When two boats share the same hull type — in this case both the Starcraft Marine Limited 246 2011 and the Starcraft Marine Starfish 236 C-N-F 2012 are pontoon designs with aluminum construction — the buying decision usually comes down to a handful of practical questions: how many people are you putting on the water, how far do you trailer, and what does your tow vehicle weigh?

On paper these two are close siblings in the size department — Starcraft Marine Limited 246 2011 at 24,3 ft versus Starcraft Marine Starfish 236 C-N-F 2012 at 24,8 ft. Weight tells a clearer story for trailering families: the Starcraft Marine Limited 246 2011 tips the scales at 2 417 lbs — 2 189 lbs more than the Starcraft Marine Starfish 236 C-N-F 2012 at 228 lbs. That difference is meaningful if you're working within a half-ton or three-quarter-ton truck's tow rating, especially once you factor in a motor, gear, and fuel.

Both boats share a closely matched power ceiling — 150 hp for the Starcraft Marine Limited 246 2011 and 150 hp for the Starcraft Marine Starfish 236 C-N-F 2012. Real-world performance will come down more to which motor is actually bolted on, its load at the time, and whether it's a 4-stroke or 2-stroke setup. Both carry nearly identical fuel loads — 24 gal and 24 gal — so range won't be a tiebreaker here.

For family outings this is probably the sharpest distinction between the two. The Starcraft Marine Limited 246 2011 is rated for 14 passengers, while the Starcraft Marine Starfish 236 C-N-F 2012 caps at 13. If you're regularly pulling extended family or a group of friends onto the water, the extra seats on the Starcraft Marine Limited 246 2011 could be the deciding factor.