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  1. #1
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    My Starweld Fusion 16DC

    For some reason there is very litle user-feedback online for this model. So here is my attempt at making info available for others Googling, so they might have more info to go on than I did when I bought mine.

    2018 Starweld Fusion DC16 with 2018 Mercury 115 Pro XS. (yes, I know the boat is rated to 90) Bought it new from dealer spring 2018 and installed everything myself so no-one to blaim for any quirks....


    Picks with bimini and full hood. As I live in part of the world where the weather is usually somewhere between cold, wet and just unberable - having a roof over ones head is a big deal:


    With the bimini mounted but wrapped:


    The bimini fits inside the boat when folded and wrapped, great for transportation:


    Full hood. I have even spent a few nights in the boat, it is just long enough from the consoll and to the back for me to lay down. (I`m 1,85m):




    Layout with old electronics:




    Today I run HDS Carbon/ Gen 3/ Live. Including a Carbon 12 up front, very happy with this mount btw. I run some pretty choppy water and this mount from Cisco is dead steady:


    I friend of mine bought the same boat and outboard so we can now have our own Starweld-meetings. Just seeing the look in my neighbours eyes when another boat looking just the same came rolling in was worth it.

    These photos are from rigging the boats this spring.


    Top speed is 41,5 knots and holeshot 4 sec, although 39knots is more "everyday performance". The Merc Vesselview Link works well with Lowrance:


    I do a bit of trolling, so having downriggers that are easy to put on and off was a big thing for me. Berts Custom Tackle works well, but remeber to reinforce the top of the gunnel first as this is very thin alloy:


    Just playing around:






    Packed up and heading home, keeping the total weight including trailer below 1350kg (3000LBS) was crucial. If I pass that weight I would need a larger car and that is just not an option financially:


    I have owned a few different boats over the last 30 years or so, but this is my first boat of this type or brand. After my first season with it I`m overall very happy, and the combination of engine and boat is quite simply a blast to handle when pushing the throttle down. :)

  2. Ya, I Live on Rainy Lake! basscla's Avatar
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    #2
    Nice looking and set up well

  3. Member
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    #3
    I love everything about that setup. It'd be a perfect striper boat on my home lake, Smith Mountain.

  4. Banned
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    #4
    Nice rig

  5. Member
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    #5
    Thanks guys!

    Pics are supposed to say more then words, so I`ll dump a few here with the boat in action.

    Here trolling for arctic char (salvenius alpinus).




    You can never have enough ducers.... From left, Airmar P66, Airmar TM150M and then the monster Airmar TM185HW.


    Launching on one of the many "natural ramps" here in Norway, these are a lot more common then the man made ramps and is yet another erason to keep the weight low.


    The jumpseats at the back are getting a lot more use then I thought they would. Bothe when the kids are with me and when trolling.
    Last edited by Team Colibri; 01-12-2019 at 03:32 AM.

  6. Member
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    #6
    A small change to my Starweld, switching from the Humminbird Helix 5 G2 sonar/GPS to a Simrad 7 GOxsv that I bought used. (The new GOxsr looks even better when mounted flush, but the pricedifference was to big for me this time around.)

    It was a tight fit. They are abouth the same with, but the Simrad is higher. Before:


    Humminbird removed:


    Template in place:


    After rough-cutting, before fine-cutting:


    All done:




    The idea is to use the GO mainly for NMEA-data, so it will not have a transducer connected to it, only NMEA2000 and power. I have other units I use for sonar and mapping, but with the GO in place I can use less space for overlays on the other screens.

  7. Member
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    Apr 2020
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    Morrison Lake MI
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    #7
    I am a little late to this thread but I just bought a 2020 Starweld Victory 16. The layout of your Fusion and my boat are very similar. I am in the process of riging up two cannon downriggers (on cannon tracks) just like yours. You are correct in that the gunwale is thin aluminum. What did you use to back the track with? Did you put a backing plate on the topside of the gunwale or the under side and bolt down? I am having a hard time with position of the riggers. I wanted them as far back as possible almost to the transom but I cannot get to the underside of the gunwale to reinforce. Have you had any issues with the downriggers in the location you have them in the pics above? Any flex in the topside of the gunwale? Sorry for all the questions, you are correct in stating that its tough to find threads on Starweld boats. I came across this and its perfect for me! Thanks for your help!

