Alumacraft Trophy

[jramsber]

We have been searching for a fish and ski boat for quite a while and recently looked at an Alumacraft Trophy 175 at Cabelas. Any input on this boat? Any suggestions on other dealers to check with? We are also looking for gently used boats but haven't been able to find much out there. Thanks!

[CaptainMusky]

Hallberg marine is a great dealer. Will have lots of selection of multiple brands besides alumacraft.

The trophy is an excellent boat. Many of the features I like about it are the high sides making it safer for family, rear jump seats for flexible seating. Funnel storage on the wide sides. I have a tournament sport but unfortunately this model is no longer made.

You should be able to find lots of options out there whether its new, used or leftover. I bought mine as a leftover and got incredible savings.

[jramsber]

Thanks for the info. Would leftover be an option this time of year or just in the fall?

[Ballyhoo]

The Trophy is an excellent boat. Good for fishing, takes rough water well, has high sides for kids, pulls tubes/skiers etc. Good all around boat. Lots of storage room. Where do you fish?

[weld1]

We have a trophy 180 its a decent boat now that we have the 150 yamaha set up properly, as for dealers... avoid the one on hwy 10 just south of st cloud...

[Fish Head]

I purchased my Alumacraft at Dans Southside Marine in Bloomington. I have 2 friends that purchased their Alumacraft there too. They are tops. Definately worth checking with them.

[Pat K]

I wouldn't be afraid to buy from Cabelas. 6 years ago when I bought a Stratos 386 from another dealer I had problems with the livewell system from the 1st day on the water. The selling dealer claimed it wasn't a warranty item and they would charge for the repairs.

Cabelas was the next closest Stratos dealer. When I called them they told me to bring it in and let them look it over. They fixed the problem in a few days and it was covered by the warranty.

Another Alumacraft dealer I've heard good things about is LaCannes in Faribault

[CaptainMusky]

Thanks for the info. Would leftover be an option this time of year or just in the fall?

When I puchased my boat it was in April and it was a leftover model. There may be few choices, but I did save quite a few bucks.

Sometimes the brand new models may have some incentives you could lose out on by going with a leftover, but just weigh your options.

The other thing you will notice is that the boat will be rated for a motor much higher than you may really need. This can save you a bunch of cash too.

My boat is rated for a 200HP, but I have a 150 on it. I have gotten over 50MPH on GPS with it and overall performance is awesome. No need for a bigger motor for me at all. I save almost $2000 over a 175HP motor.

If I could suggest something, not sure if you considered it or not, but get the bimini top for it. Not sure how young your kids are, but man, its been a life saver for me.

On super hot, cloudless days the little one could take a nap in the shade on the boat. Plus it can extend a day or your season when the weather is miserable.

Easily snaps into place and doesnt take up any room hardly when not in use.

Make sure your dealer puts a fuel/water separator filter before you take delivery. Many dealers skimp on this and that could lead to trouble down the road.

I bought my boat from hallberg and was VERY impressed with everthing there. I checked around at 4 or 5 dealerships and they exceeded my expectations as compared to the others.

I have heard great things about Dan's, but I never went that far (since I live in St Cloud) so depending where you live you should have some choices. I did check Cabelas and I would consider buying from them, but I had gotten a better deal elsewhere.

[jramsber]

Great info. I am from sartell so same area as you. The plan is to get in touch with all the dealers mentioned in this thread and go from there. Bimini top is a must. The little guy is 2 and most of our friends have young kids also. This will be our first new boat purchase so any input on the process would be great. Is there generally room for negotiation or getting them to throw in extra features (extra locator, cover, etc)? This thread has been very informative. Any more input would be appreciated. Thanks everyone.

[CaptainMusky]

Great info. I am from sartell so same area as you. The plan is to get in touch with all the dealers mentioned in this thread and go from there. Bimini top is a must. The little guy is 2 and most of our friends have young kids also. This will be our first new boat purchase so any input on the process would be great. Is there generally room for negotiation or getting them to throw in extra features (extra locator, cover, etc)? This thread has been very informative. Any more input would be appreciated. Thanks everyone.

Ha, I actually live just North of Sartell. Small world.

There will be wiggle room on pricing, so shopping around will usually get you an idea of how much they are able to discount. I dont know if Alumacraft has any rebates, etc going on right now, if they do, they are not on their HSOforum.

Since you are from this area, check out Jim's snowmobile and marine in Holdingford.

Their selection will be limited, but they are very nice people. They had competitive pricing, but I opted to go elsewhere because they didnt have the exact boat I wanted OR motor choice.

