Smoker Craft Lazer 161 Review
Aluminum fishing boats have come a long way since those first few models with flat floors and integrated livewells emerged in the 1960s. That’s especially evident at the value end of the market, where features once reserved for top-of-the-line flagship boats have now become table stakes. Take the Smoker Craft Lazer 161, for example.
Yes, it is designed and priced with cost-conscious families in mind, but you would be wrong to dismiss the Lazer as simply an entry-level fishing boat. It’s only entry-level when compared with some of Smoker Craft’s more feature-rich models.
Five years ago, this boat would be decidedly middle-of-the-pack. Ten years ago, it would have been considered a premium model based on its standard features alone.
At a Glance: Smoker Craft Lazer 161
SMOKER-CRAFT LAZER 161
- Lightweight design
- Deep cockpit
- Eye-catching finish
- No sun protection without aftermarket top
- Limited passenger capacity
- Budget-conscious anglers
- Anglers with smaller tow vehicles
Specifications
- Length: 16 feet, 2 inches
- Beam: 81 inches
- Dry weight: 845 pounds
- Fuel capacity: 15 gallons
- Passenger capacity: 5
- Maximum horsepower: 60
- Base price w/base power: $20,407
Power
- Tested: Yamaha F50 Four-stroke
- Cylinders: I4
- Displacement: 1.0L
- Weight: 247 pounds
- Time to 20 mph: ~4 seconds
- Top speed: 31 mph
Features We Love
- Spacious, elevated bow casting deck
- 25-gallon livewell
- Vinyl flooring
- Tall windshield
- Deep central cockpit
- Rod storage atop and below the gunwales
- Dash space for aftermarket MFDs
- Elevated stern casting deck
- Generous in-deck storage
Design and Construction
Stretching 16 feet, 2 inches in overall length, the Smoker Craft Lazer 161 is intended to be a versatile, well-equipped fishing boat that costs less than some comparable boats and doesn’t require a huge diesel pickup to tow. It’s designed and built with the essentials in mind, and in this regard, Smoker Craft succeeds. The boat may be budget-friendly, but the builder didn’t cut corners to get it there.
Its modified-V hull boasts a full 10 degrees of deadrise at the transom, so the Lazer 161 is intended for anglers who like to fish for all sorts of different species in all sorts of different environments. The modified-V hull, combined with the boat’s 25-inch interior depth, gives the Lazer 161 enough hull to handle chop on midsized lakes. It’s just big enough to handle larger waterways such as the Great Lakes—given you remain sensible and keep an eye on the weather—yet remains small and light enough to launch and retrieve easily on remote backwoods lakes with low-grade boat ramps. Or no ramps at all.
In short, it’s the kind of boat that will go most places its owner wants to venture and get them there in comparative comfort.
Durable Decks
One feature on the Smoker Craft Lazer 161 might surprise a lot of price-conscious buyers: It comes with a full vinyl floor. Most boats in this class feature carpet, which, while once popular, can’t compete with the durability of a full vinyl deck.
Fishing boats seem to attract sand and grit, which quickly erodes carpeted surfaces. On the Lazer 161, Smoker Craft has kept the carpet to the cockpit’s inner gunwales and the console, while putting hard-wearing, fast-drying vinyl underfoot. That’s an upgrade not usually found on value boats.
Under its vinyl decks, the Lazer 161 offers a generous amount of storage space for fishing gear and personal items. You get locking rod storage, of course—enough to accommodate rods up to 6 feet, 6 inches in length—along with room for an integrated fuel tank and still enough space left over for its 25-gallon aerated livewell in the bow.
Casting Decks
The Smoker Craft Lazer 161 has room to stretch out, which is important in a fishing boat. Two anglers can work the elevated bow casting deck with ease, which is unusual for a value boat in this size range. Meanwhile, the main cockpit provides plenty of floor space for stowing tackle boxes, coolers, or any other bulky gear, all without interfering with normal passage through the boat.
Smoker Craft even found space for a second elevated casting deck in the stern. It’s not a huge deck by any means, but it’s more than enough to provide some extra visibility when fishing. It also includes a built-in drink holder.
Both the bow and stern decks are nicely elevated, allowing an angler wearing polarized sunglasses to easily see below the surface and spot rocks, logs, weed lines, or other casting targets. Yet they’re not built all the way to the top of the gunwales. That way, it’s still easy to reach over the side and land hooked fish without needing a net with an extended handle.
Each casting deck includes an aluminum receptacle to accommodate a removable pedestal-mount casting chair or bicycle seat. In addition, the main cockpit comes with three seat bases and two ergonomic seats as standard.