  8. Member
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    #8
    I used marine plywood underneath. I cut it so it fits through the hatches on the side if the gunwale, sanded it to have no sharp edges and that is about it. I got the plywood just far enough back to support all the bolts in my top-side tracks. With the stiffness of the track, and the plywood underneatch the thin alu-gunwale, it is all quite solid now. I love the tracks, very versatile system when you use the boat for both trolling, vertical fishing, family outings etc.

    I know of one Starweld where the owner did not strenghten the plate in the gunwale, and he ripped his downrigger straight off at some point.

  9. Member
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    #9
    Awesome! Thanks for the help. Did you bolt it down or use the mounting screws that came with the track? 12 inch track correct?

  10. Member
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    #10
    Now that is a good question....
    I`ll have to check what I did and measure the track. I`ll try and do that later today.

  11. Member
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    Morrison Lake MI
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    #11
    Sounds ggod. Its been about 15 months since your original post. How has the boat held up? I dont see too many on the water where I live and I am always eager to hear personal expiriences from other fisherman. Not a lot of info out there on Starwelds.

  12. Member
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    #12
    I too am late to reply on this boat. I got a 2020 16 fusion pro with a 70 hp. Last August and ran it until late November (112 hrs.)
    During that time in August I found this post. I love this boat even with some of the shabby work from factory that it came with. After using the boat for a few months without altering it I had my plan for outfitting it as a troller. During the winter I mounted 2 6"cisco tracks on the front corners of the dual console. Theres just enough room to mount them and it's dead space up there anyway. I use those with the all position scotty rod holders for running planerboards. I mounted the 18" track as originally shown. When I was looking at boat before purchase I liked the hood that was on it and the dealer said it comes with the boat. Right there it was a done deal. I asked him what the cost for the side curtains and back flap cost for future reference he said $1200. In a other post I'll tell you how I made the side curtains for $23. Minus the rear flap. On a 16' starweld there not enough room for me. I've made some mods that I'll share shortly.

  13. Member
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    #13
    With the top up and hood installed, I took a clear shower curtain and hung it along the zipper line for the side curtain. I started as forward as I could go with the shower curtain and I used the lower snap on the windshield hood to hold it in place. I snapped right through the shower curtain. I took 8 1" spring clamps from harbor freight to attach shower curtain to bimi top frame poles. I wrapped the excess around the rear vertical pole and clamp it square. I cut the length so it just lays on the gunwale. It looks neat and clean when other sides are up and I made it so I can still run a downrigger or rod holder when its raining. It makes windy rainy days more enjoyable keeping dry. It took 16 clamps (8 per side) and 2 clear shower curtains ( the cheap ones) from Walmart. Total for clamps and shower curtains $23.00 ��

  14. Member
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    #14
    When I first saw this boat with all the storage(I'm stepping up from a 14 grumman)that the fusion has I was like wow and started adding equipment in them as needed. It was way better than stepping over or tripping over equipment in the grumman.
    Then it rained and all those nice compartments for storing stuff took on water and so did everything that was stored In them also took on water.
    I had to always empty them out and leave the hatches open to air dry the compartment if not it turns into mold city. The way the compartments are laid out on this boat the harbor freight ammo boxes stacked organize very well. Port side aft compartment has three ammo boxes plus the starting battery. I had to move the battery box inboard and that made room for ammo boxes. One box has 18 clamps, second box has rain pants and side curtains and last box has rain coat. Boxes are stacked on ends there just enough room to add trailer straps and motor rubber biscuit. In all I have a total of 10 ammo boxes in all of the compartments from tools to tackle. Fish lure to fuel treatment They keep my stuff organized and so far dry. Watch HB for specials and you can get the boxes pretty cheap. They come with a rubber seal and not all of them are waterproof like the metal boxes however my compartment got wet and the boxes stayed dry. So that was another improvement. To keep the live well dry i Installed a hull plug and now water doesn't back up from lake and get dry goods wet.

