Smoker Craft Adventurer 160 Review

The all-new Smoker Craft Adventurer 160 is built for serious fishing with modern amenities and pinpoint tiller control.

Die-hard anglers who are out on the water from ice-out to freeze-up need durable boats that are simple, easy to maintain, and built like battleships. At the same time, they also want all the latest amenities, and all the comforts of home. The Smoker Craft Adventurer 160 is the brand’s answer.

The company’s new-for-2019 Adventurer series consists of 16-foot and 18-foot models that are built tough, yet offer every modern convenience – all with the unmatched control of tiller steering. Tiller control doesn’t just free up floor space that would otherwise be occupied by a console for more interior room, it gives anglers precision boat control beyond what is possible with a steering wheel. It also allows these anglers to control the boat with one hand, keeping the other one on the rod at all times so they can sense delicate bites that would go unnoticed otherwise.

Built on a proven hull design, the Adventurer 160 is a much bigger boat than its spec sheet might suggest.

Built on the same hull as the popular 16 Pro Mag, the Smoker Craft Adventurer 160 is a much, much bigger boat than its length and beam might first suggest. Thanks to its enormous raised casting deck in the bow, the boat offers an astounding volume of storage space for a 16-foot boat, ensuring serious anglers can find a place for everything. The front deck is built to a height that allows greatly improved visibility when casting, yet is still low enough to allow anglers to easily hand-land hooked fish. And since this is a boat that will be used hard, its surface is covered in a durable vinyl rather than old-style carpet, which dries much faster and wears like iron. There’s an elevated bow pad right up front for mounting an electric motor, and a bow panel with the companion electrical connection.

Durable vinyl flooring on the spacious raised bow casting deck dries faster than carpet, and wears like iron. Two locking storage compartments accommodate gear, leaving plenty of space for a 25-gallon live well. Mesh panels in the deck facing keep smaller items like bug spray and sunscreen handy.

The big bow deck on the Smoker Craft Adventurer 160 also conceals a huge center rod storage compartment that keeps valuable tackle safely protected. Below the storage racks for eight rods, the compartment also features a separate battery storage area for deep-cycle cells. The lid lifts on not just one, but twin gas rams that hold it open in use, allowing anglers to use both hands for stowing or retrieving tackle. The rod locker is also illuminated with a thoughtful interior light, making life much, much easier when fishing early, late or at night.

Rod storage integrated into the front deck keeps expensive tackle out of harm’s way, yet instantly available. Note the twin gas rams and compartment interior light.

The vinyl flooring treatment continues in the main cockpit, which is edged with additional storage compartments for more rods and gear. An in-floor storage compartment – its lid also supported on twin gas rams – stows still more gear.

There is no shortage of storage space on this boat, including a handy in-floor locker. Smoker Craft’s attention to detail in the Adventurer is exceptional.

A large deck area in the stern port corner provides the ideal place to install aftermarket electronics, where they can be easily monitored by the driver (an optional command console is available as a worthwhile upgrade). The wide raised platform across the stern not only serves as a second elevated casting deck, it neatly conceals a 25-gallon aerated and recirculating FreshCatch live well, complete with a removable bait bucket. Push-button courtesy lights provide added convenience and safety when fishing early or late in the day, while twin pedestal-mount swivel fishing seats feature an ergonomic design for all-day comfort.

Huge bow storage lockers accommodate bulky gear like PFDs and rain suits with ease.

Rated to handle outboards to 70 horsepower, the Smoker Craft Adventurer 160 offers surprising performance for a serious fishing boat in this size range. Best of all, with its relatively compact dimensions and easily-towable weight, the Adventurer will stow in a standard garage and launch easily from even the rough, unimproved launch ramps so often found on those remote back lakes where the big fish live.

With its thoughtful design and high build quality, this is one boat that every angler will want to take a serious look at.