which would you buy?

[fish_eat_sleep]

which would you buy and why?

Need Opinions please!

Looking at a new Alumacraft fisherman 160 tiller or Lund fury 1600 tiller both with 25hp. I think alumacraft has yamaha or mercury as an option and lund has mercury.

Right now I have a larger 17ft deep v boat. Its too expensive and heavy.. especially for 150-600 acre lakes!! I kind of want to get into the tougher accesses and be able troll easier.. Also, Low maintenance and a smaller garage footprint is a plus too

Does anyone have experience with either of the two? Which one is a more durable boat? I think cost is similar. I almost always fish lakes less than 1000 acres. twice a summer I go somewhere north of the metro so thats not a big deal.

[Hula_Grub]

My experience with a 14 ft boat and a 25hp 4-stroke motor was bad. Not enough power due to the boat's weight. It's a heavy boat for its size. I'd go with the lighter boat and a 2-stroke if at all possible. To put it another way, go with whichever boat is rated closer to 25hp max.

Lund discontinued my model not too long after and replaced it with the fury.

[fish_eat_sleep]

Thank you for your input. I'm leaning towards the Alumacraft because of the floor and deck design (I would like having the livewell close to my seat. not in the bow). will 25hp be enough power for 2 guys if we're light on gear? i know this was already answered but I don't need it to be that fast. yet that may be the deciding factor if it could really turn out to be a mistake. I'd hate to be the guy "plowing" across the lake at 10mph with my new boat!

Thanks

[Hula_Grub]

I understand your concern about the livewell location, but I can tell you that was one of the big problems with my boat, especially while I still had the 25hp on it. I've since upgraded to the max 40hp that the boat is rated for. Mine is on the side, like the Alumacraft. Lund moved it up front with the Fury for good reason.

25 hp wasn't enough to get my boat on plane with the original prop they gave me, nor was it enough to load up with camping gear for more than a 3 day BWCA trip with one other person, packing only slightly heavier than we would if we were canoeing. That being said, I think both of the boats you're looking at are about 150lbs lighter than mine. I had to come down 2" in prop pitch to get the boat to perform anywhere near what it was supposed to do with the 25hp.

I have 3 pedestal bases like the Alumacraft. I love this. I wish I had the forward 12v socket like the Alumacraft. I had to jury-rig wires to get my forward trolling motor powered.

So, which would I buy? Neither, at least not the way you've described them.

I'd get the Lund Fury with a 40hp and add the option of the 3rd seat base and forward 12v socket.

For what it's worth, I have a Lund 1475 Classic ('05, I think) with a 40hp etec, and I absolutely love it. I use mine almost exactly as you described your usage, and it fits in my garage just barely.

Good luck, and I hope I helped more than not.

[Tullibee]

A buddy of mine has a Lund Fury 1600 rigged with a 25 HP ETEC. It will do about 27 MPH with two guys and fishing gear. Add the third person and it will drop a MPH or two down to 25.

Its a nice manageable fishing boat, wish I had one...

[Hula_Grub]

That sounds nice- it's no wonder they discontinued my boat. It left me with a really sour taste in my mouth.

I did have concerns sharing my experience because there is some apple to oranges problems. My 14' boat goes 27mph with 40hp, and just me and gear in it. No problems getting on plane now no matter what I put in it, though.

Maybe others who have experience in either of these boats will chime in.

[fish_eat_sleep]

Hula_Grub, I think I understand what you mean with the weight and probably the design of your Lund. I bet it is more durable and heavy duty than the two I have mentioned. The online yamaha performance review claims the 14 foot alumacraft fisherman to top out at 25.8 mph with a 25hp. I would assume the 16 wouldn't be too far behind but I agree adding even 150 more pounds can have big effects on a light boat.

All of this information is very helpful and I appreciate everyone's input so far.

[fish_eat_sleep]

That sounds like a very nice economical boat. 27mph would be awesome for a smaller boat like the fury. I like the tiller for trolling and better boat control. can he troll slow enough with the etec 25hp for walleyes or northerns? Probably a stupid question but I'm use to 2.7mph and thats too fast for many applications.

A buddy of mine has a Lund Fury 1600 rigged with a 25 HP ETEC. It will do about 27 MPH with two guys and fishing gear. Add the third person and it will drop a MPH or two down to 25.

Its a nice manageable fishing boat, wish I had one...

[Hula_Grub]

I think the point is often missed that HP does NOT translate directly to higher top-end speed. What excess HP does for you is accelerate you on plane better.

I gained about 3.5 MPH in top-end when I went up 15HP. Where the real gain lay was in the fact that I could now carry whatever I wanted and still get on plane without a problem.

I'm only bringing this up because the top-end numbers keep coming up in this thread, and I realize I brought it up first.

Unless you have some dire economic reason not to get the 40hp on the Lund, I still vote for that. You will have a far more utilitarian boat.