  15. Member
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    #15
    Now that I laid out my compartments with storage boxes, some things in the compartments can still get wet because the hatch/lids can still pass water. My boat is in a heated garage. During the winter I would play boat like I would if I was a little kid. Only now as a somewhat wise old man and where do I want to put this here and that there. one day not long ago I was in my boat in the garage and it was pouring down rain on roof. I thought how can I keep all these compartments from getting wet on days like this ( I like fishing in the rain)
    I got all my weather stripping out and did one compartment. It was ugly and in time would have fallen off or get ripped or something. So that was out and I tore it all off. I put the bimi top up along with the hood and sat in port chair like i was on the water. thinking about it and then it came to me. With the top up the only place falling rain can go is to the bow casting deck and the aft casting deck. I took a piece of roofing rubber and it cut it out to fit over the rear deck and cut out for the splash apron. It covers three compartments in the mean time. All rain running off bimi top lands on rubber and is channeled to splash apron and back out of the boat. I did the same on the bow and layered it over and terminated it at the end of the rod locker. All bow compartments are now covered. All water is channeled from bow deck to the main deck and from there to the bilge. With the rubber fore and aft I'm able to keep 2/3rds of falling rain from entering the boat and I was able to keep all my compartments dry. I went out the other night to beltzville lake and tested in the rain in the dark. If I need something from a compartment I just lifted the rubber up, got what I needed and laid it back down and nothing got wet. Great that I'm on the water but what about the 22 mile ride home in the rain. I laid the top down and stowed it as normal and it laid right over the rubber and held it in place. I need to make something to go across the leading edge to keep it from wanting to fold over, I think a broom stick should do it.
    For the bow I just used the weight of the minnkota to hold it in place. When I got home after driving an average of 50 mph in the rain my compartments were dry and to my surprise so was the decking. When not in use its rolled up and stored in a side compartment.

  16. Member
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    #16
    I really like trolling or trying to learn to. Sometimes I cant get as slow as I like. So I added buckets last year and that helped but still not slow enough so I added a 6 hp yamaha as a kicker and 10 and under hp restrictions. I mounted it on the starboard side for ease of operation It works good and doesn't Interfere with transducer operation. I set main 70hp Inline with boat and set kicker to push boat on a straight course at desired speed and then I used 70 to steer from console. That works until you cant overcome the wind. To overcome being blown around I just start 70 and correct the course and get control then I shut it back down. It doesnt affect trolling speed because its only a momentary thing.

  17. Member
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    #17
    HAPPY EASTER
    In my 14 grumman I used 50' of tent cord with a knot tied every 5 ft. Tied to a 4 lb ball. I'd lower it hand over hand until I got to my depth and tied it off on rear cleat. Talk about blowback wow.
    I guess I hit it right because I hooked into a striper. For the next week I caught 11 stripers and 1 walleye. One night I got a double right after dark. It was supposed to be fun, Not! It was real work getting that tangled mess undone on the second pole. I wondered how real down riggers would work. It was mid july and started looking at bigger boats on the lake that would fit me. Early August is when we made to switch to the starweld.
    During the winter I started gathering up equipment. I got cannon easi troll units with Cisco track sys. (Nicer and lower cost than Bert's and cannon tracks) When following what original poster of this thread did I found that mounting the 18" track as far aft to clear bimi top frame mounting was going to be tuff because starweld put a bulkhead in the rear of the two side compartments making it difficult to fasten the rear of the track where the bulkhead is located. I tried to bend it back to get the nuts started, no luck. I started feeling around and I found two screw heads and was able to get on them with a stubby. By removing the bulkheads which only serve to dress off the compartments It opened up from there to the transom for added space. I gained 2+ feet on the port side and a little less on the starboard side due to wiring and steer cable. By removing the bulkheads it also allows you to mount the track further aft if you want.
    Mounted new riggers and lake tested. Much better than using ropes with knots but hey it worked enough to hook me. I'm alone most of the time so I remove all but the drivers seat which opens up the boat for unrestricted movement for me. That makes it easy for me to work from the nice flat gunwales. I like being able turn my boat from pleasure to full fishing boat in a matter of minutes. Another thing I found out the hard way is that when they built this boat they used a lot of screws with sharp points sticking out that you don't see on the inside of the compartments and glove box. Some had little rubber tip protectors on them. I went to hardware store and bought rubber tip protectors and if a bolt or screw was sticking out I covered them. They also used self tapping and sheet metal screws that are too long and interfere at places. I removed them and put shorter ones in and that made some more room. I cant go no where without 3 miles of bumpy dirt road both ways going over the mountain I live on. If it has threads on it it must have lock washers or stuff is going to come loose and fall off. If I can I replace all fasteners with a bolt and nylon lock nuts. Anything else I use star washers. Some may say you have to do all this to a brand new boat. You dont have to but I did. It makes me feel better that I am improving the quality of my boat and making it as functional for my needs.
    Last edited by 51ashton; 04-04-2021 at 10:06 AM.

