Starcraft STX 206 Viper

One of the more overused catchphrases in the boating industry is “fishing machine” for any boat that has rod holders and a livewell. But when describing the capabilities of the Starcraft STX 206 Viper, you’ll find yourself going to the cliché well as often as “Nuke” LaLoosh in the movie “Bull Durham.”

Unique Factor

 The first grabber is the fact this is a fiberglass “walleye” boat instead of the more traditional aluminum. The reason “walleye” is in quotes is that while this is a boat you wouldn’t be surprised to see on the FLW Walleye Tour, like its slightly wider and shorter aluminum brother the 2050, the STX 206 Viper is a true multispecies fishing machine.


Part of its versatility comes from the standard Bert’s Custom Track system on top of each gunwale. This clever system allows you to quickly slide in and tighten down a wide variety of fishing accessories, such as rod-holder trees and rocket launchers. When not in use, the track system has Starcraft-logoed plastic step pad inserts to make boarding safer. In a nod to angler preferences, the cockpit isn’t carpeted and there’s a hose for quick cleanups.

Performance

 There’s a reason this boat is called the Viper and not the Garter Snake. Most anglers are a little impatient (some would say ADD) and aren’t out for a leisurely cruise to admire the scenery. They’re more inclined to race from one hot spot to the next, and with a Mercury OptiMax 225 Pro XS on the transom, this boat is an enabler. Weighing just 1,535 pounds without the motor, it has a power-to-weight ratio similar to a coyote with an Acme rocket strapped to him. Time to plane was a scant 2.6 seconds, and we got out of the hole without excessive bowrise. The direct-injected two-stroke engine muscled us to 30 mph in only 5 seconds, and we hit a top speed of 58.4 mph. The only downside was a healthy amount of engine noise. At idle, the Merc registered 68 decibels, which is about 10 more than typical four-strokes. At WOT, it measured 97 decibels. Of course, Kevin VanDam just won $500,000 at the Bassmaster Classic using a Pro XS, so there is that.

Handling

 At the helm, the driver has plenty of legroom with an inclined footrest, and the sport wheel and throttle are perfectly placed. An Air Ride pedestal for the captain cushions the ride over the chop. The black-faced gauges match the onyx dash that also cuts down on reflections in the tall-enough-to-hide-behind windshield. At trolling speeds, the STX 206 Viper displayed good side-to-side stability. Our test boat has the standard Teleflex Sea Star hydraulic steering system, which felt a little stiff and made it a little hard to whip around in turns. While not a problem when cruising from point A to B like most anglers do, bumping it up to the power-assist option wouldn’t be a bad thing if skiing is on the agenda or if you frequent twisting rivers.

 The Viper corners well, and we found nothing untoward when whipping it about smartly; no chines caught for a smooth transition. Only at the end of the turn when the wheel was locked did it finally ease its grip in the turn.
 With 19 degrees of deadrise, combined with its relatively narrow 8 feet of beam, the Starcraft handled the chop on Lake Wawasee in northern Indiana in style. We scooted over the 1- to 2-foot chop without having to reduce speed, something most anglers never do until the fillings in their teeth start coming loose.