[fish_eat_sleep]

I think what you have said is making a lot of sense. Top end isn't the most important factor to me either. I want a boat for small lakes and a motor that trolls down slow enough. I need to be able to plane with 2, maybe 3 guys at most in the boat though so your point about having more power makes a lot of sense to me. I just have to save some cash for electronics and the smaller accessories too. They add up really quick.

I fish solo often because of my schedule in the summer months. Thats why I need to get a smaller more economical boat. The dog and I don't "need" the bigger boat anymore.

I think after looking at the lund fury more.. it weighs less and has a higher maximum horsepower rating which isn't be a bad thing.

[Hula_Grub]

It sounds like we fish the exact same way a lot. I'm mostly a weekday, solo guy, too.

My boat goes 1.7 mph at idle forward, maybe 1.0 backwards.

Difference is gas usage is non-existent, as I'm at WOT for very short periods of time.

Can you pirate any of the electronics or accessories from your present boat, or work with dealer on a package that saves you $$$ for them?

The difference when I bought new for my boat was about $1300 extra for the 40hp. When I did it as a trade-in later, I spent $4,000. I'd just hate to have someone else go through that, and that's why I keep coming back to some of these points.

[BoxMN]

Just two cents from the peanut gallery, but you really need to be talking more specifically about 2 stroke versus 4 stroke at that HP range. Huge difference in planing, even with same HP. I personally would NOT get a 4 stroke under about 90 or 115 hp, unless putting it onto a pontoon (which I am looking at too, BTW, hehe, will likely get a 50 or 60 bigfoot Merc or Thrust Yammie model). Even up to a 40 hp 4 stroke is going to hugely different than two stroke. In that category I would look at the e-tecs. They are not as quiet as 4 stroke (they claim to be, but arent') but pretty fuel efficient and still pack a punch. Or go straight 2 stroke.

We have a old 82 alumacraft classic 16 with 50 hp merc (2 stroke, and before rating changed, so prolly a true 40-45hp) and it is getting tired but can still plane with three fat guys and gear, but it takes a while. My point being, a 25hp would labor even more, and I witnessed firsthand the issues my bro-in-law had with 4 stroke 40 on a plane jane Lund 16'.... heh, it was ugly, but he was big guy

Anyway, good luck, just be careful of taking anybody's word (yes, mine too) especially a dealer or "sellor" on performance of a 4 stroke in that hp range, but there is none

Have fun when you get it, post some pics!

[fish_eat_sleep]

Thanks everyone, I think my only options are 4 strokes unless its an ETEC. I think the Fury 1600 and fisherman 160 are light enough for a 25hp but it sounds like the propeller can make a big difference. (trying to save money). i know.. i know.. a 40 ETEC would fly!

Would the lighter weight mercury 25/30hp motors (with EFI) out perform the yamaha 25/30? I know the obvious performance answer would be ETEC but I'm just curious because both boats weigh in at or under 600 pounds.

I'm hoping to get the new one in the next couple weeks (IF all goes as planned). You know how that goes though..

[Hula_Grub]

I just did a little research. My 1425 Classic is 580 lbs, only about 25 lbs heavier than the Fury you're looking at. Your Fury will be significantly bow-heavier than mine (due to design and length) which will help to get on plane with the 25hp, but I'd be really cautious about going that small on the motor. Even a 30hp would help.

25hp is not going to be enough.

[Tullibee]

A 25 hp Evinrude ETEC on a Lund Fury is most definitely enough even loaded down. I've seen it in action with my own eyes, end of story.

[BoxMN]

A 25 hp Evinrude ETEC on a Lund Fury is most definitely enough even loaded down. I've seen it in action with my own eyes, end of story.

Etec is 2-stroke, he is talking 4-stroke. Two totally different beasts in that hp range I don't doubt the etec would handle it fine - 4 stroke not so much... IMHO only tho...

[Tullibee]

I guess I missed where he was talking about being dead set on a 4 stroke.

[Tullibee]

Although I have run the Honda 25 on some pretty heavy tow boats (18 foot Jon) and think it would do just fine on the 1600 Fury. Quite a few folks up in this neck of the woods run the Hondas on their 16 ft Rebels.

[fish_eat_sleep]

An etec might be okay but they are more expensive. A light weight 4 stroke would probably be best for back trolling and things of that nature too. Also, I was tired of filling the oil tank on my current boat and motor.

Someone was interested in the boat I have now and was planning to buy, but since opted out for a new boat. Im still in the looking and researching stage trying to figure out what is the most economical 16' boat for small metro lakes. Every time I look around outside it looks like spring is coming faster than normal which makes the boat researching a lot more fun.

Thanks for everyones comments and tips!