Smoker Craft Lazer 161 Layout
The Smoker Craft Lazer 161 comes nicely equipped from the factory, but, of course, buyers will want to personalize their boat with several appealing options. That starts with a choice of exterior paint finishes, including white, electric red, and electric blue. Our review boat was the latter, and it sparkled in the early morning sun against the mist-covered lake behind it.
I stepped aboard to find more than the fairly spartan interior this boat’s $20,000 price tag might suggest. Buyers should find about everything they want to see in a versatile aluminum fishing boat.
The overall layout follows a proven pattern, with its raised bow and stern casting platforms surrounding a full-depth cockpit amidships. Along the port side, gunwale-top and in-gunwale rod storage reflect a commitment to do more than the minimum, with bungee straps to secure rods stowed up top and a proper locking compartment below. Owners can use that locking space to securely stow tackle or any other gear. It is designed for rods, though, with its extra length.
To starboard, a facing storage cubby accommodates bulkier goodies such as planer boards, keeping them readily accessible yet out of the way.
Smoker Craft raised the inner gunwale on each side to create a toe kick, providing extra security when fishing in choppy conditions.
Smoker Craft Lazer 161 Helm and Power
Given today’s focus on integrating engine data into a multifunction display, the helm console on the Smoker Craft Lazer 161 is designed with aftermarket electronics in mind. The dash panel itself is very simple, accommodating just a composite steering wheel and a small cluster of gauges and toggle switches to the right. The dash top, however, boasts a flat space large enough to mount one or more screens to deliver sonar, GPS, or engine data as the user wishes.
A tall windshield offers decent protection when underway, but the helm console sits low in the boat—scarcely above gunwale height—to ensure that large displays still won’t interfere with the driver’s forward vision.
Smoker Craft built in loads of space under the dash to stow gear bags or other personal items. My companion on test day demonstrated that by stowing a package of eight life jackets in the space.
Serious anglers will want to take a hard look at Smoker Craft’s Power Pack option group, which includes additions such as a Humminbird HELIX 5 MFD, a 55-pound bow-mount electric trolling motor on a quick-release bracket, and all engine rigging. A heavy-duty snap-on mooring cover is also worth considering. Seating upgrade options include a third pedestal-mount fishing seat or a power pedestal.
Smoker Craft deals with all the major outboard suppliers, so buyers have their pick of engine choices. Get Mercury, Yamaha, Honda, and Suzuki outboards ranging from 15 to 60 horsepower.
Value And Performance
Our electric blue review boat came rigged with a Yamaha F50 four-stroke. That obviously doesn’t represent maximum power, but it is a nice balance of performance and economy. Weighing in at a svelte 247 pounds, the F50 fits with Smoker Craft’s design mantra of capability without bulk, and it keeps the boat easy to handle at rough back-lake boat ramps.
On a flat-calm August morning with virtually no wind, I got comfortable at the helm of the Smoker Craft Lazer 161 while my companion settled into the co-angler’s seat. The millpond-like lake surface and glorious late-summer weather meant the Yamaha would have its work cut out for it, never mind the added weight of two hefty guys, a bunch of gear, and a full tank of fuel aboard.
Smoker Craft has been building boats for a long time and has experimented with almost every hull arrangement over the years. As such, I wasn’t surprised to note how readily the Lazer responded to my steering and throttle inputs as I got a feel for the boat.
I was a bit surprised by its snappy planing ability. With the throttle pinned, the Lazer 161 lifted onto plane almost instantaneously, with very little bow rise. It’s almost like the boat was mounted on a little elevator, because the motion is more vertical than the usual tilting up and pointing at the sky, as is often the case with boats with less than maximum power. That was a nice surprise.
My portable GPS pinged at 20 mph in a little over four seconds. A few seconds later, we achieved our top speed of 31 mph at wide-open throttle, with the efficient Yamaha turning 5,800 rpm. That’s satisfying performance for a versatile fishing boat designed to be lightweight and efficient.
Smoker Craft Lazer 161 Conclusions
I found the Smoker Craft Lazer 161 to be a well-designed, well-built aluminum fishing boat. It delivers the essentials in a tough, versatile package that’s easy to handle, maintain, and afford. My time aboard revealed that while some other boats may be larger or have more options, this one doesn’t lack the things you really need.
Anyone who wants a nice, useful aluminum fishing boat that doesn’t break the bank will find a lot to like about the Lazer 161.
Find Smoker Craft Lazer 161 For Sale
Craig Ritchie
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