Re: 1996 spectrum, welded hull 115 merc, Is this a decent boat?
Had a 1995 16'8" Spectrum welded.
Pretty thin and light duty.
You could see "stress" marks on the front/bottom of the hull from hitting the waves. You could tell where every interior support was just by looking.
Mine was very stern heavy, very bow light. Had a hard time keeping the bow down in choppy waters.
Never liked the way the hull would slide while making a turn.
I had always had boats with external strakes, and they seemed to turn more precisely.
These hulls were later used on the Fisher line of boats, and that is when the Fisher line started to focus on looks, rather than on function and quality of build.
But hey, pretty boats sell.
And boats with wood in them are cheaper to build than boats with no wood.