[TroutYammer]

25HP 4-stroke Yamaha on a 16Ft Fury with two 160-lb guys and fishing gear gets on plane just fine and does about 25MPH on flat water. Backtrolling speed (no wind) is about 2.7MPH. If I want slower than that I troll into the wind or drop in the electric motor.

I used to own a 16-ft Rebel with 25-HP Yamaha and miss the live well being midesection/port side within easy reach. With the Fury I have to walk towards front to get to the live well. The good news is that by having the live well in the center/front the boat balances much better and helps hold the nose down when I am fishing by myself.

It's all about trade offs folks...but I like the new Fury as well as I liked my old Rebel...both great for my purposes.

[Brad B]

which would you buy and why?

Need Opinions please!

Looking at a new Alumacraft fisherman 160 tiller or Lund fury 1600 tiller both with 25hp. I think alumacraft has yamaha or mercury as an option and lund has mercury.

Right now I have a larger 17ft deep v boat. Its too expensive and heavy.. especially for 150-600 acre lakes!! I kind of want to get into the tougher accesses and be able troll easier.. Also, Low maintenance and a smaller garage footprint is a plus too

Does anyone have experience with either of the two? Which one is a more durable boat? I think cost is similar. I almost always fish lakes less than 1000 acres. twice a summer I go somewhere north of the metro so thats not a big deal.

I would go with the Alumacraft. the choice of a yamaha or mercury would be the tough thing to decide on. they are both 4 strokes but the yamaha has a carburator where as the mecury is EFI. Yamaha seems to have a higher resale value then mercs do. I have a Alumacraft Fisherman 160CS with a 40HP yamaha on it. the Fisherman 160Tiller has a max HP rating of 25HP. if you want to get the next tiller up that has a higher max HP rating look at a Alumacraft Lunker II. it is rated for up to a 50HP. If it was me I would go with the lunker II and a 40HP 4 stroke Yamaha. the price difference shouldn't be that much plus if you use your current boat as a trade in you could save money there. plus I believe alumacraft and/or Yamaha has some type of rebate offer going now. I thought I seen something about this at cabelas the last time I was there. the difference between the fisherman160 and the lunker II is the lunker II is 3" longer, 3" wider beam, 2" deeper to floor, 6" wider transom, 50HP max vs 25HP max. the lunker II is 105LB heavier then the fisherman 160. the lunker II has a 8 Gal built in fuel tank and the fisherman 160 uses a 6 Gal Plastic portable tank. the Lunker II also has 1 extra storage compartment in the bow the fisherman 160 does not.

hope this comparison helps.

almost forgot I had no problem with my Fisherman 160CS on big water also. I had it on mille lacs last labor day and it handled the big water fine. I wouldn't want to do it with a 25HP but the 40HP was more then fine.

[trolloni]

All good points on here,all will do the job, but how far down the road are you thinking? If you want the quietist and most fuel effecient motor you need a Suzuki,if you want a boat that will hold its value of the purchase price and a quick sale when it comes time to sell, you want to buy a lund.

[fish_eat_sleep]

The lunker ll is about $1,000 more than a fisherman 160 I think. i'm leaning towards alumacraft 160 because it is even a few hundred less than a comparable lund fury. Im happy to hear that the boat won't sink if i do go on bigger water once in awhile. I was concerned about the hight of the sides and bow. I have heard they are solid boats for their size.

Im hearing 25-27mph with a "newer" 25hp? and not to overload the boat for performance reasons?

Another question.. Would I be looking for a 48" for 54" bow mount minn kota?

[fish_eat_sleep]

I would hold onto it for awhile. probably 5-8 years. is alumacraft bad in resale? Correct me if Im wrong but I thought they were a pretty good company.

[Brad B]

The lunker ll is about $1,000 more than a fisherman 160 I think. i'm leaning towards alumacraft 160 because it is even a few hundred less than a comparable lund fury. Im happy to hear that the boat won't sink if i do go on bigger water once in awhile. I was concerned about the hight of the sides and bow. I have heard they are solid boats for their size.

Im hearing 25-27mph with a "newer" 25hp? and not to overload the boat for performance reasons?

Another question.. Would I be looking for a 48" for 54" bow mount minn kota?

I run a 54" minnekota power drive V2(55Lbs) with universal sonar and the I pilot on mine. it will move my boat up to 2.5 mph at the max speed setting. I normally run it at .4 to .6 mph when I work the shore line and docks for bass.

as for resale value Alumacraft has very good resale value. Alumacraft also gives you choice of the motor brand. New lunds are sold only with mercurys(was told this by salesman when I bought my boat). yamaha motor have the best resale value also. I would say thou is a 25HP mercury 4 stroke is probably better then the Yamaha 25HP 4 stroke because the mercury is EFI were as the 25HP yamaha is a carb motor.

as for bigger water with a fisherman just use common sense. don't go out when there is 3 to 5 foot waves. if it is calm and you go no more then 2 or 3 miles out you should be fine.

here is a pic of my boat.