seconds. At 20 knots, bow to the weather, our ride was virtually spray free. Side to the wind, however, I did take a little sea salt to the face, but not nearly what I’ve suffered when I’ve run other comparably sized skiffs.
The boat turned smoothly with good tracking and very little sliding. Backing down was as you would expect, nothing great but fine.
The Sportsman 1554 SE is a nimble boat that I bet is equally proficient at picking up crab traps or duck decoys. George says you can even use it for water sports, slinging the kids around the river on skis or tubes. Whatever you may have planned for one of the Sportsman skiffs, these all-weld rigs should have no problem fitting in on the Bay.
According to Annapolis Boat Sales, the manufacturer’s suggested retail price is $18,000.
The boat is constructed using .100” (.25 cm) marine-grade aluminum, with a one-piece bottom. Everything is welded except the keel, which is reinforced with a strip of metal secured by rivets, says George, to give it extra rigidity and strength when breaking ice, a scenario mid western hunters are likely to encounter more often than those of us who gun the Chesapeake, with the exception of last winter. Still, knowing you have that extra muscle should give you more peace of mind when busting skim ice at 0’dark-30 in January.
All these bells and whistles are fine and dandy, Dollar, but how did it handle? I hear ya’. The Sportsman 1554 SE has a semi-v entry with two strakes running the length of the rig and a hard chine. One ride cannot cover all the scenarios the Bay can dish out in a single trip, of course. But the skiff was impressive on all key fronts.
The hole shot was more than adequate, and the four-stroke 40-hp Yahama shoved us onto plane in under four seconds. At 20 knots, bow to the weather, our ride was virtually spray free. Side to the wind, however, I did take a little sea salt to the face, but not nearly what I’ve suffered when I’ve run other comparably sized skiffs.
The boat turned smoothly with good tracking and very little sliding. Backing down was as you would expect, nothing great but fine.
The Sportsman 1554 SE is a nimble boat that I bet is equally proficient at picking up crab traps or duck decoys. George says you can even use it for water sports, slinging the kids around the river on skis or tubes. Whatever you may have planned for one of the Sportsman skiffs, these all-weld rigs should have no problem fitting in on the Bay.
According to Annapolis Boat Sales, the manufacturer’s suggested retail price is $18,000.