One thing to pay attention on is "dealer prep". One dealer may have a more competitive price, but whack you with a big dealer prep negating any savings.

Many of the dealers will show package deal pricing which would include a trolling motor and depth finder. Usually they are basic models and if you price it out separately you may not be saving much if anything.

The other thing is these places (except cabelas) are not typically the best place to buy trolling motors and electronics because you can find better deals at a retailer. Hallberg gave me $200 in hallberg cash to spend upon completion of the sale, which I then bought batteries and some other necessities. I am sure other places would do something similar.

Rigging these boats for electronics is not that difficult. Its just putsy to run transducer cables to the helm. There will already be "accessory" wires prewired in for a depth finder in the front and in the back should you choose to put one in either location. You just need to splice in the power cable from whatever unit you buy.

Trolling motorrs are simple. Put on the fancy plug that will come with the boat and plug it in once you find the best spot on the bow to mount it.

Im probably going to get my boat out of storage this weekend and you could certainly come over and see how I have things rigged. Its not a Trophy, but you will get the idea. If you get a cover and decide on the snap on cover make sure they put the snaps UNDER the rail. That will keep things from getting snagged on them like your fishing line, etc.

[Kyhl]

Alumacrafts are great boats. I was sceptical until I drove one for a couple seasons. Now I wouldn't consider any other tin model. Love the layout and storage. Mine is just for fishing so I have a different view of them than your intended use.

The Trophy is a top notch boat. I have a Tourney sport 175 which has a little shorter gunnels. The similar current model would be the Dominator, wide gunnels, ample rod storage, and jump seats.

Personally, I would not want the taller sides of the Trophy since fishing is my main goal but for a fish n ski it would be great.

[SkunkedAgain]

I have a 2008 Navigator that I bought from Dan's. A few years ago on Minnetonka, some guy noticed the Dan's logo on the transom and proceeded to tell me how they were dishonest crooks, blah blah blah. My experience has been quite the contrary. Five years later I can still walk in and the saleman remembers me, my name, and was 90% close on the boat that I bought. That's impressive and the service has been good too.

[JumpStart73]

We bought our Trophy 205 from Dans Southside. It was the last years model (so it was cheaper). Along with last years Suzuki 225 on the back. The part that gets expensive is rigging, so bite the bullet and get want you want. I agree with the top bimini top along with the bow and side curtains. We also had the bow converted over to rod storage(holds 8 rods). Alumacraft did a very nice job on that. We had some issues with the boat first couple times out, nothing big, and Dans took care of those with ease. Keep your eyes open for last years inventory and you should get a pretty good deal

[jramsber]

A 70lb thrust trolling motor would be sufficient correct?

[Esox_Magnum]

Would be the smallest I would go, I had an 80 on my old 175 and some days even that was struggeling... The catch alot of wind so need power to keep them on line...

[Kyhl]

Depends on your use. 70 would be the smallest IMO.

If you plan to work shorelines out of the wind then a 70 would be plenty.

If you are planning to drag anything in the middle of the lake then I'd opt for an 80.

I have a 70 on a Tourney sport 175 and it is adequate. It's not big enough to pull spinners or crankbaits in my rig but big enough to work spots vertically when away from shore. The Trophy sits higher and will catch more wind so I would lean toward the 80 if you can swing it.

[CaptainMusky]

70 or 80 you should be OK, but make sure its a 60" shaft.

[SkunkedAgain]

I have my old 40lb thrust on my 165 which is well underpowered unless it is little to no wind

[jramsber]

Besides the shorter sides, can anyone tell me the differences between the trophy and the dominator? Thanks for all the help

[reelguy]

The jump seats in the back, bimini top, extra seat and there are other things I believe. I bought a Trophy 175 two years ago at the boat show. I went to the show dead set on a Dominator but when I looked at how much bigger and better the Trophy was compared to the Dominator, for small amount of money more, it was a clear choice to get the Trophy. If I were you, go with the 150 hp motor. I trusted the dealer that 115 was good enough and I am disappointed. Most of the dealers there were saying the 115 was big enough. It goes fast once on plane, but it is a dog with more than three adults to get on plane.

BTW I have a 80lb Terrova and don't think I would go smaller.

[jramsber]

Thanks for the info. Do you find the sides to be too high when fishing?

[SkunkedAgain]

It goes fast once on plane, but it is a dog with more than three adults to get on plane.

Have you tried buying a backup prop that drops down in pitch and inch or two? That solved my problem. I just take 2 minutes to swap props when I know that I'll be moving heavier loads

[jramsber]

We ended up going with the dominator 185. A little lower sides for fishing and more leg room with the added foot. Thanks to everyone for the input