Smoker Craft Excursion 166 T Review

The Smoker Craft Excursion 166 T sits in a class of its own, blending proven fishing features with the latest high-tech conveniences.

There are some classic boat designs out there that just seem to check every box, leading buyers to ask themselves ‘how it could get any better than this?’ Fortunately for all of us, the engineers who create these boats think a little differently, and ask themselves that very question every single day. With helpful input from buyers and pro anglers alike, they always seem to find ways of making the next generation boat even better than the one that came before it. That’s very much the case for Smoker Craft, who have recently taken the basic tiller-controlled 16-foot fishing boat and re-engineered it into something absolutely in a league of its own.

At first glance the all-new Smoker Craft Excursion 166 T looks like the typical 16-foot tiller. But that all goes out the window when you get up close and see that this remarkable boat comes loaded with so much high-tech innovation that it truly stands apart from its competitors.

Rated for up to 75 horsepower, Smoker Craft’s Excursion 166 T runs well with engines as small as a 40 thanks to its all-new VPS hull design.

To start, the boat now rides on Smoker Craft’s high performance VPS hull design with its integrated stern running pad, improving handling and acceleration. That includes delivering better performance with less than maximum horsepower, allowing buyers to save a few bucks and enjoy better fuel economy by going with slightly smaller engines – and without really giving up much in return.

The company kept everything that was wonderful about its previous 16-foot tiller model, starting with the surprisingly large elevated bow casting deck. The majority of 16-foot boats have smallish decks, barely large enough for a single angler to fish comfortably. But the deck on the Excursion T is wide enough that two can fish side-by-side with more than enough space – quite an achievement in a boat of this size.

The elevated bow casting deck is surprisingly large for a 16-foot boat. Four large lids open to access generously-sized storage compartments.

The carpeted deck surface on the Smoker Craft Excursion 166 T includes an aluminum mounting plate for a pedestal-mount fishing seat, while no less than four large lids open to provide access to spacious, carpeted storage lockers for gear. There’s an open storage tray conveniently located within the mounting pad for the electric motor, and a bow panel to the port side with the requisite electrical connection. Battery storage is found in a compartment beneath the aft-most storage compartment in the deck, keeping the batteries easily accessible but without eating up any real storage space. Bravo!

Storage compartment interiors are fully carpeted. This one includes a second compartment in its base for deep-cycle battery storage.

The main cockpit features a durable, fast-drying vinyl floor to absorb the worst of the wear and tear a boat like this tends to see. Elevated side decks along each side of the main cockpit open to reveal vast storage spaces for rods and other gear, while additional seat bases in the floor provide considerable versatility in how the boat can be configured from one day to the next.

The main cockpit features a fast-drying vinyl floor for extra durability, with elevated surrounds that open to reveal cavernous rod storage.

Look closely and you’ll see that the Smoker Craft Excursion 166 T features the brand’s Integrated Gunnel Track System, which allows owners to quickly and easily install a wide range of accessory items like rod holders, tool holders, drink caddies and such anywhere on board, and without drilling any holes in the boat.

There’s a smaller elevated casting deck at the stern, which houses battery storage for the main engine and a aerated 20-gallon FreshCatch live well, complete with a removable divider and an integrated minnow bucket.

The stern casting deck conceals more battery storage and a 20-gallon FreshCatch live well with a removable divider and an integrated bait bucket.

Facing the driver is a neat console with dual multi-function dial gauges including a speedometer/volt meter and companion tach/fuel gauge. There’s also a weather-sealed USB outlet to keep cell phones charged, and plenty of space atop the console to mount one or more multi-function displays on adjustable RAM mounts.

But the real fun begins to the left of the main gauges, where closer inspection reveals a CZONE digital switching panel. This neat little panel doesn’t just provide control for electronic accessories like the lights, bilge pump and live well, it allows them to be programmed and completely automated. Lighting, for example can be set up so that the navigation lights come on automatically when it starts to get dark – just like the headlights come on automatically in many vehicles. But beyond that, the intelligent CZONE system can also track the boat’s movement and switch the navigation lights to anchor lights when the boat stops – and flip back to navigation light mode when it begins moving again. That’s pretty slick.

The compact driver’s console provides a pair of multi-gauges, plenty of space to mount electronics and a CZONE digital switching panel that not only controls the operation of electronic accessories, but provides a way to automate various functions for unbeatable convenience.

Further, the CZONE panel fully integrates with the boat’s multi-function display, so it can be set to automatically fill and operate the aerator on the live well, or automatically control other electrical accessories onboard. Remember – this is 16-foot tiller controlled fishing boat. It wasn’t that long ago that automation like this was only found on luxury yachts.

High-tech gives the Smoker Craft Excursion 166 T a load of gee-whiz factor, but anglers will appreciate a lot of its more basic, yet thoughtful features as well – things like fold-down cleats that can lay flat when not needed, so they don’t snag fishing lines or the net bag when landing a big fish. Well-positioned drink holders ensure that a cold water or hot coffee is always within easy reach. Generous freeboard ensures a dry ride even in choppy conditions, yet isn’t so high as to make it difficult to land and release fish. It’s clear that a lot of thought went into refining the basic design, much of it by tweaking the basics the old -fashioned way – by taking the boat out on the water.

With its high-tech features, refined design and incredible attention to detail, Smoker Craft’s Excursion 166 T raises the bar for compact tiller fishing boats.

It is this attention to detail that makes the Smoker Craft Excursion 166 T such a remarkable boat for such a simple design. Smoker Craft backs it with the company’s Lifetime +6 warranty with lifetime coverage on major structures like decks and transoms, plus six years of coverage on components like flooring and upholstery. It’s also fully transferable to the second owner, which is nice when the time comes to move up to a new boat. Because although one might be tempted to wonder how it can get any better than this, from what we’ve seen in the Excursion 166 T, somehow they will find a way.