Boat Review: Alumaweld 17' Stryker

From its inception just a few short years ago, Alumaweld's Stryker Series has been an unconditional success! Owning most of the attributes of Alumaweld's top-of-the-line series, the Stryker rocketed on to the scene and has never looked back.

The inaugural 17' model is still the best selling although the 19' and 15' models have closed the gap as more and more anglers experience the unique benefits each of these models provides.

Like all Alumawelds, the 17' Stryker Sport has changed much since its introduction. Initially offered with a wood bow deck, single storage hatch in the bow, bolt-on windshield and tall floatation boxes to the rear, the Stryker's changed with the times.

Today's 17' Stryker Sport features an all-welded bow deck with welded in bow fish box, along with a second bow hatch and storage area, all-welded windshield assembly, and a lifetime warranty on the hull.

Great care was given in the design of the Stryker to address the breadth of features necessary in making this a first-rate fishing package. Features like ample legroom, storage, adequate walk-through space, security, interior space, stability, planing performance, and seaworthiness were all incorporated into the initial design and have remained as integral components in every Stryker produced.

This is a boat that planes easily with moderate horsepower and beautifully answers a broad range of boating applications.

The standard 10° full vee bottom is ideal for both prop and jet applications. For years, shallow water boat bottom design has relied on whitewater "shoes" or "pads" that feeds a clean flow of water back to the jet. Alumaweld's full vee 10° bottom upsets this equation with a bottom design that's softer riding yet still very capable in shallow water.

We have used this boat in the late summer flows of the Cowlitz River where the water's gin clear and the tailouts are skinny at best. Matched to a 90 hp outboard with a jet (65 jet power), this package planes quickly and handles shallow water nicely. We piloted this package with three people, a trolling motor, our gear for the day and a full tank of fuel up the Cowlitz with no surprises. The combination worked flawlessly as we tried a number of approaches for catching steelhead that ranged from backtrolling to free-drifting.

With a prop-powered outboard the 17' Stryker is equally as impressive. A 50 hp outboard is all that's needed to provide adequate performance, but a 75 hp is ideal and jumps to attention with only moderate encouragement from the throttle.

With a beam of 80 ½" and a bottom width of about five feet there's plenty of room to move around in this innovative seventeen footer. Combine those dimensions with a 27" sidewall and about the same exterior freeboard, and it's clear why the 17' Stryker Sport has become such a widely accepted N.W. fishing package.

The Stryker features lots of trademark Alumaweld touches like two lifting and turning strakes that assist in how the boat tracks for trolling and backtrolling as well as assisting in the lift and handling characteristics of the boat. The Stryker also uses Alumaweld's proprietary box girder design that runs the length of the boat and provides incredible bottom support, structural strength and bottom trueness, so you get every ounce of performance you should.

It doesn't stop there though. Continuous welds are used in all critical stress areas, a one-piece bottom is standard, as is Alumaweld's exclusive chine and gunnel extrusions that add strength and consistency.

Expect honest performance in the 17' Stryker Sport. A 50 hp outboard at sea level with a moderate load should push this package along somewhere in the low 30 mph range, a 60 hp should have you clipping along somewhere in the mid-30's, and a 75 hp will get you closer to 40. These speeds are approximate and will vary depending on load, current/tide, elevation and engine set-up/propping.

Still a relative newcomer to the long list of welded aluminum boats currently under production, Alumaweld's Stryker Sport has earned top billing as "the most popular heavy gauge welded aluminum boat ever!" Given Alumaweld's 30 year history and track record it looks like the Stryker is in for a long run in the limelight…and for good reason, when it comes to achieving the high standards of value, performance, strength and standard features the Stryker continues to be the hands-down winner among those that count most ---- Stryker customers.