  18. Member
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    #18
    30 years ago I bought a 14 smoker with a 9.9 johnson, 35lb tiller powered with a 24grp battery. Trout season was closed so I couldn't go to a lake I could use the gas engine. No big deal I have a electric motor and battery and went to an electric only bass lake.
    In no time I was far from shore with a dead battery and an ice staff as an oar. That lake has a long shore line.

    Fast forward to now. My 14 grumman has a 7.5 merc that came with it and I kept the electric tiller when I sold 14 smoker to buy house. Didnt like using electric on the 14 grumman because I didnt have the right batteries(1 used 27 and 1 new 24 from camper) so I relied on the merc for everything and stayed away from electric only lakes.

    On my starweld they put the grp 27 under port console for minnkota bow mount. I'm very skeptical on the performance of the 55lb minnkota based on previous battery usage of my previous 14 footers now pushing a 16.5' boat that's heavier to boot. I like being able to have control of the minnkota from anywhere in the boat with the remote foot controller. I'm able to see speed on dash mounted helix 5 which allows me to dial in the speed instead of a 5 position switch as is on the motorguide tiller. In turn that has allowed me to manage my battery levels more efficiently. When the 27 batt goes dead I switched over to the 70 yamaha and recharge when I get home. I had the dealer install a battery charger/tender
    No more hooking up chargers checking meters for voltage or whatever, just come home plug it in like a block heater and turn off the light. That's working out fine, after seeing what they did and charged me, you can get one and do it yourself if your looking to get one down the road.
    My concern of a dead battery on an electric only lake still haunts me. So i looked at adding the same battery under the starboard side. This will be an easy job just run some wire over there out of sight and hook it up. Pfft yeah right, not that easy due to boat construction methods. Great, I need to drill a hole or holes. I HATE holes. I have a 51 GMC firetruck that I restored. After I got truck repainted I repainted the running boards. With all my equipment mounted in place on the running boards there where 40 some holes I had to fill with jb weld that were no longer used from people drilling holes for their needs throughout the years. My running boards totally hold water now, anyway back to boat. My final choices was to pull wires following the wiring going to the bow light and horn and back down other side using minnkota wire. When all said and done I would have had to go up in wire size because of the length of run. Or I could drill some holes.
    The rod locker is a plastic insert, the rear part where the rod handles sit the bottom portion under the locker is hollow down to the boats main deck. I drilled 1/2" holes right through the rod locker under where the rod handles dles sit on both sides passed the wire straight through a 1/2" wire loom from battery to battery and made it neat and clean looking. Having an oversized wiring loom I have room to pass wires for the night lighting down the road from the dash light switch.

    In the process I added a perko 1-2-both-off switch and mounted it directly to bulkhead above port battery to manage battery usage and charging. Went and night tested with both batteries, I was amazed how far I was able to troll with just the electric with proper battery management. In managing battery usage I have to keep turning off motor and check battery level on the minnkota head then address according to how many bars are lit up. It worked good I got from one end of lake to other on electric and still had juice left. I fired up the 70 yamaha and celebrated. I have overcome my fear of "dead in the water" on electric only lakes.

  19. Member
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    #19
    Hey @teamcolibri - I was curious if you still owned this boat and what you think of it now that a few years have passed.