Priced Right.
Boat Test #1498
Power Boating Canada was once again this year invited down to Princecraft’s Media Test day just outside their head office and production facilities in Princeville, Quebec. Tied up neatly to the docks at the Manoir du Lac William were all their new models for us to play on – ahem, I mean test drive – and this year the weather cooperated.
With my wife Moira up the tower on the photoboat, generously provided by Princecraft and piloted by expert driver JP Martin-Dubois, Customer Experience and Marketing Director for Princecraft , I began with the Hudson DL WS – a 19’ fishing boat outfitted with a 90hp four-stoke Mercury outboard. After snapping some running shots, it was time for us to go run this boat through our test protocol.
The Hudson, like all Princecraft boats, is built using H36 aluminum for uniform strength and durability. (H36 is 25% harder than the aluminum used by other manufac-turers.) The hull is riveted together to form a reverse chine design with a 78” wide stance for stability, and double plated from bow to midship for strength. The hull then hits the paint booth where a high gloss high solids urethane paint is applied. The result is an automotive-quality flawless finish that doesn’t need waxing!
The Hudson features a large splashwell at the transom, a removable fuel tank, six seat bases in the floor and two folding seats with no-pinch hinges, windshield, helm and companion consoles, a 16 gallon Sport Flow aerated livewell in the bow, and the PrinceTrak system so you can add addi-tional gunwale-mounted accessories later without having to drill holes in your new boat. It also comes standard with a 90hp four-stroke Mercury outboard and a galva-nized bunk trailer.
The options list is very extensive allow-ing you to customize your boat the way you want. Our test boat was outfitted with the optional flip-fold aft deck with flip-up seats backs, bringing the seated passenger capac-ity count up to four, five is the maximum. To make your customizing job easier, the Hudson includes a rigging tube under the floor as standard equipment.
Performance wise, the Hudson is rated up to a 115hp outboard, but our test boat was outfitted with a 90hp along with a 4 blade Spitfire prop that produced a wonder-ful 2.5 second hole shot and a top speed of 39.5 mph with two adults aboard and half tank of fuel. While the Hudson is a very capable nineteen feet long, the 90hp is more than enough power to move it to perform. However, if you are looking to tow more than one person on a tube, or to per-haps water ski an adult behind the boat, then I’d consider upgrading to the 115hp and expect top speeds of 45mph plus.
As we ran around the lake getting our test numbers, the early fall air was hinting at turning cold soon. I’d suggest getting the optional full standup high-top enclosure to extend your boating and fishing into the shoulder seasons comfortably.
The Hudson DL WS is proudly made in Canadian by Canadians. If you are looking for a price-point fishing boat that will let you choose what options you want and don’t want, then get aboard Princecraft’s Hudson DL WS for a water test at a dealer near you this spring.
By Brad Roberts