Starcraft SLS 5

August 2016 Boat Test Monday PDB Staff

This article originally appeared in our 2016 Shootout issue. If you are interested in seeing more stories like this, click HERE to subscribe.

Three Things

Extremely inviting seating, sporty performance and a well-thought-out layout are just three reasons why this SLS 5 is worthy of a closer look.

Breakdown

While the performance and sporty look will draw a lot of attention, it’s the plush seating with tall seatbacks that should be noted as well. Rated for up to 14 passengers, we couldn’t find a seat we didn’t like and we especially found the two chaise lounges in the bow and the two rear-facing ones in the stern to be extremely inviting. However, our favorite might just be the identical first-mate chair that is across from the helm. We like the look of dual helm chairs and this layout just makes a lot of sense to us.

Speaking of the helm, the fog-free and lighted gauges are a nice touch, as well as the toggle switches and Infinity Bluetooth stereo controls on the full fiberglass console. Because it is a Sporty Edition we would like to see a few more bells and whistles for the captain (like maybe a built-in GPS map as part of the standard features) but as is it’s still very functional. Added touches to the area include tilt steering and an elevated helm stand, as well as lighted cupholders that can also be found throughout the boat. With the Babbito lighting option you receive underdeck blue LED lights too, which help give the boat a high-end look and feel, especially at night.

Starcraft offers a variety of flooring options, but on this particular model upgraded 28-ounce snap-in carpet was used for the majority of the boat. When removed there is a vinyl non-skid floor below, which gives you the best of both worlds when it comes to cleanup. However, for long-term durability you might want to look at extending the Seagrass Sea Weave flooring, which on this particular model was just in the stern area, to cover the entire boat.

Other great features worth noting include the deep in-floor ski locker, angled speakers so you can get the most out of your sound system, a pop-up changing room built into the port bow chaise lounge and a stainless four-step boarding ladder in the stern.

Inspection

With the SLS series you gain HMX tubes that include strategically-placed lifting strakes on the 25-inch diameter pontoons. The strakes are on both sides of the center tube and on the insides of the two outside pontoons for a clean look. Worth noting, the stylish black rails help distinguish the Premium package from the other lines of pontoon boats Starcraft offers and the black tubes are just a really great option.

Up top there is nearly 20 feet of deck space inside the gates and from a safety standpoint we like that the rails stand nearly 28 inches tall around the entire perimeter of the boat. When you take into account the deep seat backs, this truly is a great family-friendly model that is not only comfortable and user-friendly, but safe as well.

Handling

The HMX tubes provide additional lift, less surface drag, increased speed, faster planing and a tighter turning radius and when you combine that with a Mercury 300 Pro four-stroke you have a recipe for one exciting ride. She banks beautifully in those sharp turns and at full throttle we topped speeds well over 40 miles per hour.

Final Thoughts

You come for the performance, but stay for the comfort. What more could you possibly ask for? From a layout standpoint with the features and options as tested, this SLS 5 from Starcraft is going to excite a lot of people.

2016 Boat Specifications

Number of Occupants 14

Maximum Speed 44.8 mph

Wild Ponies 300 hp

No. of Gates 3

0-20 MPH 5.46 seconds

Ladder Measurement 4’ 3” deep

Why we love this boat…This is an extremely comfortable pontoon that as tested with the maximum horsepower is very sporty and fun to drive.

Just being picky…The helm console if very functional, but for a Sport model we’d like to see a few more options become standard features, like possibly a GPS map.

NOTABLE STANDARDS

HMX Performance pkg., performance shield, vinyl w/ snap-in Sea Weave carpet, ski pylon, Rotocast furniture bases w/ integrated drains, color-coded bimini top w/ storage boot, Sea Star hydraulic steering, tilt steering, AM/FM stereo w/ MP3/iPod jack.

OPTIONS ON TEST BOAT

Playpen cover, table kit, carpet upgrade (28 oz.), pump faucet w/ removable water tank, lighted cup holders, in-floor storage, PTS tubes, Babbito underdeck blue LED lights, satellite radio and two additional speakers.