Lund or Alumacraft

[Tom I Am]

Will be boat shopping soon for a 17' fishing boat. 115 Yamaha 4 stroke. In general, which boat is the best performer?

[Captain B.R.K]

Generally, the best performing boats are those that float. Ha, you left the door open on that one:)

I'm sure you'll get some good feedback on this one.

[Sod Farmer]

Both are great boat makers! I find the differences to me very minor. I would go with the dealer you like the best and can get the best deal.

[Fatty07]

Looks like you live in St. Peter. Home of the alumacraft. I currently own 16.5 mag Alumcraft. Love it!!!! Width is the key to me. The wider the boat the better. Also I would definatly go with the single counsel.

Enjoy your new purchase.

[bkft]

It's the Chevy/Ford/Dodge question of the boating world! Personally, I like Lund. But you will pay less for an equivalent Alumacraft. Good luck with your decision!

[leechlake]

what style are you looking for. Walk through windshield, tiller, single or double counsel. That way we can all tell you what we have and why it's the best! Seriously, do you know what style your leaning towards, what you want to spend, what you'll be using it for (fishing only, etc).

[Tom I Am]

I currently have an 84 Lund Nisswa. 16' with an 84" beam, tiller 50. I love the wide open space. Fishes my 3 kids pretty nicely. I'm guessing if I go with the walk through windshield I would be disappointed with the loss of space. On the other hand having a bimini cover to get out of the sun and rain looks appealing. I guess based on what I am currently used to the single console offers me the best choice. What do you guys prefer?

[bigdog]

I have an 03 Tourny Pro 175 with a 4 stroke Yamaha 90 and have no complaints at all. Great boat.

[Hookmaster]

I have a 1999 Lund Angler SS (single console). I've enjoyed it. If you do a lot of fishing with more than 2 people the dual console may get in the way. I think you can put a bimini top on any boat. Can you still get Lunds with a Yamaha without derigging the Merc stuff? You may go have to go Alumacraft to get the Yammie. I know if I ever get another new boat, I'll be buying the boat that I can get with the motor I want.

[JP Z]

Go for the 18' Alaskan!! The 20' is what I generally use with a Tiller and it has nothing but space. Of coure with the Alaskan's they don't have all the bells and whistles of some but what they lack they make up for in space and quality.

[cabin boy]

Crestliner! Enuf said!

[Ole1855]

I've owned MirroCraft, Crestliner and Lund, I currently run a Lund ProV dual console and I love it!!

Ole

[montanagriz]

I recently went through the process of buying a new boat for the first time. After spending hours researching online and talking to many dealers, fisherman, and boat reps, I recently purchased a new 2004 18' Lund Explorer. One of my biggest factors was the resale value. Lund does have the best resale value of any boat in Minnesota. For example, my grandpa has a 1986 Lund Predator that he bought brand new for $5,500 back then. The boat is in great shape and he could probably sell it today for at least $4,500.

I was also impressed with Lund's hull design, in my mind, they make the best hulls in the business. A buddy of mine purchased a Tracker and his boat barely gets on plane with 2 people in it. Granted, he bought it underpowered, but the real problem lies with the poor hull design. A Lund in the same class with the same motor would have no problem getting up.

Another thing to think about is package options. The dealership where I purchased my boat threw in a CD player, On-Board Battery Charger, 24v-65lb MinnKota Bowmount Trolling Motor w/Auto Pilot, Raymarine Graph (not that great, I will be replacing with a Lowrance 332c), a side counsole, and a snap down travel cover.

Both Lund and Almuacraft are excellent boats, I think I would give a slight edge to Lund though. I haven't heard one person who owns a Lund regret their purchase. You may pay a little more up front, but you'll get that money back when you decide to trade it in or sell it someday. Hope that helps a little. With this warm weather I am getting vary anxious to get my boat out on the water.

[bmc2b]

My family has had good luck with both. I went through the same dilema last fall. After looking at both over and over, the 1700 lund fisherman won out. Just be sure to get what you really want if the price is similar otherwise you'll end up regretting it the whole time you have the boat.

[leechlake]

I'd stick with a tiller if you already have one. I have a Pro V with walkthrough windshild and for running it's great but I'd rather have a tiller for walleye fishing and space. I fish big lakes and I'd hate running around with a tiller though. Tillers are also less expensive design wise and less expensive because they are rated for smaller motors which obviously cost less. Either boat is a good boat. In my opinion, lunds may hold value better but if you hold the boat a long time (I assume you would if your using an 85 now)I'd say your going to get near the full use out of the value of it. Good luck and happy boat shopping, it can be a lot of fun. Go look at the different models and see what you like, they all have some different features that will fit your style.

[WaveWacker]

I personally have a Lund but with that said would not shy away from Alumacraft in the least bit. Basically comes down to how well you like the internal set up between the two models.

[LocalGuide]

I guess I get to be the one to brag up Alumacraft! hehe...

Well my dad and I purchased a Alumacraft spring of last year. We bought a 1year old used boat. Its the 185 Tourney Pro with a 140 4-stroke Johnson. I love the motor but, IMO its a tad bit underpowered and if we would upgrade again we would max it out. But that motor works fine and we can pull tubes and ski behind it too.

We both searched around for a boat that we liked. We looked at Crestliner 1850FishHawk and test drove that boat. Nice boat but a rough ride compared to Alumacraft. We then went to look at a Lund with same amount of room as a Alumacraft. To compare a 185TP to a Lund you pretty much have to go up to the 2025 ProV for the space issue and few extras. And that was out of the price range.

My uncle has a 175TP Alumacraft Tiller w/90horse. I got to ride in that before I got our boat and it was nice. Its has a smooth ride, very nice hull, lots of space/storage, nice livewell (IMO, some ppl might think different), and rod storage was great.

So I think you get more bang for you buck by going with a Alumacraft boat. They come with lots of extras and add-ons that on other boats would cost a lot more. I think Alumacraft has something going now. They have a very nice boat that is really affordable, and by no means is any of this stuff cheap quality either.

I forgot to mention and I didnt know this until this spring when a dealer told me. Alumacraft uses marine grade ply-wood, so if you drill a hole in your floor or gunnel's no big deal, the wood wont rot. I guess some big manufactures dont, they just spray resistant stuff on the top and bottom of the plywood and the middle isnt protected. Of course the wood is lots heavier then but overall their boat isnt that heavy. Im sure someone would know what I'm talking about, Im just trying to remember what he said.

[Tom I Am]

Thanks everyone for the excellent input. A purchase this big deserves a great deal of research.

[Fisher Dave]

I would recommend getting inside of each boat and looking over every little detail.. In the end, buy the boat your most comfortable in... I would feel better in a 14' boat with a great layout vs a larger boat with a bad layout for my preference... in the end, all that matters is your needs or desires.. your the one forking out the cash.

Alumacraft and Lund both make excellent boats with a great resale value... I worry more about fishability than resale.

[Fish Head]

Some very good posts here. Barsky, you never mentioned your price range. Style of boat that you're looking for and price range can make a difference. However like several others have said, they are both good and I'm sure you'll be happy.

I recently purchased a Alumacraft Navigator 185. My biggest reason for choosing this was room. It seemed more spacious than the others.

As someone else said.... a big key is how you rig up the boat. I think it's a mistake to pay all that money for a new boat and skimp on the trolling motor, electronics, etc..

Good Luck and Happy boat Hunting!!

[Tom I Am]

I'd like to stay below 18k out the door. I'd hate to have to sleep in it all year long if you know what I mean.

[jltimm]

From what I remember last year looking at both Alumacraft and Lund the prices are very close to each other.I had always thought the Alumacraft were cheaper?

[zepman]

Just brought home my new 1850 fishhawk today. Spent around two years deciding which boat I wanted to go with. Looked at all boats listed here as well. Decided on fishhawk because of it's room, versatility, and layout. Right now I couldn't be happier with the decision I've made---let's hope I feel the same way mid-way through this season. You can't go wrong with either of the boats you're looking at. Enjoy!